Insurance question

[arkturus]

Hi guys, I was wondering if you had any advice on this.

To make a long story short I was just getting off the highway and my car suddenly spun out.

Basically I was on the ramp at a moderate speed and then it sounded like I hit something and suddenly the car swung around. After I pulled the car to the side of the road I noticed that the right front wheel well fell off and had been dragged around. There is also a bit of damage on the front right wheel, and the alignment feels a bit off.

I am insured by GEICO and I would like any advice on how to deal with the insurance company about this incident.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance

[PBking82]

Did you call the police and have an accident/incident report filed? If so then call your insurance company and tell them you want to file a claim. Or you can take it to a shop and have them do an estimate then have them submit it to your insurance company. This is all assuming you have collision coverage. If not you're SOL and will be on your own for the repairs. Peace-

[arkturus]

I didn't call the police, I've never been in a situation like this before and didn't know what to do.

[PBking82]

Do you have collision?
I dunno about how it works if you don't call the cops. I've never been in an accident that required my insurance(as i do my own bodywork.) But if you have collision than i'd call the number on your insurance card and just ask them how you should go about it. Peace-

[arkturus]

thanks man

[Igovert500]

Yeah call your insurance and just explain the situation. Chances are they wont even need a police report. However keep in mind you must pay a deductible, and if the cost of repairs is close to the cost of your deductible ($500 or 1k deductible) than it is pointless to get the insurance involved (as they like to raise rates of people who process claims) My theory on insurance, is save it for when it counts...just my .02

I mean, I havn't seen teh damages, but assuming you are stock and there wasn't any serious damage to the under-carriage or suspension components, a wheel, wheel well, and alignment aren't really all that expensive. Plus you could probably find parts on this forum for cheaper.

[fredjacksonsan]

I used to do claims at GEICO.

If something fell off your car they'll say that it is normal maintenance since your wheel well fell off, and it's not covered.

If you actually hit an object in the road however, you could report the claim and Collision would cover it.

In this case, Igovert's suggestion to do the repairs yourself is a good one, based on the story in your initial post.