Question for you insurance folks

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Capm_Spaulding

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My 05 Silverado was pummeled with hail a few weeks back. I have full coverage with a $500 deductible so I am going to make a claim to get it fixed.
My question is, I also have damage to the back quarter panel from where the previous owner backed into something and my passenger side rocker panel is rusting pretty bad "thanks GM"
will this matter for the hail claim? Will they not want to fix the hail because it has other damage already? I don't know how any of this works.
I have Geico if it matters.

Thanks!
 

Zaphod Beeblebrox

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They don't owe you for damage that wasn't caused by hail. If they can separate the damage (hail vs. other stuff), they will probably try to only pay for the hail. Generally, hail damage doesn't require complete panel replacement, but I have seen some cars so damaged by baseball sized hail, PDR wasn't an option.

Will they try to say they don't owe you anything because the panel was already ruined? They might. Or, they may try to depreciate the value of the panel. I don't know how chintzy Geico is when it comes to that. I worked in insurance about 10 years ago, and I remember Geico requiring a higher percentage of damage to a vehicle before "totalling" it than just about everybody. Of course, that may have changed.
 

Capm_Spaulding

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Will they try to say they don't owe you anything because the panel was already ruined? They might. Or, they may try to depreciate the value of the panel.

That's what I'm afraid of. But the rest of the truck will still likely be counted since it wasn't previously damaged?
Some of it is pretty dang bad, "golf ball and larger sized dents," particularly on the top.
Hopefully they will end up totaling the poor truck.
 

Zaphod Beeblebrox

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What they probably should do is look at the panel, count the dings, and pay you whatever amount per ding it would take to repair. If that amount happily ends up being as much as a new panel, so be it.

The hail damage to the rest of the truck is separate. However, there is a chance they will total it. I've seen bad hail damage that could total out relatively expensive cars. It's all about the percentages. If the damage is going to cost ____% relative to the value (cash value, not what people owe or paid for it), they will total it out.

I don't know what that percentage is. I think it used to be around 70% for Geico.
 

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If the prior damage is limited to the rocker panel on a truck, there will be no hail damage on the rocker. You will be paid in full for the hail claim and the rocker will not matter. It's only when the prior damage is on a panel that is also damaged by the hail that it matters. Then it is complicated and several things are considered.
 

Capm_Spaulding

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If the prior damage is limited to the rocker panel on a truck, there will be no hail damage on the rocker. You will be paid in full for the hail claim and the rocker will not matter. It's only when the prior damage is on a panel that is also damaged by the hail that it matters. Then it is complicated and several things are considered.
So being that my rear quarter panel has an idiot mark on it and also hail damage, it may not count since it's damaged regardless of the hail?
 

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So being that my rear quarter panel has an idiot mark on it and also hail damage, it may not count since it's damaged regardless of the hail?
Now it will get complicated. First, it depends on how Geico procedures are written as this can vary between companies depending on how they write their policies. I don't work for Geico. At my company, if the hail will PDR, I'd ignore any and all collision damage. If the hail will not PDR due to either the size of the hail damage or the condition of the panel, I would write to repair the ENTIRE panel (all damage included) then write a related prior damage estimate for the old damage only without refinish. So you would be responsible for paying the shop for all the labor procedures associated with repairing the old damage excluding paint.
 

Capm_Spaulding

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Now it will get complicated. First, it depends on how Geico procedures are written as this can vary between companies depending on how they write their policies. I don't work for Geico. At my company, if the hail will PDR, I'd ignore any and all collision damage. If the hail will not PDR due to either the size of the hail damage or the condition of the panel, I would write to repair the ENTIRE panel (all damage included) then write a related prior damage estimate for the old damage only without refinish. So you would be responsible for paying the shop for all the labor procedures associated with repairing the old damage excluding paint.

I really appreciate all of your feedback. I had no clue how any of this would have gone down.
 

Capm_Spaulding

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Update:
Went and had the estimate done today, they have it at $5500 in hail damage.
Unfortunately instead of fixing it then, they have to submit it to their investigator because I purchased the car within the last 90 days?
So now I have to wait even longer to have it fixed..
What seems fishy about hail in Oklahoma in April?
I am losing my patience with Geico.
 

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