This is the follow-up to my previous post, [forums.macresource.com].

State Farm just informed us that we will have to pay for the $500 deductible because the car that propelled the rock that cracked the windshield of my S/O's 96 Toyota RAV4 4-door 'baby' SUV was not a commercial vehicle. We are in Southern CA. Is State Farm's policy uniform in all states?

I called safelite.com the total cost for an after-market winshield will be $221 including the replacement of the rubber strips. $20 more for a new windshield wipers.

What do y'all think?

Kap

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SoCal for now.

That sounds just like how it worked for this kind of claim back in the '60s when I handled those for a living for Allstate. A windshield damaged by a rock is a common road hazard. Come on, as a driver, how much control do you really have over maybe hitting a rock and having it land on the windshield of some other car on the road? I think this is being handled exactly the way I would expect.

And the "Commercial Vehicle" is going to be the sand and gravel truck that "cleans off" it's mud flaps/tailgate door/etc. when it take a pothole while in front of you, like a big mean kid throwing gravel in your face.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2006 08:39PM by Harry in MI.

Sounds like her policy doesn't have glass coverage. Some (like mine) allow for a lower deductible just for glass claims, but you pay a wee bit extra. But if you replace 1 windshield in 10 years and you have several cars, you at least break even.

I have had 6 rock chips repaired, and a windshield in the past 16 months. All I have paid for all that was the $100 for the windshield.

Just pay the $221 out of pocket, and look into what glass coverage can be added and at what cost. $221 isn't bad, as the deductible would have been at least $100 anyway.

Coverage from the same company varies in each state. My sister in law almost got screwed because her insurance wouldn't cover a broken windshield broken in Arizona, but would here in Washington, where she was moving to. She said it happened in Utah on the way up. That BS is why I hate insurance companies.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2006 08:42PM by Racer X.

In Florida State Farm says it's state law they must cover me - full coverage and no deductible.

State Farm has always covered damage to my windshield. I'm in N. CA.

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earache

Whenever you make a claim, especially here in CA (where there's "no fault") it counts against you. That means when you go to change insurance they'll check to see about your claims. The insurers will tell you that a certain number of claims like yours are "understandable", and that they will not increase your rates. What they neglect to say after that is the word "immediately". Because over time, you will watch your renewal rates rise.

It stinks, but in places like CA, where you have to show proof of insurance just to register your car, the insurers have no real reason to be very competitive.

Pay the $221 and look for a new insurer. (21st Century will make your wallet much happier for the same coverage you're currently getting from State Farm - they and Allstate are the most expensive insurers in the state, and they don't provide any better claim coverage than the other carriers).

Good luck.

It all depends on your coverage. With State Farm (Iowa),I have collision w/$50 deductible and comprehensive w/$0 deductible. A windshield cracked by road debris would be covered under comprehensive thus $0 out of my pocket (and no hit to my rate when filing a comp claim). I realize I'm spending a little more for coverage by having the deductibles so low, but I prefer it set up this way. In fact, State Farm here doesn't even offer deductibles set this low anymore on new policies.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2006 08:59PM by Golfer.

You're getting hosed . . . shop around . . . USAA, if you can qualify, is simply awesome.

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Bill
Flagler Beach, FL 32136

Carpe Vino!

Fermentation may have been a greater discovery than fire.
— David Rains Wallace

Like Golfer, I live in Iowa, and just had a rock thrown by a lawnmower hit my windshield. No charge to me other than the insanely high prememium. State Farm too. Maybe you shouldn't have told them how it was broken. Oh, I did, and it worked out just fine.

Naw. Sounds like it's a standard deal. USAA will repair damage to windshields at their preferred vendor, but will expect you to pay the deductible first before they kick in for a new windshield - depending what kind of insurance you have with them.

Both my dad and myself went through this in the past two months. I got mine repaired, he sucked it up and got a new windshield. That day, driving home, with a clear new windshield - a rock jumped in the way of his car and gave him a brand new cracked windshield. I kid you not. True story. The glass place repaired the windshield for free (about the size of a dime, the ding was).

Our lousy luck: 1) Earlier part of the year while her car was in the shop for a repair resulted from a rear collision (not her fault. The other's driver's insurance took care everything) her rental car was keyed by some moron. She had to cough up $500 deductible to have her own insurance pay for the damage. We learnt to pay for rental car's insurance from now on. 2) Now it's barely the middle of the year she's got this windshield issue.

She's been checking around for another insurer but she said no one could offer her a better deal than State Farm. She's been with them for over 30 years now.

Perhaps, we should have switched to AllState four years ago when we became home owers. We might have a better rate because our home owner's insurance is with the same insurer.

Whoever said CA is the favorite state of profiteers in the Union s/he ain't kiddin'!

Kap

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SoCal for now.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2006 11:00PM by kap.

D

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3GHz - The clock is STILL ticking Steve.

Are you sure it was the RAV4 and not the dump truck in front of it? Hint, Hint!
It might have anyone of the large trucks that were in front of you. It's amazing
how most average drivers file a claim, what once every 10-20 years and they hose
you like this. I'd tell them, "pay for it or it will be the last time you get a dime
out of me". Farm Bureau gives me a nice discount for having 2 vehicles and my
Homeowner with them.

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Grateful11

My beloved S/O is one honest to goodness woman. I guess I am lucky to have found her and so are the profiteers!

Yup, we'll be chatting with AllState tomorrow to see what they will offer us.

Kap

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SoCal for now.

bfd is correct - even if you don't make a claim the windshield will go on your SO's record as an 'incident'. And that makes three this year.
Next time don't even talk to your insurance company if the damage is less than the deductible.

[moneycentral.msn.com]

[info.insure.com]

I keep hearing that State Farm is expensive, so I thought I'd get a quote from 21st tonight.

My State Farm for 2 vehicles in Southern CA: about $720 (6 month).
Similar coverage quote from 21st: over $2800 (6 month).

Granted I have renter's insurance and a personal articles policy with State Farm which gives me a discount, but not a 75% discount. Guess I'll stick with State Farm.

You people are on crack.

Insurance isn't meant to cover $200 items, any more than the emergency room is meant to handle a case of the sniffles.

Life happens. $200 things happen to a car. Deal with it.

I guess this attitude is the result of the leasing culture, where people pay their $400/month and up for the rest of their lives, trading the cars over every 3 years without ever paying a repair bill, and they've come to expect never to have to pay ANY kind of repair bill.

You can't insure life down to the penny. S*it happens. Deal with it.

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In the words of DharmaDog: "it may or may not be utter horse@#$%&, but it shouldn't be dismissed simply because it doesn't agree with your opinion."

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Trying is the first step to failure. -- Homer Simpson

It's interesting to see how "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" and this mentality apparently applies even more so to insurance. You can't second guess insurance pricing from one area to another. It's always based on loss experience. A company may be the highest in one rating area and much lower elsewhere. Don't paint any company with a broad brush.

Jumping from one insurance company to another every few years, never pays. Build your loyalty to a company and benefit from the obligation they have to you. Much harder to be non-renewed by a company where you've been insured for 10+ years than from one after only a couple years. Yes, insurance companies honor longevity.... I know as I Was a State Farm Underwriting Supervisor for 34 years. The company hasn't become #1 by routinely mistreating their customers.

Crack, no I don't think so. $400/month for now on, no I don't think so. My current
vehicle is 15 years old. I'm paying less than $400 every 6 months for my '91 and my
wifes '04. I haven't had a claim on a vehicle in I believe in over 15 years but I'm
supposed to suck it up and pay for the windshield even though I've paid in all that
money over the years. If these dump truck driving folks would check their trucks before geting on the
road we would not have nearly as many broken windshields. In NC they're suppose
to clean off all ledges of their dump bed before getting on the road, so do and some
don't. I've seen several rocks wedged in between their dual tires just waiting to fly
out at the right speed, they should check fr that but there again some do and
some don't. I pay a few dollars ever 6 months for glass breakage, big
deal. I'm sure most people on here waste more than that on something they
have no real need for.

Where did anyone say anything about leasing a vehicle?

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Grateful11

$221 sound pretty good, we just spent $338 to replace the windshield on my husbands truck. The rock was thrown by a car that went speeding by in the left hand lane.

jesse

SoCal? One vote here for Wawanesa.

have you checked with GEICO?

i've had them for 30 years. anytime i've thought about switching, no one's been cheaper. i never had to use it, but i believe they repair a cracked windshield at no-charge and waive the deductible.

I checked Geico and it was higher than Farm Bureau but Progressive was a little
cheaper but not enough to make it worth while to switch. One thing Farm Bureau
charges a $25 member fee each year.

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Grateful11

We will call up all insurers suggested here (So this is what we'll do on Friday, eh? Will post our final decision.
BTW, three years ago we tried to have both our home owner's insurance AND our cars' with State Farm but they no longer take on new clients of the former due to the mold controversy here in CA :-(

Please keep your suggestions coming ... I'll be checking in throughout the day.

Again, many thanks to everyone. A great online AND off-line community this forum has turned out to be. I am greatly appreciative.
Kap

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SoCal for now.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/26/2006 10:57AM by kap.

I was driving on 580 near Livermore heading to 5 to go back to L.A. from SF Bay Area on Baby Buzz's birthday 5 years ago, when rocks from construction vehicle peppered van, cracking windshield and adding a few small sents around front of car. I pulled over across a couple of lanes, and paced the truck, getting the name and ID number from the side and door of the truck. Tried to motion driver to pull over; he refused to do so. Called 911 from cell, which couldn't connect me directly w/ CHP at the time [weekend], gave them info and had to wait for call back from CHP. Called brother gave him info to copy down and email/leave on voice mail at home. CHP finally calls back after I'm going south on 5 after leaving pursuit as truck continued east on 580. CHP "couldn't do anything" because truck was now out of sight for too long, and was told to call back during the week. Left voice mail for State Farm agent, who during following week insisted on having report filed with CHP. CHP up north was having venue issues based on ownership & location of truck. I had name, but ID number on side of truck was evidently only a partial. Whole mess got out of hand, and it took me over a year to track down a defunct contracting company that had sold the truck years earlier, and the subsequent owner(s) hadn't repainted it completely. Since the contracting company had sold several trucks, I had no way of readily identifying which of their former trucks it was that was involved. I just wish the windshield was only $221...

I wanted to get back for my kid's birthday, but I guess if I would have followed the truck until he pulled over, or I got through to the CHP while still pacing the truck, maybe it would have ended up more economically favorably. Just another CA State Farm windshield story.

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Sometimes it is what it is...
and then there's times when it's really better.



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Grateful11 wrote:
---------------------------------------
> Crack, no I don't think so. $400/month for now on, no I
> don't think so. My current vehicle is 15 years old. I'm
> paying less than $400 every 6 months for my '91 and my wifes
> '04. I haven't had a claim on a vehicle in I believe in over
> 15 years but I'm supposed to suck it up and pay for the
> windshield even though I've paid in all that money over the
> years. If these dump truck driving folks would check their
> trucks before geting on the road we would not have nearly as
> many broken windshields. In NC they're suppose to clean off
> all ledges of their dump bed before getting on the road, so
> do and some don't. I've seen several rocks wedged in between
> their dual tires just waiting to fly out at the right speed,
> they should check fr that but there again some do and some
> don't. I pay a few dollars ever 6 months for glass breakage,
> big deal. I'm sure most people on here waste more than that
> on something they have no real need for.
>
> Where did anyone say anything about leasing a vehicle?

I said "I guess" this comes from the world where people pay the monthly payment forever, and expect never to have to pay anything else--even unexpected things like broken windshields.

You, on the other hand, are on a different brand of crack. You expect that you should get back the money you've paid "the man"--that really, it was your money to begin with and it was always your money.

Well, insurance is for catastrophic loss--not the sniffles or a broken windshield.

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In the words of DharmaDog: "it may or may not be utter horse@#$%&, but it shouldn't be dismissed simply because it doesn't agree with your opinion."

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Trying is the first step to failure. -- Homer Simpson

You really are out there like some of them say. If I'm paying for extra options to
cover something on my insurance and you d@mn right I except them to pay off. You
need to move Mars or somewhere. If you pay for extra option on your car and it
breaks under warranty do you have them fix it or do you pay for it yourself. I'm
paying for a service and that's what I except to get back is service with a smile.
One claim in 15 years and I'm sticking to "the man"? Yeah I go around all day
looking for handouts that's what I do best. You need to put yourself in your
signature group.

Let me tell you something about insurance companies. My Dad carried Liability
before it was mandatory. The insurance companies talked the state of NC into
making it mandatory and by doing so it would be cheaper because they would have
a larger group paying in. You know what they did the very next year, they doubled
the rate.

Take this for what it's worth. I almost died in the hospital because of something that was
their fault. You know what everyone said "Oh you should sue them", I said "What
for, I'm alive they managed to save me that's all that matters to me". Yeah I go
around sticking it to people. Get a life.

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Grateful11

I recommend USAA-- if you qualify. They are great in the several states that I have lived in.

if we didn't have elmo, we wouldn't know what happens when we raise children poorly.

It always seems like he starts every post with an attack on someone.

Quote
Racer X
if we didn't have elmo, we wouldn't know what happens when we raise children poorly.
<br />


OUCH!

Kap

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SoCal for now.

USAA is the best insurance I have ever had. They cover my cars, my homeowner's and some personal articles. Never any trouble and very competitive. The only catch is that you have to be eligible to get the coverage (officer in the military or relative of one.)

I wish we were eligible for USAA. The ending would be a better ... less expensive one

Kap

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SoCal for now.

So if your father is a WWII veteran a person would qualify for USAA? Would they have to have been an Officer?

[en.wikipedia.org]

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Grateful11