My '03 Z got clipped on the front driver side by a lady that didn't understand how 3-way stops work. The Z will need a new bumper, headlight, and left front fender. I have an insurance question I'm hoping people can answer:

My headlights are blacked. They only want to allot money for one headlight, and they say they won't pay to have it blacked. This leaves me with one silver and one black headlight. My understanding is that they have to restore the car to what it was. I would say they either need to throw some money in the budget for blacking the headlight, or pay for two headlights so they match.

Thoughts or experience with this?

 

Restore to what it was meaning stock form. Unless you told insurance of your mods or you have receipt, i doubt they will pay to have it blacked out. I might be wrong though!

 

Did you notify your insurance company of your headlight modification and the cost associated with doing the mod? Up here if you make a modification to your vehicle and dont tell your insurance company they arent obligated to pay you out if one of your mods gets damaged in an accident.

 

It was purchased that way. Previous owner had them blacked.

 

Did your insurance company do an inspection when they insured your car? If so did they list the headlights as a modification?

 

^ what they said, at least that was the case when I damaged an aftermarket wheel in an accident. They reimbused me the cost of a new stock wheel which fell a few hundred short. It needs to be added to your policy as an enhancement beforehand.

That accident was my fault however...

 

Sorry,its not gonna happen.
Unless you got a rider of sorts that documented your mods,you are out of luck.
The insurance company will redo only with OEM stuff.
Whats your deductible?
Unless you have a very low or,no deductible,the cost of getting ONE headlight
blackened does'nt equate to what you may have to pay out of pocket.
You mean they are giving you one new headlight/labor to install without any out of pocket?
Your insurance premiums must be out of site.

 

Whose insurance are we talkin' about here? Also, did YOUR insurance company know about the mod(s)? If the car was bought that way, then you could claim that you didn't know they weren't OEM.

 

OP - As it is her policy ( I assume) paying for it, you have NO leverage. They are obligated to pay for one OEM headlight - hell, they could even try to lowball an aftermarket piece if it was a body panel or something. You could call a lawyer, or even just threaten to call a lawyer, but do it nicely - as I said you have no leverage. Curious - what is the cost of blacking a headlight?

 

I'd imagine blacking out a headlight is 20 dollars, or less. Am I right? So whats the deal? Its a sports car you should know by now it's going to cost you some extra money at times. On the other hand glad to hear it isn't that bad.

 

If it was her fault and her insurance is covering the damage on your car, then start talking to the insurance adjuster about diminished vehicle value. Because, when you go to sell your car it is not worth as much having a accident on it's carfax.

 

$20? Maybe if you stick it in the oven and do it yourself with some spray paint.

Professionally painting runs for around $200-$400 a set, depending on if you're only blacking out the housing or if you're replacing the amber bulbs and doing other headlight modifications.

So I'm guessing $100-$200 to get one done professionally. I'm just going off of quotes I've gotten.

Sorry to say it but without a receipt for the headlights getting blacked out professionally, you might be SOL.

 

Yes. Like ambushphoto says. If you have custom parts on the Z, you visit your insurance company, and ask that they cover the custom parts. Its called a rider.

 

Thanks for the input. It has some upgraded rims on it, I'll be sure to have my agent note that so I don't have problems in the future.

 

If your insurance company knew about the mods, then you could always claim the headlight on your insurance, and they'd go after her insurance for the money but since it seems like they didn't know about the mods, you're SOL on this one.

Document EVERY mod on your car ASAP and talk to your insurance agent. The last time I insured a heavily modded car, I only paid like $18/mo extra for about $10k in parts.

 

This is EXCELLENT advice! When you go to sell this car, you will not be able to get the amount as you would without this accident so you need to get paid for that.

 

But doesn't HER insurance company have an obligation to return his car to pre-accident condition, aftermarket parts or not?

 

Depends on if his insurance company allows the repair shop to put aftermarket parts on the car. I know with USAA they allow my repair shop to put aftermarket parts on the car. It actually is sometimes cheaper. But with this whole headlight thing... I would be very careful, some states do not allow blacked out headlights... If you fight with the insurance company too much they can report you. Actually, they will... I would just take what you get, maybe work it a different way... Become friends with the repair shop. They will put thier neck out there to do somethings they are not supposed to.. Just sayin'

 

In MA they WILL pay for rims if they are damaged in an accident (not stolen or if car is totalled)
Easiest way to get paid for something custom is bring it to s shop to fix it and then the shop will submit a suppliment to the insurance company to get extra money for the repairs.

-10 Years as an insurance agent