[andrew09]

So I was just rear-ended by a person that does not have a license from this country and they have no insurance. They hit me hard enough at a stoplight so that two screws came out of the undercarriage and the bumper was scraped. I'm not trying to up my insurance or to gouge this guy, but by taking it to a dealership, is that going to cost me more money or should I just go to an independent auto dealer? I definitely want Honda parts. Any thoughts are welcome, thanks. Damage is slight, but the fact that 2 screws came out of the undercarriage is more concerning.

Normally when another driver is at fault their insurance will have to pay for Honda parts. If you file under your insurance that depends if you paid a higher premium for OE(original equipment) parts coverage. Look for Honda certified body shops, they generally will work with insurance to prioritize OE parts.

https://owners.honda.com/collision/about/?section=section-intro#bodyshop

https://owners.honda.com/collision/certifiedbodyshop/

No, I did not call police as the damage was light & I had to get somewhere.

Here's why not calling the police for your situation is a bad idea

• Filing a claim under your own insurance is going result in a surcharge at renewal especially when you don't have an official police report stating the at fault driver is uninsured vs your statement alone.
• It's common someone will lie that they don't have insurance to avoid a claim against them.
• https://www.uti.edu/blog/collision/rear-end-collision-damage

In any accident, grab any info you can from the other driver(Driver's License, Plate number, etc), and let your insurance company verify it with the DMV. Call the police unless you have dashcam footage of the accident. Don't trust what the other driver tells you especially when they're at fault.

 

[andrew09]

Agree with all you said, except the surcharge part, in the case of being hit by an uninsured motorist.

Generally, your insurance will only surcharge your policy IF... the accident fault is yours. In the case of an uninsured motorist hitting you from behind.. that is no fault to the policy holder and should not result in a premium surcharge no matter what. Though I bet there are a few states that are very friendly to insurance companies at the expense of the insured owners.

Yes, I understand it's not the fault of the policy holder but in general collision claims($500+) against your own policy will result in a rate increase for the collision portion at renewal. It could be a minor increase depending on your insurance company. The exception to this would be if your insurance company was able to be reimburse by the at fault driver or their insurance under subrogation. Insurance companies also don't rely on policyholder statements when determining fault due to insurance fraud. You need proof like dashcam footage of the accident, or a police report.

 

[andrew09]

Illegal for insurance to do this in California. California insists that if you want to sell insurance in the state, no fault = no premium surcharges.

But I could see this happening in more "insurance company friendly" states.

Yes, it also depends on the laws in your state. For example, my state(MA) doesn't allow insurance companies to factor in your credit score when determining your insurance premium.