I have 3 claims that I need to take out on my car and I was wondering if it is best to make them all at once or spread them out. One claim is for some hail damage dings on my roof and hood, another claim is for the front bumper where I knicked a guardrail, and the third is for a dent and scrape above my tailgate from not lifting the garage door all the way and backing out. I seriously doubt that any of the claims is over $1000. The only one that I would classify as urgent is the tailgate claim, the other two can be done whenever. My insurance is Kemper. Thanks.

7/26/2010 3:24:45 PM

why would you do this at all, maybe other than the hail? won't your insurance premiums go up if you start laying claims?

[Edited on July 26, 2010 at 3:26 PM. Reason : .]

7/26/2010 3:26:20 PM

If its under a certain dollar amount it may not go up at all.

7/26/2010 3:28:48 PM

^^I plan on trading-in the car in the near future and I don't want the body damage driving down my trade-in value.

7/26/2010 3:36:08 PM

Then fix the damage. You have a per incident deductible, I suspect, and none of the damage you say will exceed the deductible. As such, such claims can either harm you, or do nothing.

7/26/2010 4:06:49 PM

Quote :

"I seriously doubt that any of the claims is over $1000."

What are your deductibles? The hail is going to be Other Than Collision and the other 2 are going to be Collision coverage. The other thing is I feel like the standard NC policy contract has some wording that says in the event of a collision you are required to report it promptly to them so they can do an investigation (if they feel like it). You are also technically liable for the damage to the guardrail and telling them that may not be a good idea:

Quote :

"If the damaged property is a guardrail, utility pole, or other fixed object owned by the Department of Transportation, a public utility, or other public service corporation to which report cannot readily be made at the scene, it shall be sufficient if the responsible driver shall furnish the information required to the nearest peace officer or make written report thereof containing the information by U.S. certified mail, return receipt requested, to the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles within five days following the collision. A violation of this subsection is a Class 1 misdemeanor."

http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bysection/chapter_20/gs_20-166.html

You also might raise a flag by filing that many claims in a short window of time.

7/26/2010 4:06:51 PM

The hail damage claim is the only one you should take to the insurance company. The other two you should just pay of pocket for.

7/26/2010 5:42:58 PM

My other than collision deductible is $0 and my collision deductible is only $100, so I'm 100% positive that repairs wholly out of pocket will cost a lot more then making a claim.

7/26/2010 8:34:23 PM

so no one has heard the claim that if you have too many claims on your insurance over a set period of time they will automatically drop you???

7/26/2010 10:30:22 PM

^Well yeah that's pretty much my question. Somebody on here has to know more about car insurance than just urban myths.

7/27/2010 11:37:58 PM