"just gotta be persistent and organized."
Couldn't agree more with this. I've seen plenty of cases where folks brought in solid private sale comps, and it definitely made a difference in their settlement. Dealership prices can be tricky—sometimes they're inflated, sometimes they're actually pretty accurate depending on the local market. But yeah, persistence is key... insurers aren't always out to lowball you, but having your own homework done makes everyone's job easier (mine included, haha).
Yeah, persistence is definitely a big part of it, but honestly, I've seen insurers drop the ball plenty of times too. Had a client last year who got caught in a similar hail situation—thought he was covered, but turns out his policy excluded weather damage. Always worth double-checking the fine print...even I get surprised sometimes by what's buried in there. Still, being organized and knowing your stuff can really swing things your way when there's wiggle room.
Totally agree—fine print can be sneaky. Couple things I'd add from experience:
- Comprehensive coverage usually handles hail, but some cheaper policies exclude it.
- Deductibles for weather damage can be higher than standard claims.
- Always worth checking if your insurer offers separate hail riders...saved me once.
Yeah, comprehensive usually covers hail, but I've seen some pretty bare-bones policies that leave it out. Had a guy last summer whose car looked like a golf ball after a storm—turns out his deductible was almost as much as the repair cost, so he just lived with the dents. Definitely worth double-checking your policy details...sometimes saving a few bucks upfront can bite you later. Learned that one the hard way myself.
"sometimes saving a few bucks upfront can bite you later. Learned that one the hard way myself."
Yep, seen this happen more times than I'd like. It's tempting to go for the cheapest option, but those dents add up fast. Always worth crunching the numbers before deciding on a deductible... learned that lesson myself too, unfortunately.
