There are a number of policy provisions and claims settlement procedures that enable some car insurance carriers to dramatically reduce their costs when repairing a damaged vehicle.  The good news: those carriers are often able to charge less for insurance, since their repair costs are lower.

The bad news: This shocking recent report by CNN and Anderson Cooper explains that over 500 car repair shops in 36 states accuse many auto insurance companies of coercing them to use cheap parts and sometimes dangerous practices to fix vehicles involved in accidents.  The video evidence is alarming, and serves to remind insurance consumers the axiom “you get what you pay for” also applies to insurance coverage.

I encourage readers to examine this revealing report, and to contact a reputable Independent Agent to learn why it is important to consider the many benefits of insuring your vehicles with an insurance carriers like AIG, ACE, Chubb and PURE that provide coverage for repairs using OEM (original equipment of the manufacturer) parts, while also permitting their savvy policyholders to select the repair facility of their choice.