Just learnt from Progressive Insurance in FL that they are not required to pay for genuine OEM parts for repairs to a car by a brand dealer if the vehicle is not current year and has more than 12k miles on it.
As the insured, you have the right to take your car to whichever place you prefer to get it fixed and they will cover it. But the insured may have to pay out of pocket for the price difference between the price of aftermarket / recycled parts and of the price of OEM new parts.
Anyone else knew this before? I’m not sure if this is just a Progressive thing or for all insurance companies.
It’s in the fine print I believe of almost any insurance company contract. I argued with GEICO before for putting used parts on a car and they agreed to do new oem but that was awhile ago. I’m sure the way customer service is now they would tell me to pound sand.
Their argument is that the car was used so a used part suffices.
Last year I had a bumper replaced. They ended up replacing with OEM but the adjustor told me “OEM Quality” or some phrase like that was what they’re contractually obligated to do. I think the only reason it was OEM was because noting else was available. This was during the tail end of “nothing is available anywhere” era of auto parts.
GEICO insisted on a non-OEM bumper and some used parts on an 8 year old Camry. The headlight assembly was replaced with a used one. According to the estimate I received, the price for the used assembly was more than a new one was being sold for by a Toyota dealer on Amazon.
You need to read your policy jacket as to what is covered and what is not. Most carriers will replace with like kind and quality- that is not OEM (OEM parts are considerably more than non OEM).
Most policies will have an OEM endorsement offered- you will need to check this box to get the parts- and many OEM have exclusions like glass. Always remember when shopping for insurance, the best price is not always the best policy for your situation.
