I was driving down the freeway when a big fucking rock (literally half the size of a brick) was kicked up by a car in front of me (the car that kicked up the rock was in the lane ahead of me and to my right–I wasn’t tailgating). The rock careened off my hood, denting the hell out of it and putting a couple of deep gouges in the paint down to the metal. It then smacked into my windshield (luckily not breaking it) and over my car and away (the brick was no doubt thinking “here we go again”).
Anyway, my deductable is $500. Let’s say the cost of repair is $1,000; would it be worth it to file a claim for the difference, or would it cause problems with my insurance that wouldn’t be worth the savings? At what level of repair costs would I be better off just paying out-of-pocket?
Any insurance people here who could give me some good advice?
Probably, because if you need a new windshield and a new hood and maybe some dents pulled/painted on the roof the damage is probably well over a grand. Comprehensive claims, if you don’t have too many (or too bad a driving record overall), usually don’t result in a large premium increase. Remember the key here though is that the object was kicked up and flying through the air - had it been stationary and you hit it, sometimes that is collision coverage.
Edit to add, it always depends on your insurance company and state though - so much of the rates is essentially a black box and every company is so different.
Do you have an agent? S/He would be more able to tell you if your claim qualifies under comprehensive coverage (it should from what you’ve said) and if your rates would be affected.
Depending on your state/your coverages, you may be eligible for zero deductible glass repairs at least. File a claim for “report only.” Then talk to the adjuster they assign it to, and ask them if it is likely to affect your rates. They will know better than an agent how the rate structure works. They still can’t give you a 100% guaranteed answer, but they’ll be able to make a well-educated guess.
I’d recommend going that route, because this may be considered a collision due to the fact that the brick was on the roadway before it got kicked up. If it’s comprehensive, it’s pretty unlikely to affect your rates. If it’s collision, it’s much more likely to raise your rates (but still not guaranteed to).