What does a damage expert do?

If you have damage to your car, of course you want it repaired as soon as possible. What about insurance? Can you take your car to your own garage or is it mandatory to go to the garage listed on the green card?

The first thing to start looking at when you have damage is insurance. Do you have car insurance with only third-party coverage? If so, you can choose the repairer yourself, because with third-party coverage, damage to your own vehicle is not covered.

With WA + limited hull coverage, just like with WA coverage, you are not automatically insured to recover your damages. This also allows you to choose your own repairer in this case. Do you have damage due to a collision with stray animals, hail, storm, lightning, fire or explosion? Then this damage is covered with a WA + limited casco and it is best to go to a garage mentioned on the green card.

If you have all-risk car insurance, it is also best to go to an affiliated garage in case of damage.

The damage expert

If the damage amount exceeds a certain amount, in many cases a claims adjuster is called in. From what damage amount the insurance company calls in a surveyor differs per insurer. For home and contents insurance, a claims adjuster is usually called in if the amount of the claim is higher than about €750. For automobile insurance, the amount for calling in a surveyor is often higher.

A damage expert is not as likely to be called in when the amount of damage is low, because the cost of the expert does not outweigh the amount of damage. When it is not possible to get a good picture of the damage based on the information provided, a surveyor will be called in even when the amount of damage is low.

What does a damage expert do?

A claims adjuster is almost always hired by an insurer. For this reason, the costs of the adjuster are paid by the insurer. Besides determining the amount of the damage, a loss adjuster can also determine the cause of the damage. The adjuster will also determine whether the damage is repairable and whether the insured risk is correct.

Alpina

Are you insured with Alpina? It is important that in case of damage you do not have it repaired immediately, but contact us first. If you have already had a repair done, it is no longer possible for an expert to assess the damage. Chances are that the insurance company will not pay anything.