OldGeorge1950
Expert
- 24
Can Insurance Company Put in Used Stereo Amp from eBay After Fire Damage?
I was cleaning up all the junk in the back of my car's trunk prior to dropping it off at the bodyshop for repairs. While I was back there, I lifted up a rear panel to where there was fire damage from 3 or 4 years ago.
During that small fire, the factory stereo amplifier was destroyed. My insurance company replaced it and it had worked fine since then. I had assumed that they just got and exact same one from the dealer or some other company. I never looked at it because it was behind a panel... it worked, so I never bothered.
Imagine my surprise when I saw that the amp was indeed the identical factory stereo amp, but it was a well-used one from eBay. It even had the eBay seller's name and eBay item number on it. I went on eBay and the same seller is still selling junkyard car electronic parts.
Thanks to Google cached pages, I found that eBay page for the amp. It was only $120. Compare this to the list price of $1700 from a Mercedes-Benz dealer.
My question is this.... can insurance company do this? I know they can use generic new parts.(non factory) However... old parts from eBay?
The repair was totally handled by then insurance company(GEICO). The adjuster arranged for a flatbed to pick up my car from my home and it was delivered back to me a week later.... so I had no idea where it was actually repaired/installed.
I was cleaning up all the junk in the back of my car's trunk prior to dropping it off at the bodyshop for repairs. While I was back there, I lifted up a rear panel to where there was fire damage from 3 or 4 years ago.
During that small fire, the factory stereo amplifier was destroyed. My insurance company replaced it and it had worked fine since then. I had assumed that they just got and exact same one from the dealer or some other company. I never looked at it because it was behind a panel... it worked, so I never bothered.
Imagine my surprise when I saw that the amp was indeed the identical factory stereo amp, but it was a well-used one from eBay. It even had the eBay seller's name and eBay item number on it. I went on eBay and the same seller is still selling junkyard car electronic parts.
Thanks to Google cached pages, I found that eBay page for the amp. It was only $120. Compare this to the list price of $1700 from a Mercedes-Benz dealer.
My question is this.... can insurance company do this? I know they can use generic new parts.(non factory) However... old parts from eBay?
The repair was totally handled by then insurance company(GEICO). The adjuster arranged for a flatbed to pick up my car from my home and it was delivered back to me a week later.... so I had no idea where it was actually repaired/installed.
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