11 steps to save on Car Repair Claim

The Indian roads are getting congested by each passing day. The Automobile Industry of India will be the 3rd largest in the world by 2016.  2 Wheeler vehicles were at 15.6 million in 2013 and passenger vehicles clocked 3.2 million in sales.

Its not uncommon in India for car drivers to get scratched. 2 to 3 dents are fashion statement. Broken tail lamps, fog lamp, headlights proves that you do drive your car. And so frequency of Insurance claims is increasing. I recently had a truck hit my car from back. I had to repair the tail lamp, a part of trunk and a part of side door. I availed Insurance claim and I realized I could have saved money if I had followed the given below process.

    1. Register the claim
    2. Go to the workshop/dealer and get a quotation
    3. Let the insurance surveyor check the quote and do the audit of the damage and cost
    4. Get the new quote post survey by insurance
    5. Do not say Yes to the Insurance company yet.
    6. Instead, ask the workshop/dealer what if instead of insurance, you would make the payment by yourself.
    7. Workshop will give you a new quote. In general, there is a difference of 20-30% in for cashless and cash payment quotes
    8. Negotiate on this quote and get the final value
    9. Check if the final value is worth paying on your own and thus get No Claim Bonus from insurance company
    10. If yes, withdraw the claim and get your car repaired at a cheaper price and still getting NCB
    11. If no, go ahead and insurance company to process the claim further
Here's and illustration of cost saving by using this strategy.

Save on Car Repair Illustration
Premium	30000
NCB (No Claim Bonus) - 30% of premium	9000
	Availing Car Insurance	No Insurance, Cash Pay
Repair Quote	20000	8000
No Claim Bonus Lost	9000	Not Applicable
Your contribution	1000	12000
Total Cost	10000	8000
Amount Saved if paid by Cash	2000

Do let me know your feedback if this steps helped you save on Claim. Comments section is all waiting for your feedback.
Further reading
Cut your Car Insurance Cost
Overview of Indian Automobile Industry
What is No Claim Bonus