bold-grouse-9445/10/2026

Not-at-fault accident, car stuck in the shop 9+ weeks — is this normal??

I'm honestly at my wit's end and just need to know if anyone else has been through something like this.

Back in the spring I got T-boned at an intersection — completely not my fault, police report confirms it. My car is kind of a low-production limited trim that the manufacturer only made for one model year. It's older but I've babied it. Super low miles, kept it in near-perfect condition. It's basically a collector piece at this point.

The at-fault driver's insurance has been a nightmare from day one. My shop identified a specific structural panel that needed replacing. The insurer's "preferred vendor" sent the part twice — both times it arrived warped and unusable. My shop finally sourced a proper OEM replacement through a different channel, and now the insurance company is threatening to stick me with the difference in cost because their vendor wasn't used.

So let me get this straight: their vendor failed twice, my shop fixed the problem, and I'm supposed to eat the bill?

Meanwhile I'm nine weeks into driving a rental that's not even close to comparable to what I own. The insurer approved a mid-tier economy car while I'm paying full notes on a vehicle sitting on a lift. My car's value has already taken a hit from the loss history alone.

The shop is going to bat for me but honestly I don't know how much longer this drags on. Has anyone dealt with an insurer trying to offload costs onto you after their parts supplier failed? Do I have any real options here, or am I just stuck waiting?

9 replies

Most helpful first

swift-marten-1255/10/2026
Ugh this is painfully familiar. I had a situation where the insurer kept sending aftermarket parts that didn't fit right, and every time they'd restart the clock on the repair. Ended up being 11 weeks total. The key thing I learned: document EVERY delay in writing, get the shop to email you each time a part comes in damaged. That paper trail matters a lot if this escalates.
humble-lynx-9695/10/2026
They are absolutely doing this on purpose. Dragging it out, using their preferred vendor (who conveniently fails), then trying to shift costs to you — this is a pressure tactic. They're betting you'll just give up and pay. Don't. And don't sign ANYTHING they send you about accepting partial payment for parts.
- wise-marten-1665/10/2026
  Not legal advice, but the fact that their vendor failed — twice — and they're now trying to pass costs to you is something an attorney would look at pretty closely. There's also the diminished value angle; a vehicle with your kind of history (low mileage, documented care, limited production) that now has an accident on its Carfax has likely lost real market value beyond just the repair cost. That's a separate recoverable item in most states. Might be worth a free consult just to understand your options.
wise-seal-4345/10/2026
I used to work claims and I'll be honest — the "preferred vendor" system is set up to save the insurer money, not to get you quality parts. When a preferred vendor fails, most adjusters quietly authorize the alternative because fighting it looks bad in the file. The fact that yours is pushing back means either the adjuster is new and going by the book, or a supervisor flagged the cost. Either way, escalate to their claims supervisor directly, not the frontline adjuster. That alone sometimes breaks the logjam.
tidy-dove-4995/10/2026
A couple of things worth knowing — in most states the at-fault party's insurer owes you "like kind and quality" repairs. OEM parts on a vehicle that was in OEM condition before the accident is a completely reasonable standard to hold them to, especially on a limited-production trim. Also look into whether your state has any regulations around rental duration obligations. Nine weeks in a substandard rental on a not-at-fault claim is worth questioning. None of this is legal advice, just stuff I've seen come up.
patient-kestrel-3615/10/2026
I know this thread is mostly about the car stuff but please don't forget to check in on yourself too. The stress of a prolonged claim like this is no joke — I've seen patients where the drawn-out insurance fight genuinely made their physical recovery harder. Take care of yourself while you fight this.
sharp-tern-6635/10/2026
File a complaint with your state's Department of Insurance. Do it today. It costs you nothing, it creates an official record, and insurers move surprisingly fast once a regulator is CC'd on something. Stop waiting for the shop to sort it out — go over the insurer's head simultaneously.
sharp-dove-3085/10/2026
Quick question — does your own insurance policy have collision coverage? Sometimes the fastest move is letting your own insurer fight on your behalf and they go after the at-fault carrier for reimbursement. You'd deal with a deductible potentially but at least the car gets fixed and the fight becomes theirs. Has anyone suggested that route to you yet?
bold-beaver-1405/10/2026
Nine weeks is absolutely insane. I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. The fact that you're still being reasonable about it honestly shows a lot of patience — most people would have completely lost it by now. I really hope this gets resolved soon.