Cell Phone Use Not Illegal While Driving In Ohio
Filed under: Cell Phone, IIHS, Ohio, State Specific Information, West Virginia
Is the cell phone law in Ohio such that it allows officers to ticket fully-licensed, experienced drivers for using their cell phones while driving on Ohio roadways?
My 20 year old daughter who is attending college at Ohio State University recently got pulled over by a patrolman in Columbus, Ohio. She told me the officer raked her over the coals for talking on her cell phone while she was driving her car. He didn’t give her a citation, but claims he could have. She was a wreck after the encounter, and scared out of her wits. My daughter and I are from West Virginia and I am not familiar with Ohio traffic laws to any great degree. I know in WV a driver can’t use a cell phone while driving on a learners permit. But it is not against WV law to use a cell phone while driving once fully licensed. Is the cell phone law in Ohio different in that it allows officers to ticket a fully-licensed, experienced driver using a cell phone?
Sandra
Morgantown, WV
Which States Have Laws That Support Diminished Value?
Filed under: Diminished Value, First Party Claims, Insurance Companies, State Farm, State Specific Information, Third Party Claims, West Virginia
Is diminished value recognized in all states or just in Georgia and California as I have been told?
Diminished value, in my opinion, is a very legitimate auto insurance claim. I am one of a majority of people reflected on surveys who wouldn’t buy a car that had been wrecked unless I received a huge discount to compensate for the added risk and aggravation I would likely encounter. Some folks, I’ve found, don’t share my view. A few days ago my brother-in-law who is a retired insurance adjuster (someone who should know what he is talking about when it comes to auto insurance claims) says claims for diminished value are wrong and shouldn’t be brought against insurance companies. He says the premiums we pay for our insurance policies don’t take these losses into account. Please tell me he is wrong, and tell me which states accept diminished value claims so I can straighten out my insurance-biased brother-in-law.
Jo Ann
Charleston, WV
Auto Insurance Adjuster Blatantly Lies to Third Party Claimant
A dim-witted driver hit me last Saturday causing an auto accident that tied up four lanes of rush hour traffic and nearly destroyed my new 2007 Ford truck. The body shop I had it towed to estimated more than $20,000 in damage and said the truck might not even be repairable.
Of course the accident left me pretty aggravated since it wasn’t my fault. Then the claims adjuster for the other guy’s insurance company took my rage to new highs when he told me the truck WAS repairable, but I couldn’t go to the auto body shop I wanted to go to! I had to go to an auto repair shop the insurance company recommended.
I thought there was a law that gave me the right to choose the auto repair shop instead of the insurance company. Not being certain of my rights I didn’t argue much. But if you tell me to the contrary that I am allowed to go wherever I want to have my truck repaired, I’m going to be calling that insurance company back and eating that guy’s lunch.
Rick
Akron, Ohio
GAP Insurance - Is GAP Necessary on Auto Loans and Leases?
Filed under: Auto Dealerships, Auto Leasing, Auto Loans, GAP Insurance, Ohio
I’m uncertain what GAP Insurance is, or if I need it.
My wife and I have been shopping for a new minivan in Columbus, Ohio where we live. We haven’t yet agreed on a particular model, but we have narrowed our choices to three so the dickering won’t be far off. I’d prefer to buy the vehicle outright with 60 month financing, but leasing is not out of the question. My wife prefers the lease since it will allow us to drive a nicer vehicle while enjoying cheaper monthly payments than if we’d bought. Ideally, we would like to put 10% or less down on a new minivan priced around $30,000.
I am told GAP insurance is a must-have on a lease, but unnecessary when buying a new car outright. I need to know the purpose of GAP Insurance and if you would recommend it in my situation. If you can, please give me enough facts about this coverage to keep the dealership from sticking it to me. Your help is appreciated.
Paul
Columbus, Ohio
Are Aftermarket Parts Installed With Auto Manufacturer’s Approval?
Filed under: Aftermarket Parts, Auto Dealerships, Auto Manufacturers, Kentucky, Original Equipment (OEM), Recalls, State Specific Information, Toyota, Wheel Alignment
I have an older Toyota pickup that has served me well for more than a few years. As a good number of other Toyota pickup owners were, I was notified of a pending recall on some steering components and took her in for service. As the service department at the dealership went to work removing the defective parts, excessive wear was found on adjoining front suspension parts. I was told these parts had to be replaced because movement in these joints would prevent the wheels from aligning properly.
I wasn’t particularly surprised to hear the bad news because the bill always seems to grow a lot bigger before a job at the dealership is complete. At least that has been my experience. As a result, I don’t usually go back for service after buying a new vehicle unless the vehicle is under warranty or there are no other alternatives.
At first, I thought the dealership was conning me and arbitrarily adding parts to the invoice I didn’t need. I changed my mind, though, when the service manager volunteered to take me to the back where the truck sat on a lift and show me the needed parts that hadn’t yet been removed. Then came the shocker.
To get the job completed in the least amount of time, the service manager suggested I use off-brand parts rather than Toyota parts. While I’m content to use repair shops other than those in Toyota dealerships, I’ve never used anything other than Toyota parts, even on something as mundane as an oil filter.
As foolish as it sounds, the dealership didn’t have original equipment replacement parts in stock. To get the parts I needed would require special ordering them from the nearest Toyota distribution center and waiting at least 24 hours for their arrival. After the parts had been received, the truck would be worked back into the technician’s schedule for completion. This would add a couple of days of downtime and a couple of hundred dollars of additional costs to the repair.
Like most people probably would have done, I elected to accept parts that were located at a nearby NAPA store. I saved some money and got my truck back the same day. All seems well.
After thinking about it, it seems odd to me that Toyota or any other manufacturer would allow dealers to sell and install parts that they didn’t manufacture onto cars and trucks at their dealerships. So I ask (more for curiosity than anything else), Is this practice done with or without the approval of auto manufacturers?
William
Paris, KY
Auto Dealer to Dissatisfied Consumer, “You’re too Picky!”
Filed under: Auto Dealerships, Auto Manufacturers, Lemon Laws, Nissan, Ohio, State Specific Information
About three months ago my wife and I bought a new 2007 Nissan 350Z. It was our first new car and we were both eager to get it. Since neither of us know cars very well and we had no previous car shopping experience we probably assumed too much, which made us easy targets for hungry car salesmen and financiers. At any rate, the deal is done.
After spending almost $40,000, I expected our new car to be perfect or close to it, but it isn’t. Now that some of the newness has worn off I’m seeing all sorts of defects, predominantly with the body. The fenders and doors have uneven gaps between them; the hood flutters like the wings of a hummingbird at 60MPH or faster, and wind noise in the car is so loud we can hardly hear the radio when driving on the interstate.
The powers that be at the car dealership have told me I’m being too picky. It’s not that they can’t see the trouble when I point it out. Both service advisors that have test driven the Nissan admit the car is far from perfect and they would be unhappy also. But, instead of fixing the car the service manager is telling me that the complaints I have are characteristic of Z cars and there is nothing more under warranty that can be done to make them better.
Since this is a new car and we will probably have to drive it for quite some time, do you have any suggestions that I can use to leverage the dealership to take my complaints seriously and get this car fixed? Better yet, can I make them take it back under the Ohio lemon law? I hate to think car dealerships can blow new car owners off so easily when they have legitimate complaints.
Brandon
Marietta, Ohio
Some Auto Dealers Suggest More Service Than Cars Need
Filed under: Auto Dealerships, Auto Manufacturers, Auto Parts, Battery, Kentucky, Toyota
My grandmother bought a new car last year. She doesn’t drive it much and the car dealership where she bought it keeps sending letters that say she is past due for service. Grams wants to keep the car dependable and running good, but if she does everything they say it could cost hundreds of dollars that she doesn’t have. Worse, it is worrying her day and night because when I called, the man there told me the warranty wouldn’t pay for the service procedures in the reminders she had received.
The car is a Toyota Corolla. As of right now it has 3,873 miles showing on the little thingy on the dash that keeps track of mileage. So far Grams has received six letters and another postcard or two. Some of the things they say needs done are brake service / inspection, Rotate and Electronically Balance Tires, 4 Wheel Alignment, Lube Oil and Filter Change, Fuel Injection Service, Battery Flush, and some other stuff that I can’t remember right now.
I talked Grams into buying this car and now I feel guilty about how much it looks like she is going to be spending on trips to the service department. She was happier with her old Ford Taurus, and at least it would start all the time. The Toyota has had to be jump started twice. She had to pay for that too, both times, because the warranty wouldn’t cover it!
Does this car need all of the services the dealer says it does, or is the car lot trying to pull one over on us? If it really does need this stuff, how much should it cost?
Cindy
Lexington, KY
Auto Insurance Company Not Paying All It Owes to Claimant
Filed under: Insurance Companies, Ohio, State Specific Information, Third Party Claims
My husband was involved in a car wreck last week with our 2002 Dodge Ram Pickup. The accident wasn’t his fault. He was hit by a teenage driver carrying a carload of friends to school. The boy’s insurance company told us we could get the vehicle fixed for $2407.56. When we took it to an auto body repair shop we know for an estimate, we were told there was more like $4,000 in repairs that needed to be done to fix the truck the way it should be fixed. Do we have the right to dispute what the insurance company adjuster told us or do we have to take what they say it can be fixed for? We are not crooks trying to take advantage of anyone. We just want to be paid what they owe us.
Sarah
Dayton, Ohio
Ohio Consumer Questions Progressive Insurance Claims Practices
I bought car insurance on my Corvette from Progressive. After having a bad experience with another auto insurance company on an auto accident where I wasn’t even at fault, I saw the television commercials that promised a friendlier approach to claims and thought I’d give Progressive Insurance a try.
The insurance quote I received was lower, just as the television commercials said it might be, and I got comparisons on the spot that showed the hundreds of dollars I could expect to save over buying from other insurance companies. My greatest hope was that with Progressive Insurance being headquartered in Ohio where I live, I might stand a better chance of being treated fair than if I bought an insurance policy from a company headquartered in another state. By exploring coverage at other insurance companies, I hoped I might luck into finding an insurance company that really would be on my side, if you know what I mean.
Overall, Progressive Insurance seemed like a great deal. It was certainly better than I had with my previous insurance company, so I bought insurance coverage on the Corvette and another car.
Now, after having this new insurance policy a few months I’m hearing that Progressive Insurance may be hard to deal with after an auto accident. I’ve read some horror stories on Corvette Forum and other websites that give me reason to be concerned. I know you can’t believe everything you read, but there seems to be a lot of people who are not getting their cars repaired and their claims paid as they believe they should.
What is your opinion of Progressive Insurance and their new approach to claims?
Rick
Cleveland, Ohio