Car Loan Terms Can Change After You Already Signed
Car owners are experiencing a frustrating cycle of unexpected costs and complications related to their vehicles. This includes high repair bills for aging cars, difficulty navigating insurance changes due to relocation or policy issues, and unexpected financial penalties. The process feels inflexible and often leaves owners feeling trapped and financially burdened.
SOURCES (60)
“I can't speak for FMC but I can tell you GM Financial is notorious for getting all kinds of fucked up near the end of loans and leases on their online portal.”
“I think the c-pillar might be done for. Would really appreciate any insights/advice as the other driver (police said he was at fault) is underinsured and we're concerned about repair costs. Thanks in advance. https://imgur.com/a/5Dec639 submitted by /u/One-Aioli2787 [link] [comments]”
“Add that 2k to about 3-5k for proper repairs. Is it still a deal, or full price with more steps to buy a car that's already been wrecked? I don't get this strategy, and I see it a lot”
“unfortunately a garbage truck rammed into my parked car. i own it outright its a 2021 rav4 prime and was in perfect and beautiful shape ;( . the damage to the rear quarter is estimated at ~8000k. i went to 4 body shops for estimates... 3/4 of them said the would have to completely replace the rear quarter. the last shop said they wouldn't want to completely replace it because they feel breaking that "seal" would possibly leave my car vulnerable to rust and all other sorts of proble”
“Basically what the title says. Can I jot the facts into AI, have it write my statement for me, then send it to my adjuster if the AI correctly includes the facts into my statement? submitted by /u/Maekiw [link] [comments]”
“what's to downvote? my point is if you've been in an accident you likely will not know how to effectively make sure YOUR interests are best served. the insurance companies handle claims every day and are well-versed in making sure they pay out as little as possible. my suggestion is to speak with someone that knows how to handle these things, and that's not your insurance company. how is that not reasonable advice?”
“Has GEICO ever randomly asked you for a mileage audit / odometer reading, and what actually happens depending on how off your estimate was? submitted by /u/Sufficient_Tough7122 [link] [comments]”
“I was hit by another driver and their insurance accepted/handled the property damage claim. The insurance company (Progressive) initially planned to repair my car , so the vehicle was taken to a body shop on August 12 . The original repair estimate was about $3,400 . After the vehicle had already been sitting at the body shop for approximately two weeks, the insurance company completed a supplemental estimate on August 26 , increasing the repair cost to approximately $6,227 . They then decided t”
“Today following Reddit advice I shopped around for car insurance to save money. Progressive gave me a quote $250/6 months less, so I went with them. But, they said I had to call Geico myself to cancel my old policy. When I called Geico, they beat that price by another $100, so I stayed. I asked them to cancel Progressive, but they couldn’t. So I called Progressive. The ONLY way to cancel is to send a snail mail letter to Progressive. submitted by /u/Dense-Layer-2078 [link] [com”
“Long story short I got a ticket on the water in SC for causing wake in no wake zone I needed insurance on a new car I’m purchasing end of this month and my insurance will go up from the original quote of $180 a month to $320 On my driving record it says careless driving of a motor vehicle Does anyone know how to go about this and prevent geico for raising my rates on a ticket that’s not even supposed to be on my driving record submitted by /u/Existing-Diamond-269 [link] [commen”
“Yes, it’s repairable, but sadly, depending on age and mileage, the insurance companies will total it, then sell the car to recover as much of the cost as possible.”
“I don't have cover on my behalf and the driver was at fault, crazy at fault. My car got the trunk sqooshed like a can, idk if they will cover the damage, or total it :(( Driver refused to give me his insurance info and police came and all that. So where do i go from there? I have to wait on the police report still, and then insurance to know what's happening to my dear camry. Plus I'm feeling headache, back pain and my neck hurting. And i have a job :/// submitted by /u/j”
“Hey everyone, I'm hoping to get some advice from NJ insurance agents, underwriters, or anyone who's dealt with the state's database text strings. My usual rate is around 2880/year. I went to quote with NJM online and got slapped with a 9000/year quote. I checked other online quotes like State Farm and got around the same price as well so it seems to be a trend which is why I’m trying to figure out why it’s happening. I called NJM directly, and the rep spoke with their underwriting de”
“So I was in a wreck 45 minutes after my policy went into effect. They are treating me like i'm a fraudulent person who purposely goes out in totals their car? What the hell do i do. And how far will these creeps go to my play the claim? submitted by /u/PersonalityPurple659 [link] [comments]”
“If a bank or financing company releases the lien, they cannot legally sue you for any additional money. They also have no legal right to reposses the car.”
“I was in a car accident on July 25th, and the other driver was found 100% at fault. I rented a car starting July 27th and am still renting one now. On August 14th, the vehicle was declared a total loss. Since the other driver's insurance coverage was insufficient to cover the claim, I used my own collision coverage. Today, the insurance company offered me a settlement amount of $14,800 after deducting the $1,000 deductible; I rejected this offer because, in Los Angeles, the total cost (inclu”
“Progressive (direct, my current insurer): ~$275/mo with a $2,000 deductible, but this hasn’t been reviewed against the recent at-fault accident yet since my policy period isn’t up GEICO, via an independent agency rep (not a GEICO employee, sells GEICO policies among others): quoted me $289/mo with a $1,000 deductible, said it’s “finalized” and includes the accident, dated the report as pulled a day after my accident GEICO, when I called their support line directly : rep said they saw no MVR or C”
“My car repair ended up being a little over $700. I have Progressive and already opened a claim. My deductible is $500, and they said they’ll cover eligible costs above that, so I’d probably get around $200 back. Since this was my mistake, I’m wondering if it’s even worth continuing the claim for ~$200. Could having the claim on my record affect my rate or discounts later even if the payout is small? What would you do? submitted by /u/Standard-Regular-623 [link] [comments]”
“2 months ago my husband was involved in a car crash and found not at fault. This happened at the end of june. We contacted the insurance companies and filed a claim the day it happened and called for an update mid July. We never heard anything back until end of July when we were supposed to receive and offer and was told they were still working on it and had JUST gotten the vehicle by the insurance company. Mid August we finally got an offer but found out the offer given was ONLY for the vehicle”
“Does anyone have any guidance on how much to ask for diminished value on my car. It was only a month old when I got hit in a brand new Toyota 2026 Prius with less than 1,000 miles. The damage wasn’t “too bad” with just a back corner being damaged/hit (not my fault) $3500 in repairs. I saw the 17c formula but with my car only having had been a month old I’m wondering if I should ask for more or if that has no bearing on a the claim. submitted by /u/tastyburger1121 [link] [commen”
“So does this mean they’ve moved forward with fixing my car or is it still up in the air? On the insurance claim it says repair in progress and it also has an option for rental submitted by /u/Excellent_Shirt6969 [link] [comments]”
“I’m not sure if this is a revelation, a vent, or if I’m asking for advice. However, all respectful responses are appreciated. We have progressive and been with them the past 4 years. 1st accident July 2023, someone backed into our SUV as she was pulling out of a parking spot and my husband was driving straight. Damaged our passenger side doors. She had no insurance. My UM covered the accident. Progressive said they would get our deposit back. Two years later they said “we exhausted all our optio”
“How does this impact my rates? Rental car, fully covered by rental car insurance ( thankfully). submitted by /u/curiousengineer601 [link] [comments]”
“Did they try to scam me? Give me a ball park on mobile repair? I already went to a reputable body shop and was quoted 9k at a body shop. Is this an involved repair? submitted by /u/Primary_Knowledge_13 [link] [comments]”
“I'm in a bit of a pickle here. When getting my car, we put both my wife and my name on the title. In Wisconsin, it's an "and" state. My car was recently totalled and I received a $6k settlement check with both our names on it due to the title. The check is above the $5k mobile deposit max on our Capital One joint account, and the nearest physical location is about 2.5 hours away in Chicago. On the phone earlier, they said I could mail the check in, but the amount of time that w”
“So I was involved in an auto accident in Wisconsin. The other party was totally at fault. I have received payment for the total loss of my car. The last issue is that they are paying lost wages (I have ultimately lost the job that I just got having moved to rural area recently and was completely car dependent.) The Progressive adjuster said "we can’t compensate for lost wages from losing the job. However, I do have some flexibility on that $500 payment I mentioned, so I can discuss that wit”
“I decided to read the fine print on the $2500 lump sum payment for loss of vehicle use due to damage on a trip. It doesn't include car repairs or medical bills (not that I expected it to). But I've seen some debates on here regarding Uber providing their own brand of insurance. I know in my market, my Uber insurance is through Progressive, so I never believed they were licensed agents. The first snd last sentences totally contradict themselves, am I right, or am I missing something?  ”
“I am in a pretty bad predicament and I need the advice of people who went through a similar situation. I live in New York and have state farm, have my home and all cars insured under my policy and been with state farm for over a decade. I had an accident that was deemed 50/50 in 2024 With a personal injury suit that was settled, a broken windshield claim (i wouldn’t have reported it if i had known they’d use that against me), and my sister got into an accident a few months ago in 2026, where she”
“Hi, long story short I did 5k (noticeable) worth of damage to my rear end of the vehicle, my fault. I have a loan on my vehicle. I owe 21k and a guy told me he’d give me 15k for my damaged vehicle. Am I allowed to take the 5k and then 1k out of my pocket and pay off the loan (+the 15k that is received) when I sell my car? If that’s confusing : can I pocket the 5k and use it elsewhere or is this something that isn’t allowed. submitted by /u/user76545673 [link] [comments]”
“Sooooo I had a 7 day lapse in my car insurance (had family stuff going on out of state, the payment slipped my mind and the policy was cancelled). I drove to a family function and, as luck would have it, I got rear-ended by a guy texting and driving. I got insurance with a new provider a few days later…NOT to cover the accident, but because I know I need to have it. Anywho, I’m about to file a third-party claim for property damages against the at-fault driver, and TA-DA: I now have the same insu”
“In 2025 I financed my car using PNC. Recently I received financed using Chase. Today I got a refund from PNC for unused GAP premium. Do I need to buy GAP again? Or do I still have coverage? submitted by /u/KatoNotScared [link] [comments]”
“hi all, so as stated above, that happened. i got back to my car to see the rear quarter all crushed. thankfully, the sanitation company has a protocol and the police were called and a report was lef right on my windshield. i was able to drive it home, got 2 estimates, thankfully not totaled. my question pertains to the rental car amount the insurance company is reserving for me: I have a rav4 2021 hybrid. the adjuster is giving me $680 based on the price of an equal SUV (55/day) and 12 days (i h”
“MY roomamate and i are on the same insurance but im the policy holder. we have Amfam. . in march she had a girl cut her off causing an accident. we have video of her changing 3 lanes with no signal. her car is fixed i paid for it coming to 5100 roughly. recently trexis sent me a check for the first bill then stopped it after i cashed it to cover the bill. They won't anwser their phone. they just say its a long wait time. probbaly trying top get people to give up. Luckily we have a lawyer, bu”
“Two years ago I got a notice that my car insurance had lapsed. Not because I couldn't pay, but because the renewal email got buried under a few hundred others and the actual policy PDF was sitting in a folder I never opened. I paid a reinstatement fee and felt dumb about it. That stuck with me. I have a folder full of documents that matter (lease, insurance, warranties, my kid's passport) and I basically only look at them when something's already gone wrong. So I built Goffer. You up”
“I would def call your insurance. Pretty much any car post 2020 has radar in the front end and grille. The calibrations alone will be more than your deductible.”
“In a nutshell, I got in an accident and the person that hit me has a different insurance. Gave my whole statement to them yada yada. It came back being 50/50 liability. Got the denial letter with why its 50/50 for my insurance and the reason is absolutely insane. Everything listed never happened, it was as if they only heard specific words, rearranged the order of them and blamed everything on me. Even after sending pictures of my vehicle and a literal diagram of what happened. My insurance is b”
“I have been with Liberty Mutual since 2018 when I bought my used 2016 SUV. I have had no accidents and the car is fully paid off since 2024. I moved from Virginia to Maryland in July this year and suddenly they raised my monthly payment from $150 (up over the years from $120) to $270. I live in a small rural town and I work entirely from home so I don't commute anywhere to work daily. I have two car garages, private driveway, low crime neighborhood 35 miles outside of the city. I don't k”
“If you know a guy at the repair/body shop, that $2K deductible can be very minimal as well. Now that I think of it, I should look into raising it from $1K now. If its allowed with my company.”
“good luck taking an insurance payout of 3-4k and replacing your well maintained car you’ve babied since you bought it new. better if they’ll repair it assuming body damage only. and if you have a car that’s not easy to find used, well good bye to your old low-miles V-6 RAV-4, f’r instance. i keep collision because i want repair if my reliable vehicle, if possible, not a sketchy $3k beater replacement. probably dumb but that’s my thinking.”
“About two years ago my mom and I were under Geico insurance. We switched insurance at the start of 2025 due to price increases, but now our current insurance under a different provider has also raised prices. We decided to go back to Geico since they had the best quote among different providers. However, right before the quote was finalized, the website updated saying I had an accident in December 2024, which then added a few bucks to our monthly payment. I remember during that time I called Gei”
“I am with Progressive. I have an old car worth maybe 3-4k at most although only 92k miles and I am considering updating my car insurance coverage to include comprehensive and collision with a $750 deductible. I am nervous to drive it much after I scraped the metal off the side of it and had to pay $1400 to repair the side of it. Total premium increase is $57 new policy premium is $784 and it starts in early September. Current policy without comprehensive and collision is $613. Does anyone know w”
“You are correct and that is why I tell people to be over insured to protect themselves. When i was almost homeless, I still paid the insurance for a car I couldn't afford the gas in to drive. I was still making payments and not paying the insurance would have helped out tremendously bur id rather go a few days without food than risk harming someone and not being able to assist them afterwards with insurance. The punishment for driving without insurance needs ro be you lose the license and th”
“Hi, this is potentially a dumb post/question but bare with me because this is my first car and my first time paying for car insurance and I honestly have no idea what I am doing. Last month, I bought a used car from a dealership. While I was there I signed up for Allstate auto insurance, because I already have renters insurance through Allstate so I figured why not. All has been fine and dandy, nothing of note up until now. Earlier this week, I needed to use roadside assistance, so I tried to do”
“Also if you get pulled over without registration things will rapidly get expensive”
“Be careful with any gig work involving your car. Plenty of cases where insurance won't pay out if engaging in business with your vehicle if you don't have the correct coverage.”
“Older looking Mazda, if you go through insurance they will probably total it. This will require professional body work. It will be expensive out of pocket.”
“The amount of the loan is irrelevant; a prior mistake, a sunk cost to get free of the car.”
“Ok I just wanted to make sure. The insurance estimate is 1500 and the shop wants 5900. They have to find a middle ground”
“So, I've been financing a vehicle through Toyota Financial Services, and for some reason, the entire balance got paid off. I thought this was an error in the email, so I didn't pay much attention to it. But I checked the mail today, and I received the title with a signed lien release and a letter saying that my account is paid in full. I definitely did not pay my vehicle off in full myself, and I don't think im lucky. I expect them to find out about the error and want their payments”
“It's where you pay a little extra for insurance each month so that the insurance pays you what you owe on the car rather than what it's current market value is. Basically, it covers the gap in price between worth and loan balance.”
“Submit insurance claim so your premiums will go up is my advice. Chances are your car will get scraped and scratched again, rinse and repeat.”
“I was involved in an accident a couple weeks ago, a lady pulled out of a gas station and crossed 3 lanes into me. I was deemed not at fault by her insurance but I am still waiting for my car to be repaired as Insurance still needs a statement from the driver or witness. It was all body damage on the passenger side from what I could tell. Now just this night, my car broke down while driving. I am not sure if it is from this accident or something unrelated. I had to get it towed since it is inoper”
“So for context; I am a mechanic who is pretty knowledgeable on reliability but I just keep seeming to get boned from every direction. My one and only financed car; Lexus was crashed by a deer and all of the money I put into it never came back I’ve been paycheck to paycheck since but when I had that car I had 6-10k pretty consistently in the savings. I only had that car for a year. Now I have a Honda it’s a car I paid $4400 for, have been dragged into $1000 in repairs already (just parts did em m”