car repair update

With scary efficiency, Progressive sent out a representative this morning to inspect my car-- again-- and to do a further assessment of the damage discovered during today's "tear-down" phase of the body shop's repairs. It turns out my radiator, left rocker panel, and left rear quarter panel are also damaged, and this has added $1000 to the repair cost estimate. Not that it matters to me: I pay only the $250 deductible. (This cost might bode ill in the long term, as it will probably affect my insurance premium.)

The bad news: repairs will take a week longer than expected. According to the insurance agent who called me, Progressive estimates about 40 man-hours of repair; this is gridded on a 4-hour-a-day work schedule (it's assumed that no single mechanic or team of mechanics can devote himself/themselves exclusively to a single car all day long, hence 4 hrs./day instead of 8 hrs./day), which comes out to ten business days for repairs to be completed. Translation: my car will be in the shop all of this week and all of next week, until Friday, November 16.

I farted my heart out of my ass when I heard this, because I knew it meant renting the Honda Civic for another whole damn week. Then I calmed down and thought things through: I had originally factored the $250 deductible into my current budget for this pay period, but now I'd be able to shunt the deductible-- which isn't due until repairs are complete-- to next pay period. That would free up $250 this pay period, which could be used to rent my current Honda another seven days (at $31/day, that's $217)-- assuming Enterprise doesn't ask me for a second security deposit for the extension. In principle, they shouldn't. Meanwhile, my paycheck on November 16 would help cover the deductible.

For my monthly budget, this turn of events sucks, because no matter how I figure things, we're talking about an extra $217 burden. But in terms of timing-- and budgets for us poor folk are always a matter of timing-- I think I can swing this, as long as YB pays me promptly and doesn't fuck me over as they did this past payday.

So that's where things stand. Car repair will be completed a week later than anticipated; I'll have to rent my car an extra week; I'll pay my deductible once I get my November 16 direct deposit. Dear Mr. Murphy: please rescind your law.


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