Blog · Waxman of Tristate
Practical guides from the Waxman team in Jersey City — what to do after an accident, how claims and supplements really work, and how to protect a fresh repair.
Refinishing a scraped alloy runs $150–$350 and rim repair starts at $99 — far less than most drivers assume, and far less than the lease inspector will bill. When curb rash is cosmetic, when it is a bent rim, and why the DIY kit costs you twice.
Read the guide →An animal strike runs through comprehensive coverage — not collision, and not your fault. What to do at the scene, why the swerve is the expensive mistake, and the radiator and radar damage hiding behind a "broken grille".
Read the guide →The actual cash value decides whether your car is repaired or totaled and caps every check the insurer writes. How the valuation report is built, how to read it, and how to fight it with evidence.
Read the guide →Same day for a dent, two to three days for a bumper, one to three weeks for structure — and why the calendar is really set by parts, supplements and where the car was towed.
Read the guide →"Totaled" is an economic verdict, not a mechanical one. How the total-loss call is made in New Jersey, what the payout is built from, how to dispute a low valuation, and what keeping the car really means.
Read the guide →Our actual starting prices for dents, bumpers, paint and wheels — the four things that move every number, how long each job takes, and when insurance is worth it.
Read the guide →Even a flawless repair leaves a car worth less on paper. Who pays that gap in New Jersey, the formula adjusters actually use, and what a claim needs to survive.
Read the guide →Tesla's approved list is a business arrangement, not a licence — and you do not need it for most repairs. What to ask any shop instead, and where the real limits are.
Read the guide →What counts as cosmetic, what scratches, dents and scuffed bumpers typically cost in North Jersey — and the deductible math that decides when a claim is worth it.
Read the guide →In New Jersey the shop choice is yours by regulation. What steering sounds like on the phone, how to answer each line — and what to tell your adjuster.
Read the guide →Teardown almost always finds what photos cannot. What a supplement is, who approves it, who pays — and why your deductible never changes.
Read the guide →Safety first, then photos, towing and the insurance claim — the full step-by-step, and why the first estimate almost always changes.
Read the guide →
