My parked Car was totaled by a distracted driver
05-17-2020, 01:10 PM
#65
Nordschleife Master
First, sorry, this totally sucks!!! Another reason, I try to never park on the street.
Unless there is other damage we can't see from the pics, it does not look totaled. Usually a car will be totaled when the damage is over 75-85% of the cost of the car, of course you can challenge this. But it looks like a couple of wheels, fender, and a bumper, and a few control arms. That's hardly totaled.
Your insurance should never go up if you are not in the car, at fault, or driving. You should also get "agreed on" value, or "totaled replacement" insurance on high end cars. I've had a few cars that were worth way more then KBB had them at (E30 M3, 993 C4S), my policy had the value of the car in the policy, so we never had to go through this. Also never had to use it!
Since it's only been 90 days, it's very easy to show what the car is worth, and really should not be hard to prove. Always find comps, and find the exact or close to exact. Also they should be close. When dealing with insurance, DO NOT be emotional, they use that against you. It's a business, and they make money by not paying out. Be an *** hole, and stand firm, and demand what you want to do. Personally, I would try to fix it, and move on. Then get diminished value for the accident.
Unless there is other damage we can't see from the pics, it does not look totaled. Usually a car will be totaled when the damage is over 75-85% of the cost of the car, of course you can challenge this. But it looks like a couple of wheels, fender, and a bumper, and a few control arms. That's hardly totaled.
Your insurance should never go up if you are not in the car, at fault, or driving. You should also get "agreed on" value, or "totaled replacement" insurance on high end cars. I've had a few cars that were worth way more then KBB had them at (E30 M3, 993 C4S), my policy had the value of the car in the policy, so we never had to go through this. Also never had to use it!
Since it's only been 90 days, it's very easy to show what the car is worth, and really should not be hard to prove. Always find comps, and find the exact or close to exact. Also they should be close. When dealing with insurance, DO NOT be emotional, they use that against you. It's a business, and they make money by not paying out. Be an *** hole, and stand firm, and demand what you want to do. Personally, I would try to fix it, and move on. Then get diminished value for the accident.
The following 2 users liked this post by Prairiedawg:
Class5Kayaker (05-18-2020),
lamacan (05-17-2020)
05-17-2020, 02:23 PM
#67
I went through this with my insurance 6 months ago. Son was driving and involved in an accident on a rainy day. My car was a Papaya Orange 2004 Audi TT 3.2. (not many in this color) and experienced front end damage in the accident. The insurance stated that the car would cost too much to fix and as such marked it as a total loss.
They offered me $5300 for the car. I asked how they came up with that number when no adjuster had seen the car. They stated they use a company that has a database on car values. I asked to see what comparable car values they used. They sent me the 4 car values of which, 3 were listed on AutoTrader and 1 on craigslist.
None of them matched my car spec. They ranged from a front wheel drive, to convertible with more miles, to 4cyl quattro. Mine is a naturally aspirated 6cyl quattro with a DSG transmission and less miles than all 4. I pointed that out very politely as well as the fact that no adjuster had seen the car. I asked to have an adjuster come and view the car before any decision is made on the car.
When the adjuster did see the car he noted overall condition and how the interior looked brand new for 16 year old car. It was revalued but still they used the wrong cars to compare. Finally, the 3rd time they valued the car with accurate specced vehicles. Additionally, 3 weeks prior to the accident the car had a major service, coil overs were installed, as well as a $400 detail with paint correction of which, they covered 17% of the total cost, plus the tax on the valuation, plus title fees. Three valuations and 6 weeks later, the final number paid by the insurance as a total loss was $9865.
Be patient and not in a rush to settle, they were. Make sure that your car is accurately compared to other cars listed for sale and they use comps from dealers not craigslist and AutoTrader. Hope everything works out for you.
Cheers
They offered me $5300 for the car. I asked how they came up with that number when no adjuster had seen the car. They stated they use a company that has a database on car values. I asked to see what comparable car values they used. They sent me the 4 car values of which, 3 were listed on AutoTrader and 1 on craigslist.
None of them matched my car spec. They ranged from a front wheel drive, to convertible with more miles, to 4cyl quattro. Mine is a naturally aspirated 6cyl quattro with a DSG transmission and less miles than all 4. I pointed that out very politely as well as the fact that no adjuster had seen the car. I asked to have an adjuster come and view the car before any decision is made on the car.
When the adjuster did see the car he noted overall condition and how the interior looked brand new for 16 year old car. It was revalued but still they used the wrong cars to compare. Finally, the 3rd time they valued the car with accurate specced vehicles. Additionally, 3 weeks prior to the accident the car had a major service, coil overs were installed, as well as a $400 detail with paint correction of which, they covered 17% of the total cost, plus the tax on the valuation, plus title fees. Three valuations and 6 weeks later, the final number paid by the insurance as a total loss was $9865.
Be patient and not in a rush to settle, they were. Make sure that your car is accurately compared to other cars listed for sale and they use comps from dealers not craigslist and AutoTrader. Hope everything works out for you.
Cheers
The following 2 users liked this post by cf104:
desmotesta (05-17-2020),
sr5959 (05-17-2020)
05-17-2020, 09:58 PM
#68
Desmotesta,
I totaled my 2001 911 996 C4 which was parked and I had Leland West insurance with guaranteed value! With the agreed value money I bought a 2012 911 991.1 CPO from Rusnek Porsche in July last year and I again was able to use Leland West Insurance with A $70,000.00 dollars guarantee value on my 2012 911. You must be a PCA member and has a few stipulations, but if it’s not your daily driver it’s well worth the peace of mind that I don’t have to argue with slick insurance adjusters.
There are others but you should look into to this next time for your next ride! Good luck finding it!
I totaled my 2001 911 996 C4 which was parked and I had Leland West insurance with guaranteed value! With the agreed value money I bought a 2012 911 991.1 CPO from Rusnek Porsche in July last year and I again was able to use Leland West Insurance with A $70,000.00 dollars guarantee value on my 2012 911. You must be a PCA member and has a few stipulations, but if it’s not your daily driver it’s well worth the peace of mind that I don’t have to argue with slick insurance adjusters.
There are others but you should look into to this next time for your next ride! Good luck finding it!
The following 2 users liked this post by hartmn:
desmotesta (05-18-2020),
Scott O'Connor (09-13-2021)
05-19-2020, 11:24 PM
#69
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Let the games begin I suppose....
Finally got first contact/call from Geico regarding my appraisal. To be fair, due to Covid-19 they have been limited to appraise cars via "very detailed" pictures provided by towing companies and salvage yards.
Looks like Geico has stuck me with a polite but green adjuster. Not a lot of work history and car knowledge judging by the plethora of questions he sent my way.
He did go through the build sheet (which was surprising) and also asked about individual options that may not be on the build sheet.
Long story short.. the information now goes to a company called CCC out of Chicago, they will do they best to lowball and squeeze every dollar of value out of my car.
I am collecting "Comps" on my side, have a line on a private auto appraisal company that deals with this very situation for a nominal charge.
Will keep you guys posted, dont expect for this part of process to be quick or painless, but looking forward to coming out the other side, one way or other
Thank you all again for your response, advice and offers to help.. this is a great community
Finally got first contact/call from Geico regarding my appraisal. To be fair, due to Covid-19 they have been limited to appraise cars via "very detailed" pictures provided by towing companies and salvage yards.
Looks like Geico has stuck me with a polite but green adjuster. Not a lot of work history and car knowledge judging by the plethora of questions he sent my way.
He did go through the build sheet (which was surprising) and also asked about individual options that may not be on the build sheet.
Long story short.. the information now goes to a company called CCC out of Chicago, they will do they best to lowball and squeeze every dollar of value out of my car.
I am collecting "Comps" on my side, have a line on a private auto appraisal company that deals with this very situation for a nominal charge.
Will keep you guys posted, dont expect for this part of process to be quick or painless, but looking forward to coming out the other side, one way or other
Thank you all again for your response, advice and offers to help.. this is a great community
05-20-2020, 01:09 AM
#70
This, I believe, is the website of the company which will determine whether or not your car is a total loss.
https://www.cccis.com/insurance-carr...ke/predictive/
Scroll down a bit and notice the sketch depicting the generalized process they go through to make that determination.
A more detailed explanation of that process is here : https://www.erieinsurance.com/blog/totaled-car. The formula seems pretty straight forward:
"If a vehicle’s cost of repair plus its salvage value exceeds the vehicle’s ACV, it is typically declared a total loss. (One exception is certain state laws that require insurance companies to declare a vehicle a total loss even if the cost of repair and salvage value are less than the ACV.)"
"The ACV is how much your vehicle is worth after factoring in depreciation."
Unless you have been told by your insurance company that they consider your car to be a total loss and are negotiating on that basis, it seems to me you have to be careful in attempting to boost the value (ACV) of your car in the eyes of your insurance company. That's because, from the formula, the higher the ACV, the less likely you will get the total loss decision you're looking for. At least, that's the way it appears to me.
https://www.cccis.com/insurance-carr...ke/predictive/
Scroll down a bit and notice the sketch depicting the generalized process they go through to make that determination.
A more detailed explanation of that process is here : https://www.erieinsurance.com/blog/totaled-car. The formula seems pretty straight forward:
"If a vehicle’s cost of repair plus its salvage value exceeds the vehicle’s ACV, it is typically declared a total loss. (One exception is certain state laws that require insurance companies to declare a vehicle a total loss even if the cost of repair and salvage value are less than the ACV.)"
"The ACV is how much your vehicle is worth after factoring in depreciation."
Unless you have been told by your insurance company that they consider your car to be a total loss and are negotiating on that basis, it seems to me you have to be careful in attempting to boost the value (ACV) of your car in the eyes of your insurance company. That's because, from the formula, the higher the ACV, the less likely you will get the total loss decision you're looking for. At least, that's the way it appears to me.
05-20-2020, 09:39 AM
#71
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
This, I believe, is the website of the company which will determine whether or not your car is a total loss.
https://www.cccis.com/insurance-carr...ke/predictive/
Scroll down a bit and notice the sketch depicting the generalized process they go through to make that determination.
A more detailed explanation of that process is here : https://www.erieinsurance.com/blog/totaled-car. The formula seems pretty straight forward:
"If a vehicle’s cost of repair plus its salvage value exceeds the vehicle’s ACV, it is typically declared a total loss. (One exception is certain state laws that require insurance companies to declare a vehicle a total loss even if the cost of repair and salvage value are less than the ACV.)"
"The ACV is how much your vehicle is worth after factoring in depreciation."
Unless you have been told by your insurance company that they consider your car to be a total loss and are negotiating on that basis, it seems to me you have to be careful in attempting to boost the value (ACV) of your car in the eyes of your insurance company. That's because, from the formula, the higher the ACV, the less likely you will get the total loss decision you're looking for. At least, that's the way it appears to me.
https://www.cccis.com/insurance-carr...ke/predictive/
Scroll down a bit and notice the sketch depicting the generalized process they go through to make that determination.
A more detailed explanation of that process is here : https://www.erieinsurance.com/blog/totaled-car. The formula seems pretty straight forward:
"If a vehicle’s cost of repair plus its salvage value exceeds the vehicle’s ACV, it is typically declared a total loss. (One exception is certain state laws that require insurance companies to declare a vehicle a total loss even if the cost of repair and salvage value are less than the ACV.)"
"The ACV is how much your vehicle is worth after factoring in depreciation."
Unless you have been told by your insurance company that they consider your car to be a total loss and are negotiating on that basis, it seems to me you have to be careful in attempting to boost the value (ACV) of your car in the eyes of your insurance company. That's because, from the formula, the higher the ACV, the less likely you will get the total loss decision you're looking for. At least, that's the way it appears to me.
Good Information and Very good point.
First 15 minutes of the 25+ minute call were spent going over every single option my car could have had.. my initial assumption was they have already determined the car is a total loss and are trying to make sure the valuation is accurate.
Later in the call I found out that he (adjuster) was still trying to figure out if the car was a total loss.. At that point I reminded him that the car was started by towing company, was idling for several minutes, all the while a good majority of coolant leaked and the car started to smoke. This was something I had told the person taking my initial report, but somehow it failed to make it on the report.
he was taken aback by this little fact and then changed his entire demeanor to "well this changes everything", "if there is even a slight hint that the engine was damage or smoking due to over heating, the total damage would far exceed initial report, those engines are extremely expensive"..
This is gonna be interesting..
The following users liked this post:
Texas Porsche (05-20-2020)
05-20-2020, 10:37 AM
#72
Burning Brakes
I am no expert, but judging by the photo above, seems your car took the initial hit on the drivers side rear quarter/wheel. In any case, no way to repair that crumpled rear quarter without cutting it out, tacking-in new sheet-metal, refinishing, full re-paint, etc. And that is just surface-level work. Just that work alone is potentially very pricey. We can't see the drivers side front quarter, which is probably in even worse shape. And if that rear wheel and drive-train were pushed as far forward as the picture seems to indicate, the engine may have sustained some damage. I've seen lighter damage / hits on P-cars result in total loss... Will be interesting to hear what they come back to you with!
05-20-2020, 11:33 AM
#73
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Good Information and Very good point.
First 15 minutes of the 25+ minute call were spent going over every single option my car could have had.. my initial assumption was they have already determined the car is a total loss and are trying to make sure the valuation is accurate.
Later in the call I found out that he (adjuster) was still trying to figure out if the car was a total loss.. At that point I reminded him that the car was started by towing company, was idling for several minutes, all the while a good majority of coolant leaked and the car started to smoke. This was something I had told the person taking my initial report, but somehow it failed to make it on the report.
he was taken aback by this little fact and then changed his entire demeanor to "well this changes everything", "if there is even a slight hint that the engine was damage or smoking due to over heating, the total damage would far exceed initial report, those engines are extremely expensive"..
This is gonna be interesting..
First 15 minutes of the 25+ minute call were spent going over every single option my car could have had.. my initial assumption was they have already determined the car is a total loss and are trying to make sure the valuation is accurate.
Later in the call I found out that he (adjuster) was still trying to figure out if the car was a total loss.. At that point I reminded him that the car was started by towing company, was idling for several minutes, all the while a good majority of coolant leaked and the car started to smoke. This was something I had told the person taking my initial report, but somehow it failed to make it on the report.
he was taken aback by this little fact and then changed his entire demeanor to "well this changes everything", "if there is even a slight hint that the engine was damage or smoking due to over heating, the total damage would far exceed initial report, those engines are extremely expensive"..
This is gonna be interesting..
05-21-2020, 02:14 AM
#74
Let the games begin I suppose....
Finally got first contact/call from Geico regarding my appraisal. To be fair, due to Covid-19 they have been limited to appraise cars via "very detailed" pictures provided by towing companies and salvage yards.
Looks like Geico has stuck me with a polite but green adjuster. Not a lot of work history and car knowledge judging by the plethora of questions he sent my way.
He did go through the build sheet (which was surprising) and also asked about individual options that may not be on the build sheet.
Long story short.. the information now goes to a company called CCC out of Chicago, they will do they best to lowball and squeeze every dollar of value out of my car.
I am collecting "Comps" on my side, have a line on a private auto appraisal company that deals with this very situation for a nominal charge.
Will keep you guys posted, dont expect for this part of process to be quick or painless, but looking forward to coming out the other side, one way or other
Thank you all again for your response, advice and offers to help.. this is a great community
Finally got first contact/call from Geico regarding my appraisal. To be fair, due to Covid-19 they have been limited to appraise cars via "very detailed" pictures provided by towing companies and salvage yards.
Looks like Geico has stuck me with a polite but green adjuster. Not a lot of work history and car knowledge judging by the plethora of questions he sent my way.
He did go through the build sheet (which was surprising) and also asked about individual options that may not be on the build sheet.
Long story short.. the information now goes to a company called CCC out of Chicago, they will do they best to lowball and squeeze every dollar of value out of my car.
I am collecting "Comps" on my side, have a line on a private auto appraisal company that deals with this very situation for a nominal charge.
Will keep you guys posted, dont expect for this part of process to be quick or painless, but looking forward to coming out the other side, one way or other
Thank you all again for your response, advice and offers to help.. this is a great community
That's the same company that did my valuation. I think they are the only ones that do this perhaps.
If you look at Autotrader for a comparable car to yours in year and model within a 500 mile range, you will see that they will have the same cars in their valuation report.
I had to ask to see the valuation report. They provide it to you by default. They just tell you the loss value.
