Advice for dealing with insurance appraisers

[bmwpower]

Make that "insurance adjusters" since I think that is the correct term...

As you may remember, I got in an accident with my Dad's Suburban (some guy rear ended me). So, now we have to take it to an auto body shop and talk to an insurance adjuster.

I have a bad feeling that the guy is going to total the truck. It's a 1990, but the thing was in excellent condition before the hit. We bought it off the original owner with just over 100K miles on it. The original owner had the truck sent to a customizer (total bill like $15K) when it was new. I'm looking for the receipt from the customizer now...

My question is, how is this deal going to play out? And how do I come out on top? My parents just spent over $3K in maintenance/repair stuff and I don't want them to get the shaft in the deal, especially since I feel bad that I was driving it at the time.

Thanks in advance!

 

[the intimidator]

if they do total it make sure you have the option to buy it back It will have a salvage title but you are probably going to keep it in the family so it doesnt really matter Got any pics of the damage that may help us make a opinion

 

[Dave Carney]

I hold property/casualty licenses in 49 states. Here's my prediction. If they total it, they'll offer a bluebook type number without regard to maintenance or customization. They won't care 2 cents about that stuff since they weren't collecting extra premium from you for the perceived value over average. Your best bet is to come to an agreement where you keep the salvage, assuming you want it. If not, I'd grab my ankles. ;=) If they offer you anything above this, take the money and run.

 

[ads47]

Remember though he isnt dealing with his insurance. His insurance wouldnt pay over what he was insured for. However the guy that hit him is responsible for a fair value for the vehicle with all its customizations taken into account.

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[bmwpower]

You're right...the other guy's insurance is paying. The damage doesn't look that bad, but just about every piece in the rear of the truck needs to be replaced. Frame is bent underneath. Hitch is shot. Both doors are shot. Impact even screwed up the front passenger window track so the window won't go up and down correctly.

 

[dfox1234]

You're right...the other guy's insurance is paying. The damage doesn't look that bad, but just about every piece in the rear of the truck needs to be replaced. Frame is bent underneath. Hitch is shot. Both doors are shot. Impact even screwed up the front passenger window track so the window won't go up and down correctly.

[/QUOTE

Frame bent? Its totaled, sorry.
Dean:

 

[OldCarGuy]

I might have been lucky. But when someone totaled the older car my daughter was driving. Their insurance company, without arguing, paid me 20% over blue book because of its’ shape. Plus they took in account any repairs done in the past 12 months including new tires. Besides no on was hurt, I was happy as a lark with the check!

 

[bmwpower]

I might have been lucky. But when someone totaled the older car my daughter was driving. Their insurance company, without arguing, paid me 20% over blue book because of its’ shape. Plus they took in account any repairs done in the past 12 months including new tires. Besides no on was hurt, I was happy as a lark with the check!

I guess it depends on the value of the vehicle. The blue book on the truck is around $3300. They spent around $3500 in the past year to get some maintenance things done (tires, tune up, A/C, etc).

If they gave me 20% over the blue book, I'd still be looking for more.

For kicks, what was the value of your daughter's truck?

 

[bmwpower]

Frame bent? Its totaled, sorry.
Dean:

Not sure to what extent, but I could definitely see the rear part of the frame is bent down from the impact. This, from what I hear, is fixable.

 

[snoopykissedlucy]

As an insurance agent for 10 years and previous claims adjuster for 3 years, here's what I know:

The regular consumer uses valuation tools such as KellyBlueBook.com, AutoTrader.com, NADA.com, etc. to determine the value of a vehicle.
Guess what, most large companies hire their own seperate companies that provide their own valuations and their assesments tend to be alot lower than the companies above. (imagine that!!!) This is why the majority of older vehicles tend to get "totalled" for alot less that what the customer thinks is fair.
After they total the car, they sell it back to you based on what they think they can sell the car for with its damages. Believe me, the insurance companies always win this arguement.
Tips: remember, the adjuster will argue all month long over an extra $45.00 trim piece but will quickly issue a $1000 medical check as long as you dont get an attorney.
Of course I'm not telling you that your neck hurts or anything but since this was a large vehicle, I'm willing to bet you will collect more money on the medical settlement of all the passengers at the time than the vehicle damage settlement.
Tip 2: All the numbers the adjusters use are negotiable. That's where the name adjuster comes from. They adjust the bill until the customer accepts their offer. They are ranked in their job based on the severity they pay out. This means the total amount of money they pay out on all claims they work monthly. Bottom line, their boss promotes the ones that pay out the least.

PS- Just be lucky they are accepting liability, I've seen files where the adjuster was claiming the person in front backed up into the front of the other vehicle and was filing against that persons insurance!

Lastly, stay in touch with your agent. I love this business and will always be honest with my customers and give them the best advice. If your agent tells you he cant give you advice or doesn't return your calls about this, find another agent. Good Luck! If anything else, this accident will definately teach you what us older people already know...there's no such thing as a good accident, only good driving.

 

[W-Cummins]

I hate to tell you, but your not going to like what they say The only way you will get a fair amount is to sue them, or at least make them think you will. Slow it down and drag it out. Is it worth your time and effort?? Thats some thing you will have to figure out. All I can say is been there and done that... (I got every penny I wanted from them BTW the second time I delt with the same company's adjuster on another claim, he just asked me how much I wanted
and promptly wrote the check!

William....

 

[trainer]

Something thats worked for me in the past is when you feel you've negotiated all your going to get out of them, add the current cost of sales tax, registration, and transfer of a replacement vehicle.

 

[OldCarGuy]

I guess it depends on the value of the vehicle. The blue book on the truck is around $3300. They spent around $3500 in the past year to get some maintenance things done (tires, tune up, A/C, etc).

If they gave me 20% over the blue book, I'd still be looking for more.

For kicks, what was the value of your daughter's truck?

The actual Blue Book retail value was $4,500.00. The insurance company wrote me a check for almost $8,000.00. They even took in account a fair charge for my labor along with the tires and any other items I purchase in the past year.

The adjuster said he wanted me to be happy with settlement! They all aren’t bad.

 

[Matt Harwood]

You don't have to settle right away, either. They'll want to close this off their books ASAP just because they don't want you to sue them for injuries down the road. In fact, my father the attorney always advises not to settle for at least 6 months--in most states you have at least 12 months to file any claims. This is to be sure about injuries that may affect your job or life in a permanent and significant way (not that you'll do that).

Insurance companies know this and don't want to be on the hook for some guy who can't work for the rest of his life, so they move fast because once you've settled, it's over, they are no longer liable and you're SOL.

Don't accept an offer until it's what you think is fair. And make them wait months if you can. They'll sweat it a lot more than you will and will start hounding you to settle. That's when you start to negotiate and maybe even talk about "soreness" or something like that just to put a scare into them (not that I, like the fellow above, am suggesting any kind of fraud on your part, just a negotiating tactic).

In the end, you probably won't get $6500 for the truck but you will likely get over book value. Good luck and be glad you're not hurt on top of everything else!

 

[bmwpower]

Thanks for all this info guys....keep them coming.

I'm going to show these posts to my parents and see what they think. The ultimate decision is going to be up to them.

Funny you mention "soreness" because I've been sore since the accident. If it keeps up, I'm going to the doctor. I've had spinal surgery in the past and I think this accident may have given my back a rattle. We'll see.