How to get the most from an insurance claim.
06-17-2011, 08:40 PM
#1
How to get the most from an insurance claim.
This guide is also going to be good to follow even if your never in a wreck.
Most people know by now that I was recently in an auto wreck, found to be not at fault and it was a total loss. I worked in the automotive industry for years before I moved on to the medical field, but I still have a lot of knowledge that I would like to pass on to you guys. I am going to try to create here a simple user guide for you guys to get the most out of your car claim. I was able to get a 15,000 dollar return on a car that was KBB at around 13,750 and that they were selling in my area for around 12,000 with half the mileage I had.
First thing you need to know is that you will need to be ready to do a lot of leg work and research. Be prepared to spend hours and hours debating and reading.
Second thing you need to do when you first purchase the car ask the insurance company what they value the vehicle at. (Its really hard for them to charge you a premium at a value they set on the car then go back and tell you its not worth what you were paying in the premium. That would mean you can go back after them for knowingly over charging you to get some of your premium money back.) This is really important that you ask them what they value the vehicle at and not what you value it at.
Third thing you need to do is keep track of all maintenance records, and do it by 6 month increments. Insurance companies will not tell you this, but they are responsible for major maintenance performed in the last 12 months. This adds value to the vehicle they have to pay you for. So keep records and label the folders in 6 month increments including the reciepts from parts. If you happen to do the work yourself sometimes you can negotiate a higher value on the price of the work done based on local labor hourly rates which is what I was able to do.
Fourth keep records of aftermarket parts, because some insurance companies will cover the cost of these. Mine was willing to pay me a percentage of the value of the after market parts I left on the car. Also keep stock parts if you want your parts back. You cant take the wheels off your car to sell them later if the insurance company is buying your car (when a car is totaled the insurance company is buying it from you).
Fifth thing you need to know is that when your in an accident report it immediatly to the police, and the insurance company. The sooner you report the higher the value of cars like yours are in the area. Sometimes during model year roll out times values of vehicles drop. Like around july and august. The sooner you report this the more you will gain. Plus the police report can be invaluable to showing who is at fault.
Sixth thing is after you have reported the accident and the vehicle has been towed to a shop you need to immediatly meet with the service writer. Service departments deal with hundreds of different kinds of vehicles and you will need to go over all the options you have. They dont always know that you have the HIDS with Sport Tuned Suspension. Or that your car has an electronic power steering unit instead of hydrolic. You will need to go over everything that they have on the initial break down of the car line by line to make sure the part is correct. Also make sure they have including things for procedures like blending. Make sure they have torn the area down to find all the damage that might have existed. Once you and the service department and only after the two of you agree you have found and included everything do you then allow that report to be sent to the insurance company. You will spend a lot of leg work and research to do this, but you can avoid things like getting used or refurbished parts. Always make sure they mark them for new parts. It is your choice not thiers and you are entitled to new, not refurbished parts if you want. A lot of places will try to push cheaper parts on you, don't accept anything less than new.
Seventh once they have sent that in should the car be determined as a total reject the first offer they give. Its going to be low period. (occasionnaly its not but you should be able to tell quickly, this is very rare). The offer they provide you, you should be able to take that check, and walk in to a dealership and buy the same vehicle, of the same quality, with the same features, and less miles. Out the door including taxes. If you can't do that with the check then reject the offer.
The next thing that will happen is they will give you a second offer. Do not accept this either. Tell them you want the CCC report. This is going to be a 15 page report that the adjuster used to describe your vehicle. You will need to go over this report line by line. I mean you need to read every single word of this report. Remember the adjuster just checks boxes, they do make mistakes, and they even sometimes try to low ball you. About 10 years ago when I worked at a dealership the FBI arrested an adjuster that was actually totalling vehicles for extremely low amounts. Marking them as being in horrible shape before the accident. Hoping it would be totaled with a low salvage rate he would then buy them back, fix them up, and sell them. He was making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year doing this. So you need to go over ever single word in this report. Its going to have things like the mileage, quality of paint, accessories, engine shape, transmission shape. You will have 6 pages alone of accessories and the condition of certain things. The adjusters markings are not final. You are allowed to argue them. Take my car, he marked only fair value on the paint. Everyone that has seen my car knows the body was flawless. Bullit is riding around with my old hood, he can tell you it was in good condition when I gave it to him. They also marked my engine and transmission were only fair. I have compression tests that show it was running just about as good as new. You can argue and make them change all of these things on the report. They marked on mine that I did not have bucket seats, my headliner was faded, they even had it as a touring model when mine wasa gt, and they didn't put the home link mirror in, I mean I had two dozen things that were wrong. As you are going over this with them make sure you remind them of two things. You are in a local car club, and recent photos from numerous members of this car club would show that your car was running excelent and looked the same. Over and over again remind them you are in a car club and a dozen people can vouche for the level of care you gave this car.
Another thing they will try to pull here is tell you that something your have is personal preference. Like say the home link mirror, and that you opted for the charcoal grey wheels. Tell them it was an option off the factory floor so they have to include the price of this option. Note they do have to approve it. They cannot tell you its a preference and doesnt raise the value. This is because you cannot get it off the show room floor without paying for that part. So they HAVE TO include it. Do not let them play you otherwise.
Once they have submitted and returned that report go over the report again. This time make sure everything is marked correctly and turn to the page where they value the other cars in your local market. They will have two numbers. The first number will be the blue book value of that car in your market and the second will be what they think it will sell for. Always make sure you force them to prove the reasoning they think it will sell that low. You can argue this figure because its the figure they are going to use to pay you. Print off reports of other cars in your area that selling for high values that match your vehicles packages. Like if you own a GT find ones sellin around your mileage for high prices that are inside of 50 miles of your home. Tell them you want those included and the ones that are low priced (being sold outside of your market which is 50 miles) removed. Because they arent in your market so arent a fair price. This page is very important. Look at the features checked, is the price they think it will be sold for lower than you want in the calculationg but its also not marked with fogs or heated seats and the premium sound. You can fight these numbers. Make sure you do it. They are going to nickel and dime you down, so make sure you do the same back up. Ask them why they have one car selling 3K under the market value. Ask them why they are not valuing your car at the retail value that another one on the list is selling for.
Once you have gone over the market value of your car, you have all your features, the correct packages, the maintenance, the aftermarket parts included in the final number you are almost done. The last part is making sure you are valuing the vehicle at a reasonable market value and not personal preference. I know this is hard but its improtant you dont personally over inflate the value in your head.
Remember the key to all of this is that its a settlement not a judgement. Taking time to do this, and drawing it out plays in your favor. The insurance company hopes you are in a huge rush and need of another car. So they hope you take what they give because you have to buy another car now. Do not fall in to this trap. Draw out the negotiations and continue to argue and fight. Make sure they know you are a part of a local group and you have people on your side. This would mean if you took them to court you would have witnesses. It would be the one adjuster vs you and all your local car club guys. Insurance companies hate dealing with car clubs. We are notorious for winning cases. Its why they end up giving discounts for AAA members, and other things. Insurance companies do fear car clubs.
If you cant take the check they give you, walk in to a dealership and walk out with the same car, same year, same package, same features, and less miles. Don't accept the offer period. Make sure you have lots of photos from the accident, and before the accident. Take them after you wash her, keep ones on file that show how well you kept her. Have maintenance reciepts and make the case that you baby her and do more maintenance than the dealer requires.
I hope this helps some of you guys. This is how I was able to turn an offer for 11,000 dollars(which is 2000 more than I would have paid out the door for my car from a dealer) into a check for 15,000. That was for an 04 Sunlight Silver GT 6 speed with 84K miles on it.
Remember its a settlement not a judgement. The adjusters word is not solid, and you can change the CCC report they will use to value your car. You have every right legally to tell them what changes to make.
Most people know by now that I was recently in an auto wreck, found to be not at fault and it was a total loss. I worked in the automotive industry for years before I moved on to the medical field, but I still have a lot of knowledge that I would like to pass on to you guys. I am going to try to create here a simple user guide for you guys to get the most out of your car claim. I was able to get a 15,000 dollar return on a car that was KBB at around 13,750 and that they were selling in my area for around 12,000 with half the mileage I had.
First thing you need to know is that you will need to be ready to do a lot of leg work and research. Be prepared to spend hours and hours debating and reading.
Second thing you need to do when you first purchase the car ask the insurance company what they value the vehicle at. (Its really hard for them to charge you a premium at a value they set on the car then go back and tell you its not worth what you were paying in the premium. That would mean you can go back after them for knowingly over charging you to get some of your premium money back.) This is really important that you ask them what they value the vehicle at and not what you value it at.
Third thing you need to do is keep track of all maintenance records, and do it by 6 month increments. Insurance companies will not tell you this, but they are responsible for major maintenance performed in the last 12 months. This adds value to the vehicle they have to pay you for. So keep records and label the folders in 6 month increments including the reciepts from parts. If you happen to do the work yourself sometimes you can negotiate a higher value on the price of the work done based on local labor hourly rates which is what I was able to do.
Fourth keep records of aftermarket parts, because some insurance companies will cover the cost of these. Mine was willing to pay me a percentage of the value of the after market parts I left on the car. Also keep stock parts if you want your parts back. You cant take the wheels off your car to sell them later if the insurance company is buying your car (when a car is totaled the insurance company is buying it from you).
Fifth thing you need to know is that when your in an accident report it immediatly to the police, and the insurance company. The sooner you report the higher the value of cars like yours are in the area. Sometimes during model year roll out times values of vehicles drop. Like around july and august. The sooner you report this the more you will gain. Plus the police report can be invaluable to showing who is at fault.
Sixth thing is after you have reported the accident and the vehicle has been towed to a shop you need to immediatly meet with the service writer. Service departments deal with hundreds of different kinds of vehicles and you will need to go over all the options you have. They dont always know that you have the HIDS with Sport Tuned Suspension. Or that your car has an electronic power steering unit instead of hydrolic. You will need to go over everything that they have on the initial break down of the car line by line to make sure the part is correct. Also make sure they have including things for procedures like blending. Make sure they have torn the area down to find all the damage that might have existed. Once you and the service department and only after the two of you agree you have found and included everything do you then allow that report to be sent to the insurance company. You will spend a lot of leg work and research to do this, but you can avoid things like getting used or refurbished parts. Always make sure they mark them for new parts. It is your choice not thiers and you are entitled to new, not refurbished parts if you want. A lot of places will try to push cheaper parts on you, don't accept anything less than new.
Seventh once they have sent that in should the car be determined as a total reject the first offer they give. Its going to be low period. (occasionnaly its not but you should be able to tell quickly, this is very rare). The offer they provide you, you should be able to take that check, and walk in to a dealership and buy the same vehicle, of the same quality, with the same features, and less miles. Out the door including taxes. If you can't do that with the check then reject the offer.
The next thing that will happen is they will give you a second offer. Do not accept this either. Tell them you want the CCC report. This is going to be a 15 page report that the adjuster used to describe your vehicle. You will need to go over this report line by line. I mean you need to read every single word of this report. Remember the adjuster just checks boxes, they do make mistakes, and they even sometimes try to low ball you. About 10 years ago when I worked at a dealership the FBI arrested an adjuster that was actually totalling vehicles for extremely low amounts. Marking them as being in horrible shape before the accident. Hoping it would be totaled with a low salvage rate he would then buy them back, fix them up, and sell them. He was making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year doing this. So you need to go over ever single word in this report. Its going to have things like the mileage, quality of paint, accessories, engine shape, transmission shape. You will have 6 pages alone of accessories and the condition of certain things. The adjusters markings are not final. You are allowed to argue them. Take my car, he marked only fair value on the paint. Everyone that has seen my car knows the body was flawless. Bullit is riding around with my old hood, he can tell you it was in good condition when I gave it to him. They also marked my engine and transmission were only fair. I have compression tests that show it was running just about as good as new. You can argue and make them change all of these things on the report. They marked on mine that I did not have bucket seats, my headliner was faded, they even had it as a touring model when mine wasa gt, and they didn't put the home link mirror in, I mean I had two dozen things that were wrong. As you are going over this with them make sure you remind them of two things. You are in a local car club, and recent photos from numerous members of this car club would show that your car was running excelent and looked the same. Over and over again remind them you are in a car club and a dozen people can vouche for the level of care you gave this car.
Another thing they will try to pull here is tell you that something your have is personal preference. Like say the home link mirror, and that you opted for the charcoal grey wheels. Tell them it was an option off the factory floor so they have to include the price of this option. Note they do have to approve it. They cannot tell you its a preference and doesnt raise the value. This is because you cannot get it off the show room floor without paying for that part. So they HAVE TO include it. Do not let them play you otherwise.
Once they have submitted and returned that report go over the report again. This time make sure everything is marked correctly and turn to the page where they value the other cars in your local market. They will have two numbers. The first number will be the blue book value of that car in your market and the second will be what they think it will sell for. Always make sure you force them to prove the reasoning they think it will sell that low. You can argue this figure because its the figure they are going to use to pay you. Print off reports of other cars in your area that selling for high values that match your vehicles packages. Like if you own a GT find ones sellin around your mileage for high prices that are inside of 50 miles of your home. Tell them you want those included and the ones that are low priced (being sold outside of your market which is 50 miles) removed. Because they arent in your market so arent a fair price. This page is very important. Look at the features checked, is the price they think it will be sold for lower than you want in the calculationg but its also not marked with fogs or heated seats and the premium sound. You can fight these numbers. Make sure you do it. They are going to nickel and dime you down, so make sure you do the same back up. Ask them why they have one car selling 3K under the market value. Ask them why they are not valuing your car at the retail value that another one on the list is selling for.
Once you have gone over the market value of your car, you have all your features, the correct packages, the maintenance, the aftermarket parts included in the final number you are almost done. The last part is making sure you are valuing the vehicle at a reasonable market value and not personal preference. I know this is hard but its improtant you dont personally over inflate the value in your head.
Remember the key to all of this is that its a settlement not a judgement. Taking time to do this, and drawing it out plays in your favor. The insurance company hopes you are in a huge rush and need of another car. So they hope you take what they give because you have to buy another car now. Do not fall in to this trap. Draw out the negotiations and continue to argue and fight. Make sure they know you are a part of a local group and you have people on your side. This would mean if you took them to court you would have witnesses. It would be the one adjuster vs you and all your local car club guys. Insurance companies hate dealing with car clubs. We are notorious for winning cases. Its why they end up giving discounts for AAA members, and other things. Insurance companies do fear car clubs.
If you cant take the check they give you, walk in to a dealership and walk out with the same car, same year, same package, same features, and less miles. Don't accept the offer period. Make sure you have lots of photos from the accident, and before the accident. Take them after you wash her, keep ones on file that show how well you kept her. Have maintenance reciepts and make the case that you baby her and do more maintenance than the dealer requires.
I hope this helps some of you guys. This is how I was able to turn an offer for 11,000 dollars(which is 2000 more than I would have paid out the door for my car from a dealer) into a check for 15,000. That was for an 04 Sunlight Silver GT 6 speed with 84K miles on it.
Remember its a settlement not a judgement. The adjusters word is not solid, and you can change the CCC report they will use to value your car. You have every right legally to tell them what changes to make.
Last edited by DocBeech; 06-17-2011 at 08:42 PM.
06-19-2011, 02:51 AM
#6
I just want to make sure that people have a resource, and a place to maybe answer some questions. Its a serious industry and if you don't go in knowing how to fight it, you will be rolled over and taken advantage of like a girl on prom night.
06-19-2011, 07:28 AM
#7
Registered
Excellent stuff, Doc. Never thought about the part about recent repairs, other than paranoia about the couple of thousand I just spent.
My personal experience is that much also depends on the insurance company's MO. For the two cars I lost to uninsured drivers, I researched what they were worth...looked up KBB stuff and called dealers in the area. First time I could not budge the insurance company off their offer. The second time their offer was exactly what I thought I had coming. Same company, GEICO. Difference is that the first total was back in the late 70s when they were on the ropes financially, and chiseling everyone as hard as they could. Second was in the 80s when they were back in good shape and understood customer service.
Working with your body shop definitely matters. When my wife's car got hit, the body guy coached me into talking the insurance company into authorizing an OEM fender rather than third party junk.
Ken
My personal experience is that much also depends on the insurance company's MO. For the two cars I lost to uninsured drivers, I researched what they were worth...looked up KBB stuff and called dealers in the area. First time I could not budge the insurance company off their offer. The second time their offer was exactly what I thought I had coming. Same company, GEICO. Difference is that the first total was back in the late 70s when they were on the ropes financially, and chiseling everyone as hard as they could. Second was in the 80s when they were back in good shape and understood customer service.
Working with your body shop definitely matters. When my wife's car got hit, the body guy coached me into talking the insurance company into authorizing an OEM fender rather than third party junk.
Ken
06-19-2011, 07:52 AM
#9
After dealing with insurance just to get repairs and having to back and forth with the adjuster I wish I had this list the. Would have saved me a lot of time. Good stuff man. Stuf I didn't even consider but now will if I ever need to deal with insurance again. Thanks.... just what the Doctor ordered.
11-30-2011, 02:49 AM
#12
Registered
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 918
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Marvelous write up.
I understand the feeling and roughly had a similar encounter...
Thank you so much for the step by step approach which will definately enrich us guys together... Together we, will prevail and stop these insurance companies from always killing us from the back...
That includes you, Wallstreet...
I understand the feeling and roughly had a similar encounter...
Thank you so much for the step by step approach which will definately enrich us guys together... Together we, will prevail and stop these insurance companies from always killing us from the back...
That includes you, Wallstreet...
03-17-2012, 01:38 AM
#15
I kinda need some advice/help...
recently the hood and fenders were damaged due to high "an act of god" and will be covered by geico my insurance provider. I didn't realize this but they don't use OEM parts but aftermarket replacements. In the case of the hood the replacement is steel rather than aluminum. How would I go about ensuring that my hoodbis replaced either with an aluminum OEM or aftermarket hood of my choice?
recently the hood and fenders were damaged due to high "an act of god" and will be covered by geico my insurance provider. I didn't realize this but they don't use OEM parts but aftermarket replacements. In the case of the hood the replacement is steel rather than aluminum. How would I go about ensuring that my hoodbis replaced either with an aluminum OEM or aftermarket hood of my choice?
03-17-2012, 03:27 AM
#16
Registered
A lot of insurance companys will allow you to choose between oem and non-oem parts, but you must pay the difference in price. Say the non-oem hood they want to use is $500 and an oem hood from Mazda is $800, you pay the extra $300(I have no idea of the cost, just an example).
Just tell them you want to use oem parts only, and see what they say. Geico, statefarm, allstate, and many other large insurance providers go by what I stated above. So chances are you will be paying the difference.
Just tell them you want to use oem parts only, and see what they say. Geico, statefarm, allstate, and many other large insurance providers go by what I stated above. So chances are you will be paying the difference.
03-17-2012, 03:50 AM
#17
I don't see how its legal to replace a part thats considered to be one of its features with a inferior part... if the replacement was lightweight alloy I wouldn't care but its heavy steel.
03-17-2012, 04:43 AM
#18
Registered
Well they are certified parts by some agency that says they are oem quality or better, thats how they do it according to what I have seen.
You can try and argue that point with your insurance, tell them that it is NOT the same quality because it is not the same material. You could also see how much they are willing to pay for a hood and try and find your own aftermarket replacement. Hopefully someone can respond here tomorrow with better news than that, but it just seems to be the norm.
You can try and argue that point with your insurance, tell them that it is NOT the same quality because it is not the same material. You could also see how much they are willing to pay for a hood and try and find your own aftermarket replacement. Hopefully someone can respond here tomorrow with better news than that, but it just seems to be the norm.
Last edited by xexok; 03-17-2012 at 04:47 AM.
03-17-2012, 08:04 AM
#19
Registered
Policies usually say that aftermarket parts can be used, as long as they're specified to be as good as OEM. Hence the puppet agency. That they say a steel part is equivalent to an aluminum one pretty much shows their credibility.
I was able to talk GEICO into approving a genuine fender. Partly because there wasn't that big a difference in price (maybe $100) and partly because the wreck was the other guy's fault and they were going to subrogate. I was also willing to pay the difference if necessary. That would have been between me and the body shop...don't see why mavictb can't do the same.
Ken
03-17-2012, 12:25 PM
#21
thanks for the replies guys. I was just looking for some advice on how to go about it correctly and you guys have me headed in the right direction. Again thanks for the help.
03-17-2012, 03:15 PM
#23
Registered
The agency is a puppet of the insurance companies. I forget its name, but I tracked it down a few years back when GEICO wanted to use an aftermarket fender on my wife's car. The body shop guy told me the brand they specified was crap.
Policies usually say that aftermarket parts can be used, as long as they're specified to be as good as OEM. Hence the puppet agency. That they say a steel part is equivalent to an aluminum one pretty much shows their credibility.
I was able to talk GEICO into approving a genuine fender. Partly because there wasn't that big a difference in price (maybe $100) and partly because the wreck was the other guy's fault and they were going to subrogate. I was also willing to pay the difference if necessary. That would have been between me and the body shop...don't see why mavictb can't do the same.
Ken
Policies usually say that aftermarket parts can be used, as long as they're specified to be as good as OEM. Hence the puppet agency. That they say a steel part is equivalent to an aluminum one pretty much shows their credibility.
I was able to talk GEICO into approving a genuine fender. Partly because there wasn't that big a difference in price (maybe $100) and partly because the wreck was the other guy's fault and they were going to subrogate. I was also willing to pay the difference if necessary. That would have been between me and the body shop...don't see why mavictb can't do the same.
Ken
I bet the difference in price between the hood they suggested and the oem one is pretty large though.
03-17-2012, 08:49 PM
#24
I totaled 2 cars and they always gave me well over market price. I took the first offer both times as-well.
First car was an 07 RX8 they gave me $17,800 which paid off the car and gave me ~$1000 extra.
2nd car was a 07 2 years later and that was totaled got $16800 for it. Purchased her for $13,000....took the money and purchased a 05 for 10k and used the rest to do full maintenance and mod up and put some money away.
First car was an 07 RX8 they gave me $17,800 which paid off the car and gave me ~$1000 extra.
2nd car was a 07 2 years later and that was totaled got $16800 for it. Purchased her for $13,000....took the money and purchased a 05 for 10k and used the rest to do full maintenance and mod up and put some money away.
