CA rear end accident , Not at fault. Have a Question
 

Advice appreciated.
I recently was in a left side rear end collision on my FRS
Was not at fault, was stop at a turning light, moron on the phone hits my rear bumper , beam bar damaged, left side seems 1/2 inch lower than right side.

I do have Tein aftermarket suspension and voltex tail lights as well as invidia dual exhaust.

I've read here and there on ft86 the guys have easily found shops that will use aftermarket parts , no problem than OEM.

Has anyone experience that here in socal or recommends me a shop that will get me the replacement aftermarket parts I had that were damaged??

And a per say extra question:
If the insurance for some reason "totaled" my FRS Which I have a lienholder (bank $14,000) But I want to keep the car and fix it myself , will they write a check for the kbb value (22,000) of FRS in my area, pay the bank or will or can they write the check to my name,
= I pay my loan-keep my FRS credit score good still, left over to repair the car.
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Ask here for shops: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=10 Some of the locals never stray from the Regional Subs.

Don't expect to get KBB prices from the insurance company. They have their own calculations for value.

How insurance works is that they're suppose to put you back to where you were before the collision. If you're going through the other person's insurance, then if your suspension was damaged they'll replace it with another set of Tein's/voltex/Invidia. IF you're using your own carrier, there may be some restrictions on after market parts replacement. If there's not then usually you'll get your Teins/voltex/Invidia replaced with the same ones you had before.


To answer your total loss question. Most insurance companies don't go off of KBB. They usually use another program that gets 3 vehicles that is similar to your vehicle within a 100 mile radius. That's how they get the average market value for your vehicle. So, if you owe $14k and your insurance determines the value to be $22k then you will be able to keep your vehicle. They will essentially pay off the lien holder first if they're endorsed on the policy then whatever is left over that is yours to keep.

Here is a general breakdown of how they get their figures to you:

If you decide to keep your vehicle (Owner Retained Salvage)

1. Actual Cash Value
2. Tax on the Actual Cash Value for your vehicle (Add)
3. DMV Fees (Add)
4. Deductible **If you go through your own carrier** (Subtract)
5. Salvage Value of the Vehicle (How much the vehicle is worth as it stands with the damage) [Subtract]
6. Salvage Value on the Tax [Subtract]

For Example:

1. ACV: $22,000
2. ACV TAX 9%: $1980 (+)
3. DMV: $218 (+)
4. Deductible: $500 (-)
5. Salvage Value: $2,000 (-)
6. Salvage Tax: $180 (-)
------------------------------

Total: $21,518

If you decide to not keep the vehicle (Non Retained Salvage)

1. ACV: $22,000
2. ACV TAX 9%: $1980 (+)
3. DMV: $218 (+)
4. Deductible: $500 (-)
------------------------------

Total: $23,698

Bottom line is that you can keep the vehicle but you will get a less amount as they will subtract the salvage value of the vehicle from your settlement.

Very knowledgeable guys thank you so much, I appreciate your input

Since youre not at fault, as long as you have the other guy's info and he has insurance, they should replace your aftermarket parts for you.

This is a good chance to check the aftermarket parts coverage of your own policy though.

But even if you do not get aftermarket parts covered, you could ask insurance to cut you a check rather than pay the shops directly. At that point, they'd give you money based on how much the OEM parts cost and then you can do whatever you want with it. (Slight caveat; you need the body shop or mechanic to sign something telling insurance you actually got the damaged areas fixed, so that you cant make a claim on the same areas in a future incident)