Totaled or not?!?!

[thill]

Originally Posted by FRSupra

So, she's a girl then.

Jokes aside, I now feel bad for her after reading some more, it seems they are low balling the estimate.

Yeah, but they also low balled the crap out of the value of her car. If I could get a gently used 10 Series for $16K, I would buy it as a third car right now.

[ZionsWrath]

Were you checking the side mirrors or the sun visor mirror?

i kid i kid, good luck OP

[Ronin Sascha]

Geico tried to tell me I had to use one of their "approved shops" but I wasn't having it. I looked some of them up online and the reviews were terrible. So I took it right back to the dealer I got it from to fix it back to perfect and after a little bit of a heated argument with the agent I had on the phone, they said I had to get an estimate from their shop and I could get the work done elsewhere. So I agreed as long as if the estimate wasn't the same they would still pay for what was needed to fix it correctly.

But I've never dealt with Allstate they may be more strict on the rule, not sure. And they may not be as willing to work with the person at fault. May be worth a try if you haven't already committed to one of their shops though. Especially if you're worried about it not going to the exact way it was.


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[ntron1]

In the big picture, this is an annoyance but not a tragedy. Hang in there and think positive!

[J_kennington]

Originally Posted by Ronin Sascha

Geico tried to tell me I had to use one of their "approved shops" but I wasn't having it. I looked some of them up online and the reviews were terrible. So I took it right back to the dealer I got it from to fix it back to perfect and after a little bit of a heated argument with the agent I had on the phone, they said I had to get an estimate from their shop and I could get the work done elsewhere. So I agreed as long as if the estimate wasn't the same they would still pay for what was needed to fix it correctly.

But I've never dealt with Allstate they may be more strict on the rule, not sure. And they may not be as willing to work with the person at fault. May be worth a try if you haven't already committed to one of their shops though. Especially if you're worried about it not going to the exact way it was.


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My claim on the frs(was rear ended) was with geico as well. And they pulled the "our approved shops are blah blah blah". My response was, "I don't think you understand, the car is only 3 months old...it will go back to Toyota to be fixed". Then it was "well our adjuster cannot travel to the dealer, but he can quote you at our approved location and we will cover work done at the dealer".

Moral of the story, insurance company's get a kick back from their "approved shops".

[HunterGreene]

Sorry for your not-quite-total-loss there, OP. And I agree with a couple of the others who have posted here:

1) Frame above the passenger wheel definitely looks bent. The process of straightening that out, unless its done perfectly, will make the fitment of any of the front pieces of the car look a little strange.

2) I have a feeling the body shop underestimated by at least $1000. If they are reputable, ask them to call you if there will need to be any additional repairs/costs, as this would likely push the repair costs above the 80% threshold.

[dnieves]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

I would be surprised if the car in that pic is not totaled. The front end now looks like a Scion IQ.

Do you want it to be totaled, or do you want the same car back? I'm not sure I would ever be able to trust the car again if the engine and drive train took a knock like that.

To be fair, the fr-s' "nose" is hollow so taking a hit up front always looks really bad. Keep us posted.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by thill

What does that mean "push for it to be totaled"?

It means that you make it clear to the adjuster that you do not intend to settle the claim until it is paid out to your satisfaction, and that your satisfaction includes totaling the car. You do not have to just take the insurance adjuster's word for it. The adjuster has an incentive to lowball the repair estimate to avoid paying out the full market value of the vehicle plus taxes and registration.

Especially in a situation where it's this close, there are sure to be items on that estimate that should be higher. If you keep negotiating/arguing with them about it, you can get the estimate up above the percentage threshold where the car is totaled. An attorney I know went through this process with his wife's car. He knew it should have been totaled, so he fought with the insurer and ultimately threatened to sue. They eventually caved and paid out the full value of the car.

Originally Posted by thill

The insurance company and, ultimately, the repair shop determines if it is totalled.

That's not true. The repair shop has little to do with whether a car is totaled. They just do the work.

In this case (Allstate), the repair shop doesn't even provide an estimate. That's done by the adjuster, who will be experienced at leaving things out to make sure the estimate stays below the threshold for totaling the vehicle. The insurance company may then tell you it's not totaled, but that doesn't mean you have to accept it.

[chas3wba0]

Don't worry about the car "never being the same". It's just a bunch of pieces and they can replace part after part until it drives like new. If not then, well, live with the consequences. It will still drive better than 90% of other cars on the road.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by jwedeles

There is no frame or main engine damage...

I do not believe that. When you stop an engine by banging something against the front of it, there can be internal damage. There are some interesting stories in the tech section about people having minor front end damage and suffering catastrophic engine failures several thousand miles later.

I'll be honest with you. I would not want that car after an accident like that. I would be fighting tooth and nail to get the car totaled, because I would not be able to have any trust in the engine and drivetrain after that.

I think your adjuster is blowing smoke up your ass regarding his estimate. If I were you, I would look into getting another estimate from a body shop that is independent of your insurer, and I would push to get it totaled.

[thill]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

It means that you make it clear to the adjuster that you do not intend to settle the claim until it is paid out to your satisfaction, and that your satisfaction includes totaling the car. You do not have to just take the insurance adjuster's word for it. The adjuster has an incentive to lowball the repair estimate to avoid paying out the full market value of the vehicle plus taxes and registration.

Especially in a situation where it's this close, there are sure to be items on that estimate that should be higher. If you keep negotiating/arguing with them about it, you can get the estimate up above the percentage threshold where the car is totaled. An attorney I know went through this process with his wife's car. He knew it should have been totaled, so he fought with the insurer and ultimately threatened to sue. They eventually caved and paid out the full value of the car.

Because your friend was an attorney. Most people are not and are not going to hire an attorney and sue the insurance company over an accident that they caused if the insurance company determines your car is not totalled.

While I am sure there are edge cases where people were able to get a car totalled if it is right on the bubble, that is few and far between.

That's not true. The repair shop has little to do with whether a car is totaled. They just do the work.

In this case (Allstate), the repair shop doesn't even provide an estimate. That's done by the adjuster, who will be experienced at leaving things out to make sure the estimate stays below the threshold for totaling the vehicle. The insurance company may then tell you it's not totaled, but that doesn't mean you have to accept it.

You don't know what your talking about. Insurance adjusters make their best estimate, but once the repair shop tears the car apart, it is not uncommon for them to find more damage that requires more parts and labor. This exact thing happened to me with my Speed3 that was blindsided. Original estimate was about $3K off what the final tally was due to damage that the adjuster could not see.

[billwot]

Originally Posted by Ronin Sascha

Geico tried to tell me I had to use one of their "approved shops" but I wasn't having it. I looked some of them up online and the reviews were terrible. So I took it right back to the dealer I got it from to fix it back to perfect and after a little bit of a heated argument with the agent I had on the phone, they said I had to get an estimate from their shop and I could get the work done elsewhere. So I agreed as long as if the estimate wasn't the same they would still pay for what was needed to fix it correctly.

But I've never dealt with Allstate they may be more strict on the rule, not sure. And they may not be as willing to work with the person at fault. May be worth a try if you haven't already committed to one of their shops though. Especially if you're worried about it not going to the exact way it was.


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You have a right to have your car repaired wherever you choose!

[thill]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

I do not believe that. When you stop an engine by banging something against the front of it, there can be internal damage. There are some interesting stories in the tech section about people having minor front end damage and suffering catastrophic engine failures several thousand miles later.

I'll be honest with you. I would not want that car after an accident like that. I would be fighting tooth and nail to get the car totaled, because I would not be able to have any trust in the engine and drivetrain after that.

I think your adjuster is blowing smoke up your ass regarding his estimate. If I were you, I would look into getting another estimate from a body shop that is independent of your insurer, and I would push to get it totaled.

You need to read this thread:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65739

In the end he ended up selling his car and buying something different.

Also, I think it could be argued that the value of her car is way low. Probably to the tune of $6-7K. All State may be low on the damage estimate, but they are way low on the value of the car.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by thill

You don't know what your talking about.

Actually I do know what my talking about, because I had a claim with Allstate last year and had to deal with all their bullshit games. I know for a fact that they lowball their damage estimates and then play games with their "supplemental payment" nonsense, because they did it to me. There was no way they could repair my truck for what they quoted without dusting the whole thing in polychromatic unicorn farts.

My situation was a bit different because, unbeknownst to them, I didn't want my truck totaled. I wanted to keep the truck, and I didn't want it to have a salvage title. Because I didn't buy into their bullshit and was willing to wait them out, I was ultimately able to get what I wanted out of them.

Originally Posted by thill

Because your friend was an attorney. Most people are not and are not going to hire an attorney and sue the insurance company over an accident that they caused if the insurance company determines your car is not totalled.

Pfft. All the more reason to do it. The insurance adjusters are expecting you to just take their word for it and do what they say. "Everybody else does it" is not a legitimate excuse for allowing yourself to get screwed.

Originally Posted by thill

While I am sure there are edge cases where people were able to get a car totalled if it is right on the bubble, that is few and far between.

And this would be a good candidate to try, since she said it's only $700 away from being totaled. This is just way too close to take the adjuster's word for it.

Originally Posted by thill

You need to read this thread:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65739

I have read that thread. All the more reason to push to get it totaled instead of going through months of bullshit and round after round of repair that might end up with it totaled anyway.