On Wed, 18 Jun 2014 13:50:31 -0400, micky
wrote:

On Wed, 18 Jun 2014 10:44:50 +0000 (UTC), DerbyDad03
wrote:

Situation: 10 YO vehicle, 160k miles, excellent condition, inside and out.
Hood, windshield, fender, etc. is crushed by fallen tree during a storm.
Vehicle has comprehensive coverage. Ins Co has not seen the vehicle yet,
but based on the age and damage, the owner assumes his Ins Co will say the
vehicle is totaled.

Are there any special strategies for dealing with the Ins Co? Obviously the
settlement won't be enough for a new vehicle, but can a higher settlement
be negotiated based on the previous good condition of vehicle? Anything
specific to say (or not to say) to the adjuster?

3 stories, each might be of some value.

40 years ago, guy borrows car, totals it. 1970. 1965 Pontiac Catalina
Convertible. State Farm insurance totals it, but I want to buy it back
and they tell me I have to pay them 25% of the amount they were going to
pay me, because they have a deal with a junk yard to pay 25% of the
retail price for any car they bring in. I don't believe that. Do you
guys? Plus all four fenders had dents. When I squawk he says
he'll have to tell the underwriter (another way of saying they'll cancel
me.) So we agree on 400 dollars (which iirc was 100 more than his
first offer) but he sends me a check for 300. (and the deductible was
50 dollars so it wasn't confusion about that.) I complain and he sends
the right amount, but now I have only one day before I'm supposed to
leave for Costa Rica and I need the money to travel with. (Bank made
an exception and cashed it for me immediately. I'd never wanted that
before and didn't know it was an exception.)


MOST insurance companies have a "salvage contract" where the insurance
company delivers ALL totalled vehicles to the wrecker in question for
either a fixed price or a percentage of payout - regardless of
condition. The salvage value may be straight scrap, as in a burnout,
or it may be 75% of market value, in the case of a car with all the
airbags blown and virtually no body or powertrain damage. The
insurance company cannot sell the vehicle back to you, but they CAN
settle for "cash in leiu of repairs" where you keep title to the car
and get slightly less than the "total" payout. The title gets branded
as "salvage"
In the case of both my mother-in-law's Mustang and my wife's Corolla
they were not branded because the total dabage was limitted to wiring
harness and minor interior items. After repairs and inspection by the
insurance company, both cars were returnrd to service, and were
insured by the same company.
In both cases we got the amount they offered to total the vehicle, and
retained ownership (after a bit of wrangling and arguement about the
value of the vehicle)
2) Next time hit-and-run while I'm parked. I no longer have
comprehensive but they pay when other driver can't be found. (Uninsured
motorist) Go into the GEICO estimating place, I guess they totalled me,
they notice that there is a power door lock switch on the drivers door,
and they pay me for it. Another 40 dollars I think. At least it
seemed like a lot of money for it then. . I had put it in myself from
two junkyard parts, and it only controlled the passenger door (Why do
you need power door lock for the door you're sitting right next to?)
It was a beautiful job, looked good as factory installed.

If they totalled me, how come there was no dickering about and no charge
for my keeping the car, which I did?. If they didn't total me, why did
they care about the power door lock when all the damage to the car was
at the trunk?

3) Same car as above, but I wanted the trunk fixed. Badly bent,
woudln't come within 6" of shutting, much less latch. It would cost at
least 500 at at a body shop I'm sure. 27 years ago. I was using a
chain to keep it closed. Went to NYC for a visit, went to Brooklyn. A
couple guys stopped me and wanted to know if I wanted the car fixed.
Yes, I said, so they did it right then and there, as I expected, for 50
dollars maybe, in 15 minutes. Fit nice. They started to paint it,
as agreed, but it was stupid of me to want that, because they weren'
tgoing to run around to get exactly the right color and their color,
though close, looked worse than the scratched paint imo. So I told them
to forget that. Gypsy body men they're called. I don't think
Baltimore has them. But I'm sure Brooklyn still does. Prices have
gone up in 25 years of course. But I didnt' even dicker with these
guys and all they wanted was 50. And that's 100 dollars an hour for
each of them. So it's a fair price. Believe you me, they had a lot of
experience of they couldn't have gotten it right at all.