Snow tires... and total lose?

[oldschoolskier]

Find your car on Autotrader (or some car listing), find the best one you can with about the same milage and go on back to the insurance and say this is the closest replacement, that is the value. This number is usually is significantly higher than theirs, if they refuse say, fine I’ll take that one, when will it arrive, be prepared that they are now on the spot get it for you or pay you to buy it.

 

[pchewn]

Insurance companies always low-ball the first offer on a totaled car. They will usually come up from there. Sometimes they will up the offer by the amount of extra cash you put into the vehicle to show that it is not "average condition", but prime condition or whatever, conditional of course upon you having receipts showing the money you have invested over the last two years.
Yeah, they won't cover extra tires and rims.

My 2003 VW Jetta Diesel Wagon was totaled in 2007. The (other guy's) insurance offered me a ridiculously low settlement price. I saw that they were using want-ads for 2003 VW Jetta gas sedans instead of 2003 VW Jetta diesel wagons. I asked them why they did not use the right kind of car to get a value? Their answer: "The Jetta diesel wagon is too rare to find local want-ads".

No shit, that's why it's worth a lot more.

I offered them the want-ads for similar 2003 VW Jetta diesel wagons (across the country) and they finally settled with me for a fair price.

 

[sparty]

Are they paying for a rental in the interim? What about storage?

In most states, they *should* be covering both of the above (the former being a loss-of-use claim). They will presumably try to get it out of storage and off to auction ASAP, even before settling with you; IMO, you should be careful to avoid that possibility (among other things, don't sign the title over until you reach a settlement). The fact that their cost increases as the clock ticks should help encourage them to reach a reasonable settlement.

In some places, you may also be entitled to payment for the cost of registering the replacement vehicle, documentation fees associated with a dealer sale, etc; it may be worth your time to see if you can get an initial consult with a local attorney to understand what you should be asking for in your jurisdiction.

If you want to avoid the additional cost of selling and replacing parts and accessories not installed at the time of impact, your best bet is to replace the vehicle with a like vehicle, IMO. I realize that may be easier said than done, particularly in the current marketplace.

 

[Atomicman]

That's pretty rich considering that you are the king of absolutist proclamations.

Do aA

That's pretty rich considering that you are the king of absolutist proclamations.

If you are referring to tuning.....GUILTY AS CHARGED!

 

[Tony S]

If you are referring to tuning.....GUILTY AS CHARGED!

Glad to see you're picking up what I'm putting down!

 

[crosscountry]

Thanks for all the replies. .Gave me some clarity on what to look out for.

Are they paying for a rental in the interim? What about storage?

In most states, they *should* be covering both of the above (the former being a loss-of-use claim). They will presumably try to get it out of storage and off to auction ASAP, even before settling with you; IMO, you should be careful to avoid that possibility (among other things, don't sign the title over until you reach a settlement). The fact that their cost increases as the clock ticks should help encourage them to reach a reasonable settlement.

In some places, you may also be entitled to payment for the cost of registering the replacement vehicle, documentation fees associated with a dealer sale, etc; it may be worth your time to see if you can get an initial consult with a local attorney to understand what you should be asking for in your jurisdiction.

Yes, they're paying for rental in the interim, storage too.

I think one of the key issue we (both the insurance and myself) are still getting our head around is the high cost of the repair. Both parties were initially expecting a routine repair. But now the cost came in high. And according to the repair shop, my car with all the new parts, are worth a lot on the auction market. So his thinking the insurance company are likely to "total" it as a better financial outcome FOR THEM.

I don't have any sentimental attachment to the car. So I'm willing to let it go to auction. Just making sure I'm "made whole" in the end, snow tires and racks el al.

Thanks for mentioning the rest of the replacement cost. I only thought of the big items.

@crosscountry sorry you are dealing with this. Are you in the US? The value for the totaled car should include any extras and is based on the FMV value of the vehicle on the date it was totaled. Unfortunately I have gone thru this process and it was pretty easy to negotiate additional compensation for several upgrades, including more $$ for recently purchased tires, trailer hitch and roof racks. I also provided local comps in my area for similar vehicles which were higher than the national average.

That's good to know. I may or may not be that lucky. But knowing it can be done is enough for me to push for it.

You may also have the option to (1) "keep" the totaled car with less of an insurance payoff vs (2) taking all the $$$ and giving them the car which they will then sell at auction.

That's an interesting thought. But not in this particular case. A lot of the damage is on mechanical parts which I can't just leave it unrepaired.

 

[Dave Marshak]

In NY, you get the value of the car + sales tax. The value comes off Kelly Blue Blue Book or something similar. You don't get any dealer fees or any added equipment or tires, even if they are on the car. There's no negotiating any of that,
My last accident was about $4K. The insurance company gave me a choice of 2 shops, but they guaranteed the cost of the repair. The car came out fine, but it's not like back in the day when you could get a cash settlement and then negotiate soomething better on the repairs.
Like someone said, insurance never makes you whole, it only makes it less bad.

dm

 

[James]

“Loss” is not spelled “lose”...

 

[my07mcx2]

28 years in the P & C insurance as a agent and adjuster. Do a 500 mile radius on autotrader with the same make and model along with mileage to get a general idea. This get's you closer to be able to negotiate showing comparable comps. Also what did they use to determine a value? NADA, CCC, Bluebook. As someone else said they should reimburse you tax and tag on a prorate basis. Like someone else posted make and milage along miles would help. feel free to pm me and I would be more than glad to help if needed.

 

[snwbrdr]

Due to a trailer owner not properly maintaining their equipment, my car was hit by something fallen off the trailer.

The repair cost estimate is astronomical. It's now a question of whether the repair cost exceeds the value of the car. i.e. potential "total" lose. The trailer insurer is contracting an appraiser to look into making that determination.

I've bought a set of 4 snow tires, with rims, only a couple years back. That's well over $1000. Add to that the ski rack that's also car specific. So I'm looking at a substantial cost that isn't part of the usual appraisal.

Does anyone else having had to deal with similar scenario? Can (or how) the cost of all those car-specific equipment be justified as part of the compensation if the car is "totaled" due to the fault of the other party?

Yes, Geico covered the cost of my new winter tires when I was in an accident back in 2007, which I was not at fault it... I had the receipt to prove it.... covered as it went after the at-fault person's insurance company.

The ski rack, including cross bars, I sold to a friend