6spdzoomzoom

I have a question if anyone can answer... how does an adjuster determine if a car is totaled?
DSC00429.JPG

medrxman

when the cost to repair is greater than the blue book price.

vp911

Uh oh. Sorry to hear this - what happened? Your picture did not show up. You can PM me and I can host your picture if you don't know how to do so.

Determing if the car is totaled varies by insurance companies. Some ins companies will say if all the airbags go off then the car is totaled, some do it by a point system - for every area that is damaged you get more points and once you reach a certain level of points the car is totaled. Some do it based on simple cost basis - if it is 50% of the value of the car then they will total it - some do it as high as 80%. It varies by company. I you want it totaled, you can probably demand they use OEM parts (I know in Michigan we can demand this) and that will drive the cost up. Also, you can say you want money for the diminished value - because now your car will never sell for the same amount that it did when it was brand new.

mrdeeno

Yeah, when my cl-s was stolen and shot up, it didn't appear to have much damage.

the adjuster came to my garage to inspect the car and calculated everything with replacement parts (panels with holes will be replaced, not patched), damage to the interior was also on a replacement only basis.

but a lot of it also was his judgment and recommended the car be totaled (he said state farm, which was the insurance co., goes by 75% of market value).

Then to pay me, they contacted local dealers to estimate the cost of replacing the car in the same condition/mileage. since dealers usually inflate used car prices, I got a pretty good amount.

6spdzoomzoom

I was turning left onto a 2-lane street going south, there is a northbound right turn lane that a large Ford f-350 was in. I pulled out and next to the F-350 was a Scion tc that I couldnt see. He hit me head on a 50+ mph. I was cited for failure to yield thr right of way (I’m not concerned about that, I can take a class) I have a question if anyone can answer... how does an adjuster determine if a car is totaled.

Can someone help me post pictures I have know Idea of how to do that.

keyz

That all depends on the state you live in and the insurance company you're with. Not sure, but I'm just gonna guess, if your car was hit head on at 50, it's probably totaled

6spdzoomzoom

My Insurance company is USAA....

I know the sub frame was broken in half and the passenger side frame is in a u shape which you can see in the pictures once I figure out how to post them.

one other thing my daughter and I pretty much walked away and so did the driver of the Scion.

vp911

If the frame was damaged it will probably be totaled. Did the airbags go off? What exactly happened?

vp911

I merged your two threads, no need to start seperate ones to describe the accident. That sounds pretty bad - I was hit at 50mph t-boned in my TL. I am glad to hear that everybody walked away without any injuries. E-mail me the pictures ( I sent you my email addr) and I will be happy to post them for you.

6spdzoomzoom

just the two front airbags went off. Onstar immediately came on, which was cool since the barrery cable was severed. the Navigation system said my AWD was malfunctioning...

6spdzoomzoom

Picts are sent

vp911

Your car is def. totaled. I don't think they will bother trying to fix that. I assume the airbags went off, did all of them?

vp911

6spdzoomzoom

just the two front airbags


this is a true testament to Acura. Ploice officer said we probably wouldnt be her if it werent for the AB...

vp911

Excellent, the airbags did their job. Only the front ones are supposed to go off in the event of a front end accident. My TL was hit on the side - and only the side airbags went off.

The officer is probably correct, without teh airbags you wouldn't be here. I am glad to see that everybody was safe.

I am curious, did onstar end up calling your car about the airbags?

6spdzoomzoom

Yep..... almost instantly.... EMT arrived about 3 minutes after the accident... they were right down the street.

did you Tl look this bad?

GaddAMIT

no doubt that your car is totaled, if the adjuster says they can repare that, obviously hes a moron! Im glad you and everyone else invovled are ok. Looks like the car actually did pretty well for getting hit at 50mph, I bet there would be a lot of other cars that would of been 10 times worse.

2veloce

Ouch! Glad everyone is OK. The car can be replaced.


Looks like the crumple zones did their work. No window glass broken?

6spdzoomzoom

The windsheild is broken on the passengers side.

R J Poseidon 6

Yeah, thank god for crumple zones!!

hondamore

Wow!! Glad to hear that everyone is OK. Looks like the engineers at Honda just saved a couple more lives.
I agree that your car is a write-off but sadly you'll probably be paying for the new one - not directly, but with an at-fault accident of this magnitude, your insurance company is going to raise your premiums enough to make them back the $50,000 in the next 10 years.

vp911

Excellent, I was unsure about onstar still working after an accident because the car usually cuts power to everythign. TL Pics are about half way down this page:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...=116869&page=3

vp911

vp911

I know you may not have thought about this yet, but will you be buying another RL?

6spdzoomzoom

either another rl or the new is350

vp911

I vote RL just because the IS is so small. But either one is a great choice

6spdzoomzoom

sorry about your TL... what a mess

vp911

It just shows that the engineers at Honda do a damn well job with safety engineering. You said you had hit a scion - I wonder how much of a factor ACE was in not injuring the other vehicle

crazytsxmods

Sorry about your accident 6spdzoomzoom. Glad to hear everyone is ok. After walking away from an accident of that magnitude I would only buy an RL again. Just my opinion. For a car to take that kind of a hit and be able to walk away from it is just amazing.

Rob L

damn dude, sorry to hear about your accident but it is good to hear you guys walked away ok.

I also agree the RL seems to have been designed pretty well as that doesn't seem too bad considering the force of the impact. My buddy got into an accident with his dodge dakota in February where some person turned in front of him and the speed was like half or so your speed and the damage was pretty bad and his airbags didnt go off which I still shake my head at. Shows how well Honda designed the car and how crappy other makers can be with their vehicles.

Oh and no doubt your car is totaled. Hopefully you don't go through too much a hassle with your insurance comapny. My buddy went through some crap with his company and they first tried to repair the truck rather than write it off when it was obvious it was totaled.

If you decide to go for the IS350 then no doubt you'll have a great car (I've driven the new IS) but I say you get another RL instead.

vtecracer

Considering the Acura RL is the safest car in the United States, I'd be afraid to see what the results would be in an accident involving a car not as well engineered as the RL. Glad you made it out safe.

WhitePearl_RL

I am glad you are ok! Cars are replaceable and I am sure you will find another great replacement.

gbriank

6sp...

Being a fellow USAA member, this car is definitely totalled. Since the accident was your fault (and i'm assuming this is only car accident you've had in the last 5 years), you can probably expect to have a 25-35% increase in your insurance premium for the next three years. Now get into a second accident and watch your premium double (USAA is slightly forgiving on the first accident, but have a second.....).

Glad to hear that everyone made it out ok. The pics were great! Thanks Vik!

6spdzoomzoom

yeah I already talked to them about it.. pretty much what they said. this is the only accident I have been in and I have been driving for 23 years. I hope it never happens again.

dnd2984

iTrader: (6)

Glad you are ok, Goodluck with your next car, I say get another RL

MattT516

Not for nothing, but if you've totaled both a TL AND an RL in the past year or two, I think it's time to get away from Acuras altogether. I'm not even a superstitious person, and I still think God is telling you something.

With that being said, I'm glad you came out of it okay considering the damage to that front end. Go for the IS, and be safe out there!

vp911

Where did he say he totaled a TL? He said this was his only accident in a while... the totaled TL was mine.

MattT516

Oh, I heard people say ''that TL looks really totaled'' so I figured he totaled two cars. In that case, buying a new RL isn't that bad of an idea. And VP, sorry about your car.

Sometimes reading the whole thread helps. I get a for that one.

vp911

It's cool, just wnated to be sure I didn't miss anything. But, this is my 3rd acura - so if anything happens to the RL it is surely the end of my honda/acura ownership.

6spdzoomzoom

They totaled it