guruprasad

Another driver ran a red light and hit my 2001 TL on the passenger side. My vehicle spun around 480 degrees completing one full circle and hitting the other car as well as the curb. The vehicle suffered following damages:

1. Rear bumper broke
2. Passenger rear wheel broke
3. Damage to axle and struts
4. Scratches and dents on front bumper
5. Passenger side curtain airbag deployed and in the process the passenger seat needs to be replaced / refinished
6. Pocket holder covering the passenger side back panel broke
7. Dent on Driver side door

After the insurance appraiser reviewed, they estimate the damage to be around $4,500. But the appraiser has missed items 5, 6 and 7 above.

I sincerely feel that repairs would cost upwards of $7,500 taking into account above missed items.

Insurance company wants to go ahead with the repair since the repair cost is less than 75% of the car value (estimated approximately around $13,000). But then my concern is it would become a lemon and I can get hardly anything if I sell this car in the market later.

Do I have options to push insurance company to consider totalling the car? If not, do I have a case for Diminished Value? If so, would I bring this up with my insurance company or the other party since they were identified as at-fault.

FYI, I live in Michigan.

Thanks for your insights.

brandonnguyen

I got in an accident recently (rear bumper had a hole replaced with new oem bumper, trunk dented had to be pulled, filled, painted) and they gave me $4,000 for diminished value. That is after repairs. But it sounds like your car is in much worst condition than mine was....

If i were you i'd take it to the body shop of YOUR choice not the insurance companies and have them write you out a quote. If the insurance still wants to repair it then, have the bodyshop repair your vehicle and then submit a claim for DV. Also be persistent with your claim. State Farm finally settled with me almost a year after the accident.

Unkn0VV17

It might be repairable. My damages were over 6200 of damages and i have a 2000 TL. KBB was priced around $10,XXX. I'm in the same situation as you...i want to sell the car but not sure how much to sell it or if i should keep it. I have the car with me right now, but still have some stuff the bodyshop needs to fix.

02TLSfan

How could the appraiser miss a deployed airbag? Was it his first day on the job? A lemon is defined as a factory defect, but the insurance company would report the car as accidented. You can't really push an insurance company to total it, but a body shop can with the right damage assessment.

dro_15

usually with deployed airbags they will usually salvage the car and pay you out... I would tell the insurance to hold off on the reapirs and get atleast 3 estimates to repair the car... insurance always wants to take the easy way out and if they can get away with ripping you off they will...

if you haven't already... take pics of the damage for proof... i don't know how you can miss a deployed airbag....

guruprasad

Thanks for your feedback.

I just spoke to the body shop and they found additional stuff like exhaust pipes, additional damage to suspension apart from the ones that the assessor missed.

Insurance assessor visited the body shop again and mentioned to them that he will send revised estimates.

I am thinking that the situation warrants independent assessment. Does anyone have any recommendations in the Michigan area? Also, do I have to shell out of my pocket for independent assessment.

Thanks for your help again.

02TLSfan

If you have a Caliber Collision I would take it there, I've always had good results with them.

AZN.M3NACE

i believe that it is repairable... i mean my 03TL was in an accident not long ago and the damages was a total of 12,XXX.... and they didnt even total it.

t0ast

check under the body for any frame damage. since its your car, you're probably much more picky about anything and everything. just crawl under one side and compare it to the other side, and tell your body shop about anything you think they missed.

not that your body shop is shady, but remember that the estimate by the shop is just that - an estimate. they don't want your car totaled cuz they then miss out on the work so they may underestimate the damages to make sure you get into the shop first and then tack on the remaining damage.

Tripnbeats

Doesn't the shop quote the price of what its going to be ? and then the adjuster comes in looks at everything they write down to approve it and then the insurance company makes the payment?

guruprasad

t0ast,

You are right. That's my concern as well. Body shop has vested interest to repair it and I sense that the appraiser might be colluding with as well. I sense an intent to start under totalling threshold and keep adding later on. My concern is that the vehicle would be bast**dized with after market parts and would be trouble prone later on and hence lose value in the process.

Tripnbeats,

It looks like the appraiser is writing up the stuff and the body shop is falling in line to get the business.

Just escalated the issue to higher levels within the insurance company. If something does not give in fast, I might have to seek legal help.

Thanks for your support and feedback.

Bob_F

The hidden cost of repairing the car is that the accident will really hurt the car's resale value.

Right off the bat , it's dropped out of the "Excellent" rating group in the Kelly Blue Book rating system. And even beyond the KBB value drop, many buyers will just pass on a car that been in such a serious accident. it could be come really difficult to sell.

That really stinks since the accident was not your fault.

Tripnbeats

Your welcome and they dont make aftermarket parts for the car... so your in the clear with that.... but Id still be cautious... legal advice sounds good if you want it done with out the jerk offs telling you what to do. good luck I hope it gets resolved quickly for u

brandonnguyen

^ but they do make repaired parts, which is what they were going to install for me (a repaired/refurbished bumper) So sometimes you don't know what happened to the previous part. I had to threaten legal action before they finally consented, turns out they didn't have any refurbed bumpers in stock anyways so i got a brand new oem one.

guruprasad

Just an update.

The Insurance company stood it's ground to get the vehicle report and has not provided the evaluation report.

All of a sudden, I received a letter from the Insurance company yesterday (8/29) stating that the vehicle has been determined as total loss, much to my exuberation.

I call them today (8/30) to check what paperwork they need and they state that the letter is just for future use if needed and their decision at this time is repairable.

How weird. These guys are playing mind games.

So, I have requested all communication to be in writing / email from hereon.

Thanks for all your support. Looks like they are intent on making me lose half of my mind by the time we bring closure.

Tripnbeats

wow the price of fix probably cost 70% or more of the cars value thats what a total lose is usually....sorry man but he its probably a blessing in disguise ya never know.

JetJock

I know what you are going through. Some dumb ass old lady backed into my car crushing the drivers door. The original estimate was around $800, but they couldn't match the paint properly on the door, so they ended up painting the whole left side of the car, including the strip above the doors on the roof. The total cost ended up over $1200. This was for a '04TL with 11,800 miles...in showroom condition. See my thread on Diminished Value for more information regarding my claim for DV. Without paid estimates, lawyers, etc., you probably won't get very much. I got $250...better than nothing, but I'm still pissed about the whole incident. My car is still damaged....and I don't think $250 covers my hassles, let alone the DV to my car. Every time I look at my car....it just doesn't look the same to me.

brandonnguyen

^ tell the insurance company to get an independent appraiser. I got rear ended and the repair looks good, and i got 4k in diminished value.

Bob_F

Thanks for referencing your "Diminished Value" thread in the 3rd Gen forum.

Very interesting stuff and it's something to keep in mind if you're ever in an accident.

Here's a link to that thread:

https://acurazine.com/forums/ramblings-12/mesicans-full-effect-164431/

Bob

guruprasad

Unfortunately, Michigan does not honor DV claims, unless one of the party involved in the accident is out of state and that state honors DV claims. We have what is known as "No-fault" insurance with a mini-tort law. Under this mini-tort law, at the most I can claim $500 from the other driver at fault.

I consulted legal folks and they mentioned that the hassle of getting an attorney engaged for $12,000 worth of money may not be worth it unless physical injury is involved. That is where the big bucks are for the attorneys.

I have one another option to call the Financial / Insurance department of the state and lodge a complaint on the quirks of this case. But I am sure the insurance company would have seen millions of such cases and dealt with them.

Thanks for letting me vent ...