terse

Hello everyone,

I haven't post any comments on here for a long while, mainly because I started a new job that keeps me busy and because they monitor everything I do at work, but anyways, my question deals with car accidents and stuff.

On August 21, 2005 I got into a car accident in my 2005 non-navi TL, some girl rear ended me and made me hit the person in front of me. They replaced the driver's side fender, replaced front and back bumper, replaced my passenger rear axle and fixed the inside of the trunk where the tire lays.

So anyways, I went to Carmax this past weekend to see what the value of my car is and see what they were paying for other Acura TL's and I saw a 2004 TL automatic that Carmax purchased for $26,000. So I figured that they would give me at least $26,000, because even though I got into my accident I went to a really good body shop (Bistagne Brothers - Glendale, CA) that fixed everything really well. The paint looks great and everything looks fine, but when they were appraising my car they pulled up my carfax report or something and knew I was in the accident (I wasn't trying to hide it).

So after about an hour and 20 minutes of waiting, they gave me my appraisal for $24,000.

I'm not completely mad that Carmax gave me such a low quote for my car, but I'm more pissed off at the skank that rear ended me on the freeway. My case isn't over yet, I'm in the processing of suing her because of my back and neck pains, but I was wondering what can I do about the value of my car.

Right now I just wished I completely totalled my car in my accident so that I could've at least gotten a used TL that didn't have any accidents.

Is there anything I can do?

Thanks

TLTS

ask about the deminished value of the car from the accident , or rather the repair done to your vehicle , you can sue the insurance company for this and they will shake when you mention deminished value, you see they fix your car like new but you cant sell it for new, so you got a case against them ( deminished value ) trust me ! I work in the industry just ask and be firm about it!

TLTS

Hey let me know how it turns out later bro

MR1

Sorry, don't think it's gonna happen in California. That's my understanding.

ALPHSTER

Having insurance is great but the minute some ass clown hits you the value of your car goes to $hit and it's never the same. If you get a ding or a scratch repaired and the dealership or a potential buyer sees some over spray or any defect/ill regularity in the paint forget it your screwed.

With a perfect car people are always trying to low ball you when you try to trade or sell it. Imagine if they see a little over spray or ill regularity in the paint.

That's why the word "PAINT" sucks when something happens to your car. A person and there families well being comes first. That’s obvious, but you can bet that your financial well being is going to take a hit somewhere down the line after an accident or a fender bender.

So whether it's your fault or not if your car gets hit it SUCKS! Once paint comes into the picture.

Funny the dealer can fix a little paint here and there on a new car and that’s OK! They don’t have to tell you if the cost of the repair is under a certain % of the vehicles price. Yet they still try to a$$ rap you on the price. Now let them see some paint work on your trade in and see if that ok.

Anyway, good luck with everthing.

bama05tl

Wow, the same thing happened to me. I had a 74 year old woman hit my TL in a restaurant parking lot, did 6,500 in damages. I talked with my acura dealer and he advised me that the "depreciation value" usually is 1/2 of the repairs, such as 3,250. So I took that information to the old womans insurance and said I needed a check for that amount. They bull shitted me for a little while but as soon as my attorney gave them a call, I received a check for 2,500 next day. Diminished value is definitely out there for you. Just be sure you ask!!

terse

I called my lawyers office..and the person that's handling my case (i think she's a legal clerk or something) said that they don't do this. wtf?

batting_cleanup

You should go to Google and do a search on "diminished value". Tons of information there and I can tell you that I was paid an additional $1,500 in a claim for diminished value when a woman hit my parked Dodge Ram pickup truck a couple years ago.

ihernandez19

hey im currently going thru this with my 2000 TL..i too got rear ended and also working on the bodily injury case,,,but will the diminished value still work if my car is paid off??? so im assuming i would have to go to the person that hit me insurance company???

batting_cleanup

My truck was paid off. The purpose of diminished value is to make you whole. If the car was worth 10-K before the accident as a trade in and now after being fixed it's only going to bring $8,500 then the insurance company should pay you that difference. Yes you will be going against the other person's insurance company.

mp3car

I have known at least three people who have gotten their fairly new car damaged by someoen else, and in all three cases they were able to get depreciation out of the person's insurance company.

SilverStoneTTL

I had 18,000 in damage in my Z and they didnt total it and I guess since it was all cosmetic nothing turned up on my carfax report when I ran it on the car. The dealer didnt mention it nor did I. I did however sign saying the airbags never went off.

They should have totalled the car. I got a bit over 18000 when I traded it in. Oh well. I wouldnt buy it if I were to know it had been in an accident. Oh well...

Shop the car around. See what other places offer.

mp3car

On the main page I looked at who the last post was by, I saw "silverstone" and thought to myself... that was the color Z I was going to get! (until I realized I'm 25, going to be having kids sometime soon and had missed my opertunity to have a car like that, so I got a TL )

mickey3c

Another thing to remember... the 04 is now two years old. The 06s were not out in August.