My insurance company told me today that my car is a total loss after the hailstorm last month. Even though no one from the insurance company or an adjuster looked at the vehicle. At first, they said they used comparables to come up with the cash value of the car, when I asked if I could see which comparables they used they said the value was actually through JD software. They seem to want to close the deal quick. Anyone been in the same situation that can offer some tips on how to get the best deal from an insurance company?
If they are going to have someone come look at the car, make sure the inside is spotless. They rank vehicles based on condition, and since the exterior is damaged, you want to make it look like you really cared for the car. A back seat full of fast food trash gets you knocked down pretty quick. My dad has used this method on a few of the step-sisters collisions and always gotten the highest ranking for payout. Sure, it's superficial, but it seems to work.
If they are going to have someone come look at the car, make sure the inside is spotless. They rank vehicles based on condition, and since the exterior is damaged, you want to make it look like you really cared for the car. A back seat full of fast food trash gets you knocked down pretty quick. My dad has used this method on a few of the step-sisters collisions and always gotten the highest ranking for payout. Sure, it's superficial, but it seems to work.
Appreciate the advice. I've taken good care of the car, so I hope they want to take a look at it. But they don't seem interested in looking at it, they just want to make a quick deal.
Our 2007 Tundra was written off. I got a pretty exptensive report with 3 comparables (none were from Alberta) with adjustments based off KM, add ons like tonneau cover, etc. Pay out for them to keep it was 16,000+, payout for us to keep it is 10,000.
We did take it into their shop to have it looked at. The guy mentioned they were basically writing off anything that had about 70% of their value in damage, but who knows if he is correct.
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Last edited by Hockeyguy15; 09-18-2024 at 04:35 PM.
Im not saying ive done this but... the last vehicle written off had very few (one, actually) comparables listed on used vehicle sales sites (kijiji auto trader etc)
After they told me this, miraculously some nearly identical vehicle ads appeared, all listed for about what I thought I should get for mine.
And a tip, dont put a phone number in the ads. And spread the ads out geographically a bit (perhaps thats why they didnt appear in their original search)
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Appreciate the advice. I've taken good care of the car, so I hope they want to take a look at it. But they don't seem interested in looking at it, they just want to make a quick deal.
Wow. Take anything I say with a gigantic grain of salt because I'm just speculating, but will they let you keep it? Whats the payout on it?
I have heard of people taking the pay-out, keeping the car and repairing it because, at the end of the day the hail damage is largely cosmetic.
But body-shop rates are insane.
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It has been many years since I've been through a write off. They sent me an initial offer and I went to my adjuster and asked for their comparables which, as you mentioned, were from their JD Power system. My vehicle was somewhat rare at the time and I remember they only a few comparables which were being used to generate my offer.
I went on Autotrader and I might have also looked on Kijiji and/or Facebook to see what I could find on the market. There were some listing which I found that weren't being used by the insurance company. I emailed those to my adjuster and told him that I wanted these included in my calculation and it obviously pushed my value up to what I considered a reasonable amount.
Basically, demand that they email you copy of the market report. Find your own comparables and negotiate from there.
Edit: I found my old emails with the insurance company and finding my own comparables and doing some negotiating resulted in a 10% higher payout.
Last edited by calgarygeologist; 09-18-2024 at 03:15 PM.
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Wow. Take anything I say with a gigantic grain of salt because I'm just speculating, but will they let you keep it? Whats the payout on it?
I have heard of people taking the pay-out, keeping the car and repairing it because, at the end of the day the hail damage is largely cosmetic.
But body-shop rates are insane.
I can take a ~10k payout and keep it. But a lot of shops won't even look at the car right now because everyone is backed up. And they said the longer the damage sets in the worse off the damage becomes. So I'm thinking of taking the full cash value of the car.
Keep the cash, keep the car. Insure it with PL/PD.
Put the money back into the maintenance of the vehicle and depending on the extent of the hail damage, enjoy the fuel savings of a more aerodynamic vehicle!
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I can take a ~10k payout and keep it. But a lot of shops won't even look at the car right now because everyone is backed up. And they said the longer the damage sets in the worse off the damage becomes. So I'm thinking of taking the full cash value of the car.
So...alright, what kind of car are we talking about here? Whats it's actual value?
I understand the backup with body-shops. I got into my first car accident right before the hail storm when someone rear-ended me and they told me I was 'lucky' because I got my car in and booked and parts ordered before the massive storm.
Maybe take the $10K, deal with the fact that it looks like crap for a while and get a body-shop later on thats looking for work?
It depends on the car and it's value.
And it depends on you and your financial situation.
Do you really want to be in the vehicle market right now? Its insane.
This is more of a personal decision really.
It'd be nice if Pylon were still around because he could give you the real inside scoop on this kind of thing. If you want to talk to him I can make that happen.
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Basically, demand that they email you copy of the market report. Find your own comparables and negotiate from there.
Edit: I found my old emails with the insurance company and finding my own comparables and doing some negotiating resulted in a 10% higher payout.
This was pretty much my experience. A few YMMV tips/experiences:
The adjuster and/or the person on the other end of the line is not your friend. They want you to agree as quickly and with as little money as possible.
I believe they are to include GST in the payout. Many offers will not include it (or they'll say it's already included but of course it won't specify).
You are in your rights to get the market valuation report for your vehicle. Read it all very carefully. Poke holes in everything. The last time I dealt with it, they took a variety of not-even-close comparables and got the average calculation wrong.
Find your own listings. Argue why yours (at a higher valuation) are more relevant and why their comparables are a joke.
They will likely not accept Kijiji/FB listings.
It'll draw out the process (which is kind of the point), but you can always bring up resolving the gap in what they're offering and what you expect with an ombudsman.
If they are going to have someone come look at the car, make sure the inside is spotless. They rank vehicles based on condition, and since the exterior is damaged, you want to make it look like you really cared for the car. A back seat full of fast food trash gets you knocked down pretty quick. My dad has used this method on a few of the step-sisters collisions and always gotten the highest ranking for payout. Sure, it's superficial, but it seems to work.
This is totally correct. I do the same when I sell my cars. People gush over how clean the interior is and then gladly pony up.
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The process is meant to be completed in the Utmost Good Faith.
That means is should be transparent when it comes to how your vehicle is evaluated.
As for a complete copy of the Total Loss Report.
Concurrently, do you own research.
They owe you the ACV (unless you have limited waiver of depreciation). The ACV mean Actual Cash Value of the vehicle. So what you could have sold the vehicle for if it wasn't damaged.
Only vehicles in the local market should be used by you and frankly by them.
Check the interwebs for vehicles like yours and how much they are for sale.
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Like any insurance interaction, they tried to offer and settle as quickly as possible. Any documentation you have to help prove mileage and condition will help.
After providing recent photos of the car, and maintenance records showing mileage, they came back with a closer to fair number.
Lots of great advice so far and the only thing I’ll add is if you add done any recent repairs or maintenance and have the receipts you can include that to get reimbursed in the cash value of the vehicle. I had write off years back and I think it was brakes and tires I had replaced in the past year and once I provided the adjuster the receipts they added it into the payout.
Vehicle Write Off Tips Thread
