Insurance Adjuster claimed car is a Total Loss, how badly will they fuq with you?

[gt_killa]

Hi,

So long story short, my friend zoned out while exiting the free way and hit another car going at around 30-35 mph, the air bag popped and there's fluid leaking..The front is pretty damaged i believe, front right fender, hood, grill, front right light, and bumper gonna need replacing...

The insurance adjuster called him after towing the car and getting it estimated, said it's a total loss since it'll cost around 11.5k to fix the car..I checked KBB and the car estimate (2012 Honda Civic Coupe) to be around 16k today. He originally bought it for 18k i believe...

So with the claim adjuster made this a total loss, what is the best course of action for him? Will they try to fuq him up some how? How much will his insurance increase now that he totaled a car? and Is it possible to negotiate with the adjuster to somehow change the status of it to not a "Total loss" and get it fix up some how?

Edited: He's in CA and his insurer is State Farm.

Thank you for the inputs!

[Ksandra]

The insurance adjuster called him after towing the car and getting it estimated, said it's a total loss since it'll cost around 11.5k to fix the car..I checked KBB and the car estimate (2012 Honda Civic Coupe) to be around 16k today. He originally bought it for 18k i believe...

What he bought it for is irrelevant. What style coupe is it? When I pulled up the DX '12 honda civic I get 10k for fair.

[Quixon]

Different states so take this for what it's worth.

I was in an accident involving black ice (NY State). Basically I slid off the road hit a guard rail. Damage ended up being 12k, did not total the vehicle. Ended up costing me about $62/yr more in premiums. They will probably be inflated for a couple years. $62,yr is nothing though.

I do not believe the type of accident necessarily dictates how much you pay. It's more the amount of the claim.

In regards to what he gets offered through the insurance company.... it will be book value 99 times out of 100. He can plug the information in to Kelly Blue Book.com and take it from there to get a round about number. You can try and negotiate for a higher pay out, but you'd better have proof the car is valued at what he says it is.


If it's designated as a total loss, you can talk with the insurance company about buying the vehicle back as is. They would pay you out for the claim, and you would buy the vehicle back as is for a reduced price.

[myreality]

I was a collision estimator for a few years and we often had insurance agents claim a totaled vehicle to avoid the hassle of a repair. It also sounds like the place that is doing the estimation is off there rockers with that amount. Unless the frame is damaged I say he gets a second opinion outdoor of state farms recommended collision shops. I don't know about CA but here in AZ it is the right of the owner to pick the place they want the estimation of the damage done. If he is going to repair have him demand original parts or else he might have another problem down the line with the aftermarket parts. Last but not least, state farm likes to skimp on the repairs, they will do the smallest amount of work possible or less if the customer is inept.

[gt_killa]

What he bought it for is irrelevant. What style coupe is it? When I pulled up the DX '12 honda civic I get 10k for fair.

It's a EX-L Coupe 2D... KBB has the Trade-in Value (Fair) at 13k and Private Value (Fair) at 15k

Different states so take this for what it's worth.

I was in an accident involving black ice (NY State). Basically I slid off the road hit a guard rail. Damage ended up being 12k, did not total the vehicle. Ended up costing me about $62/yr more in premiums. They will probably be inflated for a couple years. $62,yr is nothing though.

I do not believe the type of accident necessarily dictates how much you pay. It's more the amount of the claim.

In regards to what he gets offered through the insurance company.... it will be book value 99 times out of 100. He can plug the information in to Kelly Blue Book.com and take it from there to get a round about number. You can try and negotiate for a higher pay out, but you'd better have proof the car is valued at what he says it is.


If it's designated as a total loss, you can talk with the insurance company about buying the vehicle back as is. They would pay you out for the claim, and you would buy the vehicle back as is for a reduced price.

I don't think Farmer is gonna repair the vehicle at all...The adjuster straight up told him that they'll dismantle the car and sell the parts.

I was a collision estimator for a few years and we often had insurance agents claim a totaled vehicle to avoid the hassle of a repair. It also sounds like the place that is doing the estimation is off there rockers with that amount. Unless the frame is damaged I say he gets a second opinion outdoor of state farms recommended collision shops. I don't know about CA but here in AZ it is the right of the owner to pick the place they want the estimation of the damage done. If he is going to repair have him demand original parts or else he might have another problem down the line with the aftermarket parts. Last but not least, state farm likes to skimp on the repairs, they will do the smallest amount of work possible or less if the customer is inept.

That what I was trying to tell him too, to get another estimation of the damage done at another shop for a 2nd opinion but the car is isn't in driving condition (leaking fluid, front body damage) and the adjuster had towed it to somewhere like 1.5 hrs away from where he lived (about 40 mins away from where the accident happened and towed to the yard). The guy is really inept bout car stuff too. I also had bad experience with State Farm before =/ It took them 3 weeks to get an estimate on my car, the adjuster never called back either even though I called and left messages.

Pic of the damaged car

Spoiler: show

http://i39.tinypic.com/qnk4d2.jpg

[Anakron]

You should be able to get a list of the itemized costs for the repair to see what needs to be fixed.

My friend recently rear-ended somebody, and we actually had to fight to get the car totaled. Is there a reason you DON'T want it totaled? You get a nice chunk of cash to get a new car, and you don't have to worry about the shop half-assing the repairs.

[Denchi]

Hey EX-L....I have the '09 Version. Mine's even worth more than that estimate. $13k.

[bungiefan]

My understanding is that airbags deploying indicates frame damage.

[myreality]

Not necessarily Bungiefan. They are meant to react to any impact above 5 mph. Even frame damage can be fixed if light enough with some heat treatment. Although i wouldn't recommend it. But yea if the engine needs to be replaced then your totaled. From what i can see in that picture i can tell you that i would not total the vehicle. Not even close. Tell your friend to call a mechanics shop and see if they would be willing to tow it for an estimate. Farmers insurance estimators to my knowledge make commission on how much they save per estimate. Or at least a bonus. So a lot of them will do what it takes to make the most each month, understandably. The downside is your friend is the one that is going to lose.

Yea, make sure to get a copy of the estimate. It will show line by line what they intend to do with it including the repair time to pay the mechanics/painters. Also ask for how much the hourly cost is for each hour of repair time. That in itself may cost just as much if not more then the parts. Again i would stress on a second opinion if he wants to try and salvage his vehicle.

Good luck.

[Quixon]

I don't think Farmer is gonna repair the vehicle at all...The adjuster straight up told him that they'll dismantle the car and sell the parts.

I think you mis-understood my post. When you buy a vehicle back from insurance you are buying the vehicle as is, in the wrecked/totaled state. Then you can either part it out and sell the parts online or try and fix it yourself. All the insurance company is going to do with a wrecked vehicle they totaled/paid out is try and sell it as quickly, and for as much money as they can get.

I regards to the estimate, and where it's taking place. Your friend is going to be paying out the ass for tow bills due to the distances involved, but it is very important to double check the insurance adjusters estimate. They estimate to the benefit of the company they work for, not the insured. You should be present for the estimate, or at least have a trusted friend/relative with mechanical knowledge or a trusted mechanic there at the time of the estimate. Make sure you are getting genuine parts and that the repair shop has a warranty for their work.

If the body shop/adjuster suspect that you are the typical clueless car owner, you will be taken advantage of. Either by shoddy work, or sub par aftermarket parts.

Any time anyone I know is in an accident where insurance will be involved, I always tell them to have the car towed to their house. Yes you will pay a little more in tow bills if you have to have it towed to a shop. But with the car in your possession on your property you have a little more of an upper hand in the negotiations and inspections of the vehicle.

I can't think of too many situations where you would want to fight the insurance company against totaling the car. If you had a ton of shit, parts wise, added to the car the insurance wasn't paying out for maybe, but then again that would have to be a lot of parts.






Edit: With the way airbags work now, you don't necessarily need frame damage as mentioned above. What typically does work out though is --> Passenger Airbags Deploy = Total Loss on the Vehicle. The passenger airbag is located in the dash, if/when that deploys it destroys the entire dashboard. The cost to pay for a shop to replace an entire dashboard is absolutely ridiculous because of the time involved.

The previous collision I had at roughly 15-20 MPH. I lost control on ice do about 25 MPH, car slid across the road, and started hitting/knocking down the support poles that hold the guard rail up (Small ones metal about knee high). I knocked 3 poles down prior to the car coming to a stop against the 4th pole. Those poles are designed to bend/break and absorb impact, I was going less than 10 mph when the car hit the last pole and stopped. My body did not come to a violent abrupt stop or anything..... but that last impact of course needlessly deployed the drivers side airbag because the hit was directly on the load sensor for the air bag.