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 Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 7:16 pm Post subject: how to get a "total loss" out of my accident |
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| I got into an accident last week. There was an animal in the road and i ended up driving head on into a tree. my radiator is not bent along with my bumper the front outside bumper is cracked and my hood is all pushed up. I had an insurence claim expert from aaa come look at it today. He has told me they will pay up to almost 6,000 to repair my car and that it looks fixable. However you can not get the hood open at all. In this case i am hoping for a total loss... my car is worth about 6,000 and I just want to get a safer car now and be done with this one. what are the chances that i have more damage done than can be seen and that the samage will total over 5,00 almost 6,000? |
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ksqueak
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| Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 7:17 pm Post subject: |
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| sprry let me correct myself...the radiator is severly bent in along with the bent up and badly dented hood cracked headlights and fender panles. my last repair was a little side ding in my front right pannel and cracked light housing totaling 1,500 in repair. |
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ksqueak
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| Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | what are the chances that i have more damage done than can be seen and that the samage will total over 5,00 almost 6,000? |
Depends on the severity. It sounds like there could be some "hidden damages" (hood won't open etc.) The vehicle will need to be disasembled in order to verify all damages. However, if the the amount to repair the vehicle (after additional damages are discovered, if any) does not equal to at least 75-80% of the vehicles ACV (actual cash value), it will most likely not be a "total loss". The ACV is different than what you "owe" on the vehicle.
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Trench
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| Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 1:38 am Post subject: insurance |
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| It MAY not look TOO bad, but,...(I think?) if the frame is bent or broken, you're vehice will automatically 'totaled' (at least that's what an adjuster told me when my Jeep was 'totaled'). |
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sdchargersfan
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| Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't think the frame is damaged. Is there a way to tell if it is? |
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ksqueak
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| Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 9:40 pm Post subject: insurance |
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| When the Insurance adjuster looked at the vehicle, he should have told you, either way. You can have a mechanic look at it and make some kind of documentation, IF the frame is broken. Insurance companies consider the frame 'safety issues' if their broken/damaged. I can't blame them, though. |
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sdchargersfan
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| Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 1:49 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | I just want to get a safer car now and be done with this one |
What leads you to believe a repaired vehicle is not safe to operate? That's like saying, the tires are worn, so it's time to get a new car, I'm done with this one.
Insurance is not for the purpose of supplying you with a new vehicle, it exists to protect you from having to cover the loss with your own funds. That's why auto insurance does not cover "mechanical breakdown" (i.e, routine maintenance) or "wear and tear" (i.e., depreciation).
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MaxHerr
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| Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 12:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | if the frame is bent or broken, you're vehice will automatically 'totaled' (at least that's what an adjuster told me when my Jeep was 'totaled' |
NO NO NO NO NO, this is NOT correct...first of all the OP has a car, which I'll make a huge leap is a unibody (no leap at all actually  )...the core support is part of the 'frame' and I'm sure it's wasted (ie radiator damaged), I put an average of 6 or more core supports in a week...the vehicle will total the way Trench told you it will total..NOT what SD said...frame damage does not automatically total a vehicle unless this pushes the cost of repair over the percentage threshold..
Your carrier will get your vehicle into a shop and tear it down if necessary, so they can see all the damage...just depends on the vehicle's acv etc...it's quite possible to replace a hood, lights, both fenders, hoods and cooling and still be repairable...did your airbags deploy?
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Lori
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| Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 12:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | NOT what SD said...frame damage does not automatically total a vehicle unless this pushes the cost of repair over the percentage threshold..
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REALLY!!?? That's what the Insurance adjuster told me. The Insurance adjuster was from Progressive (this was the OTHER drivers insurance). He told me,yes...the damages were more than the vehicle was worth. However..he ALSO..told me if the damages did NOT exceed the value of the Jeep, the vehicle would be 'totaled' anyway because the frame was bent and broken. Did he NOT give me correct information???? |
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sdchargersfan
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| Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 12:34 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | the vehicle would be 'totaled' anyway because the frame was bent and broken. |
Not too many years ago, auto body mechanics used to buy frame-straightening equipment to fix this kind of damage every day of the week. Vehicles so repaired often had frames in better alignment than when they first left the factory.
Unfortunately, with labor rates hovering around $75-$100 per hour, the time it takes to straighten a frame, weld any fractures, and put everything back together and do the rest of the body work required, is what often drives the cost of the repair beyond the 70% or 80% threshold (whichever is the operative number in a particular state).
If an adjuster made a statement that "any frame damage" totals a vehicle, it was probably the guy's way of not actually doing the job he's being paid to do, driving up the insurer's claims costs, and policyholder premiums.
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MaxHerr
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| Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 2:27 am Post subject: |
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the reason i want a new car is because i feel unsafe driving it. i drive a 2001 honda civic that was lowered before i bought it. i want to be a little higher off the grownd when driving now and i am concerned for my safty in this car. Civics tend to crumple like tin cans, and yes i know they do that for safty resons.
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anonymous768
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| Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 11:17 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | the guy's way of not actually doing the job he's being paid to do |
Well..I guess it sems that way. 'We' rely on adjusters to be telling 'us' the truth, about our vehicles. Ya know? |
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sdchargersfan
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| Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 12:06 pm Post subject: |
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| I understand that you'd feel more comfortable if you can stay a bit higher while driving. But, I'm not too sure about the safety devices that are installed in your car. Could you be a bit more specific regarding things? |
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steven
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| Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 2:30 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | the reason i want a new car is because i feel unsafe driving it. |
Did you feel that way before the accident, too?
You are free to experience whatever emotions you choose to when it comes to your car. But it's not the insurance company's responsibility to allay your fears. Their only responsibility to you is to provide the coverages for which you and they have contracted.
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MaxHerr
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| Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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when i hit the tree my air bags didn't even go off.
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anonymous554
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