car question - adjustor seems to have underestimated damage?

Kuro

Kuro

Well-known member
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Hey, I'm asking a car question .. hope thats okay.

The gf was involved in an at fault accident. She got T-boned. Its an 08 hyundai accent.

I was 99% sure that the car is going to be a write off (I havent seen pics of the car yet, but I will tonight) but the adjustor has determined that the car is fixable and that it'll only cost roughly 3k to fix.
I'm not sure how thats possible as from the description, the door was crunched, axle was hit, and probably some bumper damage. I'll post pics if I can get some.

Anyway, repainting a bumper can run up to $700 for just minor scratches ... how can the adjustor estimate only ~$3000 to fix a T-bone collision?

I've read this thread and was even more convinced that the costs of fixing would exceed the cost of the car. Market value for the car is roughly $6000.
http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforu...g-the-Claims-Process&highlight=fault+accident

When will they go ahead and start fixing the car? Can I call them and make a case?

Thanks in advance.
 
Tow it to your own shop and have them look at it if you really think you are getting screwed.....

What are you trying to accomplish anyways? I am assuming you want it to be a write-off since if you make the claim no matter what they quote they will cover the final bill.
 
Yes. She is hoping it would be a write off because that ends up being the better outcome. The car will be hard to sell later on due to the accident/repair history which will devalue the car more than it already is.
She wanted to get a new car but the only thing preventing her from getting a new one is that she owes more on the car than the car is worth. The GAP protection, should the car be written off, would cover that difference and she would be able to get the new car. But having the car repaired makes it even harder for her to get a new car in the future.

According to the article, its not in their (the insurance company) benefit to underprice so they quote and price accordingly for a proper repair job. I just can't fathom how it would be so cheap to fix. I guess if towing it to somewhere else is going to incur an additional cost, might be worth it in the end if they are actually underestimating the repair cost. I'll keep that one in mind.
 
Kuro said:
Yes. She is hoping it would be a write off because that ends up being the better outcome. The car will be hard to sell later on due to the accident/repair history which will devalue the car more than it already is.
She wanted to get a new car but the only thing preventing her from getting a new one is that she owes more on the car than the car is worth. The GAP protection, should the car be written off, would cover that difference and she would be able to get the new car. But having the car repaired makes it even harder for her to get a new car in the future.

According to the article, its not in their (the insurance company) benefit to underprice so they quote and price accordingly for a proper repair job. I just can't fathom how it would be so cheap to fix. I guess if towing it to somewhere else is going to incur an additional cost, might be worth it in the end if they are actually underestimating the repair cost. I'll keep that one in mind.
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Most likely their quote is correct (as it is the adjusters and not some joe blow mechanic) unless there is internal damage they do not see (Which at that time they will write off it deemed neccesary, I understand your looking for the best way to "make" money or come out on top but it seems that isn't the case here.
 
Well ... this is what it looks like

20121211_154725.jpg

20121211_154800.jpg


They should be using oem parts ... cant imagine how is this $3000.

My bro had his car barely scratched ... cost him $3k, and that was way less damage than this ... although different brand of car.
 
thats not that bad, my g/fs malibu had similar damage and it got quoted 1700 with a used fender and door so $3000 is in the right ball park if they do with oem parts , because what i can see only the fender and door need replacing, bumper just needs a paint job due to scratches and hood needs to be re-aligned and an axle job is only like 200-300 bucks so the insurance guy is in the right ball park it may go a little over to about $3500 but i highly doubt it will go over that
 
My one and only car accident was much worse and it was repaired rather than written off. Granted, the value of the car was much higher than $6K at the time but your gf's doesn't look that bad in comparison. $3K does seem optimistic to me though.
 
Based on those pictures, $3K is more than enough to get that car fixed.
While the body shop may use OEM parts, doesn't necessarily mean they're going to use brand new parts.
A $3K claim on a 5 year old vehicle is nothing to be worried about when it's time to resell.
The only time an accident affects the value is if it's not a clean title. i.e. Rebuilt, Salvage, etc.
Any reasonable buyer will realize that a used vehicle is a used vehicle and a fender bender is to be expected in most cases, as long as you are up front about it, you won't have a problem.

Don't lose any sleep over it, man.
Fix the bumper, new fender, door skin, axle + paint and you're good to go.
If you're smart about it, you can pocket some money, lol... but that would be "insurance fraud".
 
They won't be using OEM parts for the repair, certainly not on a 5 year old car. They will pop in a used strut and half shaft, off shore door skin and fender, fix the bumper and squirt some paint on it. should be ~$3500
 
I am amazed that you guys can determine that there is no suspension, steering or transmission damage based purely on two pictures. That is impressive.
 
Mina said:
Based on those pictures, $3K is more than enough to get that car fixed.
While the body shop may use OEM parts, doesn't necessarily mean they're going to use brand new parts.
A $3K claim on a 5 year old vehicle is nothing to be worried about when it's time to resell.
The only time an accident affects the value is if it's not a clean title. i.e. Rebuilt, Salvage, etc.
Any reasonable buyer will realize that a used vehicle is a used vehicle and a fender bender is to be expected in most cases, as long as you are up front about it, you won't have a problem.

Don't lose any sleep over it, man.
Fix the bumper, new fender, door skin, axle + paint and you're good to go.
If you're smart about it, you can pocket some money, lol... but that would be "insurance fraud".
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I dont want to commit fraud on anyone, I didn't know it would be that cheap to fix. You scratch a car and it can cost a few thousand but when you're involved in a collision, it still costs a few thousand? Apparently, it seems so.

She comes out of this with: a devalued car (due to claim history), a conviction of left turn offense, $110 fine, increased premiums for the next 6 years and $1000 deductible. No injuries so I should be happy with that, which I am very thankful for.

I guess thats that.. financially a bummer.
 
That's definitely more than a $3000 repair. If it isnt I'd be wondering who fixed it and what they actually fixed and what they left hidden.
 
Mina said:
^ A $3000 claim WILL NOT decrease the value of the car.
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I dont see why not. Ever try to buy a bike and ask if its been dropped? If the owner said yeah but its been fixed, you still going to offer the same amount as one thats never been dropped?
 
Kuro said:
I dont see why not. Ever try to buy a bike and ask if its been dropped? If the owner said yeah but its been fixed, you still going to offer the same amount as one thats never been dropped?
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To me, I wouldn't care if a bike was dropped.
As long as there are no scratches/damage and everything has been replaced properly, then why worry?
I recently lowsided my GSX-R and I spent ~$2500 in OEM parts alone, the bike looks like brand new.
Would I sell it below market value because it was dropped? Hell no.
I expect top dollar, because my bike is in mint condition and all the work was done properly.

A used car is a used car, most people can accept a fender bender.
It all comes down to $ value, people will try to use the claim as a negotiation tool but at the end of the day, if you price your vehicle according to market value, they will still buy it.
 
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caboose483 said:
I am amazed that you guys can determine that there is no suspension, steering or transmission damage based purely on two pictures. That is impressive.
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Hub cap took the brunt of the impact.....
 
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Mina said:
To me, I wouldn't care if a bike was dropped.
As long as there are no scratches/damage and everything has been replaced properly, then why worry?
I recently lowsided my GSX-R and I spent ~$2500 in OEM parts alone, the bike looks like brand new.
Would I sell it below market value because it was dropped? Hell no.
I expect top dollar, because my bike is in mint condition and all the work was done properly.

A used car is a used car, most people can accept a fender bender.
It all comes down to $ value, people will try to use the claim as a negotiation tool but at the end of the day, if you price your vehicle according to market value, they will still buy it.
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No way that is a fender bender.

And let's not even talk about motorcyles. It is so different with cars. This will show up on the Carfax.

The bottom line is, there are so many used cars available, why buy one with a claim on it? Potential buyer would just move on to the next available car...
 
MarcosSantiago said:
No way that is a fender bender.

And let's not even talk about motorcyles. It is so different with cars. This will show up on the Carfax.

The bottom line is, there are so many used cars available, why buy one with a claim on it? Potential buyer would just move on to the next available car...
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By that logic, any car with a claim should be scrapped because nobody is going to buy it?
I never go by the carfax/carproof reports, doesn't tell me **** about the car's condition.
What if you have a clean history report but the car was hit and never reported to insurance?
Look at the vehicle you're buying, inspect it carefully and make your decision based on that.

How did people buy cars before carfax?
 
Mina said:
By that logic, any car with a claim should be scrapped because nobody is going to buy it?
I never go by the carfax/carproof reports, doesn't tell me **** about the car's condition.
What if you have a clean history report but the car was hit and never reported to insurance?
Look at the vehicle you're buying, inspect it carefully and make your decision based on that.

How did people buy cars before carfax?
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Carfax will tell you for sure its been damaged where as before carfax, you'd have to use your best judgement. Not that nobody will buy the car, its just devalued. If you can compare it with cars of similar trim and mileage, one has a claim and one doesn't but they both look the same visually, you'd still remain unbias? I don't think I would pick the claimed car given those facts.
 
Kuro said:
I dont want to commit fraud on anyone, I didn't know it would be that cheap to fix. You scratch a car and it can cost a few thousand but when you're involved in a collision, it still costs a few thousand? Apparently, it seems so.

She comes out of this with: a devalued car (due to claim history), a conviction of left turn offense, $110 fine, increased premiums for the next 6 years and $1000 deductible. No injuries so I should be happy with that, which I am very thankful for.

I guess thats that.. financially a bummer.
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So she messed up, made an improper turn, caused an accident and now is trying to get money out of this? wow

Hopefully she learns something from this...however i doubt it.
 
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