ezrally

Not A4 specific, but can you guys answer a few Qs about my Mom's '98 Volvo S90 that was T-boned in the left side.

The insurance company gave her 3 body shops to get estimates, and of course they chose the Volvo body shop they knew. The insurance co. adjuster dude gave an estimate of ~$10K. (Apparently the shop had to take the doors off to do an estimate, so now the car can't be driven to another body shop.) The car's blue book is ~10K, low end. So the ins. co. wants to total it now. The car is worth more to my parents than the 7K(70%) they are offering. So my questions are:

1. Can't my parents pick a body shop that is willing to fix it for 7K?

2.Is it true that the insurance company can pick and choose the body shops?

3. If they take the 7K as a total, do they kep the car or does it have to be junked?

4. Does this sound hokey? These are all the details I have right now, it's my Mom's car....

5. To buy an equal car would probably cost 15K, so isn't it worth trying to get it fixed? It is all cosmetic.

HELP PLEASE!!!

chipstar-32

esp if it has meaning to your family. but 10k or so from a tbone, i'd be hard pressed to believe its all cosmetic. i would say that your parents can try to find a shop that will try to fix it. the insurance comp is NOT in charge. i went through this recently. the insurance comp (usaa in my example) just cut me a check. they asked if i wanted to pick one of their shops, or find my own. good luck

ezrally

Thanks- good info.
The frame is bent I think, thus hi cost in damage.
Senior citizen being bullied maybe.

RKA

Do an autotrader search on similar make/model/mileage cars, check newspaper ads, and price shop a few dealers. You'll have to show the insurance company that the value of the car is more than they are offering. The idea here is that you should be paid exactly what it would cost you to go out and buy an equivalent car...including sales tax! What does edmunds.com say about the value of the car?

Secondly, take the highest estimate that you can to the insurance company. They will pay you what is costs to repair the car to it's original condition. If you want to use that money to have the work done at a cheaper shop, that's up to you...and none of the insurance company's business. One word of caution...if you submit a repair from one shop, and get the work done elsewhere...make sure the second shop reviews the original estimate. They may need to file a supplemental claim for hidden damages not itemized on the original claim. If they know what was originally billed to the insurance co., this makes the process a little smoother. The adjuster may give you a hard time, if he finds out you're saving money by going to another shop. He may rewrite the estimate, based on the charges from the cheaper shop (not sure). Based on the extent of the damage, it's possible that a supplemental claim may need to be filed here. Personally, I would not get greedy. Have the shop that you intend to have the work performed deal with the insurance adjuster to negotiate the estimates and supplemental charges.

BTW, in most states the insurance company can not choose the body shop.

If the insurance company still junks the car, you can talk to the insurance company about buying the salvage vehicle. Some companies will allow it.

+pressure

If it's a total, they should get 100% book value - nothing less. If they want to keep the car & keep the title clean, most states have a "percentage under total as clean" clause. In PA, it's 80%.

My Corrado was rear ended high & caused mostly sheetmetal damage - nothing to the unibody or roofline - so I wanted to keep it & get it fixed. It was a total loss, but Progressive told me about PA's clause. I got a check for 80% of the "total" value, the title stayed clean, I used the money to buy some used parts, paid my dealer to do all the work, actually 'made' a few bux, & lived happily ever after.

No way should she be forced to use any particular shop. As well, if it was at all drivable, she can demand it be made "as previous to inspection" - put the doors back on. Until all is negotiated, no one can just pull the car apart as they please.

Good luck.

ezrally

Thanks- I'll forward your replies to Mum.
I'm confused about the 70% of value of the car if its totalled out. Sounds like the ins. co. says to repair it will cost more than its worth.
Very equal @ this point-10 and 10K.
Better get it to another estimate/shop.

ezrally

Good points-Thx!

RKA

They don't want to get caught paying more for the car than it's worth. They know supplemental damage claims will be filed, and they may push the total repair costs higher. As a result, each insurance company in each state sets their own guideline for totalling a car.

If you're saying there is frame damage, I would get a second opinion before proceeding. The repair work can get expensive quickly. What appears "not too bad" to the naked eye, could be a money pit down the road.

CinqueValvole

If your mom has all the services invoices or she can get them, it can help with asking for more money. It shows that the car was being taken care off, and is worth more than what is being offered.

mike in cincy

maintanence history and receipts to the insurance adjuster showing that all of the repairs that I had performed. I then asked him to take this into account when he was looking at the market for a relacement value. It really worked in my favor as I got $7400 instead of the $6200 he was quoting before my fax.