Accident + Claims Adjuster Negotiation Tactics

[SignitrSideways]

Well - My 7 year run seems to be approaching an end. I was (and had been) completely stopped at a red light and was hit at ~30 mph by a Dodge Magnum, pushing me into the car in front of me.

The good: everyone walked away relatively uninjured, my car seemed to make it out relatively unscathed given the level of impact.

The bad: Insurance company has indicated that it is a "probable total loss" pending an in-person review of the car.

I'd be curious as to any experiences with adjusters given modifications (good or bad idea to bring them up) and general negotiating tactics other than doing my own research for transactions of similar mileage/condition/trim etc. to come prepared with realistic replacement costs.









[url=https://flic.kr/p/Cr516v]

[blbroo]

Well - My 7 year run seems to be approaching an end. I was (and had been) completely stopped at a red light and was hit at ~30 mph by a Dodge Magnum, pushing me into the car in front of me.

The good: everyone walked away relatively uninjured, my car seemed to make it out relatively unscathed given the level of impact.

The bad: Insurance company has indicated that it is a "probable total loss" pending an in-person review of the car.

I'd be curious as to any experiences with adjusters given modifications (good or bad idea to bring them up) and general negotiating tactics other than doing my own research for transactions of similar mileage/condition/trim etc. to come prepared with realistic replacement costs.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/128053265@N04/XWTZ32

I had a total loss on a modified car. I should have pulled the mods off and sold them, but I did get credit for some. $400 for a CAI and about the same for tint. They claimed the suspension was general maintenance. I pulled some stuff off of the car during my final visit to take personal items though.

It won't hurt you to bring them up and try to negotiate some extra $ for them. Maybe not mention that they added power though, for example, the tune was done to improve gas mileage.

[Lambda13]

I had a total loss on a modified car. I should have pulled the mods off and sold them, but I did get credit for some. $400 for a CAI and about the same for tint. They claimed the suspension was general maintenance. I pulled some stuff off of the car during my final visit to take personal items though.

It won't hurt you to bring them up and try to negotiate some extra $ for them. Maybe not mention that they added power though, for example, the tune was done to improve gas mileage.

If the parts are still good, don't mention them. Just remove them.

[booost]

Sorry to hear about that, for what it's worth it looks like the car held up really well considering.

[Mr.Audi]

If the parts are still good, don't mention them. Just remove them.

+ 1

[SignitrSideways]

Appreciate the kind words, gentlemen.

Unfortunately the car wasn't driveable and was taken to a tow-lot. I removed as much as I could the next day, but the exhaust was damaged beyond repair and the other components are not exactly a screw-and-wrench removal process. At this point, the car is in my insurance company's possession so i think it will unfortunately stay as is.

[Lambda13]

Appreciate the kind words, gentlemen.

Unfortunately the car wasn't driveable and was taken to a tow-lot. I removed as much as I could the next day, but the exhaust was damaged beyond repair and the other components are not exactly a screw-and-wrench removal process. At this point, the car is in my insurance company's possession so i think it will unfortunately stay as is.

That's a shame. Glad you're ok (probably should have said that first lol) and good luck! Maybe time to get a newer model Audi :)

[zcspec]

In my years dealing with adjusters who represent the defendant, I have noticed that if you're kind and courteous to them, they'll take better care of you. Don't be a hard ass, demand this and that, but be logical in your presentation. They first give you FMV for your car, then may ask if you have additional aftermarket parts. Tell them what you have and don't expect brand new retail pricing. Good luck, very glad to see you and others unscathed. Also forget, if your car IS totaled, they should also give you pro-rated registration cost.

[SignitrSideways]

Thanks guys.

Would have never thought of the registration cost, appreciate the heads-up. Given I haven't heard from the adjuster at this point, I'm guessing I'll be in a rental through the new year!

[The Infiltrator]

It's crazy how the Audi held up VS the car that hit you. That thing is a tank.

Sorry about the car man, I hope this never happens to me!

[SignitrSideways]

It's crazy how the Audi held up VS the car that hit you. That thing is a tank.

Sorry about the car man, I hope this never happens to me!

Thanks, I hope it doesn't either! Sucks to lose a car you love/taken great care of. Hard to find a good replacement.

As far as the damage, I was thinking the same thing - I'm wondering that because there was so little crumpling in the rear, that there is unseen frame damage.. All the doors seemed to open fine, but I haven't had a lot of time with the car. At this point, I'm almost hoping for a total loss so I don't have ongoing issues. S4 time?!

[The Infiltrator]

Thanks, I hope it doesn't either! Sucks to lose a car you love/taken great care of. Hard to find a good replacement.

As far as the damage, I was thinking the same thing - I'm wondering that because there was so little crumpling in the rear, that there is unseen frame damage.. All the doors seemed to open fine, but I haven't had a lot of time with the car. At this point, I'm almost hoping for a total loss so I don't have ongoing issues. S4 time?!

YES, S4. lol

[JeriQo]

YES, S4. lol

how about presenting receipts for your mods?

[The Infiltrator]

how about presenting receipts for your mods?

I could have bought an S4 by now ....

My build thread tells you how much for the most part each mod. The rest you can look up on the sites. It's a lot and I don't want to know the total.

[JeriQo]

I could have bought an S4 by now ....

My build thread tells you how much for the most part each mod. The rest you can look up on the sites. It's a lot and I don't want to know the total.

yea man, probably more than the cost of an s4 by now.
its crazy how much youve done. kudos for all that work!

[The Infiltrator]

yea man, probably more than the cost of an s4 by now.
its crazy how much youve done. kudos for all that work!

I just did the compass and auto dimming mirror and the gauge cluster should be here tomorrow. Pics to come. lol

[wabbit23]

Sucks to see this happen to anyone, but its nice to know how our cars hold up compared to others. Glad you're okay and hopefully things work out in your favor.



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[B G 8er]

Most important as you mentioned, no one was seriously injured and walked away. Cars can be replaced, people can't. As JeriQo said, how about showing them the receipts. Bottom line is, you were rear ended so it wasn't your fault. You could have been carrying all those aftermarket parts in your trunk and bottom line is this person crashed into them. I might also be concerned with reusing some of the parts if they could have in fact been damaged during the accident.

This is all our worst nightmare. I've actually been bumped in my A4 twice now in stop and go traffic on the LA Freeway system. Fortunately for my vehicle, the damage was pretty much just cosmetic and the rear bumper cover. This may sound odd but I think you are extremely lucky your car is being totaled out vs being repaired, being compromised, diminished value and never being quite the same ever again. To me this is worth the value of the mods alone. I do carry a few extra grand of "specialty equipment " coverage on my car through my insurance policy for this reason.

S4 or maybe a new B9 A4 if you can hold out till Spring?

[Project Quattro]

Glad all of the people were alright; things can always be replaced. Looking at your car vs the Dodge that hit you definitely makes me feel more secure in my Audi though. Best of luck with the insurance process, and remember there's room for negotiation if you don't like their initial FMV offer.


Sent from the Pedal Responce Emergency Bat Phone

[kaz02a4]

Sorry to see this happen, but at the very least, no one was hurt. I'll echo what zcspec said and say to be nice. Kindness goes a long way, especially in this industry where people are distraught nearly all the time after an accident. Be patient, but make sure that you get a bit of money back for the mods. Best of luck, and merry christmas!

[SignitrSideways]

Just in case anyone is unfortunate enough to be in the same situation, I figured I'd loop back on this. Just accepted a 21k (!) offer after negotiations with my insurance. Car had 65k miles, was in excellent exterior condition (defined by insurance) and very good interior (also defined by insurance). After-market components, new tires and nice negotiation tactics ended up adding ~2k to the value (tune not mentioned).

Happy with the result, not sure I could have sold the car for close to that value. Time to go shopping!

[Smellie]

Just in case anyone is unfortunate enough to be in the same situation, I figured I'd loop back on this. Just accepted a 21k (!) offer after negotiations with my insurance. Car had 65k miles, was in excellent exterior condition (defined by insurance) and very good interior (also defined by insurance). After-market components, new tires and nice negotiation tactics ended up adding ~2k to the value (tune not mentioned).

Happy with the result, not sure I could have sold the car for close to that value. Time to go shopping!

Nice!

Keep us updated on your shopping! Hope to see you back in a b8

[McFuzz]

Just in case anyone is unfortunate enough to be in the same situation, I figured I'd loop back on this. Just accepted a 21k (!) offer after negotiations with my insurance. Car had 65k miles, was in excellent exterior condition (defined by insurance) and very good interior (also defined by insurance). After-market components, new tires and nice negotiation tactics ended up adding ~2k to the value (tune not mentioned).

Happy with the result, not sure I could have sold the car for close to that value. Time to go shopping!

In all likelihood, they will auction the car and sell it for around $10-12,000, amending their loss to $9k. Repairing the car would have have probably cost $15k (labor, parts, paint, etc... my little fender bender + debris from highway totaled at $7300) if not more. So - lose $15k or lose $9k? Yeah - they went with the latter but at the end of the day - you won!

[Audi 4 Life]

For anyone who heavily modifies their car I highly suggest you add something called custom equipment coverage. Each company is different and not all offer it. Progressive for example gives you an automatic 1000$ in custom parts and equipment and lets you add another 5k in additional coverage giving a total of 6k. I'm not sure the details of how things work out in a total loss but in any repair claim the coverage allows for them to pay for the replacement cost of your custom parts.

Another option which cost a lot more is to get your car appraised and insured for the declared value. These type of policies cost a lot more even if you have a perfect record.