ZR-1 Net Registry Forums - View Single Post - Insurance help/strategy needed please.... got tagged

onethumb · 04-17-2019

I've dealt with this before (unfortunately, but on a different and much rarer car), so here's my $0.02:

Agree with others, it really doesn't look that bad. Body shops vary widely in competence, so go with someone recommended (looks like you have that part already).

Your best bet for now will be to go after her insurance. Since she is at fault, they will be the ones to pay (unless TX is a no-fault state, but I don't believe it is).

Be prepared to fight with them on the appraisal of the car's value. Don't back down on where the car will be taken for repair, either--they will try to get you to use one of their "approved" body shops, which means they do cheap, crappy work.

Get an independent estimate from where you would want to have it fixed. Her insurance may try to low-ball you on the repair payments, but you have the right to take the car where you want it to be repaired.

Insurance adjusters are under pressure to get their claims settled quickly. Most people are in a hurry because they have lost their daily driver, so they also settle quickly. If you show that you are patient and willing to fight it out, you'll get a much better result.

There is a lot of variance in laws state-to-state, but most have in common that the insurer must work with you "in good faith", and you must also be "made whole" financially. Use these terms liberally when you speak with them, if you have to. It wouldn't hurt to read up on TX insurance law.

If they still balk at the dollar amount to fix (and the repair cost is within the recorded sale price of recent ZR-1's), provide supporting documentation. If they still balk, then tell them you will be getting an independent appraisal of the car. You'd be surprised how effective this is, since the independent appraisal generally precedes a lawsuit. This is not something they want to spend money on, so you will generally get them to back down at that point.

Having said all that, they'll never pay $50k in repairs for a $25k car. Your best outcome if the repair costs are that high will be to get a similar amount of money that it would take to buy exactly what you had. But again, this doesn't look like a >$20k repair---I'd guess more in the $15k range.

04-17-2019	#10
onethumb Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Posts: 36	Re: Insurance help/strategy needed please.... got tagged I've dealt with this before (unfortunately, but on a different and much rarer car), so here's my $0.02: Agree with others, it really doesn't look that bad. Body shops vary widely in competence, so go with someone recommended (looks like you have that part already). Your best bet for now will be to go after her insurance. Since she is at fault, they will be the ones to pay (unless TX is a no-fault state, but I don't believe it is). Be prepared to fight with them on the appraisal of the car's value. Don't back down on where the car will be taken for repair, either--they will try to get you to use one of their "approved" body shops, which means they do cheap, crappy work. Get an independent estimate from where you would want to have it fixed. Her insurance may try to low-ball you on the repair payments, but you have the right to take the car where you want it to be repaired. Insurance adjusters are under pressure to get their claims settled quickly. Most people are in a hurry because they have lost their daily driver, so they also settle quickly. If you show that you are patient and willing to fight it out, you'll get a much better result. There is a lot of variance in laws state-to-state, but most have in common that the insurer must work with you "in good faith", and you must also be "made whole" financially. Use these terms liberally when you speak with them, if you have to. It wouldn't hurt to read up on TX insurance law. If they still balk at the dollar amount to fix (and the repair cost is within the recorded sale price of recent ZR-1's), provide supporting documentation. If they still balk, then tell them you will be getting an independent appraisal of the car. You'd be surprised how effective this is, since the independent appraisal generally precedes a lawsuit. This is not something they want to spend money on, so you will generally get them to back down at that point. Having said all that, they'll never pay $50k in repairs for a $25k car. Your best outcome if the repair costs are that high will be to get a similar amount of money that it would take to buy exactly what you had. But again, this doesn't look like a >$20k repair---I'd guess more in the $15k range.