How much is this damage going to cost?

My airbag blew when I hit the tire on the Interstate. $12, 545 Damage, mostly to the left front suspension. Didn't total my 2006, since it wasn't 75% of book.

 

I am an insurance agent and I 100pct agree people can get crazy sometimes.

 

I've had a car with almost no visible damage declared totaled by an insurance company and another vehicle that by all accounts looked totaled and told by the insurance company it wasn't. On the first one, I took the check, bought the car back from the insurance company for pennies on the dollar, spent pennies on it and drove the life out of it for another 8 years. On the second one I got a lawyer involved, got it totaled, took the check, sued the company who employed the person with a suspended drivers license who hit me and got another check from them before actually going to court. By the time my lawyer was paid I wound up netting about 65% of the actual replacement cost of the vehicle. An NO, my lawyer did not make 35%, she actually made less than 10% of the value.

What pissed me off on the second one, I was not at fault, I was hit by an uninsured driver with a suspended license but she was delivering food for a company with one of their signs on the top of her vehicle. My insurance company and lawyer had to go after that company. In the end my insurance went through the roof even though the accident was not my fault. Not just my auto insurance but my home owners as well. Why you might ask, well when I asked my agent "if my rates were going to go up?" I was told "absolutely not!" And they didn't but what did happen is I lost all my discounts for accident free and claim free. So I now understand how the insurance industry works, your rates are never actually "lower" but you get all kinds of discounts stacked on top of the rates. Then when you get into an accident due to no fault of your own your insurance company can brag all over TV that they will not "raise your rates" for being in an accident but you will pay a hell of a lot more money at the same rate with no discounts.

In the end that second accident, between the less than actual value payout on the vehicle combined with my loss of discounts on my insurance is costing me more than the vehicle was worth in total over the next few years.

 

^ this guys second claim may relate to OP sort of

If you think the vehicle is too damaged to "ever be the same again," but insurance does not declare it a total loss. I think you have better option than lawyering up (in TX anyway, WA... I have no idea)

Let the insurance company repair the vehicle (if it is the other drivers insurance you will have a rental), make a diminished value claim due to excessive damage and then sell the truck after it is fixed. You'll get whatever the repaired truck is worth when you sell it plus your DOV claim which should equal to the value of what your truck was worth before the accident.

 

I guess I should have clarified, the second accident was in OH.

And to add to that, at least in OH in my case, if you sitting dead still in a parking lot at a grocery store with no keys in the ignition and a guy in a Jeep decides to go flying through the parking spaces next to you and tears the door completely off your car it's YOUR FAULT! The police won't even come make a report and his insurance will claim "no fault" due to being on private property and your insurance will agree.

 

got it.... also cannot advise on OH either. Maybe you could have made Diminished value claim there? not sure. Sorry to hear you only got 65%.

OP should go through the at-fault insurer and take it to a shop with a lifetime guarantee, make a DOV claim and drive a rental while it's being fixed, then decide to keep it or sell it after repairs are done to see how they turn out. Totally my opinion naturally.

 

I'm not an insurance person nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night so I can only relate with what happened in my case (cases as it be because I was involved in two accidents two weeks apart while living there).

 

Not totaled, I had similar damage i'd say 4k if the door has no damage 5-6k. if it does.

 

*update*
She's probably totaled, bent frame, waiting on Allstate to decide what they're gonna do. Let's hope I get bb value at least...

 

My rule of thumb with damage, whatever you think its going to cost, double or triple it. its the little details on the inside that start racking up the dollars.

In massachusetts, its best to always go through your own insurance, as they will try to make sure the car is fixed without costing them a penny, ie, the at fault ins company. Either way, only you can look out for you. Get a second opinion if needed.

 

Subd

 

Like posted above. It varies from state to state, make of vehicle and sometimes the model and finally, the insurance company. I used to work as a contracted estimator for multiple insurance companies. At the time, State Farm used to have a threshold of 72%, Progressive 75%, Farmers 75% and Allstate 78%.

 

Just remember to ask yourself:

Is the cost of repair + the value of the parts out of the truck greater than the blue book value? If it is, the insurance company will total it to recover cost by parting out your truck. They'll total a vehicle with a flat tire if they can get more from parts than it's BB value.

 

If your state allows, ensure that every replaced part is OEM.

Texas mandates that, upon consumers request, OEM parts are to be used when repairing damages.

I've had this done, so I know it's possible.

 

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I would think and the "salvage value" on a Tacoma would be substantial ... just a guess here.
.

 

I was certain they'd total it, I was wrong. They ended up doing a frame swap since it was newer and miles were low. Super psyched! Hoping it's gonna be the same truck it used to be. I'll probably trade for a 2016 if it's funky. Also, looking at buying a TRD pro grill, anyone found anything for not $300-$400? That's outrageous for a piece of plastic.

 

expect a huge loss in value and get a diminished value assessment when completed and submit to at fault insurance.

 

I'd say it's gonna cost whatever the deductible is. Beyond that it doesn't matter