Fyi, my friends pickup was hit and his check for diminished value was $3400. Not saying that’s what you’ll get, but it is worth pursuing on your own if the vehicle had no prior accident damage.

Is their sending someone out to inspect common practice? Or are they just trying to slant it in their favor from the beginning?

In 2011 an uninsured driver rear ended my girlfriend on the highway pushing her into the car in front of her. The car was less than 6 months old and had 5,000 miles on it. Repairs were just a few hundred dollars away from it being totaled.

I asked about diminished value, and my agent (who I know and trust) said there would be no impact. Finding that odd, I called my salesman (who I know and trust), who said the same thing. He said to have it towed to the dealership, it would be fixed correctly, and it would have zero impact on its value down the road. He said it would be repaired to factory spec and if I ever sold the car back to them wouldn't even be a consideration.

Fast forward to 2016, now at 250,000 miles. She was hit again and this time it was totaled. State Farm paid us $2,000 more than I thought it was worth. Seems that previous accident didn't matter to them, just as they promised me years before.

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
Is their sending someone out to inspect common practice? Or are they just trying to slant it in their favor from the beginning?

Slant.
Why else would they need to have a look if the repair shop they chose or at least signed off on did the repairs properly?
Keep in mind that most claims representatives live to argue and become very good at it. I work for an old claims guy. Nothing he enjoys more than an argument. Use the leverage of your medical claim and the fact that they want it closed to your advantage.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
In 2011 an uninsured driver rear ended my girlfriend on the highway pushing her into the car in front of her. The car was less than 6 months old and had 5,000 miles on it. Repairs were just a few hundred dollars away from it being totaled.

I asked about diminished value, and my agent (who I know and trust) said there would be no impact. Finding that odd, I called my salesman (who I know and trust), who said the same thing. He said to have it towed to the dealership, it would be fixed correctly, and it would have zero impact on its value down the road. He said it would be repaired to factory spec and if I ever sold the car back to them wouldn't even be a consideration.

Fast forward to 2016, now at 250,000 miles. She was hit again and this time it was totaled. State Farm paid us $2,000 more than I thought it was worth. Seems that previous accident didn't matter to them, just as they promised me years before.

Was the vehicle listed on Carfax as being in an accident after the first one?

It’s better to take the diminished value money on the front end. Yours was a best case scenario. It usually doesn’t work out that way in the world of auto insurers, accidents and insureds.

quote:

Originally posted by Powers77:

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
Is their sending someone out to inspect common practice? Or are they just trying to slant it in their favor from the beginning?

Slant.
Why else would they need to have a look if the repair shop they chose or at least signed off on did the repairs properly?
Keep in mind that most claims representatives live to argue and become very good at it. I work for an old claims guy. Nothing he enjoys more than an argument. Use the leverage of your medical claim and the fact that they want it closed to your advantage.

I filed my claim and had my car repaired through my insurance, USAA. It is the other person's insurance (or his mom's since he was a 40something that had a revoked license driving his mom's car) that I'm trying to get a settlement from. AAA insurance.

AAA insurance is wanting to send out someone to inspect my car before they will discuss diminished value. Their specific words were "to make sure you got it fixed". Which sounds hinky as hell to me. It was a brand new Jeep. Damn right I "got it fixed".

I used to do this for a living. I handled auto liability claims and I got conned into handling DV claims as well, which was a huge pain in the ass.

Sending someone out to confirm repairs is not uncommon. It doesn't happen all the time but it isn't abnormal. As said, it's to make sure you actually had the vehicle repaired, which some people don't.

Also as someone else pointed out, if 100% OEM parts were used then it is unlikely that the insurer will pay anything for DV, since technically your vehicle was brought back to pre-accident condition. If aftermarket parts were used, you're probably only looking at a few hundred dollars for DV, especially if there was no frame damage which I'm sure there wasn't if the repair cost was that low.

You can use one of those third party DV calculation websites but be warned, they often just come up with some wild BS number, and they usually cost a few hundred bucks. More than once I would have someone send me one of those and I'd look at it then throw it away, or maybe give them a few bucks more. But rarely what they were asking. Remember, DV is a perceived loss in value, it's rarely an actual loss in value. Unless you plan on trading the car in tomorrow and you get money taken off.

Finally, don't cash any bodily injury checks until you're sure you're 100%. Because once you cash the check, you release the insurance company from future payments if your injuries don't get better. Especially with your line of work, don't take any chances. But, if you do feel you're back to 100% and you're ready to be done with it, talk to your bodily injury adjuster, if it's a separate person, and tell them what you want to settle your BI and DV for and if it's as low as you said, they'll probably jump on it and tell the DV adjuster to cut the check and shut up.

If you have any other questions let me know.

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
I filed my claim and had my car repaired through my insurance, USAA. It is the other person's insurance (or his mom's since he was a 40something that had a revoked license driving his mom's car) that I'm trying to get a settlement from. AAA insurance.

AAA insurance is wanting to send out someone to inspect my car before they will discuss diminished value. Their specific words were "to make sure you got it fixed". Which sounds hinky as hell to me. It was a brand new Jeep. Damn right I "got it fixed".

Now that you explain it, it makes complete sense.

If you had taken it to a AAA approved shop, they wouldn't have blinked at whatever the shop wrote...that shop has a vested interest in staying on the "Approved List."

Nothing hinky at all with them wanting to make sure that the repairs were completed

Nothing hinky about them inspecting it. Several reasons:

1. make sure the vehicle was repair, duh

2. make sure there is not repair related diminished value (IE, the shop did a good job fixing the vehicle and you're not trying to claim DV cause the shop butchered the work)

3. Court. If it goes to court, they will certainly have someone to testify they they inspected the vehicle, determined the repairs to be done satisfactorily and that their determination was based upon a visual inspection. Showing up to court without someone who physically inspected the vehicle being there is almost an automatic loss.

Ok, that makes more sense. I've scheduled their inspection.

Now I'm just waiting for USAA to pay out on the med claims and for my Voya accidental insurance to pay out on the Dr. visits. BOTH of them are over the time estimates on getting this done. So goddam aggravating. WHY can't people do their jobs???

Old Thread Revival

I got hit by a jeep driver who made a left turn into my F150 at an intersection in early September. My insurance is USAA and they paid for the repairs ($14,500). State Farm has accepted liability for the damages to my truck and the repairs are complete so I am going to file a diminished value claim with State Farm. I am in TN. I looked at the old posts about diminished value and didn't find anything recent.

Just curious if anybody has had any luck with a diminished value claim and if so what tips would you offer?

My web search shows a formula (I think used in TN among other states) of 10% of vehicle value, then a range of multipliers for the damage level, and another multiplier for the mileage. So something like 45,000 X .1 = $4500, $4500 X .5 = $2250, $2250 X .8 = $1800.

My truck (2022 F150 with 38,670 miles) and the damage amount would put me in those ballpark amounts.

The insurance agent has asked me to provide the value of the vehicle and the repair bill.

Would appreciate any advice if you've been through this situation recently.

Thanks in advance.

I still stand by my original comment a few up from this one. For value, start with something like KBB and NADA. Be honest when it asks questions about vehicle condition. Use the condition prior to the accident.

quote:

The knot was massive, medial to the lower corner of my scapula. It loosened but I still have pain/tingling/burning there 24/7

Google brachial plexus injury. I was in a wreck in February and still have tingling and burning that comes and goes. You may have to see a Neurologist to get a proper diagnosis.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.or...hial-plexus-injuries

Brachial Plexus Injury Symptoms

Symptoms depend on where along the length of the brachial plexus the injuries occur and how severe they are. Injuries to nerves that root higher up on the spinal cord, in the neck, affect the shoulder. If nerves that originate lower in the brachial plexus are injured, the arm, wrist and hand are affected.

Common symptoms of brachial plexus injuries are:

Numbness or loss of feeling in the hand or arm.

Inability to control or move the shoulder, arm, wrist or hand.
An arm that hangs limply.

Burning, stinging or severe and sudden pain in the shoulder or arm.

Brachial plexus injury pain can be mild to severe, and temporary to chronic, depending on the type and extent of the injury. For instance, a simple stretched nerve may hurt for a week or so, but a ruptured nerve can cause serious, long-term pain that might require physical therapy and potentially surgery.

I follow a guy on Facebook that does this. His website is collisionsafetyconsultants.us. Seems to get good results and the price isn't bad. I don't have any interest in this other than passing along the suggestion.

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
I’m still being treated by a Dr for the back. I got 8 lidocaine shots three weeks ago that finally loosened up a knot I’d had since the wreck. It was agonizing. Much improved, but still constant discomfort.

Call the Man... https://www.forthepeople.com/o...ions/north-carolina/

As much as I despise the action, if I am in your situation I'm hiringMorgan and Morgan. They are well known in the industry and don't back off, since it's not a small firm insurance companies don't have the upper hand.

Diminished claims, etc will get you zero legal rep, there's no money in it, but personal injury is another story.

Call them, get an appointment and recover what you want through the medical personal injury side. It's the only way you will recover, and, you could have back pain for the rest of your life from it and need care for a lifetime.

quote:

Originally posted by wcb6092:

quote:

The knot was massive, medial to the lower corner of my scapula. It loosened but I still have pain/tingling/burning there 24/7

Google brachial plexus injury. I was in a wreck in February and still have tingling and burning that comes and goes. You may have to see a Neurologist to get a proper diagnosis.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
I’m still being treated by a Dr for the back. I got 8 lidocaine shots three weeks ago that finally loosened up a knot I’d had since the wreck. It was agonizing. Much improved, but still constant discomfort.

Call the Man... https://www.forthepeople.com/o...ions/north-carolina/

As much as I despise the action, if I am in your situation I'm hiringMorgan and Morgan. They are well known in the industry and don't back off, since it's not a small firm insurance companies don't have the upper hand.

Diminished claims, etc will get you zero legal rep, there's no money in it, but personal injury is another story.

Call them, get an appointment and recover what you want through the medical personal injury side. It's the only way you will recover, and, you could have back pain for the rest of your life from it and need care for a lifetime.

Chongo's post was 7 years ago, I'd hope he be healed up by now.
Just above you is an 'old thread revival' with a related question to the OP.

If you receive a settlement from another Insurance company for your medical / pain and suffering etc. , your Medical Insurance will demand to be reimbursed for what they paid out. Keep that in mind and save ALL documentation from your provider. My wife was rear ended and her car was totaled. She had a fractured ankle and required surgery to repair a rotator cuff. She had a concussion and some neck issues. All of these issues are being handled by our medical provider but they are going to want their money back when we settle .

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Chongo's post was 7 years ago, I'd hope he be healed up by now.
Just above you is an 'old thread revival' with a
related question to the OP.

yep I see that now, the advise still stands if you have a Morgan and Morgan office in your area, and they are in every state, best to call them.ds

quote:

Originally posted by Sigfan Roy:
Old Thread Revival

I got hit by a jeep driver who made a left turn into my F150 at an intersection in early September. My insurance is USAA and they paid for the repairs ($14,500). State Farm has accepted liability for the damages to my truck and the repairs are complete so I am going to file a diminished value claim with State Farm. I am in TN. I looked at the old posts about diminished value and didn't find anything recent.

Just curious if anybody has had any luck with a diminished value claim and if so what tips would you offer?

My web search shows a formula (I think used in TN among other states) of 10% of vehicle value, then a range of multipliers for the damage level, and another multiplier for the mileage. So something like 45,000 X .1 = $4500, $4500 X .5 = $2250, $2250 X .8 = $1800.

My truck (2022 F150 with 38,670 miles) and the damage amount would put me in those ballpark amounts.

The insurance agent has asked me to provide the value of the vehicle and the repair bill.

Would appreciate any advice if you've been through this situation recently.

Thanks in advance.

Again - Old Thread Revival!

Update on my accident claim from Sep this year. The other insurance company accepted the liability for the damage to my truck from this accident.

My dash cam video of the accident was the only reason they accepted the liability so I heartily recommend everybody install one in their vehicle.

My insurance company has repaid my deductible and the other company sent me a form to sign agreeing to close the damage claim with a bit over $2000 in diminished value for my truck.

I based my claim on the formula above and updated one time after a final repair payment came in from the repair shop.

I had an interesting and fruitless discussion with an agent from the other company over the phone but when I emailed in my claim and provided the final repair payment amount they agreed to my number and will send me a separate check for the diminished value.

Overall it was a bit easier than I expected, especially after the phone conversation with their agent, as I thought they would fight me all the way.

Again, get that dash cam!

lol…

That knot in my back continued for several years. Definitely started from that wreck, it was a nasty, huge knot.

Then it became where my stress went to live.

Until I realized the primary cause of my stress and got rid of it a little over a year ago.

Overnight—knot/pain, gone.

But still have the Jeep