Insurance trying to total my car...

[huffandpuff00]

Sooo My sister backed into my s13 the other night and am having to deal with her insurance. she broke my passenger side s13 jdm headlight, cracked my dmax hood and broke/bent the brackets holding up the headlights. The fenders are origin 20mm also. So when my sister called in the claim I was told to go to one of her insurances companies auto body shop to get the damages quoted. They had me print out prices for the hood headlights and fenders. I gave them print outs from random online places like touge factory and intense etc... then later that day I receiver the quote for $3040.00, they wanted to replace all parts instead of doing fiberglass work.

So next I get a call from the insurance claim person and they tell me they need to evaluated my car to see if it needs to be totaled out. I put all of my stock interior back in the car and clean it real nice to help with ascetics as much as possible. The guy comes today (thurs 10th) to take pictures and ask me things about the car,(AC,PS,PW, mileage...) He tells me that my wheels, rotora BBK, cusco cage pretty much, anything aftermarket, count as NOTHING towards the car's value...only thing that does is my cd player and tint. He tells me he will send my car info to some company that will figure out what its worth then send it back to some other department in their insurance company, then contact me about what I can add to the value of my car aftermarket wise through there cost value department. Pretty much a pain in the ass for winter break.

My question:

Should I tell them my engine is an SR20det? My roommate thinks I should say its a KA24det so i dont get in trouble for it being an illegal engine? is this true?

They want receipts for everything aftermarket, but some of my parts are over 5 years old and I dont keep all of my receipts, what should I do?

Pretty much any help would really be appreciated, also I live in Oregon if that makes a differences about that engine question..


Thank you
Zac

[sliddinsil8o]

i would just make your sister pay for it. done and done

[jontron5000]

In the car buying/selling market, I think that adding anything aftermarket (ie: rims, engine upgrades, aerodynamics, etc) actually devalue the car's worth. I think the insurance agent can support my statement. I would suggest trying to replace everything back to stock as you possibly can. Aftermarket parts aren't worth anything to insurance guys, probably only to us guys on zilvia.

What's the worst case scenario if they found out your engine is illegal, in terms of what happens to your car?

[andisan]

well it all depends on insurace, here in CA with my insurace, when i gotten in a fender bender i had the option of just getting a check for the estimated damage and work to repair it or the check would go straight to bodyshop who did the estimate, so that they can fix it. Buts thats because i own the car and its my buisness if i want to fix the car or not, since its my property. I say that because when i was finacing the car and was in a fender bender, i had no say in to where the check would go, since the bank was the owner, and the insurace would contact them.

I hope things work out for you though, i know insurance are sometimes hard to deal with, you sometimes have to say that you will get legal advise from your family lawyer ;), then they will be easier to deal with

[Zero-Offset]

Or your best bet would be to pay the few hundred dollars to see a lawyer.
i had an instance with my insurance, and lost out on a bunch of money since i didn't pay to have a lawyer fight for me. Long story short.
they are the ones who deal with these insurance assholes all day long, and probably have more answers for you.

i see that you're in the northwest. not too sure if speedlawyers.com could handle something like this, but it might be worth a try. they are more automotive related and in the NW.

Good luck, and remember, these insurance companies want to pay you the LEAST amount of money for ANY type of claim. Know your rights. Lawyers do help!!

[SlideWell]

your roommate is an idiot. you live in OR not CA. welcome to being an s13 owner where your car is worth dick. have your sister pay for the damage out of her pocket. when a girl lacks backing up skills with a car, they tend to make up for it by backing up that ass.

[brndck]

dude if you already contacted her insurance company i don't think you can "un-make" a claim.
i would insist on them paying to have the car restored to its previous state (pre-accident).
they will try to fuck you out of every last dime by doing things like saying the car needs to be totalled and they can only give you blue book value for it.
tell them to get fucked.
its up to you to tell them what you expect to get for it (a dollar amount), otherwise they're just gonna give you the lowest amount possible.
don't hesitate to tell them no, and take up as much of their time as possible.
the more of a pain in the ass you are for them, the more willing they'll be to give you what you want to make you go away.

[mxexux]

As far as the value of the car I have some advise that may be of assistance. I couple years ago I had a battle with the insurance over the value of my s14. The insurance, like you stated already, contracts a third party to evaluate the worth of the car. Usually this third party is really lazy and just uses the blue book value of the car. In my case, they wanted to only give me ~$3000 for my mint 97 s14. Of course I argued their "estimated value" of my car.

This is where I learned that you do have the power to influence this "estimated value." What you should do, as I did, is search the internet for cars that are for sale and are as similar to yours as possible ie. model, year, trim, upgrades, condition, etc. You will need at least 3 examples to show the company that is evaluating your car. These examples also need to be within 75 miles of where you live, be for sale within 90 days of the time of the accident, and you need to provide a phone number and vin number of the cars for sale.

In my case I just looked in the auto trader and printed up 3 different cars meeting the criteria. I faxed them over to the company and estimated value went from $3000 to $11000!!! I ended up getting a check for the damage done to my car instead of it being totaled.

good luck

[Agamemnon]

Pics of sister.........or it didn't happen.

[$nicklefritz]

your roommate is an idiot. you live in OR not CA. welcome to being an s13 owner where your car is worth dick. have your sister pay for the damage out of her pocket. when a girl lacks backing up skills with a car, they tend to make up for it by backing up that ass.
:rimshot:
whats insurance ? i have a simple formula take kelly b.b. value un modified
... 25oo at most for a 20 year old car , divide by the sum of all after market parts and mod .. check .. still wit me ... good
at this poin you should have a negative number thats the exact amount of dollars yur assed out .. not trying to be funny ... thats the harsh reality

[310R]

I live in oregon and when my zenki got hit,they tried to jack me around.I went to my insurance company which is statefarm.They told that they would send out a independent adjuster that specializes in highperformance and specialty vehicles.Long story short they ended up giving me $6700.00 for the car and I only paid $5000.00.Another thing is make sure to insure your car for the value of your parts and labor.I have owned several specialty vehicles and had no problem.

[Michael Nolan]

It would probably be better if you took it to a shop and had your sister pay for it, because her insurance is just going to go up if she gets an insurance claim.

[ichihachizero]

Pics of sister.........or it didn't happen.


Hahahhaha this is true

[thxjoyce]

As far as the value of the car I have some advise that may be of assistance. I couple years ago I had a battle with the insurance over the value of my s14. The insurance, like you stated already, contracts a third party to evaluate the worth of the car. Usually this third party is really lazy and just uses the blue book value of the car. In my case, they wanted to only give me ~$3000 for my mint 97 s14. Of course I argued their "estimated value" of my car.

This is where I learned that you do have the power to influence this "estimated value." What you should do, as I did, is search the internet for cars that are for sale and are as similar to yours as possible ie. model, year, trim, upgrades, condition, etc. You will need at least 3 examples to show the company that is evaluating your car. These examples also need to be within 75 miles of where you live, be for sale within 90 days of the time of the accident, and you need to provide a phone number and vin number of the cars for sale.

In my case I just looked in the auto trader and printed up 3 different cars meeting the criteria. I faxed them over to the company and estimated value went from $3000 to $11000!!! I ended up getting a check for the damage done to my car instead of it being totaled.

good luck


I agree....but in terms of the receipts....thats where being in good repoire with a shop helps. When my friend had his lip on his evo hit, he contacted the shop we go to. Devin hooked him up and "made" a receipt for the amount that they sell the lip for. He took that to the insurance and got a check for the amount. He then took the money, got the lip at the cheap homey hookup amount and took us to lunch. So, knowing people helps as well.

As for the engine...why does the insurance need to even know that? Its the body damage they should be worried about. Insurance agencies don't want to pay for damage and when a souped up car and kid come in, they think its probably a scam...especially since you guys are relatives.

Good luck but you have to keep hounding them. Another thing to do is go through your insurance and get it fixed from them and have your insurance get the money from your sisters.

Thxjoyce

[dudermagee]

Aftermarket parts do count towards the value of a car if someone else hits you.
If its your fault then they don't unless
A: you actually claimed it before hand and you are paying for extra insurance
B: your insurance company is really nice for some reason

They will give you shit for stuff you have but don't have receipts for, however that just means you'll have to do research and find comparible parts and send them (printouts, shortcuts, ETC.)over to them.
DO NOT LET THEM FUCK WITH YOU!
You are not the one at fault and they OWE YOU, not the other way around, if they keep dicking with you tell them you will get in touch with your insurance company and their lawyers will be contacting them shortly (which they will as long as you have full coverage).

[STEEZxIT]

Aftermarket parts do count towards the value of a car if someone else hits you.
If its your fault then they don't unless
A: you actually claimed it before hand and you are paying for extra insurance
B: your insurance company is really nice for some reason

They will give you shit for stuff you have but don't have receipts for, however that just means you'll have to do research and find comparible parts and send them (printouts, shortcuts, ETC.)over to them.
DO NOT LET THEM FUCK WITH YOU!
You are not the one at fault and they OWE YOU, not the other way around, if they keep dicking with you tell them you will get in touch with your insurance company and their lawyers will be contacting them shortly (which they will as long as you have full coverage).

true statement.

If its not your fault, you are liable to get every penny from them to get your car to its original condition (before the accident) unless they are willing to pay you extra to "total" the car, I'd just take that for extra cash. Take plenty of pics of the damage for future reference incase you decide to sell and buyer wants to know why its salvage.

[jontron5000]

Aftermarket parts do count towards the value of a car if someone else hits you.
If its your fault then they don't unless
A: you actually claimed it before hand and you are paying for extra insurance
B: your insurance company is really nice for some reason

They will give you shit for stuff you have but don't have receipts for, however that just means you'll have to do research and find comparible parts and send them (printouts, shortcuts, ETC.)over to them.
DO NOT LET THEM FUCK WITH YOU!
You are not the one at fault and they OWE YOU, not the other way around, if they keep dicking with you tell them you will get in touch with your insurance company and their lawyers will be contacting them shortly (which they will as long as you have full coverage).

Sorry to thread jack, but I am in the process of finishing my car up and that means having to insure it so I can drive it

How exactly do you insure aftermarket products through the insurance company? Is this done through full coverage? I haven't had to insure anything before since my parents have done it through my driving career, but this time around I gotta start doing this things on my own, so bear with me. Thanks

[STEEZxIT]

Sorry to thread jack, but I am in the process of finishing my car up and that means having to insure it so I can drive it

How exactly do you insure aftermarket products through the insurance company? Is this done through full coverage? I haven't had to insure anything before since my parents have done it through my driving career, but this time around I gotta start doing this things on my own, so bear with me. Thanks

Yes, only done through full coverage, and every RECEIPT COUNTS!..

my buddy has his STi full coverage from the ground up.... he's paying a pretty penny for it, but if the car gets totaled, he'll get more than the usual, and still be able to part out and salvage parts and make that extra money.

[STEEZxIT]

Or, if it gets stolen and stripped, you get your money back from the parts you installed and noted to the insurance.

[huffandpuff00]

Thanks for all of the help, I just received the value of just the car as being $2119 and now I have to send them all of the receipts I can to raise the value another $1000

[Couped_up'd]

Say No.

Say you want X amount.

Then don't forget to ask about buying your car back. After they agree to your terms

[Persona]

Always say no if its not good enough. Be very choosy with how you word what you say.

Go on a site such as modified car trader and find cars similar to yours high and median priced. Etc.

If nothing still gets done and they are bs'ing. Threaten getting a lawyer involved, or have one write a note to them for you. I had my friends dad write a note to them, and as soon as they got it they were calling me and asking where to send checks etc. Asking if there was anything else I needed. Its funny how they do 180's when they realize they cant screw you.

Sorry if this post is disorganized i've been studying all day. But I think you get the idea.

[driftsilvias13]

You contacted insurance after your SISTER backed into you for your POS s13? I dont see the logic in that unless you hate your sister and want her premium to go up.

[Mista Lee]

This sounds like it would have been so much easier to deal without insurance involved..

[h2v7]

if i get rear ended does their insurance pay me out?

who do i need to call them or my insurance?

[240sxrb25]

You contacted insurance after your SISTER backed into you for your POS s13? I dont see the logic in that unless you hate your sister and want her premium to go up.



yea wow. an s13 is worth 1500 bucks a new fender would total it out welcome to the real world of old cars.insurace adjusters dont give a crap about the aftemarket parts that have replaced oem stuff and how much you care about it

[huffandpuff00]

It wasn't my choice to call the insurance company, my mom made my sister do it. I have been hit before and never has the body shop wanted to replace all parts instead of fix them. the most I have been quoted for my car being in an accident is 1500 and that was my whole side rear quarter panel dented in. This was just a shitty shop that didnt want to work with fiberglass. I have started to make a list of everything on my car that would maker to someone buying it. The claim lady told me to include things that would appeal to buyers and not just personal preference, she used the example not to include an under-glow kit if I have one of those on my car, LOL.

I am up to 14K in parts on my list and will being sending it to her on monday. Oh yeah and I found some 240sx's with less done to them selling on modified car trader and attached those to the email too.

Ill see what the company says next week and let know what will be happening

zac

[FaLKoN240]

I'm just gonna leave this here...

http://zilvia.net/f/chat/155652-insurance-claims-s13-5500-a.html

[Odysseus]

Zac, when my car got broken into in Beaverton and they stole like 3K worth of shit from my car, insurance covered it after sending out an agent to inspect my car at PSI. Show them your reciepts for the work youve had done at any shop (Your tune at PSI, etc...)...They wanted to total mine too until they saw it and the 12K invoice got pulled up on the computer.

Goodluck.

[zylvia213]

You got to demand what you want... your not going to get the full price of them parts back but dont let them fuck you over and just give you chump change. Maybe your sister should hook you up with one of her good looking friends.

[doomviillain]

You got to demand what you want... your not going to get the full price of them parts back but dont let them fuck you over and just give you chump change. Maybe your sister should hook you up with one of her good looking friends.
+1

I dont think you can argue with that lol

[J3123MY]

It wasn't my choice to call the insurance company, my mom made my sister do it.

Why did your mom make your sister report it? lol.

Women; no logic and no backing up skills.

[huffandpuff00]

I sent the email to them today with all my parts totaling $19,xxx and 5 or 6 cars from craigslist and northwestnissans, plus I wrote to them that I know my car is worth more than the damage with just the engine alone, and with all of my part even spite my rough paint job, I believe my car is in the range on $7000 plus.

I might get the value back tomorrow, but most likely the company needs time to appraise the parts. Ill let everyone know when i know

Zac

[huffandpuff00]

Sorry for taking so long to get back to let people know what happened, but long story short, my insurance adjuster went on vacation for two weeks and I was tires of waiting and let them total my car. The good Is that I received a check for 1855$ and my s13 shell only cost me $175, so going to fix my front end and pick
Up a new shell with the money.
Could of been better but I was tired of waiting and still ended up with money.

[20 til 3]

nvrmind ...

[Imarvin240]

another 240 gone :(

[h2v7]

so you kept it and had them just pay you out the difference?

[huffandpuff00]

yup I kept it and had them pay me, its value mins the $507 salvage value for a total of $1855.