Former auto claims adjuster.. AMA... duh-dun-duuuuuuh

"Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius" (rex-imperator) 10/09/2014 at 22:53 • Filed to: AMA body repair insurance adjuster

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Seriously. If you have a question about how claims work, I would love to help. I can NOT help with underwriting (your bill) but I can answer general questions about what companies pay for and what they don't and why those things happen. Fair disclosure, each state is different (I've worked in MO, IL and GA). I only worked for one company.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 10/09/2014 at 22:56

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Not to be a dick, but could you please hold this off until tomorrow?

Bandit > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 10/09/2014 at 22:57

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Let's say a classic (how about a 2nd gen T/A) is crashed. Do companies compensate for increased price of parts that are hard to find or not in production? How would the process differ between general new cars and older "classics?"

Dsscats > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 10/09/2014 at 22:59

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I have a 300ZX. 54k miles, really mint. Insured with $1300ish of modifications. KBB is right around $9200. I have the car listed for $9500. What do I get payed if it's wrecked?

Dunnik > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 10/09/2014 at 23:06

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Actually, yea, as your AMA would attract a lot of attention - perhaps you should post it again tomorrow to get more eyeballs on it.

macanamera > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 10/09/2014 at 23:06

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What company dude? You can answer that.

Big Bubba Ray > Bandit 10/09/2014 at 23:06

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This. I was going to ask the same thing. By the way, who do you insure the T/A through?

Steve in Manhattan > Dsscats 10/09/2014 at 23:07

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As little as they think they can get away with ... lawyer here, who has dealt with a couple insurance companies. Their job is to collect premiums and deny claims. You have been warned.

Bandit > Big Bubba Ray 10/09/2014 at 23:10

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Use to be allstate or something, but moved to hagerty after the paint job. I still am looking for a business because $800 a year for a car I don't drive a ton isn't acceptable for a college kid. Car is insured for $15,000 (about market value for a fully restore Trans Am SE).

AlmostJalop > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 10/09/2014 at 23:10

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what's the most exotic/expensive car you've worked with?

Big Bubba Ray > Bandit 10/09/2014 at 23:13

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How did you get Hagerty to insure you?? When I asked them about insurance for my Baja Bug a few months ago they said no because I'm under 25. I need different insurance for my Datsun now because it's $800 a year and I'm in the same boat as you. That's waaaaaay to expensive for a car I drive maybe 3 times a week.

Rainbow > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 10/09/2014 at 23:44

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What if a car has prior damage from an accident that was never reported? I don't remember all of the details, but one time my mom got hit by a guy who ran a red light and admitted fault, and when she had her van repaired, they also fixed a huge dent that happened months before and included it in the bill for all of the accident damage. Does that mean that the other guy's insurance may have paid to fix damage that he didn't even cause?

wallaby13 > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 10/10/2014 at 00:00

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So I'll ask one. About total loss compensation. Why am I always given a low ball number first on a base model, when my car is not a base model. Sometimes even the vin will give away that it's not a base model. And not to mention the policy shows what options the vehicle had, and I was paying for that extra coverage.

Along the same lines, why do you dock the price for having a manual in a performance oriented car? Seriously an auto Miata is not worth more than a manual one.

Bandit > Big Bubba Ray 10/10/2014 at 00:42

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My dad cosigned with me. The Hagerty agent was the same agent as the other insurance company so they knew me already.

treesmakewater > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 10/10/2014 at 01:03

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If a vehicle with full coverage that us valued at 5K and has not ever been in an accident had a large limb fall on it and crack the (solar panel) $4.5K sunroof, would YOU total it.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > treesmakewater 10/10/2014 at 08:19

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Dollarwise yes.

Insurance companies right damage claims up to 75-80% of the vehicle market value and consider it a total loss. The reason is that the costs of the claim doesn't stop right at that point.

In some states, the total loss threshold is codified in law. It's illegal to right a car to 90% of value and put it back on the street.

What type of car and what type of sunroof?

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > Bandit 10/10/2014 at 08:24

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You have classics, and then you have just old. Two different things for sure.

Finding decent replacement parts is a challenge. Many times for a desirable older car, the parts are still available, or recycled parts are simpler to come by because someone would bother saving them.

Actual 'classic' cars are a whole different category. New Old Stock, all kinds of creative ways to get those fixed.

The hard part with older car, even desirable ones is sometimes the only parts you can find are then entire front clip sawed off from the windshield forward. It has all the parts you need, and lots of parts you don't. It's also really expensive. When it comes down to dollars and pennies, your older, 'repairable' car is a total loss because the only way to buy parts is too expensive.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > Bandit 10/10/2014 at 08:26

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It sounds like you are headed down the right path if the car is really worth it. A mainstream auto insurance is going to company your car to the nicer end of the street car market. Not the collector car market.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > Dsscats 10/10/2014 at 08:32

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If you are talking about your insurance, you need to be clear that the car is beyond 'good' condition. My former company is famous for doing everything over the phone, but they had local service centers. You may want to ask if you should have it inspected and documented to so they know the pre-collision condition of the car is extraordinary.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > Steve in Manhattan 10/10/2014 at 08:36

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I would flatly disagree with that. While my company was tough to be an employee for, as far as how we handled the claim on the collision side was quite fair. I can tell you that we were never told to deny claims. We did deny stuff, for sure.

Obvious fraud claims

Investigate questionable fraud claims

Claimants claiming clearly unrelated damage

Every.Fucking.Burned.Out.Transmission, god that got old.

Shop owners that want to replace everything and repair nothing

We denied stuff, but not things we owed.

You're also in Manhatten. Can't speak for what goes on there, even in my old company

Roundbadge > Dsscats 10/10/2014 at 08:37

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KBB figures partly into that equation, but so do recent sales of similar vehicles (with similar equipment). They'll check ebay, autotrader, cars.com, etc... and come up with a baseline. Lowballing is certainly part of it, but sentimental value means nothing.

I'm not saying you wouldn't get $9200, but typically if you know your car is worth X and you want to guarantee that's what you get back, you need to buy a 'stated amount' policy at the outset.

GF of 11 years is a former adjuster, current estimator and still has her sales license. She's sold in 48 states & DC, currently only licensed in Ohio. My occupation isn't insurance-related, but this is all stuff she's told me before.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > wallaby13 10/10/2014 at 08:46

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The first question is poor training or a shitty company. We got doc'ed big time on our reviews if we did not specifically point out and choice the correct trim level for that model. If the claim is done, I do know what you could do beyond a lawyer, which would likely cost more than the difference in value from one level to the next. If the claim is not done, or in the future, as a supervisor to review it because you think the valuation did not include the correct equipment.

As an aside, I once what a claimant CRAZY yelling at me on the phone that his Corolla was a VE model, did yu hear me? a VEE EEE! Yeah. That stands for Value Edition. That was the basement, but oh well.

As for the second question, I think the way market values are run, using CCC or heaven forbid NADA, they still and will always see the auto as a cost at the time of purchase that leads to a rise in value at the price of sale. It's stupid on a car like Miata. You won't win that one.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > Rainbow 10/10/2014 at 08:49

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Yep. That's Diet Caffeine-Free Insurance Fraud.

The trouble is that if she never had it inspected or estimated, then it's tough to put a value on it.

We would write 'prior damage claims' and deduct it from the check we gave the claimant in super-obvious cases. If there is no way for the adjuster to know that, he or she should have been told. The sin of omission makes is 'diet'

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > macanamera 10/10/2014 at 08:51

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No, I won't. I'll be honest, for a price-price-price big national company, I will say they handled claims fairly. Respected their employees, not so much, but customers overall were treated well.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > AlmostJalop 10/10/2014 at 08:55

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Did minor claims on big battleship Benzs. Did a minor bumper repair claim on an 800 mile 911 Turbo. Dollar for dollar, that was probably the most expensive car.

I totaled a Neon with less than 300 miles on it. Rear-ended a tractor trailer. Smeared everything off the tops of the frame rails. No one hurt.

I once got a salvage bid (what would they buy the wrecked hulk for) on a Corvette for over $20K. Twenty Kilo-bucks for a wrecked car. Over the phone!

Did hurricane claims in Miami. Whole different deal down there.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 10/10/2014 at 08:59

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Thanks for the advise. I got about 8-10 questions and that's all I have time for right now anyway. I'll do it again a few weeks from now. Good questions

macanamera > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 10/10/2014 at 09:33

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Interesting...

treesmakewater > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 10/10/2014 at 12:50

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2000 Audi a6 quattro 4.2 it has the "summer package" that includes shades and a solar panel sunroof (to keep the interior cool while you are not in it, and to trickle charge the battery).

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > treesmakewater 10/10/2014 at 18:29

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never heard of that option. Love the idea. Don't like the idea of losing a car over it.

treesmakewater > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 10/10/2014 at 18:40

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it is wonderful in the summer (interior only gets slightly warm) if I lose my car over it I won't be too upset as I got a hell of a deal on it

Camry-Into-Canyon > Bandit 10/11/2014 at 17:00

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Sonofabitch, I'm paying 3.5K/year for my little turd!

wallaby13 > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 10/13/2014 at 19:59

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I've had 3 cars totalled out (only 1 my fault). With the two that weren't my fault both the Geico adjuster and the Progressive adjuster told me they were doing me a favor to adjust the claim to correct the trim level. Both cars were limited edition trims and had a number of identifying features. The Geico adjuster tried to cite existing damage to the car because it was on the other side of the vehicle. Meanwhile the police report showed the damage was caused by the accident.

When I totaled my Miata. My insurance even tried to pull a fast one. I thought maybe before the clients insurance was just trying to save a buck, and that a policy holder would be treated better. Nope they rang my car up as a base model Miata, while mine was the LS edition with the sports package.

In each case I've had to hold my ground and demand they re-evaluate the car. With the Miata I actually had to describe to them how they could identify the car was the trim I claimed it as.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > wallaby13 10/13/2014 at 22:03

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For the company that I worked for, the supervisors got credit if I misidentified the car and they caught it. That was the check and balance. If I missed a trim level or and option, paying too little counted against me the same as paying too much. No joke. We had no incentive to underpay.