Total Loss

[happydude]

I was involved in a low speed collision (No airbags deployed). The other driver was at fault for turning left from the far right lane in a 3 lane street in front of me without looking. On Tuesday I was informed the estimates were done and work was to be started on the repairs. This morning insurance emailed me and deemed it a total loss and valued my car at $16.8k. Tried to call them but the adjuster is no longer with the company. The repair shop said there was no frame damage but estimated $12.3k to repair. Trying to see what they will sell the car back to me at but cannot get ahold of a new adjuster. Anyone have experience with arguing the value successfully? Insurance is through Safeco (Liberty Mutual).


According to shop the following need to be replaced:
Front Bumper
Front Side Fender
DCT Cooler
Wheel Hub
Headlight
Hood
Suspension (all original) struts and control arms for the right side
Aluminum undertray from MPorium
And all the misc wheel well and stuff

Pictures below. 09 E92 with 105k miles. RB done at 99k. I'm second owner (my dad was original owner). Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[rwheels]

Not much help, but better views.

[jiggz]

Yes the payoff value can absolutely be negotiated. Your insurance company can't close your claim until you agree to the payout, and it costs them $ to keep a claim open.

I would go online and find some cars similar to yours in year, mileage, etc., and provide those values. Doesn't have to be local to you either, search nationwide, as that's how many people end up buying these cars. Provide those values to whoever you end up working with.

Escalate the call if the new adjuster is not available, that's just unacceptable. Best of luck, sounds like a frustrating situation.

[Dlpfcb]

No way this is a total loss. I would but it back in a second.

[GORDON.M3]

That's nothing. Would buy it back with no hesitation. Space grey parts are also dime a dozen.

[Siajoon]

That's insanely low, my friends 2006 e46 m3 was a loss and he got paid out much much higher than that.... and he has a little less miles than you. Argue the payout! Insurance companies are thieves!!!

[Melbourn3]

Buy that back ASAP! If you don’t you have a whole bunch of people on this forum that would! Don’t take the initial payout and send the highest comps you can find. Screw them!

[duk]

All man, glad ur ok at least

[jiggz]

If you buy it back as is you've got a car with a total loss on the Carfax.

If it were me, I'd find as many comps as possible and aim for a higher ACV. If you can convince your adjuster the car is worth a fair amount more than their lowball offer, it's possible the percentages (cost to repair vs. ACV) shake out differently and the car is not a total loss. That would be my approach.

[tbuck]

Clearly they are lowballing in the hopes you will take the deal. Tell them to F-off! There are a ton of comps out there so look around and find some (which is sadly what they are supposed to do....) and throw them back in their face.

Also, start looking for a better insurance company. I had them for a few years, not a great experience to say the least. Good luck!

[CamasM3e93]

That offer is about 5K low with last year's prices. Probably throw on another 3k in value with the movement in pricing.

[akkando]

There's only one car in the country that's priced lower than what they offered. It has 166k miles, 60 thousand more than yours and it was in a minor accident, stained brown trunk, 3 previous owners, and failed emissions in Texas once.

How can they justify that price?

[jayzbird]

What state are you in? The threshold for total loss varies. You are at 73% currently. Check here https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.car...hresholds.aspx. Are you working with your insurance company or the other party’s? Always use yours in these situations. Yours is motivated to keep you happy in cases like this. The other company is not. It’s not too late to file a claim with your own company. All the advice on seeking comps is good and necessary regardless, but I’d recommend (1) get your own appraisal from a good body shop so you know how bad the damage is and how much to fix it right. 2. Based on that info, decide if you want to keep the car. If so, your goal is to keep it from being totaled either by increasing value or lowering repair cost. Last thing you want to do is take the lowball offer, buy it back and be on the hook for whatever else they find needs to be repaired, and be stuck with a salvage title. Best case you get the paint like new (go get a PPF immediately!) accept a moderate ding on the resale, and keep the car in the family.

[jiggz]

Also, if you aren't getting any traction with your claims adjuster, reach out to your agent. You pay them a commission to deal with this stuff, especially when you aren't getting anywhere with a claim - make them go to bat for you, that's their job.

[Redd]

That damage is so minor. I think US labor rates really skew when insurance companies decide to write off an accident vehicle.

[Msidhu1]

Originally Posted by jayzbird

What state are you in? The threshold for total loss varies. You are at 73% currently. Check here https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.car...hresholds.aspx. Are you working with your insurance company or the other party’s? Always use yours in these situations. Yours is motivated to keep you happy in cases like this. The other company is not. It’s not too late to file a claim with your own company. All the advice on seeking comps is good and necessary regardless, but I’d recommend (1) get your own appraisal from a good body shop so you know how bad the damage is and how much to fix it right. 2. Based on that info, decide if you want to keep the car. If so, your goal is to keep it from being totaled either by increasing value or lowering repair cost. Last thing you want to do is take the lowball offer, buy it back and be on the hook for whatever else they find needs to be repaired, and be stuck with a salvage title. Best case you get the paint like new (go get a PPF immediately!) accept a moderate ding on the resale, and keep the car in the family.

I second this. Went through the same thing a month ago with wife's car. Filed a claim with at fault other driver's insurance company. Their offered was based on comps from January and February time frame. Had back and forth about current market values and got no where. Shared the examples of what is available in the market now. At one point adjuster just stopped answering our phones and emails. Ended up filing a claim with our company and offer was $5k more for one year old suv. Time wasted and learned no to do it again. Always a good idea to go with your company and have them handle this for you. Note it is a longer process as you have to wait for your deductible. But way less hassle.

[Aden M3]

Most importantly OP didnt get hurt!

[happydude]

Originally Posted by Aden M3

Most importantly OP didnt get hurt!

Thanks! However the emotional pain is quite overwhelming.

[happydude]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I am located in Texas, I initially went through her insurance and after a week of having issues getting any response from them and not even giving me a rental vehicle, I called up mine and this process is through my insurance. So I contacted my agent and was informed the adjuster they did not leave the company, but went on an indefinite leave. I cannot speak to a normal adjuster as I have to have a total loss adjuster. But since he is on a leave of absence and still with the company, I will not be reassigned a new adjuster and that it is handled by the "backup team" which has no phone number and only way to contact them is via email. So this is the email I drafted to them below with names and claim numbers removed. This is a total mess and once I get this claim finished and refunded my deductible after they recoup costs from other drivers insurance, I will be switching insurance companies.



Hello,

I am reaching out as my adjuster (Name Removed) is on an indefinite leave. I believe my vehicle is grossly undervalued, and that the damage will not be within the threshold of a total loss once the appropriate value is assigned to the vehicle and that the vehicle could still be repaired.

The E92 M3 (2008-2013) is an enthusiast car that is highly sought after across the country by other enthusiasts. Many are willing to fly across the country to purchase this model. It is the only naturally aspirated V8 BMW ever manufactured in an M3. Due to the high cost of maintenance of these M Model BMWs, the maintenance history of these cars play a significant role and a key metric in the value and what buyers are willing to pay. Vehicles with proof of key maintenance items such as replacement of rod bearings, throttle valve actuators, and all fluids flushed (transmission, differential, power steering, and coolant). Ownership history is also another metric used by enthusiasts. My father was the original owner and we have maintained full service records from this vehicle for the entirety of its life which I can provide as proof that all the services I have mentioned above were completed. I have also looked at comparable vehicles with no service history and many of the cars are listed for significantly higher than the value I have received from Liberty Mutual.

Also I noticed in the report that there are many features missing from my vehicle such as navigation (updated with BMW version North America Premium 2021-1), Electronic Damping Suspension Control, M Performance exhaust, M performance carbon fiber spoiler, and other miscellaneous upgraded M trims.

I would like to discuss these things with an adjuster if you could provide me contact information for me to reach out as well as provide any documentation you require. I hope that we can come to an agreement on the value of the vehicle in which Liberty Mutual will be able to repair my vehicle.

[kolosy]

i gotta be honest, that situation sounds shady AF.

[tbuck]

No one can handle the issue since the guy is out on "indefinite leave"???? Sounds like some epic bullshit to me. Wishing you good luck with this!

[jiggz]

At this point your agent is still your best bet. They should know who to contact & how to escalate, they've dealt with this before.

Otherwise, if you really feel hung out to dry with no help or recourse, I would file a complaint with the Texas DOI, you can do it online. This will typically get their attention, no company wants the state DOI on their case.

https://www.tdi.texas.gov/consumer/a...complaint.html