Rear ended. Frame damage possible

[roadpilot]

I learned my lesson after my 2012 GT was totaled. I do true agreed value on my sports cars now.

Most insurers don't offer agreed value policies on your average everyday automobile.

Antiques, collectibles, classic, or higher value vehicles, yes, but not your everyday driver. Even with those, you have to go through specialty insurers.

Through which insurer did you get an agreed value policy for a late model Mustang?

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[REV745DH24]

Affirmative.

Go to Royal Docks (bar) at Massillon and ask for a stout beer called “Vlad”! Excellent beer of my kind! Just drink one not two when driving! One beer is sufficient!

 

[Neggytive]

@Neggytive - I prefer porters, ales, and stouts. None of that stinking lager or IPA stuff ... ;)

That is the visible damage the appraiser wrote

I guarantee you they did not open the trunk, we don't because if it doesn't close we are on the hook for the tow, etc.

If the parts are not available (code 99 backorder from Ford) in a reasonable length of time (30 days) it can be a constructive total loss

I totaled a Ferrari that needed a left 3/4 nose because the parts were not going to be available for a year. Stated value policy the Insurance company paid off $250K on a easy fix because they could not keep the guy in a rental for a year.

I bet the first line of the appraisal says "note to shop: before starting any repairs please perform a 2 hour tear down to expose hidden damage then stop and call listed appraiser for a second inspection"

Then the Appraiser will go to the body shop, they will have a list of everything the Appraiser either missed or could not see the first time, they will negotiate for labor rates and times, operations and procedures including resetting all the sensors, plus Mitchells Guide paint and material reimbursements. Just the additional P&M depending on the color can add $1500 to that claim.

Again, I have been doing this a long time, I owned a shop and worked for many carriers as an Independent Appraiser.

Nothing is set until the shop gets the car, tears into it, finds ALL the damage and negotiates a bottom line figure for the repair and once that is known they will do an ACV calculation and get salvage bids, then decide if they want to go forward from there

Remember there are no break points so everything but the nose of the car is going to have to be painted to carry the clear coat to a break point. The RF door will need a blend with all the associated R&I procedures. The rear glass has to come out depending on Fords replacement/sectioning procedures, seats, probably the headliner, the RF door interior trim, rt Quarter inside trim, side curtain airbags depending on where the cut and weld area is, Drop the gas tank, probably the RR suspension, if the exhaust is damaged that had to be OEM replacement and that is a couple of grand. Any connectors damaged or wiring harness damage? The shop will want OEM replacement and time to install it, again more R&R or R&I time. Rear package tray trim comes out, a good 100 dollars just for clips and misc hardware.

I guarantee you NONE of that is on the initial estimate and I'd love for the OP to put a picture of it up with his personal info blacked out so I can see what they wrote

 

[Zengineer]

Should he use a higher viscosity oil after he gets it back from the repair?

 

[Neggytive]

Great info!
How much does it typically cost to hire a company to try to get more money from the insurance provider?

The company out of the Carolinas I referenced above gets a flat fee of like $600 for anything valued under $100K, and he is VERY good.

I tend to only do it in MA and NH where most of my work is, and all the ones I have done this year were from people on another board I spend a lot of time on, where we are a very tight knit group because of the subject we discuss.

I was doing them from my house in FL or NH for those guys, I won every claim I was asked to come in on, and my fee to the owners was the promise that they would drop $20 in a Salvation Army Kettle at Christmas. One guy sent me a $25 Dunkin Donuts gift card in addition to the donation, and I got him something like $7000 more than the Insurance company offered on a total loss.

I love putting it to Insurance companies, it is fun for me.

I don't need the money and i have the time to do the occasional favor for like minded individuals.

 

[dusman59]

@neggyivtive what you say maybe true with your experience but the car was not totaled. If it was mine I would go after the other insurance company for loss of value and get rid of the car. Never talk to the other persons insurance and let your lawyer take care of everything. You should know of how this works and if it happened to you I suspect you would do the same.

 

[Stonehauler]

Dang! That sure sucks! Best wishes on getting it right "quick, fast, and in a hurry" and most importantly to YOUR satisfaction! GLAD you're OK!

There wasn't a "cell phone" involved in that (not that it's any of my business) was there? I had a guy in a Buick SUV *** end me in August of '20 while I was sitting at a stop sign in my Focus ST, waiting for cross traffic to clear. Brake lights and turn signal on, clear sunny day............**** head just HAD to take care of that important "text" while coming up behind me.

Got repaired OK, and in MI the injured party's insurance company can go after the "at fault' party's insurance to recover the IP's deductable. Still cost me a $1000 in trade in value though.

you do not want fast, quick, and in-a-hurry.

The old adage of "you can have fast, cheap, good, choose two" applies here, but with this being a new vehicle, you want them to take their time and fix it right.

I fully recognize that it will "never be 100 percent right again", but a really good bodyshop can usually get it back to 98-99 percent. Unfortunately, you need to know a really good body shop.

Unfortunately, I don't know a really good body shop in Texas. Maybe someone else can point you to one in your area.

 

[roadpilot]

It's NOT getting totaled, @Neggytive, and no matter how much you rattle on, that's not gonna change.

 

[Crew4991]

The company out of the Carolinas I referenced above gets a flat fee of like $600 for anything valued under $100K, and he is VERY good.

I tend to only do it in MA and NH where most of my work is, and all the ones I have done this year were from people on another board I spend a lot of time on, where we are a very tight knit group because of the subject we discuss.

I was doing them from my house in FL or NH for those guys, I won every claim I was asked to come in on, and my fee to the owners was the promise that they would drop $20 in a Salvation Army Kettle at Christmas. One guy sent me a $25 Dunkin Donuts gift card in addition to the donation, and I got him something like $7000 more than the Insurance company offered on a total loss.

I love putting it to Insurance companies, it is fun for me.

I don't need the money and i have the time to do the occasional favor for like minded individuals.

lol great work here but this might be contributing to the rise in insurance rate premiums we all complain about. While you stick it to them, they stick it right back to us.

 

[Wiley Marmot]

lol great work here but this might be contributing to the rise in insurance rate premiums we all complain about. While you stick it to them, they stick it right back to us.

Spot on! Any entity that has the ability to pass increased costs on........................does. So, no one is sticking it to the insurance, or any other company. They take it out on their employees or pass it on to their customers/clients.


My last ticket (50 MPH in a 45 MPH zone) was 2009, my last claim was Aug, 2020 and as noted above; the other driver was "at fault". So, to reward me as a faithful customer, who always paid on time and didn't cost them anything; last year, my insurance company (since 2007) raised my rate 15%. When I asked my Agent what was up with the increase he was very up front; they'd had "a bad year" in CA and FL due to all the fire and storm claims. Making me, and other customers absorb THEIR risk and cost; without ever having shared any profits.

I am no longer with them.

 

[Bikeman315]

Spot on! Any entity that has the ability to pass increased costs on........................does. So, no one is sticking it to the insurance, or any other company. They take it out on their employees or pass it on to their customers/clients.


My last ticket (50 MPH in a 45 MPH zone) was 2009, my last claim was Aug, 2020 and as noted above; the other driver was "at fault". So, to reward me as a faithful customer, who always paid on time and didn't cost them anything; last year, my insurance company (since 2007) raised my rate 15%. When I asked my Agent what was up with the increase he was very up front; they'd had "a bad year" in CA and FL due to all the fire and storm claims. Making me, and other customers absorb THEIR risk and cost; without ever having shared any profits.

I am no longer with them.

Same here. Have The Hartford/AARP. Rate for the upcoming year for two cars was up 20%. Called them and got the same type of excuses. Bodily injury went up the most. Comp and collision also up even though the cars are a year older. I’ll be shopping too.

 

[krisk]

lol great work here but this might be contributing to the rise in insurance rate premiums we all complain about. While you stick it to them, they stick it right back to us.

Absolutely true. They can only pay out in claims what they bring in for premiums. Claims go up, so do premiums. However, that is also why insurance companies look at your CLUE report and credit score when quoting you a policy. For this reason, I don't file a claim with insurance unless it is major. Having even a $2,000 claim on your CLUE will normally result in a higher premium. The more likely they think you are to file a claim, the higher your premium. This is not just auto insurance, but homeowners as well. However, the overall claims payouts do affect everyone's premiums even if you have a perfect record and no claims.

That said, if I have a major claim, I am going to certainly fight to get every dollar to which I am entitled, whether that is from my insurance company or someone else's if they are at fault. What makes me sick is all of the people who scam the insurance companies out of money for "medical injuries" as a result of a wreck. I'm all for having the insurance cover bills related to legitimate injuries in a wreck, but it is fairly common for someone to hire an attorney to get the max payout from another person's insurance due to fake, or extremely overstated, injuries. This is especially true when a business vehicle is involved. Some people are just looking for a payday.

I've found the best thing to do with insurance is to shop around. I was with USAA for 25+ years because they always seemed to have the best rates and their customer service was great. I just randomly checked with Progressive a couple years back, and their rates were nearly half of USAA. I know they are not rated as well for customer service, but I'm not up for paying twice the rate just for better customer service. I'd love to go back to USAA, and I check a couple times a year, but their rates are crazy compared to Progressive.

 

[Zig]

Absolutely true. They can only pay out in claims what they bring in for premiums. .

err what they earn (at the tables and track)

 

[krisk]

err what they earn (at the tables and track)

?

 

[Zig]

?

Insurance is legalized gambling, sometimes required bylaw. But that’s just me.

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