Theives Took My Baby... Now What?
07-09-2015, 06:20 AM
#21
Originally Posted by Da New Yawka
As for your car getting totaled, I doubt it will happen.
Book value on your has to be at least $16k.
07-09-2015, 03:59 PM
#23
Those were my thoughts as well. A guy who works in the same building as me had his hard top stolen at his home (and the thieves bashed out a window to gain access to the car). They did *not* take his seats, but the insurance claims adjuster said the seats were damaged by the broken glass as was the dash, I believe. After they added it all up, they declared the car a total loss and gave the man a check. All I could think at the time was, "I wish I had the cash on hand right now to grab that car and turn it into my track toy!" In hindsight, I somewhat regret not pursuing finding out what it would have taken to get the car, and then put my Lotus up for sale. Bang for the buck probably would have been better.
OP: if you are okay with the idea that your title would be branded Salvage or Rebuilt, you could take the pay-out and then buy the car back. Because you know that the issues are due to theft and not damage/accident (and assuming it has never had major damage in its history), you know that the car is safe to drive once the safety items are handled (air bag) and the other necessary things such as seats are replaced with something that makes you happy. If you figure to own it forever, then the title being branded is not that big of a deal. I would make sure the insurance provider would agree to continue covering it after you correct any deficiencies in the vehicle to make it drivable.
One nice thing about this sort of branded title is that reports like CarFax and AutoCheck will typically include the cause for the issuance of a salvage title. And if you take many pictures and save all of your documentation (police report, insurance correspondence, repair quotes, and then receipts for all of the replacement parts and labor), you have proof in the event you ever do need to sell it someday.
It's just something to consider. If this were to happen to my car today, I would seriously consider going that route. Since I've owned mine since new and know all of its history, I would definitely be considering keeping it and then making some changes with aftermarket seats, etc. That stated, I would also seriously consider getting the highest possible pay out I could land, add some $ to it, and then maybe start searching for a pristine '09.
Be sure to get an independent estimate on the "damages" on the car from a shop of your own choosing. In the event that insurance comes back with a particularly low $ figure, you want to have something which substantiates a request of more money. And have a list of comparable cars to yours which are up for sale right now in your area. If they total your car, the idea is that you would be able to take that money and replace it with the same condition vehicle. Sometimes what insurance says your car is worth differs from what it is worth in reality and you may have to advocate for yourself more aggressively.
OP: if you are okay with the idea that your title would be branded Salvage or Rebuilt, you could take the pay-out and then buy the car back. Because you know that the issues are due to theft and not damage/accident (and assuming it has never had major damage in its history), you know that the car is safe to drive once the safety items are handled (air bag) and the other necessary things such as seats are replaced with something that makes you happy. If you figure to own it forever, then the title being branded is not that big of a deal. I would make sure the insurance provider would agree to continue covering it after you correct any deficiencies in the vehicle to make it drivable.
One nice thing about this sort of branded title is that reports like CarFax and AutoCheck will typically include the cause for the issuance of a salvage title. And if you take many pictures and save all of your documentation (police report, insurance correspondence, repair quotes, and then receipts for all of the replacement parts and labor), you have proof in the event you ever do need to sell it someday.
It's just something to consider. If this were to happen to my car today, I would seriously consider going that route. Since I've owned mine since new and know all of its history, I would definitely be considering keeping it and then making some changes with aftermarket seats, etc. That stated, I would also seriously consider getting the highest possible pay out I could land, add some $ to it, and then maybe start searching for a pristine '09.
Be sure to get an independent estimate on the "damages" on the car from a shop of your own choosing. In the event that insurance comes back with a particularly low $ figure, you want to have something which substantiates a request of more money. And have a list of comparable cars to yours which are up for sale right now in your area. If they total your car, the idea is that you would be able to take that money and replace it with the same condition vehicle. Sometimes what insurance says your car is worth differs from what it is worth in reality and you may have to advocate for yourself more aggressively.
07-09-2015, 06:19 PM
#24
Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Auto damage supervisor here. Most likely the car will be totaled. IF it is not totaled, it is going to be due to using recycled parts. Issue is what condition will the recycled seats, dash and steering wheel arrive in??
Also, Florida may be difficult to retain a vehicle. I worked in the NY area and certain times of the year we had many FL residents visiting. Most FL vehicles receive a certificate of destruction, aka the vehicle can not be registered. FL determines this status based on the age of the vehicle and the repair cost compared to the value of the vehicle.
Let me know if you have questions. I'd be more than willing to help a fellow s2000 owner get the most out of their insurance company.
Also, Florida may be difficult to retain a vehicle. I worked in the NY area and certain times of the year we had many FL residents visiting. Most FL vehicles receive a certificate of destruction, aka the vehicle can not be registered. FL determines this status based on the age of the vehicle and the repair cost compared to the value of the vehicle.
Let me know if you have questions. I'd be more than willing to help a fellow s2000 owner get the most out of their insurance company.
07-11-2015, 01:13 AM
#28
07-16-2015, 02:49 PM
#29
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This process is becoming more fun by the minute...
Called in the claim July 4. All State representative #1 informs me that after they towed away my car to one of their partner shops, an adjuster would come out to assess the damages. Once an estimate was made, I could have the repairs done at their partner shop, or anywhere else I preferred.
Called my local insurance agent July 8, the morning after my initial post here. She was confused as to why they towed my car, given that we don't have roadside assistance on our policy. She answered a few easy questions I basically already knew the answers to, but couldn't answer my other questions because she doesn't handle the claims side of things and that the claims dept. would be the one to talk to.
Called All State immediately afterwards so I could wrap my head around the process. Rep #2 tells me that roadside assistance on our policy isn't relevant, they tow the car to a shop in either case as part of the claim. Rep #2 tells me that everything rep #1 said was misinformed; they towed the car there with the intent to have that shop be the one to do the estimate and the repairs and have All State handle the bill upon completion, minus my deductible of course.
Called the shop immediately afterwards. Betty from the shop (who sounded like the only person I've talked to during this process who has any clue what's going on) tells me rep #2 was misinformed, they would wait for an All State adjuster to come out and then I'd decide to have the work done there or at another shop of my choice. They wouldn't be allowed to begin repairs without me signing papers anyway. When I asked Betty how long I should expect to wait to hear back from the All State adjuster, she gave me a ballpark guess of 48 hours.
Having not heard anything come Monday afternoon (July 13), I called All State back to see what was up. Rep #3 apologized that no one had told me it usually takes 7 days to get an adjuster out, and that one was scheduled to come out the next day.
Having still not heard back from anyone, I called the shop to see if an adjuster had been out yet. I asked to speak with Betty, but she's away on vacation for the next 2 weeks. The guy there informed me that no one from All State had been out yet and I should call them back to see what's going on.
All State rep #4 tells me that they weren't sending out an adjuster, that rep #2's description was accurate, and that the shop should do their own estimate and begin the repairs. I asked her to conference in the shop so that they could corroborate or reject that assessment. The guy at the shop who came on the line wasn't the one handling the claim and had no background on it, so he's going ahead with rep #2 & #4s procedure; he'd call me once the shop makes their own assessment, before they go ahead on the repairs.
4 All State reps, 2 people from the shop, (2+1) of them say one thing, (2+1) of them say the exact opposite. I have no idea what to do (other than never use All State again after this is all said and done) other than say Ok and pray that I don't spend another 12 days without a car without a single ounce of progress being made...
Called in the claim July 4. All State representative #1 informs me that after they towed away my car to one of their partner shops, an adjuster would come out to assess the damages. Once an estimate was made, I could have the repairs done at their partner shop, or anywhere else I preferred.
Called my local insurance agent July 8, the morning after my initial post here. She was confused as to why they towed my car, given that we don't have roadside assistance on our policy. She answered a few easy questions I basically already knew the answers to, but couldn't answer my other questions because she doesn't handle the claims side of things and that the claims dept. would be the one to talk to.
Called All State immediately afterwards so I could wrap my head around the process. Rep #2 tells me that roadside assistance on our policy isn't relevant, they tow the car to a shop in either case as part of the claim. Rep #2 tells me that everything rep #1 said was misinformed; they towed the car there with the intent to have that shop be the one to do the estimate and the repairs and have All State handle the bill upon completion, minus my deductible of course.
Called the shop immediately afterwards. Betty from the shop (who sounded like the only person I've talked to during this process who has any clue what's going on) tells me rep #2 was misinformed, they would wait for an All State adjuster to come out and then I'd decide to have the work done there or at another shop of my choice. They wouldn't be allowed to begin repairs without me signing papers anyway. When I asked Betty how long I should expect to wait to hear back from the All State adjuster, she gave me a ballpark guess of 48 hours.
Having not heard anything come Monday afternoon (July 13), I called All State back to see what was up. Rep #3 apologized that no one had told me it usually takes 7 days to get an adjuster out, and that one was scheduled to come out the next day.
Having still not heard back from anyone, I called the shop to see if an adjuster had been out yet. I asked to speak with Betty, but she's away on vacation for the next 2 weeks. The guy there informed me that no one from All State had been out yet and I should call them back to see what's going on.
All State rep #4 tells me that they weren't sending out an adjuster, that rep #2's description was accurate, and that the shop should do their own estimate and begin the repairs. I asked her to conference in the shop so that they could corroborate or reject that assessment. The guy at the shop who came on the line wasn't the one handling the claim and had no background on it, so he's going ahead with rep #2 & #4s procedure; he'd call me once the shop makes their own assessment, before they go ahead on the repairs.
4 All State reps, 2 people from the shop, (2+1) of them say one thing, (2+1) of them say the exact opposite. I have no idea what to do (other than never use All State again after this is all said and done) other than say Ok and pray that I don't spend another 12 days without a car without a single ounce of progress being made...
07-16-2015, 04:20 PM
#30
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,003
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yeah, Allstate is a joke. Just google "Allstate insurance claim issues". You won't have the time in a week to read them all...
Ps, sorry about your loss and best of luck resolving the situation .
Ps, sorry about your loss and best of luck resolving the situation .