Car being written off

[Kari_310]

Hey all,
So long story short, my car (2013 merccedes C300) was stolen and the cops just found it totaled, there is no way it's coming back to me.

So, what are you guy's tips/advice for dealing with the insurance company to get the most out of the value of the car? I heard some people are able to negotiate a price?

TIA for all advice

[Blue]

they usually tell you find the same km/years/package on kijiji or whatever and they just pay you for that. That's what happen to me with the X5 i had.

[Disoblige]

Originally posted by Blue
they usually tell you find the same km/years/package on kijiji or whatever and they just pay you for that. That's what happen to me with the X5 i had.

Wow really? That seems like it would be really inconsistent. Asking price vs. selling price are different.

If so, find the most overpriced C300 w/ similar KM ever and use that

[Swank]

^or have your friend post a kijiji ad for the amount you'd like to receive

[JohnnyHockey]

Originally posted by Blue
they usually tell you find the same km/years/package on kijiji or whatever and they just pay you for that. That's what happen to me with the X5 i had.

Damn man what company you with? ?????? Lol

[blownz]

What worked for me when my F10 was written off last year was after the insurance company low-balled me with an offer of black book value, I got a quote from the BMW dealer for a similar vehicle and had them add window tint and 3M for $2000 and $500 dealer admin fee. Price was really high and I gave it to the insurance company and told them I didn't trust private sellers and I found a similar one at the dealer and they cut me a cheque for the exact amount. It was about $8K more then what they offered me originally.

Good luck. Adjusters can be a PITA

[haggis88]

when my GF's Ranger was written off last year, I went on Autotrader, looked for all 4x4 Rangers for sale in Alberta, and worked out the median price

The cash they offered was exactly that median

[revelations]

Originally posted by Swank
^or have your friend post a kijiji ad for the amount you'd like to receive

I'd go as far as pay several people to do this for me.

[Redlyne_mr2]

lol clever people on here

[AE92_TreunoSC]

Insurance companies will call the ads that are above median to verify they are real. Don't try to trick them as they've seen it all.

Just look up comparables and make a good honest argument.

[CompletelyNumb]

You're just unlucky that used vehicle prices are lower than normal due to the recession. On the bright side, it may mean replacement is as well.

Good luck. Don't be afraid to counter offer.

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by AE92_TreunoSC
Insurance companies will call the ads that are above median to verify they are real. Don't try to trick them as they've seen it all.

So is that who keeps replying to my ads asking if it's still available and I never hear from them again?

[BokCh0y]

When I wrote off my IS, statefarm gave me a comparison of 5 ISs with roughly the same mileage but all had the same package. I also gave them all my receipts for work recently done - maintenance, tires, battery, etc.. Also let them know what packages you have and stuff.

They ended up giving me a reasonable value for the car, but it was still a little on the low side. Nothing more I could do to get anything back. Could've been worse though, they could've low balled me like the other poster here.

But then again....that was statefarm.

[freshprince1]

Find any and all recent receipts for maintenance and upgrades, that can help get a premium on the payout (i.e. new clutch, new tires, etc). They usually have preset ranges that they'll payout. Highlight how good of condition it was in to get the higher end of the spectrum.

Also, make sure you get the price they're paying out, as well as GST on top of that. That's an extra 5% right there that they may try to "forget" about including.

I've had one write off. Having supplied a full list of maintenance history and recent upgrades, I was quite pleased with their original amount quoted. Though....never hurts to ask for more no matter what they start with.

Good luck.

[C_Dave45]

When our Lincoln Navigator was written off in the accident I spent all kinds of time looking up similarly priced vehicles...looking for any receipts that might up the value, etc, etc. I was all geared up for a nasty fight with the Insurance company.

When they phoned me she told me what the cheque was for, and I was stopped dead in my tracks.
"OH. Okay. Thank you". It was more than the highest Kijiji price I could find. More than I was hoping to get. There was nothing I could say.

Unless you're dealing with some 80,000 dollar car, it seems insurance companies can't be bothered to quibble over a grand here or there on a used vehicle. They'll give you a decent buck and that's the end of it.

I've seen this a few times now.

[Ymerej472008]

I wrote off my ISF months ago (TD Meloche Monnex), they were a nightmare to deal with and the lowball offer was the least of my hassle.

Tow truck driver left the windows open and kept the key, rained on the interior, I closed the windows when I went to grab my contents a few hours later...I locked the doors also.

Adjuster said interior had water damage, gave a false odometer reading since he didn't have the keys to check. (10,000km = $1500 roughly).

They were still billing me my monthly premium while my car was in the impound, I also declined the rental car and sent photo evidence of the odometer that day and the windows open when I arrived.

I ended up back and forthing them for just under 3 weeks and got a decent price for it. They also refunded me my premiums and retro'd me to the day of the accident.

Don't let your insurance company dick you around.

[ExtraSlow]

I wrote off two vehicles with TDMM, One colisions and one hail, and they were zero hassle to deal with in terms of vehicle value. Maybe it's because both cars were pretty shitty, but the offers were above what I felt I could have gotten selling privately. Actually, the one that got written off by hail had some serious mechanical problems that meant I was dying to get rid of it anyway, and they paid me like it was in perfect condition. I feel like I came out ahead on that one. Beaters FTW!

I'm hoping to not write off any more vehicles for a few years.

[theken]

i just got 7 grand damage to my escalade... they didn't write it off, considering they are only worth about 7 grand now I was definitely confused, they have also been fixing it for over 3 weeks now. When i had my probe written off when i was about 17, i had paid $3000 for it, when he checked on it he said he looked on auto trader and all he could find was new styles for the gt, so they gave me the median price for those, which was like $4600, so i accepted quickly.

[Type_S1]

They will low ball you to start 100%. Counter with ads from Kijiji and auto trader to show higher value or go to the dealer and see what they have used and get a quote in writing. Dealer will have the highest price, then auto trader, then Kijiji. I would suggest you have a few friends post fake ads on Kijiji with similar kms to jack the price up as high as possible.

[Kari_310]

Thanks all for the comments!

That's a really good idea about going to talk to someone at the dealership to provide an invoice for a similar vehicle and then add on 3M + new tires that I just purchased.

Hopefully that will work, especially since i'm most likely going to purchase the exact same thing from the dealership (2013 C300) or upgrade to a C350, I want to basically pretend like this never happened...

Side note, I'm using Unifund insurance and they have really surprised me with their service, everything has been so smooth and when my rep isn't available I just call the 1-800 number and the person that answers takes on my new problems like it's their own. I just made a claim through home insurance for some of items in the car/garage that were stolen and it was the least painful thing ever. a cheque was written to me within the afternoon of starting the claim, hopefully it continues through the auto claim as well!