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I am no insurance expert, and things vary from state to state... BUT.....
I have dealt with nearly a hundred similar instances as a Fleet Manager (School Bus), we cannot get rentals, they just do not exist. 90% of the time, an accident is the "fault" of the other party. I play TOTAL HARDBALL.
First off, we repair our own units, it's faster and we NEED the vehicle back on the road. I give the "estimator" an option to inspect the vehicle before we work on it. Generally this means they have until 4pm on the day of the accident, or the following (if it occurs late in the day). Haha, not much time. A: "I NEED to look at it before you tear it apart".
I say, OK, you have until 4pm.
A: "No, no! I cannot get there until NEXT Thursday."
Me: Ok, you have a problem, I'll take pictures and save the old parts, see you then.
A: "NO! You cannot fix it UNTIL I look at it!"
Me: Ok, get me a rental! (LoL!!!)
A: "Um, where?"
Me: I don't care, that is YOUR problem.
A: "Ok, go ahead, but take lots of photos, and save the parts."
So, they ARE reasonable, when they HAVE to be. You just need to know YOUR rights.
Generally:
1) You need ONE estimate from a "reputable" shop, but more are better.
2) They do not decide to fix or not (if it's a near total), YOU DO.
3) You are ENTITLED to have the vehicle brought back the the same condition it was in PRIOR to the incident, no better.
4) Unless you have a "agreed value" policy, if you have $5000 in a $1500 vehicle, you are out of luck even with THEIR insurance company. If you have a "rider" for aftermarket accessories, you are entitled to that money as well.
5) You are ENTITLED to FAIR MARKET VALUE if the vehicle IS totaled. The question becomes what is FMV? eBay, the BrickBorad etc are legimate sources to determine this from the SELLING price of similar vehicles (age, mileage,condition).
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JohnG 1989 245 MT @ 225,000
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