dealing with insurance over a "totaled" vehicle?

[Hellbent]

i like that idea...
it's an '89 mj long bed 4x4, man trans, 4.25" lift, 31's, 185k, (was)in overall good shape....a "20-footer". looks pretty good from 20-30 ft away.

What yr model and such is it.

We should all have a guess and see how close we can get to the offer...

As a quick guess its a 1989 MJ... I would think they offer $2700, but with some arguing you get them up to $4100. NADA shows a very high value for the 89 MJ - $2700~$6200.

Good luck with it and hope they take care of you....

 

[jrowell]

I'm guessing a first offer of $1500.

 

[Hellbent]

so it's officially totaled-$8200 in damages. :gee:
Waiting to hear what the initial offer is...

 

[Vanimal]

I'm guessing a first offer of $1500.

I'm guessing at least 3k

 

[nosigma]

Back in November a deer commited suiced using my DD 2000 Nissan Altima as the weapon of choice. Hood, fender, hood latch, bumper skin and left head light were damaged. GEICO says that totaled is 70% of the cost to replace the vehicle. Damage repair was 75% of replacement cost. I spend $65 on a salvage yard head light, had GEICO send me a check for $3,200 (70% of replacment). Picked up the check in 2 weeks. I bought a 98 TJ for my daughter (17 on learners permit) for $2750 and I still drive the Nissan daily (my neighbors already hated me for how my XJ dropped their property values so I dont care how it looks) and I had $450 left over to pay for wife and daughter to fly to Charleston SC for spring break.

Good deal for me. Daugher loves daddy more, wife is indifferent and I dont give a damn about the neighbors.

Now if just another suicidal deer would hit my XJ so I can get another big check...

Go GEICO.

John

 

[sidewaysstarion]

Back in November a deer commited suiced using my DD 2000 Nissan Altima as the weapon of choice. Hood, fender, hood latch, bumper skin and left head light were damaged. GEICO says that totaled is 70% of the cost to replace the vehicle. Damage repair was 75% of replacement cost. I spend $65 on a salvage yard head light, had GEICO send me a check for $3,200 (70% of replacment). Picked up the check in 2 weeks. I bought a 98 TJ for my daughter (17 on learners permit) for $2750 and I still drive the Nissan daily (my neighbors already hated me for how my XJ dropped their property values so I dont care how it looks) and I had $450 left over to pay for wife and daughter to fly to Charleston SC for spring break.

Good deal for me. Daugher loves daddy more, wife is indifferent and I dont give a damn about the neighbors.

Now if just another suicidal deer would hit my XJ so I can get another big check...

Go GEICO.

John

Too bad the deer didn't have insurance and wasn't driving another car, you probably would have gotten a bigger check.

 

[David_Bricker]

Too bad the deer didn't have insurance and wasn't driving another car, you probably would have gotten a bigger check.

We need to start a campaign to teach deer how to drive cars. Badly drive cars, of course, but at least be behind the wheel.

David Bricker / SYR

 

[Hellbent]

We need to start a campaign to teach deer how to drive cars. Badly drive cars, of course, but at least be behind the wheel.

David Bricker / SYR

Now THERE'S an idea!

Of course this couldn't be smooth and easy. The guy is claiming his vehicle malfunctioned and caused the accident.
Sooooooo, now there's an "investigation" going on with the car. No telling how long that'll take. According to his insurance, nothing is going to happen until it's determined whether the car was faulty, or the driver was.
Fun... :doh:

 

[shelbyluvv]

This wasn't your beautiful gold MJ was it?

 

[Hellbent]

Nope. She was/is a beautiful faded tan. :laugh:

 

[scottmcneal]

Glad you didn't get hurt. It is always nice to be able to walk away.

 

[Hellbent]

Yup. I could be dead, or in the hospital wondering who/how was this getting paid for.
Just sucks having no control over this process.

Glad you didn't get hurt. It is always nice to be able to walk away.

 

[Vanimal]

No insurance company in the world wants to piss off someone their driver hit. I'm sure there isnt much to stress about.

 

[shelbyluvv]

Your truck was what started my MJ addiction. I had a picture of it sitting on a hilltop with a desert type backdrop. I remember it had turbine wheels on it. It was my computer background for years. I hope everything works out for you man.

 

[David_Bricker]

Of course this couldn't be smooth and easy. The guy is claiming his vehicle malfunctioned and caused the accident.
Sooooooo, now there's an "investigation" going on with the car. No telling how long that'll take. According to his insurance, nothing is going to happen until it's determined whether the car was faulty, or the driver was.
Fun... :doh:

Insurance wizard, I'm not. But, it really doesn't matter to you whether the other driver's vehicle malfunctioned, or the driver did something he shouldn't have. The other driver's insured vehicle hit yours, period. It's not your responsibility to have to wait until their investigation is complete, before they settle your claim.

Seems to me they may be stalling, to put you in a more desperate situation to settle. I don't buy it. If it were me, I'd be calling back the insurance company, with multiple examples of like-equipped vehicles in hand, and telling them you want them to resolve this now.

Remember also, if you can't find the same type of vehicle (needs a lift, sliders, etc) to include the labor costs involved in getting those additional items installed. It's the insurance company's responsibility to make you whole; if their insured hadn't hit you, you still be driving your rig. And, be sure they cover your costs while waiting for the settlement, as well. Rental car, whatever.

David Bricker / SYR

 

[Hellbent]

This is exactly the way I feel about it. However, I don't know jack about the in & outs of auto insurance laws, etc.
Tomorrow will be one week since I was hit, and all I really know is that my truck is totaled....nothing else. Not even the slightest idea of when something....anything will happen.
I should be able to have my xj basically roadworthy by Tuesday, so I'll probably return the rental then.
I don't think I want to gamble on who's covering the rental, when they'll pay, and how long this will drag on.

Insurance wizard, I'm not. But, it really doesn't matter to you whether the other driver's vehicle malfunctioned, or the driver did something he shouldn't have. The other driver's insured vehicle hit yours, period. It's not your responsibility to have to wait until their investigation is complete, before they settle your claim.

Seems to me they may be stalling, to put you in a more desperate situation to settle. I don't buy it. If it were me, I'd be calling back the insurance company, with multiple examples of like-equipped vehicles in hand, and telling them you want them to resolve this now.

Remember also, if you can't find the same type of vehicle (needs a lift, sliders, etc) to include the labor costs involved in getting those additional items installed. It's the insurance company's responsibility to make you whole; if their insured hadn't hit you, you still be driving your rig. And, be sure they cover your costs while waiting for the settlement, as well. Rental car, whatever.

David Bricker / SYR

 

[sidewaysstarion]

This is exactly the way I feel about it. However, I don't know jack about the in & outs of auto insurance laws, etc.
Tomorrow will be one week since I was hit, and all I really know is that my truck is totaled....nothing else. Not even the slightest idea of when something....anything will happen.
I should be able to have my xj basically roadworthy by Tuesday, so I'll probably return the rental then.
I don't think I want to gamble on who's covering the rental, when they'll pay, and how long this will drag on.

Keep the rental as long as they allow it, you are %100 not at fault in the situation and his insurance is going to cover your vehicle, what sounds like is going on is a stall tactic as Bricker said. Just ride it out and enjoy having a nice rental car. You get to keep driving it till they make you your first offer, they also get really good rates on cars as well if you decide to keep it for a few extra days ~$10 a day IIRC. Get your XJ road worthy and be prepared to wait. when my XJ got clipped it took me 11 months to get a check for the damage because there were multiple parties involved in the accident and none of the parties were %100 at fault. Your case sounds pretty cut and dry but it might take them about a month or two to get it all sorted out, but in the end they have to make you whole regardless of if it was a mechanical issue or driver error.

 

[Hillbilly XJ]

I Have dealt with this 2 different times once with my own insurance company on a Diesel Pusher Motor Home totaled by hail damage. Then again with a drivers insurance company who ran a red light and hit me while driving a 1969 AMC Scrambler special ordered for a drag car only lots of deletes. this was in 2004.

Both of these claims were settled in the same way, in the only way they could have been. Thank God for the Internet the Motor Home was 10 yrs. old and they depreciate quickly on the books anyway I had bought used 4 yrs. prior to the accident and I was a higher end unit and loaded with every option you could think of. There was nothing in my area like it and I didn't like the offer they made so I went online and did a search for the same model, make. year and options for sale in the US. Found 9 at that time and printed each out for the ins. co. and we sat down to talk they tossed the 2 highest they were really high and I discarded the 2 lowest ones. After an hour we settled on one in FL. including 2 airline tickets and fuel back here for a total of $278,000. I was pleased as I came out on the best end of the deal.

the 1969 Rambler with the factory 390ci. engine that took me 6 yrs. to restore was another story there were only 485 of them made to the spec I had. Again went to the computer found 2 only 1 was like mine the other was a production model street/strip with heater and AC wipers bucket seats auto trans both in CA.

That company elected not to buy the one like mine for sale but did pay the value it was insured for with Haggerties Ins. for that type of car.

Use the search for an MJ then use those to bargain with, I want a nice MJ also one of these days.

 

[Hellbent]

it's looking like this is going to be a giant pain in the ass.
i'm being told that "the investigation" into the car possibly having some kind of malfunction could take "quite some time", and there is very likely going to be an issue of the property damages to all involved vehicles being more than his coverage....not by much, i think-but still an issue.
in light of that, i'm going to return the rental and send them a copy of the bill, and hope i get reimbursed sometime/somehow.
it looks like it's going to be some time before i see anything.

 

[David_Bricker]

That's a shame to hear. I would make sure your insurance company is aware of this incident. Depending on your coverage, they make pick up the difference if the other company doesn't cover it all. At a minimum, I would talk to your insurance company as to whether the other company's story is really legit. I still don't but it.

You may also consider consulting an attorney. Chances are the guy has no money to cover any shortage in insurance coverage, but something about this whole thing doesn't sound right. A couple hundred invested in a consultation might be worth it, if nothing else to bluff back at the other insurance company. My concern is still that they are trying to muscle you into a weaker negotiating position.

David Bricker / SYR