# James River totaling my rear ended but drivable car



## Zodiacus (Jul 2, 2018)

i got rear ended by a car on the highway last week, my car got hit pretty hard but nothing happened to me or the passengers, the cars internal rear bumper absorbed all the shock. My car is totally drivable so I drove it home. Unfortunately the car that hitted me drove away and I was unable to get the plates, the police report was filed as a hit and run.

1st I filed the claim under progressive which is my personal insurance and they instructed to get the car to one of their shops to be repaired. I saw the damage to the car and there’s subtantial damage to the internal steel bumper and the damage spread around the spare tire compartment and a little bit around the base of the rear seats. Rear door and tail light are intact, I drove the car to the shop that was about 10 miles away, and it seemed to drive fine. This doesn’t look like a cheap fix, but the car it’s not a mess.

Unfortunately progressive found out I was doing Uber so they cancelled the repairs on the shop and told me I need to transfer the claim to Uber’s insurance James River.

James River sent an inspector to the shop to get some pictures of the car and today they just sent me an email telling me the car is a total loss. I was shocked since my car is drivable....Anybody have any experience with a similar case, I don’t know exactly how much the repairs cost yet, I will ask the shop tomorrow, but I am guessing something like 3-4K , the car it’s worth like 7500$ + taxes and fees. But I am clueless on how much will James River offer me as total loss. 

What kind of compensation should I look for? Since they are totaling my car I will need to rent a car until I get paid by them to buy another one. I also won’t be able to work until I get s new car. Do they cover rental or lost wages in their compensation?

James River is requesting me to release the car from the shop to them before the shop starts charging storage fees. Anybody has any advice before I do this?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

Zodiacus said:


> i got rear ended by a car on the highway last week, my car got hit pretty hard but nothing happened to me or the passengers, the cars internal rear bumper absorbed all the shock. My car is totally drivable so I drove it home. Unfortunately the car that hitted me drove away and I was unable to get the plates, the police report was filed as a hit and run.
> 
> 1st I filed the claim under progressive which is my personal insurance and they instructed to get the car to one of their shops to be repaired. I saw the damage to the car and there's subtantial damage to the internal steel bumper and the damage spread around the spare tire compartment and a little bit around the base of the rear seats. Rear door and tail light are intact, I drove the car to the shop that was about 10 miles away, and it seemed to drive fine. This doesn't look like a cheap fix, but the car it's not a mess.
> 
> ...


Please keep us posted.

I know i am waiting to hear how you come out on this.

P.s. - Glad you are O.K. !

That is the most important thing.


----------



## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Zodiacus said:


> James River sent an inspector to the shop to get some pictures of the car and today they just sent me an email telling me the car is a total loss. I was shocked since my car is drivable
> the car it's worth like 7500$ + taxes and fees. But I am clueless on how much will James River offer me as total loss.


You may think it's worth $7,500. James River will total your vehicle out because they can claim ACV is much less due to the fact your vehicle was used for commercial purposes. You will get what James River decides the ACV is minus the $1000 deductible.

Don't fret. You will have the option to buy your vehicle back from James River for about $300 and have the car fixed with the monies from the totaled claim. It should work out well for you. The only down fall is that you will now have a salvaged title on the vehicle. This will hurt you for resale value as well as any future comp/coll insurance premiums. Just keep the vehicle until it has 300k miles on it.


----------



## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> You may think it's worth $7,500. James River will total your vehicle out because they can claim ACV is much less due to the fact your vehicle was used for commercial purposes. You will get what James River decides the ACV is minus the $1000 deductible.
> 
> Don't fret. You will have the option to buy your vehicle back from James River for about $300 and have the car fixed with the monies from the totaled claim. It should work out well for you. The only down fall is that you will now have a salvaged title on the vehicle. This will hurt you for resale value as well as any future comp/coll insurance premiums. Just keep the vehicle until it has 300k miles on it.


Cant drive Uber or Lyft on a Salvage Title.


----------



## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

tohunt4me said:


> Cant drive Uber or Lyft on a Salvage Title.


Thanks, I overlooked that. Sorry Zodiacus, you're screwed.


----------



## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> Thanks, I overlooked that. Sorry Zodiacus, you're screwed.


He can trade it


----------



## Uber_Yota_916 (May 1, 2017)

I was in a similar accident with an out of state stolen vehicle. My vehicle was efffed up. Jri also totaled my car. It took about 30 days to get the check for the car. They were fair in their appraisal. 

There will be no rental car or loss of wages provided. JRI is minimum coverage.

Keep calling and emailing. Take down all phone numbers that you hear in voicemails. Call them and take down additional numbers. 

I wonder if this is something a driver could claim unemployment on? I should have tried.


----------



## njn (Jan 23, 2016)

Zodiacus said:


> Unfortunately progressive found out I was doing Uber so they cancelled the repairs on the shop and told me I need to transfer the claim to Uber's insurance James River.


It's actually fortunate they found out before the repairs were started. Did you ask how they found out?


----------



## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

Many times an insurance company will total the car rather than repair it if the repairs are costly and involve a vehicle safety feature. The reason is liability. For example, if the air bags deployed almost always the insurance company will total the car because of the liability concern of a air bag system repair. Those repairs are not guaranteed 100% perfect.

Probably 65% of the cars being auctioned as such places as CoPart and IAAI are insurance write offs that people then buy fix up and sell for a profit.


----------



## islanddriver (Apr 6, 2018)

Ask the shop what the car value is


----------



## henrygates (Mar 29, 2018)

I'm curious what Progressive is saying now? Did they cancel your policy completely?

If you keep doing Uber with the next car you NEED the rideshare rider. It's cheap. Progressive has it although they might not want to issue you a new policy.


----------



## Zodiacus (Jul 2, 2018)

No they didn't cancel my policy, after a few calls i got a final call from progressive telling me they were not going to cover the repairs at the shop and told me to switch the claim to James River, the person kindly explained the whole 3 period system and offered to add the ridershare option to my policy to get coverage on period 1, he also mentioned the ridershare add on covers 500$ from the 1000$ James River deductible in future claims..

Any Idea on what should I do about this Progressive policy since my car is a total loss now, they are still charging me, should i cancel it and get a new one later on? or should i just keep it and add my new car when i get it?, I will be without a car for a month or so....

update, i haven't heard about the James River Total Loss claims examiner yet, will update when I do.



henrygates said:


> I'm curious what Progressive is saying now? Did they cancel your policy completely?
> 
> If you keep doing Uber with the next car you NEED the rideshare rider. It's cheap. Progressive has it although they might not want to issue you a new policy.


----------



## henrygates (Mar 29, 2018)

Zodiacus said:


> No they didn't cancel my policy, after a few calls i got a final call from progressive telling me they were not going to cover the repairs at the shop and told me to switch the claim to James River, the person kindly explained the whole 3 period system and offered to add the ridershare option to my policy to get coverage on period 1, he also mentioned the ridershare add on covers 500$ from the 1000$ James River deductible in future claims..
> 
> Any Idea on what should I do about this Progressive policy since my car is a total loss now, they are still charging me, should i cancel it and get a new one later on? or should i just keep it and add my new car when i get it?, I will be without a car for a month or so....
> 
> update, i haven't heard about the James River Total Loss claims examiner yet, will update when I do.


I wouldn't cancel it until everything is settled and you have a check in hand and the car is no longer yours.


----------



## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

Are you using a rental car right now? If so then your current policy is covering that rental as far as liability insurance goes.


----------



## Az2ZeJ (Oct 15, 2017)

Keep your policy and add the new car to it. (I won't go into too much detail, but I am a reliable source on insurance issues.)


----------



## Zodiacus (Jul 2, 2018)

BigJohn said:


> Are you using a rental car right now? If so then your current policy is covering that rental as far as liability insurance goes.


I didn't have rental coverage



Az2ZeJ said:


> Keep your policy and add the new car to it. (I won't go into too much detail, but I am a reliable source on insurance issues.)


Will do, thanks for the advice


----------



## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

Zodiacus said:


> I didn't have rental coverage


Having the line item "Rental car coverage" on a personal auto insurance policy only does one thing, provides for a payment for renting of a rental car if the covered car is out of service.

That has nothing to do with the liability coverage and comprehensive coverage and collision coverage of a policy, which would still be in effect for a car you rent or borrow to drive while the covered vehicle is out of service.

They are 2 entirely different things.


----------



## Dammit Mazzacane (Dec 31, 2015)

Zodiacus in Seattle said:


> (A Progressive Insurance rep.) kindly explained the whole 3 period system and offered to add the ridershare option to my policy to get coverage on period 1, he also mentioned the ridershare add on covers 500$ from the 1000$ James River deductible in future claims.


Curious to learn Progressive has a rideshare insurance add-on available in Washington State. I thought it solely went through a commercial policy for Progressive. Do you remember approximately how much money they quoted the add on for?


----------



## Ted L. (Jun 8, 2017)

BigJohn said:


> That has nothing to do with the liability coverage and comprehensive coverage and collision coverage of a policy, which would still be in effect for a car you rent or borrow to drive while the covered vehicle is out of service.


But long term rentals are not covered, for most policies that is 30 days.


----------



## Zodiacus (Jul 2, 2018)

Ted L. said:


> But long term rentals are not covered, for most policies that is 30 days.


Since James River doesn't cover rentals, is there any ridershare addon from any company that covers the rental in case we are in period 2-3 and have to use James River insurance?


----------



## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

Zodiacus said:


> Since James River doesn't cover rentals, is there any ridershare addon from any company that covers the rental in case we are in period 2-3 and have to use James River insurance?


So honestly, your barking up an imaginary tree there, sorry.

Your car get's wrecked your 100% out all your driving income until it's fixed.

_Unapproved rental car use will result in a permanent deactivation._

Uber's words not mine...

Uber won't cover you driving the rental.

The rideshare addon isn't proper insurance good enough to cover passengers, it's just supplemental to uber's crappy insurance. Uber actually covers the _*expensive part*_, driving passengers and the liability of driving passengers.

What your looking for is a full commercial insurance policy for a black car service that allows transporting passengers, the cost of which will be prohibitive at uber's per mile rates.

My guess is.. $350+ a month at a minimum, then you have to find someone to rent you a vehicle to use as a chauffeured town-car.

Your looking at $450 A WEEK to rent a car that allows that. (but it will probably come with commercial passenger insurance)

There simply isn't a business environment set up to rent cars to use as ubers. It doesn't exist and the economics won't work in your favor if it does.


----------



## Dammit Mazzacane (Dec 31, 2015)

Dammit Mazzacane said:


> Curious to learn Progressive has a rideshare insurance add-on available in Washington State. I thought it solely went through a commercial policy for Progressive. Do you remember approximately how much money they quoted the add on for?


 Zodiacus


----------



## 142605 (Mar 4, 2018)

tohunt4me said:


> Cant drive Uber or Lyft on a Salvage Title.


Wondering why they care and how they'd know? I don't recall having to show my title.


----------



## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> The rideshare addon isn't proper insurance good enough to cover passengers, it's just supplemental to uber's crappy insurance. Uber actually covers the _*expensive part*_, driving passengers and the liability of driving passengers.


I really wish Stevie the Magic Unicorn would stop posting WRONG information.

A rideshare rider onto an existing personal auto insurance policy ONLY does ONE thing: Allows for the use of the vehicle for ridesharing services. It is not any sort of supplement in any way shape or form.


----------



## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

BigJohn said:


> I really wish Stevie the Magic Unicorn would stop posting WRONG information.
> 
> A rideshare rider onto an existing personal auto insurance policy ONLY does ONE thing: Allows for the use of the vehicle for ridesharing services. It is not any sort of supplement in any way shape or form.


BigJohn , you seem very knowledgeable about insurance issues, so I'm not trying to start an argument here. But I've read where someone's rideshare coverage paid half the deductible when James River was paying to repair their car. Wouldn't that be a supplement? Asking for a friend.


----------



## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

Older Chauffeur said:


> But I've read where someone's rideshare coverage paid half the deductible when James River was paying to repair their car. Wouldn't that be a supplement? Asking for a friend.


I am sure what happened was that the person had Comprehensive/Collision insurance on his personal auto insurance policy with the rideshare rider and that Comprehensive and Collision had a $500 deductible. Since he had the rider his insurance then paid out to him the amount of $500 which would be the amount he was still out due to Uber's $1,000 deductible minus the private insurance companies $500 deductible.

Again, that was only made possibly by the fact that he was allowed to use the vehicle for commercial rideshare purposes because he had the rideshare rider.

Does that clear up the question?


----------



## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

BigJohn said:


> I really wish Stevie the Magic Unicorn would stop posting WRONG information.
> 
> A rideshare rider onto an existing personal auto insurance policy ONLY does ONE thing: Allows for the use of the vehicle for ridesharing services. It is not any sort of supplement in any way shape or form.


Uhh... no

It's supplemental because it fills the massive gaps to what uber provides.

It IS supplemental insurance because uber provides zero coverage to your car during period one.

Uber's insurance only functions as expected between accepting a ping and dropping off the customer, or the ping canceling before you arrive.

Any other time Uber's insurance is Liability only, in which case a rideshare policy is a necessary supplemental insurance to uber taking the primary coverage.

Since the uber insurance is the VASTLY more expensive coverage it should take primary in the event of an accident due to the insanely higher liability limits.

In the state of Florida, uber insurance meets all requirements for auto insurance, however the gaps in it are maddeningly insane.

The ride-share policy that i don't get... well that's a supplement because any coverage it would theoretically add while i'm online isn't actually required in the state of Florida.

So to sum it up.

Required coverage- Provided by uber
Liability

Rideshare insurance coverage
Collision
Comprehensive
Uninsured motorist
ECT


----------



## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

Stevie the Magic Unicorn, you really should not post about insurance as every time you do, your lack of understanding of insurance products and how the insurance industry works proceeds you.

One last time for your benefit and hopefully you will learn:

A standard personal auto insurance policy contains language that expressly prohibits use of the covered vehicle for any commercial purposes. When a rideshare rider is added to a personal auto insurance policy, it allows for such usage and therefore continues coverage under the policy limits. EXCEPT it will not cover LIABILITY from the rideshare activity which is what is covered under Uber's provided insurance coverage.

Now in Florida, like in New York, insurance may be structured a bit differently. But for the vast majority of the states of the US, what I have stated above is true.


----------



## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

BigJohn said:


> Many times an insurance company will total the car rather than repair it if the repairs are costly and involve a vehicle safety feature. The reason is liability. For example, if the air bags deployed almost always the insurance company will total the car because of the liability concern of a air bag system repair. Those repairs are not guaranteed 100% perfect.
> 
> Probably 65% of the cars being auctioned as such places as CoPart and IAAI are insurance write offs that people then buy fix up and sell for a profit.


Previous accident
Airbag Light on.
$5,000.00 below bluebook !

They have an outfit
" OFF LEASE ONLY"

Any kind of car you could want.
SUBSTANTIAL DISCOUNTS.

Bently , AUdi, Mercedes, Jaguar, Toyota, chevy . . .

Many cars have had accidents, yet no Salvage Certificates

Have a Look
They have Deals. Recent models.
Low miles.

In rebuilt cars, little things mean a lot.

Like the hood having the proper " "crumple" zones to absorb impact energy . . .instead of coming back through windshield to decapitate you on impact.

Little things . . .


----------



## stevenh1975 (Aug 4, 2015)

So what happens when rider cancels mid ride and you got hit while driving the rider to the nearest safe drop off location? More over, can rider sue you if ride is not covered and rider got injured?


----------



## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

stevenh1975 said:


> So what happens when rider cancels mid ride and you got hit while driving the rider to the nearest safe drop off location? More over, can rider sue you if ride is not covered and rider got injured?


If they cancel mid ride...

Uber "Says" that they will cover it.

However i've lost arguments with uber over whether or not I drove someone i drove with camera footage of them in the car so...

I'm going to say that the particular situation your describing is the worst case scenario, and not out of the realm of possibility.

Next...

If it was by design they absolutely can sue you. If uber denies that the ride took place they can sue. And in many states they can tack on JAIL TIME. (Florida and NY both are in this category)

You left off a couple of possibilities.

Your list
1. They cancel mid ride

Additional posibilities
2. Uber denies the ride took place (for whatever reason) IE the ride disappears from the system and you can provide no proof the ride ever took place
3. The app crashes
4. The ride disappears from the system after ending the trip(something i've had happen)
5 YOU TOOK THE WRONG PERSON (because they lied about being the correct person)
6 They get in the car after you cancel and then a car plows into you in the parking lot/street
7 The ride automatically ends after X-miles/hours


----------



## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

Zodiacus said:


> i got rear ended by a car on the highway last week, my car got hit pretty hard but nothing happened to me or the passengers, the cars internal rear bumper absorbed all the shock. My car is totally drivable so I drove it home. Unfortunately the car that hitted me drove away and I was unable to get the plates, the police report was filed as a hit and run.
> 
> 1st I filed the claim under progressive which is my personal insurance and they instructed to get the car to one of their shops to be repaired. I saw the damage to the car and there's subtantial damage to the internal steel bumper and the damage spread around the spare tire compartment and a little bit around the base of the rear seats. Rear door and tail light are intact, I drove the car to the shop that was about 10 miles away, and it seemed to drive fine. This doesn't look like a cheap fix, but the car it's not a mess.
> 
> ...


I got rear ended last year and it didn't look bad but was $6000 of damage. It was completely driveable. I have a Kia Soul. The underside was bent in and had to be cut out and welded. Looking at it you'd never know how bad the damage was. If it had been a couple years older car it would probably have been totaled.



Zodiacus said:


> No they didn't cancel my policy, after a few calls i got a final call from progressive telling me they were not going to cover the repairs at the shop and told me to switch the claim to James River, the person kindly explained the whole 3 period system and offered to add the ridershare option to my policy to get coverage on period 1, he also mentioned the ridershare add on covers 500$ from the 1000$ James River deductible in future claims..
> 
> Any Idea on what should I do about this Progressive policy since my car is a total loss now, they are still charging me, should i cancel it and get a new one later on? or should i just keep it and add my new car when i get it?, I will be without a car for a month or so....
> 
> update, i haven't heard about the James River Total Loss claims examiner yet, will update when I do.


If you cancel and are without insurance for a period it will VERY likely up your premium once you try to get new insurance. Since progressive is being nice and not outright canceling you and you can add rideshare I'd keep them for now. You also may qualify for discounts after a certain time and that would start over if you cancel.

If you rent a car you'll need insurance anyway. Not for rideshare, just in general.


----------



## NOXDriver (Aug 12, 2018)

BigJohn said:


> Many times an insurance company will total the car rather than repair it if the repairs are costly and involve a vehicle safety feature. The reason is liability. For example, if the air bags deployed almost always the insurance company will total the car because of the liability concern of a air bag system repair. Those repairs are not guaranteed 100% perfect.
> 
> Probably 65% of the cars being auctioned as such places as CoPart and IAAI are insurance write offs that people then buy fix up and sell for a profit.


Air bag deployments are 10000% fixable. They simply unbolt the old one and install a new one. Has NOTHING to do with safety.

The COST of a full airbag refit is the problem. You're looking at about $1000 per airbag. Modern cars have at least 5, upwards of 10 airbags that could go off. $10k of airbags plus body and paint is gonna add up to 70% of the value of the car QUICK.

And the state sets the limits, not the insurance companies.


----------



## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

NOXDriver said:


> Air bag deployments are 10000% fixable. They simply unbolt the old one and install a new one. Has NOTHING to do with safety.
> 
> The COST of a full airbag refit is the problem. You're looking at about $1000 per airbag. Modern cars have at least 5, upwards of 10 airbags that could go off. $10k of airbags plus body and paint is gonna add up to 70% of the value of the car QUICK.
> 
> And the state sets the limits, not the insurance companies.


You completely missed the point, and an actual valid reason given directly by insurance adjusters: Liability.

Yes, the air bag modules can be replaced. But what about the sensors, and the computer module? The point is that the insurance companies have dictated (not the state) that when an air bag deployment has occurred, the cost to replace all the air bag modules, all the sensors and the computer module that ties them all together is cost prohibitive, and unless all of those items are replaced, they do not want the liability of saying the vehicle was repaired and made whole. Because if the insurance company is paying for the repairs, it is liable for the reliability of those repairs. And the insurance company just will flat out not accept the liability for the repair of an air bag deployment.

The states have nothing to do with it. Every day those vehicles that have now been written off by the insurance adjuster because of an air bag deployment go to auction, are then bought by someone with a salvage title, fix them up and recertify the vehicle as register-able and therefore drivable. No, you may ask how can that be possible if the previous insurance company said it was totaled and has a salvage title now. Well, that is because the buyer of the vehicle and the person or company that repaired it is responsible for the repairs. Not the previous insurance company.


----------



## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

BigJohn, you make some valid points about the liability, as the best body shops and insurance companies stand behind the repairs. But it would seem to be more a cost issue except perhaps in the case of high dollar vehicles. A friend who runs a body shop told me that most of the time the costs involved run the numbers up to the point that the vehicle is totaled.


----------



## BigJohn (Jan 27, 2016)

Older Chauffeur said:


> BigJohn, you make some valid points about the liability, as the best body shops and insurance companies stand behind the repairs. But it would seem to be more a cost issue except perhaps in the case of high dollar vehicles. A friend who runs a body shop told me that most of the time the costs involved run the numbers up to the point that the vehicle is totaled.


The liability is part of the cost in this way: The insurance company on a air bag deployment does not want the liability of a repair unless ALL of the components of the air bag system are replaced, since there has never been any study to determine the reliability of the remaining air bag system components after a crash has occurred. But the cost of replacing all those components can easily reach $10 grand to start. And even then, there is still no guarantee that the air bag system would work perfectly in a crash, hence back to liability.


----------



## Zodiacus (Jul 2, 2018)

Hello guys, sorry it’s been a while , wanted to comment that I got paid by James River a fair market value for my total loss car, minus the 1000$ For the deductible as expected no drama, no problems really, process could have been faster maybe.

So It all went well, I was without a car for about a month.


----------



## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

Zodiacus said:


> Hello guys, sorry it's been a while , wanted to comment that I got paid by James River a fair market value for my total loss car, minus the 1000$ For the deductible as expected no drama, no problems really, process could have been faster maybe.
> 
> So It all went well, I was without a car for about a month.


Glad you feel that you were treated reasonably well. Thanks for the update.


----------



## Asificarewhatyoudontthink (Jul 6, 2017)

SEAL Team 5 said:


> You may think it's worth $7,500. James River will total your vehicle out because they can claim ACV is much less due to the fact your vehicle was used for commercial purposes. You will get what James River decides the ACV is minus the $1000 deductible.
> 
> Don't fret. You will have the option to buy your vehicle back from James River for about $300 and have the car fixed with the monies from the totaled claim. It should work out well for you. The only down fall is that you will now have a salvaged title on the vehicle. This will hurt you for resale value as well as any future comp/coll insurance premiums. Just keep the vehicle until it has 300k miles on it.


Plus salvage title is a no go for rideshare


----------



## SEAL Team 5 (Dec 19, 2015)

Asificarewhatyoudontthink said:


> Plus salvage title is a no go for rideshare


Yea, ToHunt4Me also reminded me of that.


----------



## Zodiacus (Jul 2, 2018)

Asificarewhatyoudontthink said:


> Plus salvage title is a no go for rideshare


Yes, it is not good for ridershare, but the car was totally drivable, I wish I had kept it, and had it repaired at a cheaper body shop that the insurance one. When I asked them about keeping the car it was already at the auction place so it was more expensive to get it back, they said around 1600$, if it was 1000$ Or less, it would have made sense to keep it as a second car for my wife or personal use.


----------



## 142605 (Mar 4, 2018)

Zodiacus said:


> Since James River doesn't cover rentals, is there any ridershare addon from any company that covers the rental in case we are in period 2-3 and have to use James River insurance?


I have been looking for this too... some companies like State Farm offer all the policy benefits (except liability) through period 2- 3. This is ideal, but expensive. Geico also has a hybrid policy offering the cover age during 2-3 which is what I am going to get.


----------



## kcrangel (Dec 7, 2018)

Quick FYI - Dept. of Insurance barred insurance companies from valuing cars. They are mandated to use a 3rd party appraisal company to determine the vehicle value and the insurance company is required by LAW to honor that value.

Also, insurance law dictates the total loss threshold. For example; CA requires that a car is totaled if the salvage value + repair cost is the market value or more and the car has to be totaled. Whether the car is driveable is completely irrelevant. You can also blame the high cost of labor and taxes for totaling your car. NV is even more strict, if the repair + salvage value is 60% of market value then the car must be totaled. Insurance companies want to repair your car: they avoid exorbant storage fees, they avoid paying taxes or unused registration, they avoid auction and shipping fees along with DMV processes to get the title branded and owners changed.

A body shop will not account for salvage value. Also market value is NOT a negotiation. Insurance companies can be dissolved if they do not stick with the appraisal value from 3rd party companies.

Welcome to the realities of Insurance where everything is heavily regulated by law.


----------



## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

NOXDriver said:


> Air bag deployments are 10000% fixable. They simply unbolt the old one and install a new one. Has NOTHING to do with safety.
> 
> The COST of a full airbag refit is the problem. You're looking at about $1000 per airbag. Modern cars have at least 5, upwards of 10 airbags that could go off. $10k of airbags plus body and paint is gonna add up to 70% of the value of the car QUICK.
> 
> And the state sets the limits, not the insurance companies.


Liability Laws if the re installed airbags FAIL to deploy for ANY reason.

Legislation has everyone Afraid to recondition vehicles.

Red Tape.


----------

