what constitutes a tottaled car to an insurance company....is it the dollar amount against value of car? or is it the type of damage sustained to the vehicle?...getting ready to go to war with state farm over daughters cars...a 2000 hyundai elantra...worth 10600 right now(or at least before the wreck) and the prelimes are 6500 in damages and may go higher. i want them to total it,they want to fix it,i'm telling them they are wasting thier time and money 'cause it will never be the same...t-bone right at the center roof piller, between the doors,piller is pushed all the way over to the dome light...and this is a unibody vehicle that i know is twisted structually and will never get straightened out and on top of that i'm not sure hyundia will cover any of it under thier warrenty after repairs

 

In my experience with Farmers and a near-totaled Mustang, (wife was reaching for her sunglasses) it was based on percentage of repair cost compared to fair market value of the car. In other words, if the repair cost estimate exceeds say 60% of the cars value, its totaled. The percentage changes with the age of the vehicle.

 

dbarbee is correct, the percentage varies with the age of the vehicle. Almost three years ago we had a 1996 Honda Van. Book value was 18,100. The repair estimate after a woman on a cell phone hit it from the rear at 40 MPH was 12,850. We had to argue with State Farm to get it totalled. They claimed I could get it repaired for less at another body shop. Bottom line is it's your choice where to repair it. Shop around and get the highest estimate you can. Be sure to repair with all factory parts, when in doubt, replace it. We were told the estimate would have to be between 70 and 80 percent of the total cost of replacement for the vehicle to be totalled. They eventually totalled the van, but it took about a week to convince them.
Good luck!

 

that owns the shop and he thinks that he needs to talk to state farm about it...besides the body damage it broke the upper motor mount and bent the engine and tranny cradle(uni-bodys),it also tore the cradle mount out of the body on one side...sent me pics e-mail...my vote is to total,i hope he got the hint when i talked to him

 

I own an independent adjusting co. and most companies total cars at 80% of actual cash value (ACV).

I note your in TX and TX is in a world by itself when it comes to insurance. They have their own rules, laws, and policies that are different for the rest of the lower 48 states.

In MS we determine ACV by calling 3 local dealers and finding the asking price of the 3 similar models/mileage/condition for sale in the local market. These 3 figures are averaged to give a local ACV of the wrecked auto.

I have never worked for Snake Farm nor will I ever, but the larger carriers usually use a service that tracks actual used car sales data so the ACV of the car would be somewhat lower than the ACV of dealer pricing. The larger carriers make their adjusters stick to the the ACV of the service (non-negotiable)

If your 10,600 current ACV is correct your about 2,000 short of a total loss by insurance industry standards. 80% of 10600 is 8480.

Some bodyshops low ball the first estimate to get the job and them request supplemental payments from the ins. carrier for damage they did not anticipate (you may or maynot even know that a supplemental payment has been made).

$2000 supplement= total using the ACV, but its to late at this point. Gotta fix it even if it cost 12,000.

Another factor is salvage value. They get the wrecked car after they pay you. Salvage value would be around 1,000- 2,000 in my area.

I suggest you get at least 3 estimates using OEM parts. I know you can't drive the car but it will be worth the trouble.

I havn't worked but 1 auto claim in the last 3 years and it was a favor for a good bud. Auto is a pain in the *ss and doesn't pay s**t. So most adjusters working auto are usually newbies.

I would be willing to bet that TX has a law that states the % amount of ACV that determines total loss.

I have worked hail claims in TX and the law states you have to replace the whole slope of roofing if you have 10 hits/spots on a square of shingles.

TX is the most consumer/insured friendly state in the nation. However with the recent Farmer's losses from residential mold claims no insurance carrier in the country is going to sell any homeowner's policies in TX. Ya'll are in for some big time rate increases or changes.

I'm in the process of moving so I don't check the board as often. If you have a question e-mail me at

weadjust38801@yahoo.com

The members here have answered many of my F-150 questions and maybe i can help a brother out with stuff I know.