Model 3 rear-ended 1 day from 1 year old... still unresolved 4 week mark

[SabrToothSqrl]

Friday marked 4 weeks. Gut wrenching just waiting and being pissed at incompetent people.

Car was hit by a full size truck, and deemed most likely totaled. (Other driver's fault, they have state minimum insurance).
Towed to holding lot. (1)
Towed to total loss loss.(2)
Incompetent appraisal company says it might be repairable, with $10k in damage.
Towed to certified shop (3).

Tesla certified shop tears down car. Laughs at estimate that lists $48/hr labor.
Insurance company asks certified shop to do their own estimate.
Estimate to repair exceeds $25k, with written recommendation the car be a total loss due to structural damage.

Insurance hires incompetent (pattern?) adjuster who claims to be unable to locate car.
THIS SAME THING. Verbatim happened last time with this company.
We believe they are going to the service center, and not the body shop. I'm livid. Wife is livid.

We do not feel safe in this car, and it must be removed from public roads. Repairs will exceed 3, possibly 4 months.
Why is this process so hard? Why is everyone an idiot? Why isn't the minimum property damage for insurance higher?

Ohh, and she was hurt bad enough that 4 weeks later, still in pain, and starting physical therapy.

#GoodTimes.

 

[duanra]

Sorry to hear that...

 

[hcdavis3]

Friday marked 4 weeks. Gut wrenching just waiting and being pissed at incompetent people.

Car was hit by a full size truck, and deemed most likely totaled. (Other driver's fault, they have state minimum insurance).
Towed to holding lot. (1)
Towed to total loss loss.(2)
Incompetent appraisal company says it might be repairable, with $10k in damage.
Towed to certified shop (3).

Tesla certified shop tears down car. Laughs at estimate that lists $48/hr labor.
Insurance company asks certified shop to do their own estimate.
Estimate to repair exceeds $25k, with written recommendation the car be a total loss due to structural damage.

Insurance hires incompetent (pattern?) adjuster who claims to be unable to locate car.
THIS SAME THING. Verbatim happened last time with this company.
We believe they are going to the service center, and not the body shop. I'm livid. Wife is livid.

We do not feel safe in this car, and it must be removed from public roads. Repairs will exceed 3, possibly 4 months.
Why is this process so hard? Why is everyone an idiot? Why isn't the minimum property damage for insurance higher?

Ohh, and she was hurt bad enough that 4 weeks later, still in pain, and starting physical therapy.

#GoodTimes.

Horrible. I hope you get an honest resolution soon.

 

[SMAlset]

Do you have diminished value claims in your state? I've read on here that if you indicate to their insurance company (when it's their insureds fault) that you are going to pursue that route, it can help factor in their decision to total or not. With your car being just under a year old at time of the accident I imagine a diminished value claim would be a good chunk of money and definitely worth pursuing. What about the rental car expenses during the time you don't have it.

Really sorry you are having to go through this. Was this a company truck? wondering if there are two sources to go after.

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

Is this your insurance company? I get that the person who hit you has the minimum coverage, but your insurance company's first obligation is to you.

I would move up the food chain at your insurance company and really read your policy too. Can't hurt. Lawyer after that.

Any pictures?

 

[trm2]

Do you have diminished value claims in your state? I've read on here that if you indicate to their insurance company (when it's their insureds fault) that you are going to pursue that route, it can help factor in their decision to total or not. With your car being just under a year old at time of the accident I imagine a diminished value claim would be a good chunk of money and definitely worth pursuing. What about the rental car expenses during the time you don't have it.

Really sorry you are having to go through this. Was this a company truck? wondering if there are two sources to go after.

If the other person had state minimum, their insurance company will pay $15,000 total, not a cent more (that is the state minimum in PA).
There will be no diminished value. Sabr's insurance company (assuming he has uninsured/underinsured coverage) will cover the rest, but still won't pay diminished value because it is first party at that point and they aren't on the hook for that. Sabr's insurance company may or may not go after the person that hit his wife and Sabr can do the same, but it is likely a pointless pursuit since (WARNING - STEREOTYPE AHEAD) people that purchase state minimum coverage usually don't have anything to go after.

I do agree with him that the state minimums are far too low with what cars cost these days.

Edit, no way it is a company truck, a company wouldn't have state minimum limits.

 

[ngogas]

Lawyer up since you aren’t at fault.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

Personal friend is an Injury Lawyer... contacted.

I had to go after diminished value last time I was hit with my S.

Thanks for the help and support... this whole thing just sucks. She/we did nothing wrong, and now we are out time, stress, money, health. How is this justice? how is this insurance?

Pennsylvania Car Insurance ~ PA Auto Coverage Quotes | GEICO

Does this mean you only need to cover 5k of someone else's car when you crash into them?!

Yeah, the guy who hit us... even if legally we could collect... he doesn't have it.
We aren't the type of people looking for a payout, honestly just want to be made 'whole'. (as you can with injuries and time anyway).

We have literally maxed coverage. Every drop down is max. (years before the accident). Including full tort.

 

[Glamisduner]

Friday marked 4 weeks. Gut wrenching just waiting and being pissed at incompetent people.

Car was hit by a full size truck, and deemed most likely totaled. (Other driver's fault, they have state minimum insurance).
Towed to holding lot. (1)
Towed to total loss loss.(2)
Incompetent appraisal company says it might be repairable, with $10k in damage.
Towed to certified shop (3).

Tesla certified shop tears down car. Laughs at estimate that lists $48/hr labor.
Insurance company asks certified shop to do their own estimate.
Estimate to repair exceeds $25k, with written recommendation the car be a total loss due to structural damage.

Insurance hires incompetent (pattern?) adjuster who claims to be unable to locate car.
THIS SAME THING. Verbatim happened last time with this company.
We believe they are going to the service center, and not the body shop. I'm livid. Wife is livid.

We do not feel safe in this car, and it must be removed from public roads. Repairs will exceed 3, possibly 4 months.
Why is this process so hard? Why is everyone an idiot? Why isn't the minimum property damage for insurance higher?

Ohh, and she was hurt bad enough that 4 weeks later, still in pain, and starting physical therapy.

#GoodTimes.

Insurance companies will do anything to pay as little as possible. That's sucks about the injury, I hope it's not a back injury. If so, once you get through PT claim weakness to get an MRI.

 

[trm2]

Does this mean you only need to cover 5k of someone else's car when you crash into them?

Yes and no. The insurance company only has to pay up to policy limits. The person that hit you is responsible for the rest.

I’ve only seen a couple of states change minimum limits in the couple of decades I’ve been in the business, but they only raised them from really really ridiculously low limits to really ridiculously low limits.

 

[afadeev]

Friday marked 4 weeks. Gut wrenching just waiting and being pissed at incompetent people.[...]
We do not feel safe in this car, and it must be removed from public roads. Repairs will exceed 3, possibly 4 months.
Why is this process so hard? Why is everyone an idiot?

Sorry about your situation, post-accident clean-up is never fun, regardless of how things turn out.
Consider stocking up on quality Scotch to easy the ride!

Now the hard truth - your insurance company is doing exactly what it is supposed to do - minimizes its own losses.

If you have a cheap-ass insurance (you quoted Geico), be prepared for an extra-dragged out and painful process.
I once got rear-ended by a Geico insured specimen. Geico dragged out the settlement process for months (I had to file comprehensive claim with my insurance, and they subrogated from Geico, I got the deductible back 18 months later).

You did not think insurance company's purpose in life it to make you happy, did you?
They will pay out the minimal possible amount that satisfies their contractual obligations to you. Not a penny more.

Why isn't the minimum property damage for insurance higher?

Because of free markets.
Even if the other party's insurance limits were higher, your experience wouldn't be much different.

Write-off boundary is usually when cost of repairs approaches ~60% of the current value of the car.
If yours is ~$50K, it will take ~$30K in damages to total it!

Neither number you've quotes so far hits that level
With some luck, body shop will uncover enough hidden damage once they start taking things apart!

Thanks for the help and support... this whole thing just sucks. She/we did nothing wrong, and now we are out time, stress, money, health. How is this justice? how is this insurance?

I'm sorry, but what does justice have to do with any of this?

This sucks, but the level of service you get from your insurance company will inversely correlate to how much money you saved by going with them in the first place. Discount insurance companies will nickle and dime you throughout the process. That's how they save money ... by screwing their customers when it comes to pay out.

Logical, right?

Please don't get emotional over this, it will only make things worse.

Good luck!

a

 

[Cirrus MS100D]

TBF, I think he’s saying they DO pay a boatload of money to THEIR insurance company.

 

[Trevor B]

Personal friend is an Injury Lawyer... contacted.

I had to go after diminished value last time I was hit with my S.

I see a pattern here!

 

[trm2]

I see a pattern here!

Insurance companies do too. Multiple Not-at-fault accidents can be treated like an at-fault in some instances.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

1. I do not have Geico, it was for reference.
2. My wife and I are victims of someone else. Justice would be making sure the perpetrator is correctly punished and we are made whole.
3. You want emotional? Injure my wife in a car crash. I'll show you some emotion.
4. Pattern? I was hit 4 years ago, and she was rear-ended a month ago. The pattern is shithead drivers.

 

[Galve2000]

you have a lawyer.. this will help stack the deck a bit more in your favor... but I would not be expecting unicorns and rainbows...

what value did the insurance place on your totaled car? you lawyer should go after the other at fault party for the rest. this may not be possible if said party has no assets. you may be able to go after the other party's insurance for diminished value.. (this is where a lawyer comes in handy) I have never heard being able to sue your own insurance for diminished value, but I am not an expert.

it sucks that this happened at the one year point of ownership.. but perhaps you have driven the sh*t out of your M3 and extracted some value out of it that way. personally, I would want the car totaled b/c you can now get one in 2 weeks or less. a repair like this -- which would never happen b/c it's not economical -- could take months.

unfortunately you have to go after the other driver pretty hard to be "made whole" again.. and it may not be worth all the efforts in the end.

this is part of the problem of having a $35,000 or $45,000 version of a Tesla vehicle. they are so expensive to repair b/c of their high technology nature, that they inadvertently become totaled where other cars would be repaired 1st. even the Model S and X suffer from this, tho not as severely.

 

[trm2]

1. I do not have Geico, it was for reference.
2. My wife and I are victims of someone else. Justice would be making sure the perpetrator is correctly punished and we are made whole.
3. You want emotional? Injure my wife in a car crash. I'll show you some emotion.
4. Pattern? I was hit 4 years ago, and she was rear-ended a month ago. The pattern is shithead drivers.

We all know you weren't at fault. Unfortunately because minimum limits are so low, you cannot be made whole. Your insurance will pay the balance to fix the car, but they are not obligated to cover diminished value. You are right to go after the other guy and you should be able to secure a judgement against him, just don't expect him to have the means to compensate you. That is what sucks.

If you want to start up a firestorm, start bugging the PA Department of Insurance to raise minimum limits. Get everyone you know to join in. Your commissioner, Jessica Altman, is supposed to work for the people of PA. There will be two sides to that, the side that claims to be unable to afford insurance and people like you that really just want it so that you can be made whole.

The most important thing is your wife's health.

 

[afadeev]

1. I do not have Geico, it was for reference.
2. My wife and I are victims of someone else. Justice would be making sure the perpetrator is correctly punished and we are made whole.
3. You want emotional? Injure my wife in a car crash. I'll show you some emotion.
4. Pattern? I was hit 4 years ago, and she was rear-ended a month ago. The pattern is shithead drivers.

#2 - there are no victims and perpetrators in a car accident.
It's called an accident, and not a crime, for a good reason.
It's a financial dispute.
There are those who are judged to be at fault for causing a financial loss, wholly or fractionally, and those who are not.

#3 - I have been rear ended in the past, so has my wife.
It's not fun, and her back/neck will be sore for a few weeks. Fixing the car will be a project that neither one of you desired, or will enjoy.
But that's life, sh*t happens..
As long as everyone is medically long-term OK, there is nothing left to do here other than manage the repair process, and move on with life.

This is purely a financial dispute, with insurance companies covering the cost of repairs.
No crime was committed, no punishment to be metered out.

If you throw more good money after the bad (hiring attorney to go after a party that you know can't pay out), it will only cost you more money, time, and aggravation. If you actually sue and recover some $$ from the other guy, you will then have to pay your attorney and your insurance company to reimburse it for the amount they will have paid you under Under-insured coverage.

Please don't over do it.
From now on, you are only "punishing" yourself by getting wound up over spilled milk.

a

 

[trm2]

#2 - there are no victims and perpetrators in a car accident.
It's called an accident, and not a crime, for a good reason.

It shouldn't be called an accident. It should be called a collision because that is what it is. Had the person driving the truck paid attention to their primary task at that point (i.e. DRIVING) there would not have been a collision.

 

[OCR1]

If the cost to repair + the salvage value is approximately equal to the purchase price of a new car I would push hard for the insurance company to consider it a total loss. They can sell the damaged car to recoup their losses. We were rear ended on our Prius last year and that is how our company handled it.