Rear ended with less than 100miles. Help?

[plumsauce]

Keep us updated. Did you file a DV?

Lawyer is still working on getting that done for us. I will update you guys as this plays out.

 

[alexgr]

Lawyer is still working on getting that done for us. I will update you guys as this plays out.

I've got a diminished value payment from the USAA insurance, no lawyers involved. There is a formula to estimate your DV and insurance companies generally pay close to the estimate (as in my case too). Is the insurance declining DV or you want more than the generally excepted DV estimate? Just trying to understand why the lawyer is allowed to take any part of YOUR money.

 

[jimmymendoza]

I've got a diminished value payment from the USAA insurance, no lawyers involved. There is a formula to estimate your DV and insurance companies generally pay close to the estimate (as in my case too). Is the insurance declining DV or you want more than the generally excepted DV estimate? Just trying to understand why the lawyer is allowed to take any part of YOUR money.

Alrex,

My car is getting worked on now. What do I need to do to file a DV claim. Sorry I've never done this before and wany to make sure I do it right.

 

[alexgr]

Alrex,

My car is getting worked on now. What do I need to do to file a DV claim. Sorry I've never done this before and wany to make sure I do it right.

First, it must be the other party fault. Then, you call the insurance company of the party at fault and request they send you information/forms to apply a DV claim. That should be a pretty straightforward process, but my understanding is that without asking the insurance companies will not proactively offer you to make a DV claim. Here is an example of the DV calculations I quickly found now: What is your car's diminished value? [Car value calculator] | finder.com
I would go to a lawyer if the insurer would offer noticeably less than expected, of course. I didn't expect too much anyway. In my case it was a rather minor rear bumper replacement and a correction of the trunk.

Edit: for the OP's case, I'd expect the DV of about $5k; if the OP gets $8k, let us know the lawyer's phone.

 

[patmurphey]

...In my case it was a rather minor rear bumper replacement and a correction of the trunk...

Don't think minor won't hit you hard with a Carfax report of an accident. On a Q3 with the same "minor" damage and no body work, Offers from Tesla and the online companies were typically 6 to 7 thousand below comps in the market. My local dealer wouldn't even make an offer. That amount would be easy to document. I couldn't recover because of a poor uninsured driver. I was lucky later to find a used car company manager that saw how perfect the car was and bought it at a fair price for his wife.

 

[alexgr]

Don't think minor won't hit you hard with a Carfax report of an accident. On a Q3 with the same "minor" damage and no body work, Offers from Tesla and the online companies were typically 6 to 7 thousand below comps in the market. My local dealer wouldn't even make an offer. That amount would be easy to document. I couldn't recover because of a poor uninsured driver. I was lucky later to find a used car company manager that saw how perfect the car was and bought it at a fair price for his wife.

If looking for making accurate claims beyond the standard insurance DVs, I think it makes sense to go for post-repair appraisal.