I found out that my parked car was involved in a pretty severe hit and run at around 6am. It’s a 2024 Honda Civic that was JUST paid off a few months ago which is what makes this so heartbreaking. It’s got less than 20K miles.
A body shop contacted me about it and they claim they were notified bc they are affiliated with the dealership we bought it from, which was on the frame of my license plate. They’re saying based on the damages the car will likely be deemed a total loss and that they could help us with the insurance claim. This seems mad sketchy so I’m looking for some advice / tips for the process.
Some questions I have:
– Are body shops supposed to be involved in a total loss claim? ChatGPT is saying no and that it should be between the owner and insurance company.
– What info should I be collecting so I can be ready in case the car is indeed a total loss?
– When it comes to the value of the car, is that based on the value it is today? Has anyone had luck with getting the entirety of what they paid back by the insurance?
– How flexible are the valuations set by insurance companies? Is it really that negotiable?
Anything you’re able to share about the process would be greatly appreciated!
Need advice/tips for nearly totaled car from hit and run.
byu/_MagickWithinYou inInsurance
Posted by _MagickWithinYou
2 Comments
Body shops are frequently involved. I really don’t see how one would’ve been notified of your car being hit, unless you already brought it somewhere. Normally, you decide when they become involved. You start the claim process, then your insurance company may provide an initial estimate. They will give you a list of collision centers they work with, but you can take your car anywhere. The shop will provide an initial estimate then, after teardown, a supplemental estimate. They usually communicate directly with your insurance adjuster. If the cost to repair exceeds a certain threshold, which will vary by state, your car will be totaled.
Unless you paid specifically for an agreed-value policy (unlikely), you will be paid what your car was worth immediately before the collision. Some policies have extra coverage for total loss events that you might have opted into (e.g. we pay an extra 20% of actual cash value if your car is totaled but not yet two years old).
You *can* disagree with the actual cash value of your car. If you do, be prepared to back up your argument with examples of cars like yours (ideally same year, mileage, and options) that sold for what you say it was worth.
Since it’s paid off, your insurance will write you a check and you can decide what to do with it and the car.
The body shop should not be handling your claim. They have no say in the car being declared a total loss. They estimate the damages. Your insurance carrier decides on repair vs total loss.
If it’s a total loss, the valuation is based on the actual cash value of the car. They will base it off of sales numbers for comparable cars. You really don’t haggle over the value. They come up with a value based on comp sales. If you disagree, you find examples of the car selling for more.