QuestionI did not want to total my truck it is repairable. I am not getting the value of it. I'm not sure how much this matters but I did have the front end redone and motor rebuilt. My truck has always been in good condition body wise.I have always planned on keeping it plus i didn't want any payments. What do I do? I feel like him getting screwed and cant do anything about it.
AnswerYou have a few options. In order for me to give you the best answer, I need to know if this is a claim against your own insurance company or if it is a claim against someone else's.
I will answer the question assuming that somebody else's insurance is handling this Virginia claim. With that being said, you may have to file a small claims suit against the person that caused the damages and hire an expert appraiser to help you document the true value of your vehicle in a manner accepted by the laws in the State of Virginia.
If this is a claim against your own company, you can invoke the appraisal clause in your policy and force your company to hire an independent appraiser as well, and then the appraiser and/or an umpire will decide the value and award it to you.
Now, in any case, you cannot change whether the insurance company decides to total the vehicle or not, so you are at their mercy as to whether they pay you for the actual cash value, or if they pay you to have it repaired. It's your truck either way and you can keep it an repair it if you like, it's just whether the vehicle will have a salvage title or not when and if you sell it.
If you want details, you'll have to give more details, and details are what I am good at! Information is always free at Petty Details, LLC, look us up if you get stuck.
