QuestionIn February I was struck by a car in a parking lot, the person who hit me admitted fault. Since she accepted fault, her insurance will pay for the repairs. But my main concerns are the following:
1.when the accident occurred,I was days from making my second car payment.
2.The body shop told me that the adjuster had approved for the front door, back door and quarter panel to be replaced. The body shop explained to me that the changing the quarter panel would not be a great idea because it will never be the same as when I drove it off the showroom but they would repair the bottom area of the quarter panel and they would repair it to where I would not see the damage. Its been 2 months since my car is in the shop and I feel i get the run around from them. I visit them every Saturday to see the progress and also call for updates and was constantly told that my car would be just like I drove it off from the dealer. But this past Saturday when I went to see if it was ready, the mgr told me that they had to do some more repairs because the back door was not closing properly I asked for copies of what is currently being done and what the appraiser approved. Since the person who is assigned to my case at the body shop was out no one was able to give me copies. Today the mgr called me to say that they found more damages to the car. How can I find out exactly what is wrong with my car and how can I find out what my new car is now valued at. According to the body shop, my damages are estimated between $12,00 -$15,000. I feel that my car will not be the same and I am paying for something that depreciated once I was hit. I tried finding my car in the kelly blue book, but its not listed there and my insurance company said that my new car is now in poor condition since it was involved in car accident. I worry because what if over time my car deteriorates due to the repairs on the driver side and resale value is no longer the same incase I want to sell the car and especially will not feel safe in it when I get it back. Please advice
AnswerHi Angelica,
There are a couple of issues here. One is the quality of the repair work and the other is the diminished value of your car.
The body shop is required to complete the repairs according to industry standards. To insure this is done, you should have your vehicle independently inspected once the repairs are complete. The body shop should be providing you with a warrantee on the repairs. If the ispection reveals any repair quality issues, you would take the vehicle back to the body shop and have them take care of those issues under your warrantee.
The second issue is the diminished value. Based on what you have stated as to the extent of the damage, your vehicle will suffer a loss of value that may be several thousand dollars. You are entitled to collect the diminished value of your vehicle from the at-fault persons insurance company in addition to the cost of repairs. It is considered to be your responsibility to prove your loss. To do this you will need to hire a professional independent vehicle appraiser. This should also include the post-repair inspection.
To learn more about diminished value and post-repair inspection you should visit www.collisionclaims.com . They have inspectors nationwide and can provide the appraisal documents as well as information and guideance on the claim process.
I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh
