Auto Insurance Claims: auto accident entitlements, kelley blue book, trans mission

Question
i was in a accident when a guy ran a stop sign and totaled my caravan . my caravan is a 1998 and i know its book value is not much and i just rebuilt the transmission other than that the van ran great now what i want to know is can i ask for more than just the book value like the cost of the tranny or inconvenience fees because i now cant work or bring my kids to there summer programs without having to borrow someones car or pay for a cab.

Answer
Hi Mandylee,

The rebuilt trans mission will add some value if it was done within the last year. You will have to show documented proof of the transmission repair. However, the increase in value will not match dollar for dollar the amount you paid to have it done. It may only be 25% of what you paid. The reason is that if you are using Kelley blue book as the basis of your value, they show retail asking price. A vehicle that is in retail condition has a good working transmission. So the value increase for a rebuilt transmission will be marginal.

As far as inconvenience, etc. You are not able to make a claim for that.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh