Auto Insurance Claims: diminished value and rental of equal value, insurance comapny, comparable vehicle

Question
Dear Richard,

           How does one establish the amount of diminished value after an accident? For example I have a 2005 Saab 9/5 which was involved in front end damage when I T-Boned another car that made an illegal turn. The other driver was cited.
             My vehicle was a 2005 Saab ($35000 cost new)without a blemish. There was not even a door ding anywhere. Now with all the body work, I'm certain I would pay less for it, this would seem to be difficult to calculate.

        My second question concerns my rental car. Do I get a rental car in the same price class as my damaged car, or does the insurance policy pay me for loss of use. How would the loss of use be calculated?


Answer
Hi Al,

In order to present a claim for diminiahed value it is considered to be your responsibility to prove your loss. The way that is done is by hiring a professional vehicle appraiser to inspect your vehicle, review all repair paper work and write an appraisal report thet will show how the damage affected the value of the car. For more information visit www.collisionclaims.com who specializes in diminished value appraising. Or you can call toll free 1-866-438-6938.

As for the rental, the insurance comapny owes you for a "comparable vehicle".  Comparable does not mean same value, it means same function and utility. So basically it means the same size vehicle that will get you from point A to point B.  If you do not take rental vehicle then you are entitled to a loss of use payment which is generally in the area of $15.00 per day.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh