XJ got rear ended.

[Talyn]

Last Tuesday I tried to call the driver to let her know she needs to contact her insurance company. Tried again on Wednesday. She answered. I told her she needs to contact her insurance to discuss her side of the incident with them. She said something (don't recall exact words) that led me to believe that she was surprised she had to. Then she said she was at work and hung up. Assurance America(her insurance) was able to contact one of the passengers, which told them it wasn't her fault. Assurance America was able to contact the driver on Thursday, but was unable to speak with her, again, because "work". They again contacted her this Monday and a male answered the phone, said "hold on", then hung up on.

Assurance America called me on Friday morning and said that they reviewed the repair estimate. I was told that once they establish liability that they would total it instead of repairing it. Then he said that I would be "happy" with their offer. I tried to argue that it is worth a lot more than their silly "book" value. It was a moot point anyhow as they still haven't talked to the driver and assumed liability. I'm pretty sure their idea of a "happy" offer is way off from mine.

However, my insurance also called me later on Friday. They had reviewed the repair estimate and said that they would cover the cost of the repair minus my deductible.

So, I will be getting the XJ repaired under my insurance and then go after Assurance America for whatever else I feel like I am entitled to.

 

[cal]

You shouldn't have to go after them, you're insurance should do that for you, and reimburse the deductible.

 

[Talyn]

My insurance will go after them for the repair cost + deductible, but that isn't all I'm getting.

 

[md21722]

Insurance is a racket. I was on a 2 lane in rural PA when this guy in a Volvo crossed the center line to make a left turn in front of me. I ended up crashed into a road sign with a flat tire and a busted up front right corner. He never came over to me. He was just standing in back of his car with his buddies that were over in the parking lot. He said this place has good steaks and I just want a steak, just got off the plane from Harrisburg and am tired.. and offered to let me drive his car back home. WTF. When the state trooper asked me, in your words, what happened, I think the first words out of my mouth where "what does this guy what to do have an effing accident???" He got a ticket and his insurance company wouldn't admit fault for a couple of weeks until I started using some legal jargon and then they admitted fault by the end of the same day. They lied every step of the way and ended up making me whole. I sent receipt after receipt filling up this guy's inbox until I was done. Once they realized I wasn't going away I think they just wanted me off their back. I was dealing with Allstate folks out of Roanoke most of the time.

 

[bjoehandley]

Dad had issues with Allstate back in the late 60's or early 70's, as well as State Farm prior to that.

 

[XJCasper]

Summary of my XJ being totaled:

Unibody damage, exhaust damage, paint scratched, Seat bent up, and center console damage...

Estimate $3200ish..
Insurance company totaled for $5200 minus buy-back. Uninsured motorist. When it was deemed her fault, they reimbursed me the difference between the standard deductible and the uninsured motorist deductible. 'Cash for Clunkers' did a good thing for our values.

Moral:
$625 to the body shop to straighten the unibody
$20 for the replacement arm rest
$200 for the exhaust repairs
I splurged on PRP seats.
The Jeep was back on the road. We did have additional run-ability issues that took some time to figure out. Eventually when found, they were easy fixes.

 

[Jeepguy03]

Insurance is pretty much a scam. I know because I worked in that field.

Unless you have receipts for everything, it will be hard to prove to them that your Jeep is worth more. I fought with many claimants over this. There is a reason insurance companies make so much money, it's because they never pay out more than they need to. I had one guy tell me I should give him 8 grand for his totaled 22 year old Suzuki Samari because someone offered him that a few weeks prior to the accident and it had a ton of mods. That's not how it works. In the insurance company's eyes they are dealing with what was insured as a stock 22 year old Suzuki Samari worth ~$1500. Unless you get special coverage (like classic car coverage) that covers you for the added modifications you have made it is a battle to get what you want.

Your best bet is to argue for the replacement cost of your XJ. Insurance companies usually total vehicles and give out one of two values. The first is the actual cash value which is basically the book value given the mileage and condition. The second is the replacement cost. They look at other similar XJs for sale and offer you an amount based on that. This is where your research pays off. Look up the cleanest most expensive stock XJs you can find at local dealers and show with pictures of your own XJ how they are comparable. My manager could never turn down a replacement offer if I could show them evidence that exact replacement vehicles in the area were going for that price.

Hope this helps, feel free to PM me if you have questions.