Insurance is totaling my truck.

[StrokinRat]

Man i'm sorry to hear about your truck. I have Grundy Worldwide Insurance. It's for Classic vehicle. I got a policy worth 15k so if something like this happens to mine ill get my money back from what I've put in it. All i had to do is send them some pictures and they agreed to the value. I know that doesn't help you right now but maybe when you get it built back or build a new one you'll look into it. Good luck.

[Fastest32]

some progress. I spoke with them again after sending them examples of trucks like mine and some pictures and they are gonna resubmit the claim as a restored vehicle and have a different department evaluate my truck and then give a new number. seems like a step in the right direction. i hope. then from there i can send receipts and see how far i get. fingers crossed.

[Prerunner1982]

I hate dealing with insurance companies.

When I got into a wreck with my blue 87 GMC (girl pulled out in front of me) her insurance company tried to offer me $900 for the truck. The truck wasn't nearly as nice as yours but it was worth more than $900. They wouldn't even accept my examples of other trucks... until I filed a complaint with the Dept of Insurance.

They got the value of my truck compared to 5 other trucks. Of the 5... 3 were 4.3 ltrs V6s and 1 was a 6.2 ltr diesel... 1 was a 5.0 ltr (like mine). 3 of them also had unlisted miles... and 4 were listed with no radio.

After 4 months of arguing they finally accepted my documents and then said they can't tell what has or has not been done to the trucks I used as examples.. for which I replied I can not tell what has or has not been done to the trucks you are comparing mine to not to mention only 1 of them is remotely close to being like my truck.... we settled for $1900.... Since I paid $1700 for the truck 1 year prior I was ok with that.

[motornut]

Originally Posted by Fastest32

some progress. I spoke with them again after sending them examples of trucks like mine and some pictures and they are gonna resubmit the claim as a restored vehicle and have a different department evaluate my truck and then give a new number. seems like a step in the right direction. i hope. then from there i can send receipts and see how far i get. fingers crossed.

good and don't forget out of pocket expenses,if they cover that stuff too

[81ShrtBox]

I would get an attorney quick

[kSStamp0182]

i got screwed like this a few years back. only got $2200 for my flawless '87 with 65k original miles.

[jdurant]

Hey,
I feel you brother. I loathe insurance companies because of this kind of behavior. I am going through the exact same thing right now with my wife's Scion Xb. But I've been in this situation with different insurance cos atleast 3different times with squarebodies. A guy rearended us and I'm dealing with his insurance co this time. So far, they've worked with me and have been answering the phone. They've been farely unconcerned, and untimely though. But I feel the road might get bumpy soon. After three weeks of negotiating they finally told me this morning that it would be a total loss. But I feel like I'm gonna be arguing with them for another week or two about value.

There is some very good advice in this thread. I just wanted to reiterate. Keep your cool, and be reasonable. Don't go away, and you do have the right to what it is realistically worth. Certainly don't depend on their comparables. I usually do ok, after fighting for awhile. I wouldn't offer receipts unless they asked, personally, or all else failed, depending on what you've got they will probably claim, "wear and tear". It does suck that they are treating you the way they are though. Normally dealing with the other guys insurance is much more pleasant in my experience.

Also, since people are bringing it up, I wanted to offer a different point of view about insurance companies. I've dealt with many different insurance companies over the years (I've been in a bunch of wrecks, for some reason. Except for the Bronze Blazer (which really wasn't my fault) it's been years and years since I had an at fault accident). I know I'm long winded. I told you that to tell you this. I've come to the conclusion that (auto, atleast.) insurance is a scam I usually pay for the least coverage that I can get. The absolute state required minimum. I typically just have liability coverage with a high deductable to get the lowest premium I can. I just don't understand paying a high premium when, if you do have an accident, all they're gonna do is try their best to break it off in you--and then raise your premium. Of the 10+ accidents(It's hard to keep count, maybe all the head trauma?) I've been in--only three where my fault (technically), and two of them where from my first years with my liscense. I'm confident in my driving ability and don't feel like I am likely to cause an accident. And if I do--that's why I drive vehicles that parts are plentiful and relatively cheap--I like to think that's in the spirit of hotrodding anyway. Chances are you can fix it for far cheaper than that what you've thrown away on a high premium insurance policy.

Of course there are exceptions. If you owe money on it, or you are an offensive driver, or there are a bunch of guys whose trucks and other toys and stuff do fall into categories where these collector car, antique, leasure vehicle, and agreed on value policies do make some sense (ie.--if you have $10,000 tied up in suspension). But not for me, not right now, not with my vehicles in the state that they are in.

For the two guys still reading. Thanks for letting me rant.

[oldblue1968chevy]

Get pics together, ALL RECIEPTS! Together and present those and maybe trucks simialar condition to adjuster, I did this and got what I had in the truck back out of it, and kept the truck (sold it back for 1K)

[83burban]

jdurant - I don't want to turn this guys thread into an argument - but I completely disagree with you, and even loath drivers who choose to get insurance that just "meets" state minimums.

What most people forget is that insurance is not just about getting money back for your possessions - yes this is very important and I think everyone is entitled to the fair value of their vehicle - however, the real reason you should get the best insurance you can afford is to protect yourself against lawsuits.

In today's world - you can be sued even if the accident isn't your fault - and if your policy is the minimum - you will likely get screwed. Even though I am in college, I carry an umbrella policy that I pay for out of pocket just in case I have an accident in my car or at my house when throwing a kegger.

Case when this is necessary. I was involved in a 2 car crash that was my fault when I was 17. There were a total of 11 people involved with lawsuits against me - and since I was a minor - my parents. I got sued by vehicle owner, parents of the other kids, and in California when a minor turns 18 they can sue on their own behalf. Needless to say, If it weren't for my families larger policies, my parents would have had to pay out of pocket for that one accident to the tune of a large 6 figures.

When you carry minimum insurance, you open yourself to being sued big time. Your insurance will pay liability claims up to your limit which is likely only 15/30 thousand, and if the costs are more than that - YOU are liable for every penny. You can easily get sued and loose everything. You also screw the other driver if their costs are greater than your policies coverages - since they will have to retain a lawyer to go after your possession to get compensated for your accident - compensation that they are owed and will become a lengthy process to recover.

I am not advocating getting the biggest policy in the world, but you should seriously reconsider your liability coverages. I don't have collision on my policy since I don't think its necessary now, but I do carry comprehensive in case of theft or fire.

Sorry for the spiel, not trying to dock you, just trying to help you out.

[CSGAS]

Don't miss out on one resource you may have on your side in the fight. If you have personal property tax assessed in your state (I don't know Texas well enough) then you have a State government determination of the value of the truck. Since they make money based on the value, well, I just seriously doubt they'd undervalue it. Then the insurance company will have to sling mud at the state government in order to dispute the value of the truck--something I doubt would sway a court.

[jdurant]

Originally Posted by 83burban

jdurant - I don't want to turn this guys thread into an argument - but I completely disagree with you, and even loath drivers who choose to get insurance that just "meets" state minimums.

I don't want to turn it into that either. Just everyone offering opinions about coverages, wanted to throw mine out there. I know my points are debateable, but We'll just have to agree to disagree. I do understand your points and maybe if I was worth more, but good luck getting a big settlement out of me. I'm sorry you/your parents/their insurance company was sued, sounds awful and unfortunate, but my 25/50/25 coverage has never been close to tested and my insurance company was sued once. (btw does the la. mean Louisiana or Los Angeles?-wondering why so many lawsuits). But at the end of the day, it's just a gamble either way I guess. But, there is a reason that insurance companies can afford to pay for every other commercial on the air. It's the same reason casinos are so big, extravagant and over the top. The house usually wins.
Those are my views. Good luck changing them.

[83burban]

I hear you on the different points of view. There are many decisions that I make that many people would disagree with, and I don't mean to come across as telling people what they should or shouldn't do. Just throwing my personal experience out there for others to learn from if they so choose.

LA is for Los Angeles, probably a reason for so many lawsuits haha

[gchemist]

Wow. I would fight it all the way!! I have a stated value on my truck. All I need are receipts and pictures. If you have pictures of before and after, use them too. I seriouly need an appraised value for safety. I time I pull out of the garage, I think will this be the day some idiot takes out my truck. I notice people don't tailgate me too close at lights or down the street. I guess the exhaust rumble and "little" shadow of me scare people.

Cab damage is the worst. It won't be easy to fix.

[69subaru360]

Next time get an agreed value policy for sure. I have my 78 C10 and my old Subaru insured for $5000 a piece with JC taylor, agreed value. It only costs $50 per car a year and I get $5000 if anything happens to them. I didn't even need an appraisal, just pictures. Both are just nice driver quality, not show cars. I imagine if you wanted a high agreed value you'd need receipts and appraisals. But I just wanted to be able to replace them if something happened and not get hassled.

[old Rusty C10]

as someone who has been in the business of insurance investigations for a long time, id caution against state minimum unless you have no property or cash in your name for reasons well stated above, and i do know someone who paid out of pocket because of a judgement against them

[Clyde65]

FYI only,

My buddy had the state minimum here in TX and he slid through an intersection a couple years ago, he nailed a Escalade ESV and it flipped on its side, totaled it, but no one inside was hurt luckily. His policy was for the 25/50/25 minimum and only paid $25K....the Escalade was brand new and he was sued by the other insurance ( the other insurance paid the uninsured/underinsured portion) and he was levied a judgement of like $37K on his house and property because he didnt have the $. So if/when he sells his house, that will be taken out of whatever equity he may have, or if he has none, then he cant sell it. Sux but that is how the law goes down here anyway. This is how he explained it to me so if some lawyer out there has other info, take this as info only.

[81ShrtBox]

I had a 93" Powder Blue GMC Suburban that was totalled back in 2002. The other driver was drunk and fell asleep behind the wheel. He came across the median of a main HWY and hit me head on. His insurance company was trying to give me a GEO to ride in. I'm 6'4" 300lbs.... I cant get in a GEO. I was driving myself to therapy at the time so I need a vehicle big enough to accommodate me and my family of 5. I finally had to get a lawyer involved. It went from arguing about the rental vehicle to "Mr. Clayton we have someone from Enterprise Rental coming to pick you up from your home to give you an SUV" Claims adjusters do not respect individuals. I even got $8500 out of them for my Old Suburban.. they even let me take my stereo system and wheels off.

Get a lawyer.. makes it painless....just my 2cents

[RandyP]

Like has been said, you're stupid, absolutely stupid if you get the bare minimum liability coverage. Back in the 70's when my dad was working claims, he worked one where a kid was driving his hotrod nova with the basic 10/20/10 (is higher these days, but then it was 10/20/10) coverage on the beater.
The kid lost control on a windy road and ran in to a funeral procession. Took out the family car in front (stretched cadi limo), the hearse (another cadi) and then a new town car. People were hurt in all 3 of the cars, and all 3 cars were totals. The kids parents were hung out to dry, literally. You lose everything in a situation like that, and it sucks living in a cardboard box.
Always imagine you're the one who is going to plow in to the ferrari, or worse.

[81ShrtBox]

dont want to go on and on on the mans post, but the day I totalled my suburban I had just finished putting a new transmission, torque converter,oil pump, distributer, oil sending unit, valve cover and intake gaskets and a fresh tune up. Had new grille-bumper and lights for it in the garage. Was about to install the new front but was tired of working on it and went for a ride instead

they will try to make you feel frustrated and throw in the towel... dont give in

[parrisc19844x4_468]

Dont forget, you can always take the person that hit you to small claims court, regardless of the out come of what happens with your insurance. Without getting into detail, I had to do that one time to get my $500 towing / stoarge fee back. In Wisconsin the limit for small claims is $5,000.

[AuggieStyle]

sorry to hear about your loss i was just telling jonboy the otherday how i hate doing total loss apraisals on our trucks.......i cant get into detail but i will tell you that the insurance needs to do their comparables on LKQ trucks you can sue them for not doing so. texas DOI allows expanded searches, and Dealer Quotes but you want to stay away from Dealer Quotes cause it is a crap shoot. travelers may have internal regulations on where they can get comparables and what years they can use and what mileage threshold they use.
just like Auto dealerships that use Auto Exchange if the vehicle has over 100000 miles regardless of the year it sets value at $1
also i know travelers has a 24hr agreement with ccc to get Total Loss Valuations back to their adjusters. Have Travelers send out an appraiser from CCC to look at the truck. if they refuse intiate court procedings.

it would be smart to get stated value insurance coverage i have 5000 dollars of stated value insurance it starts to if i do anything else to my truck i will raise the value if i wreck the truck it uses the 5000 as the MSRP 65% damage and the truck is totaled so i plan on only using it incase of total/theft

also on most of the reciepts they will look at the dates and depreciate acordingly DOI allows that. and allows then not to pay for common maintenance. A/C compressor, brakes, shocks, and will only value an engine or transmission for 13mo back from date of collision

[AuggieStyle]

also you can sue here in texas and get a lien for any judgement in your favor against the person that hit you that may be UNDERINSURED.

the sad thing about all this is that it is all a mathmatical equation based on the person that hit you!

travelers has already evaluated the policy holder and figured how much they have paid into the policy and how long they will be with travelers after the collision because they have to raise their rates to make back their money and how much they are gonna lose......because you know the insurance company is not gonna lose.

[mwooten92]

same way my truck was hit.. bed was touching the cab and couldnt open the passenger door.. my hood wasnt folded all up like yours.. good luck with everything.

[WigglesTheHoly]

man I have my truck on basic right now because I'm in the stages of restoring and didn't figure I would need anything other than basic and collision. I really need to get it up to insurance to insure it properly now at value.

[TheWhiteElephant]

Originally Posted by 83burban

jdurant - I don't want to turn this guys thread into an argument - but I completely disagree with you, and even loath drivers who choose to get insurance that just "meets" state minimums.

What most people forget is that insurance is not just about getting money back for your possessions - yes this is very important and I think everyone is entitled to the fair value of their vehicle - however, the real reason you should get the best insurance you can afford is to protect yourself against lawsuits.

In today's world - you can be sued even if the accident isn't your fault - and if your policy is the minimum - you will likely get screwed. Even though I am in college, I carry an umbrella policy that I pay for out of pocket just in case I have an accident in my car or at my house when throwing a kegger.

Case when this is necessary. I was involved in a 2 car crash that was my fault when I was 17. There were a total of 11 people involved with lawsuits against me - and since I was a minor - my parents. I got sued by vehicle owner, parents of the other kids, and in California when a minor turns 18 they can sue on their own behalf. Needless to say, If it weren't for my families larger policies, my parents would have had to pay out of pocket for that one accident to the tune of a large 6 figures.

When you carry minimum insurance, you open yourself to being sued big time. Your insurance will pay liability claims up to your limit which is likely only 15/30 thousand, and if the costs are more than that - YOU are liable for every penny. You can easily get sued and loose everything. You also screw the other driver if their costs are greater than your policies coverages - since they will have to retain a lawyer to go after your possession to get compensated for your accident - compensation that they are owed and will become a lengthy process to recover.

I am not advocating getting the biggest policy in the world, but you should seriously reconsider your liability coverages. I don't have collision on my policy since I don't think its necessary now, but I do carry comprehensive in case of theft or fire.

Sorry for the spiel, not trying to dock you, just trying to help you out.

Excellent points and your argument is spot-on. Facts are facts. Insurance law here in Texas is unlike insurance law in all the other states. The state minimum will hardly cover anything. Cars are way too expensive nowadays. If you are involved in a serious multi-vehicle accident and it is your fault, you can and will be sued. Argue that you have no money and that will make no difference.

We have plaintiff attorneys with remote offices in Mexico to "protect" drivers from Mexico if they are involved in an accident here in Texas.