alisurti

Could some experts tell me if my LS will be totaled by the insurance company after this rear end collision? It is an 09 with 108500 miles on it.

Chuckinnj

No......... That will just buff out.
Seriously, From the pix it looks like heavy sheet metal damage that a good body shop can repair and make it look good. Insurance companies "negotiate" with body shops to keep prices down so they will not have to total the car.
Basically the insurance company is NOT your friend....... Choose a good body shop because they will NOT do a crappy job and use junk yard (excuse me......Salvage yard) parts or listen to a "stuffed shirt" adjuster with no hands on experience who only cares about the insurance company pay out. Some insurance companies are better than others on paying to have the job done right while some want to pay just to get it done. I suggest asking your local Lexus dealer who does their body work.

R Z

I hope you have a good personal injury attorney.

Nospinzone

Well I am no expert, but I play one here on Club Lexus.

On the surface it does appear that the car can be repaired. However, an expert auto body shop may find other hidden damage that may be significant. If the insurance company doesn't total it and you think it should be totaled, go for a second opinion.

Unsober1

I also agree with the above, it appears mostly cosmetic. Is there any structrual frame damage or has the force caused damage to other parts towards the front ? How powerful was the collision ? Are any body panels or gaps not correct up front. If it was a low force impact, most likely the insurance company will come back with a quote of about $7500. Of course that it just my guess with limited knowledge. As perviously said above, get more than one opinion on the repairs.

alisurti

Thanks Unsober1 and others for the input, but what will they do about the sheet metal which has been torn apart like a sheet of paper plus there is a lot of damage to the interior metal too and I see a lot of parts have been destroyed too, also if they do not total it then how much of a diminished value should I be getting for the car after the repairs.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

Insurance companies don't pay for "diminished value". You might be able to get a couple of thousand out of the guilty party in small claims court.

alisurti

I just did some online research and found that in South Carolina where this collision took place they do have the law for diminished value.

South Carolina has held that “the cost of the repairs made... plus the (remaining) diminution in value of the property will ordinarily be the proper measure of damages.” Newman v. Brown, 228 S.C. 472, 477, 90 S.E.2d 649, 652 (1955).

Nospinzone

I was going to post that collecting for diminished value will depend upon the state you live in. I was just checking and found this in Wikipedia -

Auto insurance companies may not readily recognize or offer to pay for diminished value. Each state may have differing opinions of DV. Example; The state of Georgia allows the insured party (the first-Party Policy holder) to make a claim for their remaining economic loss for DV from their own insurance company while the neighboring state of Florida does not.

Chuckinnj

Yes, the value will be diminished as far on the trade in or resale but if you decide to keep it as long it is repaired correctly don't be concerned....... Because YOU will be the only one who cares. I have a 2009 Dodge SRT that has had both sides replaced (fenders, doors, rear quarters) from deer two hits over the years and it looks great but it shows up on a car fax report and a paint meter will easily detect a panel repaint, but I really don't care because I will keep it and drive it until the repairs exceed the value.
Like I said in post #2....... seek out a good body shop who will do a "honest evaluation/estimate" along with quality repairs that can be "undetectable" to 99% of the population. A good shop can work miracles!

roadfrog

I'd be very surprised if this one was written off.

RedRobin

For those interested....we have diminished value in Texas...but it appears it is a well kept secret for some reason.


Always good to be informed,
RedRobin

Rhambler

Ouch, sorry to hear about your accident. More self-braking forward-collision avoiding cars can't come soon enough. Too many "kids" staring at their cellphone when they should be paying attention to the road.

I've seen three rear-end collisions since I've purchased my car a few months ago, all probably due to inattentive drivers.

If the frame is bent, they will most likely total it. That might not be known until the body shop starts to break it down, unless the adjuster can see obvious damage there. In any case, hope it gets resolved to your liking. Don't settle for anything less, ever. Play hardball or hire an attorney.

dlbuckls10

I hope no severe injuries occurred and I think it will be totaled.

Stereorob

man that sucks. looks like it was really clean too. id like to touch on the cell phone note, people really do need to get there damn nose out of there damn phones on the road. I was about a centimeter away from getting sideswiped by a van last night driving home from work cause guess what they were doing? facebooking on there phone not paying attention to the road and giggling. don't think they even noticed me till a mile further down the road. man I was pissed. when I finally got her attention she looked at me like I did something wrong. ****ing goddamn dumbass!!