Expert: Bennie719 - 3/11/2008

Question
My 2004 Volvo conv. had the top slashed in 2 places, clean through the headliner.  I have a $500.00 ded. and have 2 estimates between $2500-2700 to fix.  The adjuster has estimated parts and labor at $2165.00, which minus my ded. = $1665.00.  I will pay the ded. but do not think I should have to pay extra out of pocket to get my car back to normal.  What are my options?  Thanks.

Answer
Hi Alan,
There are two possible reasons for the lower offer from your adjuster.
1.  He has talked to the shops and they are willing to replace the top for the lower amount, or
2.  The most likely reason is that he is taking 'betterment' (or depreciation on the top).  Any time that the repairs put your car in a better condition than it was before the damage, the insurance company is entitled to apply 'betterment'.  Some examples:  If all 4 of your tires were slashed and the tread showed a 50% wear, they would only be obligated to pay 50% toward a new set of tires.  Since the average life of the paint on your car is 7 years, if your paint was vandalized and the entire car needed to be repainted, they would only pay about 70%-75% of a new paint job.  The same holds true with convertible tops.  They have an average life expectancy, therefore, the insurance company is able to pay a depreciated amount because they are replacing with a new top.
If the adjustment is due to 'betterment', it sounds very fair since he is only depreciation a 4 year old top by about 15%.
Discuss this matter with the adjuster and see which of the reasons that he is using.
I hope this information has been of help.
Your feedback by rating my answer will be appreciated.
Sincerely,
Bennie
San Francisco Bay Area