Auto Insurance Claims/auto accident

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Expert: - 9/22/2009


Question
We were recently in a car accident. The subframe of the car was bent. The insurance company wants to fix this and said it might include weilding of the frame? Is this safe? We were told by an individual that the car should be a total loss.

Answer
Hello Dawn,

Yes it is safe, if it is done properly. If you question a particular shops repair quality, you could take the repaired vehicle to another body shop with frame equipment or to a frame specialty shop and check the quality and measurements. If the frame is really crumpled, then that section can be cut out and replaced. If your friend thinks he/she can get insurers to total out vehicles because the frame is damaged, then your friend could make a good living as a public adjuster specializing in this type of claim :)

Your friend may be right in principal and there may be some DV (diminished value), but so far the courts in this country have sided with the insurers and body shops on this issue.

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Ron Cercone

Expertise

How to handle automobile total loss claims. I am the president of UClaim.com, which sells 29 different eBooks I have written on how to maximize various types of auto, home and business claims and how to get coverage on denied claims. You may view their tables of contents online. Also available are very specialized eBooks such as on EUO (Examination Under Oath) for example. Also available is an assortment of policy forms used by the most popular insurers. The eBooks have a money back guarantee and currently include personal consultation with Ron Cercone.

Experience

I have been adjusting insurance claims since 1980. 1980 to 1995 adjusting for many insurers (6 years as an independent adjuster with my own company). Currently working as a public adjuster in California, since 1995. I'm one of the few public adjusters who has handled automobile damage and total loss claims.

Organizations
CAPIA (California Association of Public Adjusters).

Education/Credentials
BA 1975 in History and Industrial Arts. Full CV at UClaim.com .

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