Expert: Ron Cercone - 1/1/2010

Question
Car was involved in a flash flood on 12/17 in South Florida.The car stood in over 4 feet of water for 36 hours. Water rose above the interior seats. Geico wants to dry and disinfect and return the car. I want an independent adjuster to survey the car for damages. My greatest concern is that the flood damage has created a worthless car that Lexus has told me they would not accept as a trade for a new car.The diminished value makes this car nearly worthless and the carfax verifies all the above. The car was a Lexus300GS 2006, with 45,000 miles. I have been the only owner and all service has been done with Lexus. What do I have to do short of taking this case to binding arbitration or mediation. I do not want the car back if it has no value and if it will develop any sort of problems later. Please advise.

Answer
Harvey,

Your car is a total loss if it sat in water for 4 hours, period. Geico cannot guarantee that some wire won't rust out in 5 years due to this water. And they can't guarantee that "dead mold" inside the seats and trim will not harm someone.

This is why Geico and Allstate advertise so much, to replace the customers they loose after they have claims. Forget mediation and arbitration. Geico can hire expensive attorneys who play golf with the umpires. Get one of the eBooks at UClaim.com on Total Loss Auto and denied auto claims for direction on how to proceed using simple to complex methods.