Expert: Anne - 5/11/2010

Question
Hello,
I had a major garage fire on 4/29/2010 with three of my cars parked inside the garage. The insurance company has been more than fair with the house claim, but I am butting heads with them on the three cars that were damaged with soot, smoke but not heat damage.
I believe that cars should be totaled because the garage has been determined to be hazmat because of the asbestos in the drywall of the home. In addition, I do not believe they can guarantee the cars will be safe form all the plastics that burned in the garage.  In addition, everyone that I have talked to about the cars have stated that they should be totaled because of how bad the garage fire was.
The insurance company just wants to have them detailed and nothing really more.  What can I do to tell them that I believe they should be totaled out? I really do not feel safe being in a car that has smoke damage because of my health.
The three cars are –
Acura TL 2009 (5 Months Old)
Acura TL 2005
Infinity QX4 2002

Regards

Answer
Hello Kenneth,

Well, those vehicles are pretty new (nice car BTW), so the damage must be pretty substantial. You really need to make sure that the repairs are indeed up to par for the damage (see that estimate very carefully).

What parts are they putting on the car (new, used, second hand, OEM, etc). Are they going to paint the entire vehicle or just the damaged sections (will the paint match?)

These are a few tips. Really, it will go down to estimate of repair amount. The higher the estimate, the less likely they will fix the car.

Also, check this article http://www.auto-insurance-claim-advice.com/car-totaled.html

I hope this helps
Anne
http://www.quirogalawoffice.com/
http://www.spokaneimmigration.com/