Diminished value

[gsqrd]

I was rear-ended Aug 15th. A reputable companies work truck(F350) did it( and got the worst of it). Repair on my R1S was 12K. Mostly replacement of lift gate. State Farm is pursuing restitution for my deductible. State Farm says I must pursue diminished value(DV) myself with the other insurance company, Need independent assessment of loss and submission to other insurance company. Of course they are not likely to approve. Question: Is this the proper process? Would Rivian supply DV? Seems tacky.. PS My R1S was totally driveable and fully functional. I thought only plastic lens cover on brake light was obvious damage. All sensors worked. Other guy was amazed, Of course inspection found lots of tweaked parts.

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[rivianbuff]

I am dealing w this right now in Texas. DV laws vary by state. My R1T was hit… $23k to fix.
The company that was liable should be covering your entire bill… not sure why a deductible is even in play.
Insurance companies have a formula for DV that grossly undervalues the amount and no court recognizes it, but they will attempt to tell you that is the determining value.
I would ask the company for DV equal to 1/2 the repair. If they will not meet that, hire an appraiser and you likely will get even a little more than 1/2.
Again, every state is different so look up your state’s DV law.

 

[Tikiman71]

I went through this several years ago on our 2 year old Subaru Outback. My wife got hit and the vehicle had over $17,000 in damages and took over 2 months to fix. My insurance (21st Century, which I believe is associated with State Farm) did not want to do anything with pursuing diminished value. I got several appraisals from Carmax and the dealer on the repaired vehicle, and compared them to online appraisals and "true value" estimates for a clean undamaged vehicle and found an average difference of around $3,500.

I documented everything neatly in a little binder, had the sheriff serve the other driver and took them and their insurance (Geico) to small claims court (along with my 7 year old son to show him how justice can work), and won the case in about 5 minutes.

It was not a lot of money, but I was more peeved that the insurance companies were not willing to do anything to make things right for an accident that was 0% our fault. It was probably the hardest $3500 I've had to work for and it took months, but it was a good learning experience and we were proud of the outcome. My son still talks about it. In fact he will be getting the Outback next month!

Best of luck. I know it's a total pain. Hang in there and be persistent.

 

[MidnightRivian]

I have seen this company advertising their actual experiences on Facebook.

Maybe reach out for a 2nd opinion if you still need help.


https://www.facebook.com/CollisionConsultants

https://collisionsafetyconsultants.us/

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

I'm not sure exactly the process. I would imagine you would need an appraisal....I am sure there are some appraisers out there who know how to do a DV claim.

Many policies have an appraisal clause in them which might be involved in a case like this.

Best to speak with a pro about this. You can look for independent auto appraisers in your area.

 

[AYAYRON]

I am dealing w this right now in Texas. DV laws vary by state. My R1T was hit… $23k to fix.
The company that was liable should be covering your entire bill… not sure why a deductible is even in play.
Insurance companies have a formula for DV that grossly undervalues the amount and no court recognizes it, but they will attempt to tell you that is the determining value.
I would ask the company for DV equal to 1/2 the repair. If they will not meet that, hire an appraiser and you likely will get even a little more than 1/2.
Again, every state is different so look up your state’s DV law.

I'm in Texas, already went through this, long story short, I found a company recommended by another Rivian owner to supply an appraisal, it was a complete sham of an appraisal, and thusly the insurance company did not budge off their intial $2000 offer (my damage was very minor $4500 in repairs) so I took the $2k.

to explain the reason the appraisal was a sham is they did not use 1 single comp of a Rivian sold after body damage had been repaired, no comp = no true gauge of value, these idiots try to say "we've been doing appraisals XX years" ...well....then you should know how they work, and your opinion based on NOTHING will not work.

Texas has no statutes to help in DV, some states do, those states that do, can use the flimsy appraisal company I tried to use, that's what is important to know.

You do DV through the other person's insurance if you were not satisfied then you could lean on your insurance company but you're really playing with a hornets nest to involve yours at all,.

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