Familiarity With Diminished Value Claim

[Mello03]

I had 12k worth of damage to my STI and got 5k from State Farm. I used a DV guy and paid him 200.00. He knew the games they played and it was well worth the money. If you go it alone, they will always low ball you. I asked for 7500 and they countered at 3500. The DV guy spoke to the State Farm hires appraiser and they compromised at 5k. This is in NC, but I do know that if I said no to 5k I could have ended up at their final offer of 3500. In my opinion it pays to let someone handle it. Money well spent.

 

[pumacat24]

Another idea for the DV claim is to go to 1-2 local Toyota dealerships and give them your VIN, show them your truck before pic and then the one you attached here, and ask what the trade in value was before and after the accident.

Get them to write it out on company letterhead and there's your DV proof to submit to the stupid insurance company.

I didn't know what DV when some idiot backed into my 4th gen and then I went to trade it in and the Toyota dealership told me that because it showed an accident on the carfax report, no matter how small, they would only give me 5k for it.

I laughed at them, because my 4th gen was in immaculate condition, I kept pics of the wreck, and had it fixed with OEM parts from the Toyota Collision center and I turned around and sold the car privately for $12k.

So... you get what I'm saying, that was a big DV there.

Also, do know that you will NEVER be able to trade your car in now unless you take a considerable loss.

The good thing is, when it comes time to sell, you can private party it and get way more. You will need to keep every record and pictures of what happened in the wreck and how it was fixed so you can show a private buyer.