Is this going to be totaled?

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NeilC

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Aug 26, 2007
Threads
20
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230
Location
Baton Rouge, LA
Ford Explorer turned left in front of me when I was doing 30-35. The driver side front corner of my LC hit the passenger side front corner of the Explorer. The a/c condenser and radiator were crushed. The hood wont open so I cant see what else under the hood is damaged. The adjuster has not looked at it but their computer is saying totaled based on coolant leaking, hood crumpled, and over 100,000 miles. Any advice will be appreciated.

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They did not want me taking a pic but I covertly snapped this one. It is worse than it looks because the entire front end is shifted over 6-12 inches toward the driver side.

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Airbags did not go. I dont know about the frame but the radiator is pushed into the fan so that center cross member is toast.
 
Anthony.L said:
The Exploder on the other hand is toast (just like they should all be!).
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Yes sir ;-)
 
If you do fix it make sure and ask for diminished value from the adjuster and because it's more than 3 yrs old they won't be required to use yota parts so make sure and request it.
 
If they declare it a total loss, please be sure to ask about buying it back. The price will be right, and it will be very reasonable to repair. I'd buy it just as it stands today for what I think they might ask.

BTW, if you happen to go back to the yard.......I'd about kill for the little plastic cover over the parking light bulb. Can't find one anywhere without buying the entire light assy. One small philips screw and its off!

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phsycle said:
Looks like a new ARB bumper to me.
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That is the first thing I thought about. I was thinking that the damage wasn't that bad and was trying to figure out what the best way to work a bumper into the deal.

If they total it, will they basically give me retail blue book or nada and sell it back at salvage value with a salvage title? I guess it would be best to find a body shop willing to do the basic repair. I can do the bolt on repairs but dont want to mess with body work. The AC concerns me because of all the hard lines that I know are bent.
 
Frame damage won't be a factor here. If there is any frame damage, it can and will be repaired. The main concern will be the total estimate vs. the value. Also the salvage value is normally a quote from a large salvage vendor. That figure is then subtracted from the market value since the insurance company would re coop that amount by selling the vehicle wrecked for rebuild/parts.
Having said that, bear with me and I'll get some figures. At the very least I can get a fairly accurate salvage bid and value of your cruiser.
Keep in mind all insurance companies get the value differently. Some use NADA, some use "market value" some may use other methods. Condition can also be used to lower the value if a vehicle is in below average condition; interior, exterior, engine, and such.
Stay tuned...
 
I wrote about $5500 just messing around and including the parts I know you will need, some of which we can't see in the pics (fan shroud, radiator, condensor, etc). I did not include hood hinges, although they might be needed.
I assumed minor repair to the left fender, I'm sure there's some minor damage on the inner area.
All the parts I used were OEM, although the majority of insurance companies will use aftermarket or used if available, which I personally don't have a problem with.
You won't get much (if any) for "loss of value". It's a 12 year old vehicle, and until you actually sell it and take a loss, it's hard to show the insurance company a loss. Not sure how it is in other states, but in Arkansas the state law is for the customer to prove the loss to the insurance company, which-trust me-is hard to do, unless the insurance company has an open pocket book.
I couldn't get you a salvage bid, not enough data for the people my company uses, I can call tomorrow and get you one if you would like. Expect your LC to have a much higher salvage bid vs. the Exploder or other SUV's. I had a 2010 Pruis just last week that totaled becuase of a $8,500 salvage bid, even with 13k in damages.
Hope some of that rambling helps! And I hope they fix your Cruiser and get you back on the road! Let me know if you have an specific questions and I'll help any way I can.
 
So a high salvage bid will cause them to total it? That is slick for the insurance company. A truck with a pre accident value of $10,000 needing $5000 worth of repairs and a $5000 salvage value would get totaled and a $10,000 truck needing the same repairs but only having a $1000 salvage value might now get totaled.
 
NeilC said:
So a high salvage bid will cause them to total it? That is slick for the insurance company. A truck with a pre accident value of $10,000 needing $5000 worth of repairs and a $5000 salvage value would get totaled and a $10,000 truck needing the same repairs but only having a $1000 salvage value might now get totaled.
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It's not "slick"...it's just math. That is no different than you paying a premium ($10k) for a 12 year old SUV that gets 15mpg. If it's worth a premium in good condition, it will be worth more wrecked. Very similar to situations where a person has a $50k vehicle get in a bad wreck and not total b/c it's worth so much.

But your math is right. If those were the figures, then yes, in Arkansas it would be totaled, unless you get an adjuster than doesn't realize there will be a higher than normal salvage value and goes strickly by the value.

I hope they fix it for you, but worst case, as mentioned before, you can keep the vehicle, let the deduct the salvage amount, and fix it yourself. One thing to be sure to do, is make sure you have a shop lined up and you know upfront roughly how much it will cost for them to fix your LC. Sure don't want to keep the car, have $5000 to spend, and then end up with a $6,500 repair.
 
I called and got you a salvage bid this morning. This will vary, but this is straight from the vendor we use.
High : $6,424
Low : $4,800
That is based on $5500 is damagaes and $11,000 value.
 
I rolled the prettiest 2 door smoke gray metallic tahoe in Arkansas 3 times and state farm offered me $7,100 and I told them to forget it that i would never sign it. The assured me that was their highest offer. 3 weeks went by and they went up 10% and i settled with their "total loss" division.

Also remember that if you have it repaired use a "preferred body shop" and a "preferred mechanical shop" as they will warranty the repair work. And there is a difference in the (2) types of shops. Body shops only do body work and dont do front end work, frame work, etc.

You've gotten some dang good info here on this thread.
 
DuckLN said:
I rolled the prettiest 2 door smoke gray metallic tahoe in Arkansas 3 times and state farm offered me $7,100 and I told them to forget it that i would never sign it. The assured me that was their highest offer. 3 weeks went by and they went up 10% and i settled with their "total loss" division.

Also remember that if you have it repaired use a "preferred body shop" and a "preferred mechanical shop" as they will warranty the repair work. And there is a difference in the (2) types of shops. Body shops only do body work and dont do front end work, frame work, etc.

You've gotten some dang good info here on this thread.
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I had a similar deal with a Honda S2000 that was stolen. State Farm came back at $17,100 and assured me that was the highest they would go. At the time, the market value on the car was +$22k, so I said absolutely not. I had another car to drive as I just bought my X5 as a daily driver, so I was in no rush to get my money from them. After 3 months of back and forth letters, emails, and calls they came up to $22.9k. It wasn't easy, but it obviously was worth it.

As an aside, I'm impressed with how much these 100s are worth even at salvage yards!
 
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