Pivo154

Was recently in an auto accident & the total amount of repairs was first projected to be 6,700 dollars. My car is an 06 IS 350 base model with 40,000 miles. However, there was other damage to the suspension and underneath the car that must have made the total go up. I recently checked the claim status on state farm website and it was projected now to be at 9,800...Was it possible to have claimed the car as a total loss at the second amount? This is my first accident ever. Also, would it have been better to get the Lexus Dealership or totyota to do the repairs?

KillaIS250

iTrader: (1)

Whether or not the car can be claimed as a total loss is up to your insurance company. They all have different standards/levels of what qualifies as a total loss when there's no automatic total loss that has occurred (i.e. Frame damage) The only way to know is to contact your agent and ask what qualifies as a total loss and if they will write this car off or not.

As far as the repair shop you chose, as long as you chose a reputable repair shop, i don't see why you should have any issues. Most repair shops offer a lifetime warranty on their work, or if they don't, your insurance may provided you go to an approved body shop of theirs. I would prefer my car to be worked on at a Toyota/Lexus collision center when doing repairs as it insures OEM parts will be used and tougher standards to live up to.

RDIS250AWD

iTrader: (7)

Cars usually aren't totaled unless damages are within 60%-70% value of the car. I'm sure your car is worth more than 19600. If everyone's car was considered totaled for such a low cost of damage compared to the value of the car then insurance companies would be out of business

Sffd103

iTrader: (16)

You'll be fine. If you took it to a good shop they'll do it right. It oronanly won't be totaled.

Pivo154

Well I asked the repair shop and they said they are going to use OEM parts for all repairs...Im a bit worried and think I should have gone to toyota or lexus...Also, when the damage was estimated at 6700 the insurance company said if I would have done around 3500 more in damage it could have me totaled out...That is why I ask bc I was not told the damage estimates were bumped from 6700 to 9800...I happened to go pay for my insurance online & checked the claim estimates and saw it in there..Also, if the frame is bent at all, even slightly could it be considered a total loss? I read somewhere that whenever a frame is bent its better to total out since it can never be fixed 100%

haido84

iTrader: (1)

If there is frame damage it is always better to try and get it totaled out as this is a red flag on your carfax if you ever decide to sell you car.

rookieIS

iTrader: (8)

sorry to hear bout the accident..

im sure you can find a reputable shop in LA that can fix your car back to OEM specs. make sure they use new OEM parts and not re-manufactured parts.

you can also consider to do the 2011+ / Fsport conversion while you're at it since insurance is paying! good luck.

tBayBoi20

i used to have state farm and they were pretty good to me when i banged up a couple cars when i was younger. hopefully you have the same luck. do you prefer the car be a total loss or do you WANT it fixed?

calvin2376

iTrader: (2)

This seems easily determined, just call your insurance company.

The only entity that can determine if your car is a total loss or not is your insurance company. So asking others' opinions on here unfortunately won't get you anywhere. Just call your insurance company and explain that you noticed the repair amount went up significantly and that you'd been told that the current amount was close to the level at which it would be termed a total loss.

Also, is the car already undergoing repairs? If so, then I think this entire question is moot. Even if the repair amount goes up, it's already being repaired so they're not going to invest the money to repair it and THEN claim it's a total loss and give you cash value on top. In addition, if it's already being repaired you shouldn't fret over whether you should have taken it elsewhere because there's nothing you can do, it's going to be repaired there.

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

Nope, you will get a semi-fixed heap that will never feel right again. Its sad, but when you get into an accident...make it count, total it!

shadowman

iTrader: (2)

As mentioned, every insurance companies have a guideline or formula on how they determine a total loss on a car. It's basically to avoid repairing a damaged car where the cost of repair exceeds or nears the value of the car. Nobody is going to spend 10 grand to fix a car that's only worth $8000.

You can get a good idea by checking out the value of your car... RDIS250AWD said it pretty well. I kind of doubt that they are going to total it.

Sorry to hear about the accident...

For shops, I usually do some research before taking it to a body shop. Simple yelp search can go a long way... pick a shop with lots of reviews to prevent any bias and obviously a near perfect one. Good luck!

stlgrym3

iTrader: (4)

i had an accident recently and the car is still at the body shop. my estimate was $10,000. i asked for total loss but the insurance company won't do it. they said in order to be total loss the cost of damage has to be at least 50% of the value of the car at the time of the accident (mine is a 2011 IS250) or the damage is effecting safty of the vehecle. your estimate is pretty close to the 50% threshold, if i would you i would push the insurance company to total loss the car, maybe even get a lawyer involve.

Pivo154

Unfortunately they would not total the car...They were saying the damage was repairable so there is no reason to total it.. Not much else I can do..

stlgrym3

iTrader: (4)

but if it's the other party's fault you can ask for that person's insurance company to pay the "diminishing value" of your car. meaning the difference in value of your car before and after the accident. it's a pretty striaght forward processl.

WadeLovell

iTrader: (5)

I have not heard of the diminishing value concept before. Unfortunately, the last couple of accidents were caused by underinsured and uninsured motorists. How does it work?