Dealing with an insurance company

SCLeeham

Registered User
Hello fellow SC'ers,

We were recently rear-ended by a distracted driver in our van (not the SC, thankfully). The driver took full responsibility for not watching the road and his insurance company has fully repaired the van using a reputable shop and new parts. The amount of damage was around $4K, and there was no frame damage or panel misalignment. It bascially required a tailgate, lights, and bumper assembly. We also received compensation for a medical evaluation and a replacement child seat. There were no injuries to my wife or kids.

The van, which has only 85K miles and had a clean history before, is a 2007 Honda Odyssey. They are very thirsty and notorious for transmission and steering failures at this stage, so we decided to trade it for something more reliable and economical. The dealers are trying to discount the van because it has been in an accident. At the same time, the insurance company, eSurance, is trying to settle. Is it reasonable to ask them for more money to cover the reduction in value to our van? Has anyone had success with this?

Any help is appreciated,

Lee
 
Yes deprecation due to damage is a common pay out. I would expect it to only be a few hundred. I suspect your adjuster is trying to save money--its what their job really is--and did not offer it straight away. The one issue though is $4k in damages could be very close to a total value on the van and the deprecation may total it. Total loss percentage varies in my experience form 40-60%(depending on state law) of fair market value.
 
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