Wrangler May Be Totalled

[ConroeNotGuilty]

Some one ran a red light and smashed into left front of my 2020 Rubicon. Her insurance is paying the bill. Its is drivable, but everything underneath the front end is pushed to the right. I think there is substantial frame damage. I have over $10k in modifications, including brand new 37x12.5x17 Ridge Grapplers with Black Rhino wheels, less than a month old. Lift kit is shot, at least in front. Some mods I can remove. The insurance company is supposed to make me whole. Has anyone dealt with this issue? How hard is it to get reimbursed for modifications?

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[GATORB8]

I'd start gathering receipts, and total them up, including install. When they send you to a shop, bring those with you and make sure they include replacing the items in their quote. Remember to ask for OEM parts.

Hopefully someone else will chime in from TX on what to do if it's totaled.

 

[SH556JL]

I am curious about the modifications also, I am really getting close to $10k myself... Just in bumpers, winch, Gobi rack and Interior upgrades. I have them insured with Geico or most of them. But even the wording there makes me nervous; it says actual cash value even though you list a price and pay based on what you put in.

 

[Namakan]

I am curious about the modifications also, I am really getting close to $10k myself... Just in bumpers, winch, Gobi rack and Interior upgrades. I have them insured with Geico or most of them. But even the wording there makes me nervous; it says actual cash value even though you list a price and pay based on what you put in.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/actual-cash-value.asp

 

[SH556JL]

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/actual-cash-value.asp

I'm aware the term means, but when you opt for the insurance for custom parts with Geico. They have you tell them the value with very basic info about the mod. Then in the very small print with the documents you get it then states actual cash value. I only put the prices for what I actually paid, not labor as I done them myself. When setting up the policy, it gives the impression of agreed value policy and briefly appears as such when it's really a standard actual cash value policy.

 

[AcesandEights]

@SH556JL If it's not a stated value policy it's an actual cash value policy, but you already get that.

The insurance company needs to know what the mods cost so they know their potential exposure. Actuaries calculate what your rates should be based on a lot of factors, but if you have a $100k Jeep and the next guy has a $25k Jeep, you won't pay the same rates, even if the policy is for actual cash value. The insurance company still needs to know if they have a potential loss of $25k or whether it is $100k in order to know what rates to charge.

 

[AcesandEights]

You're right, they should make you whole. They should pay you based on what loss you have, so if you remove parts the value of the total loss goes down. If they pay you based on what you paid for the tires (as an example) then they don't owe you for a total loss vehicle with tires. You'd be getting paid twice. So, the modifications can be removed but the value of the vehicle goes down (also, the insurance carrier sells the vehicle to a dismantler, so the value of the vehicle for that sale goes down).

Anyway, if there are parts you want to keep, ask them if you can remove those parts, otherwise they will make adjustments (usually slight) in order to compensate you for the actual cash value difference. Problem (or one of them) is modifications don't increase value of a vehicle by the amount spent on the modification. The modification isn't to increase value, but to increase your satisfaction with driveability (better stereo, ability to rock crawl, better handling). So, the mods impact actual cash value minimally.

If your Jeep with the mods was sitting next to the same Jeep without mods and a pool of buyers were going to purchase one or the other, how much more would the average person pay for your Jeep over the stock Jeep. Your mods may or may not be exactly what the average buyer wants. Maybe the average buyer would pay the same whether it had 33" tires or 35" tires. Maybe they wouldn't find value in the light bar you chose to install, or your choice of wheels over the stock wheels, etc. I know when I sold my TJ I had a bunch of people that were interested in a stock TJ. They would buy my TJ the way I built it, but they didn't care (wouldn't pay "more" for my lifted TJ). All vehicles come with wheels and tires, so they wouldn't pay "more" for my forged aluminum wheels or by BFG MT tires. They were what I liked or wanted, but I couldn't add value for that because it wasn't what everyone wanted.

 

[ConroeNotGuilty]

You're right, they should make you whole. They should pay you based on what loss you have, so if you remove parts the value of the total loss goes down. If they pay you based on what you paid for the tires (as an example) then they don't owe you for a total loss vehicle with tires. You'd be getting paid twice. So, the modifications can be removed but the value of the vehicle goes down (also, the insurance carrier sells the vehicle to a dismantler, so the value of the vehicle for that sale goes down).

Anyway, if there are parts you want to keep, ask them if you can remove those parts, otherwise they will make adjustments (usually slight) in order to compensate you for the actual cash value difference. Problem (or one of them) is modifications don't increase value of a vehicle by the amount spent on the modification. The modification isn't to increase value, but to increase your satisfaction with driveability (better stereo, ability to rock crawl, better handling). So, the mods impact actual cash value minimally.

If your Jeep with the mods was sitting next to the same Jeep without mods and a pool of buyers were going to purchase one or the other, how much more would the average person pay for your Jeep over the stock Jeep. Your mods may or may not be exactly what the average buyer wants. Maybe the average buyer would pay the same whether it had 33" tires or 35" tires. Maybe they wouldn't find value in the light bar you chose to install, or your choice of wheels over the stock wheels, etc. I know when I sold my TJ I had a bunch of people that were interested in a stock TJ. They would buy my TJ the way I built it, but they didn't care (wouldn't pay "more" for my lifted TJ). All vehicles come with wheels and tires, so they wouldn't pay "more" for my forged aluminum wheels or by BFG MT tires. They were what I liked or wanted, but I couldn't add value for that because it wasn't what everyone wanted.

If you look online there are very few Rubicons available anywhere. Each one I have found with a lift, list more expensive price and have sold quickly. If there were any Rubicons available, I would ask to remove wheel and tires and replace with what are on the new Jeep. I just can't find any used, '20+ Rubicons.

 

[JLUandCJ-7]

You're right, they should make you whole. They should pay you based on what loss you have, so if you remove parts the value of the total loss goes down. If they pay you based on what you paid for the tires (as an example) then they don't owe you for a total loss vehicle with tires. You'd be getting paid twice. So, the modifications can be removed but the value of the vehicle goes down (also, the insurance carrier sells the vehicle to a dismantler, so the value of the vehicle for that sale goes down).

Anyway, if there are parts you want to keep, ask them if you can remove those parts, otherwise they will make adjustments (usually slight) in order to compensate you for the actual cash value difference. Problem (or one of them) is modifications don't increase value of a vehicle by the amount spent on the modification. The modification isn't to increase value, but to increase your satisfaction with driveability (better stereo, ability to rock crawl, better handling). So, the mods impact actual cash value minimally.

If your Jeep with the mods was sitting next to the same Jeep without mods and a pool of buyers were going to purchase one or the other, how much more would the average person pay for your Jeep over the stock Jeep. Your mods may or may not be exactly what the average buyer wants. Maybe the average buyer would pay the same whether it had 33" tires or 35" tires. Maybe they wouldn't find value in the light bar you chose to install, or your choice of wheels over the stock wheels, etc. I know when I sold my TJ I had a bunch of people that were interested in a stock TJ. They would buy my TJ the way I built it, but they didn't care (wouldn't pay "more" for my lifted TJ). All vehicles come with wheels and tires, so they wouldn't pay "more" for my forged aluminum wheels or by BFG MT tires. They were what I liked or wanted, but I couldn't add value for that because it wasn't what everyone wanted.

There's something to this, in the fact a plastic OEM front bumper costs $900 to replace, plus labor, with new parts. An "upgraded" metal bumper may cost less than that.

A "heavy duty" mopar red strut costs $125. A Bilstein gas strut is $94.

There's so many examples of this. When $10K in mods is looked at vs replacement cost of OEM parts, you may not have the value that you expect.

Admittedly, this is in theory. Has anyone experienced this?

 

[Alex01]

Some one ran a red light and smashed into left front of my 2020 Rubicon. Her insurance is paying the bill. Its is drivable, but everything underneath the front end is pushed to the right. I think there is substantial frame damage. I have over $10k in modifications, including brand new 37x12.5x17 Ridge Grapplers with Black Rhino wheels, less than a month old. Lift kit is shot, at least in front. Some mods I can remove. The insurance company is supposed to make me whole. Has anyone dealt with this issue? How hard is it to get reimbursed for modifications?

 

[entropy]

Some one ran a red light and smashed into left front of my 2020 Rubicon. Her insurance is paying the bill. Its is drivable, but everything underneath the front end is pushed to the right. I think there is substantial frame damage. I have over $10k in modifications, including brand new 37x12.5x17 Ridge Grapplers with Black Rhino wheels, less than a month old. Lift kit is shot, at least in front. Some mods I can remove. The insurance company is supposed to make me whole. Has anyone dealt with this issue? How hard is it to get reimbursed for modifications?

You are gonna have to negotiate with them. I had an accident on a 2018 with only a few mods, about 3k. I had to negotiate with them. Their first offer didn't cover one cent in mods.

You wont get full value for your mods. you'll get their value - depreciation.

Some insurances might come to you with a great first offer. Generally, you don't sign the first one. You can even tell them you have a sore neck. They would come back to you VERY quickly with a better offer, just to get you to sign and leave them alone. The Jeep might be wroth 50k. But medical stuff can EASILY go over 100k, even for fake chiropractor shit therapy.

 

[JDub11]

He/she will be dealing with the other person's insurance, not their own. It dosent matter what policy they have. You will deff have to negotiate. Don't back down. We deal with this with speciality work trucks. We've had to force insurance companies to let us remove custom beds they would not come close to covering. Anyways my advice is stand your ground and don't be afraid to demand what is fair. It's their insurance not yours.

 

[JL MADDOG]

Your insurance policy may also limit the amount you can recover for aftermarket parts.

I went through something similar a while back. My 2014 Ram, pics below, was totaled when a distracted driver (using his damn phone) ran a red light and hit me doing approx. 40 MPH.

I independently determined a range of values for the truck using KBB.com with the lower end being trade value and the upper end being retail value. These values did not include the cost of the mods I had done to the truck. I'd suggest you do the same. Then you know whether or not the other driver's insurance company is bending you and your insurance company over with respects to the truck's value.

Some Other Key Points:

1. Don't talk to the other party's insurance company. That is the job of your insurance company.

2. Don't let your insurance company weasel you down either. Remind them, as often as necessary, that the other party was at fault and their insurance company will reimburse yours.

3. Using the same approach as item no. 2, tell your insurance company that you should not be held to a deductible in this case as you did nothing wrong, you did not cause the accident and the actions or inactions of others were the root cause of the loss. Remember, they will get reimbursed for your total claim so your deductible is a reimbursable item if they waive it.

4. Have receipts ready for the value of your mods. If your policy limits your recovery of costs associated with aftermarket parts, and your insurance company wants to keep to that limit, use the same approach as stated in #3 above. I had receipts and was eventually reimbursed for those items that were damaged or destroyed in the crash.

5. If your insurance company totals your vehicle, and before you receive settlement on the claim, don't forget to remove any accessories that are serviceable from the vehicle.. I removed a few items from mine including the wheels and tires. I just had to provide a set of takeoffs to replace them. And don't forget your personal possessions!

 

[TJJL19]

My 2015 JKU sport was totaled in 2019,(red light runner) I paid 32,000 and my insurance company gave me 28,000.
I didn't get anything for any mods I did to my JK and I had to fight them to total it, they wanted to straighten the frame!

 

[AcesandEights]

You are gonna have to negotiate with them. I had an accident on a 2018 with only a few mods, about 3k. I had to negotiate with them. Their first offer didn't cover one cent in mods.

You wont get full value for your mods. you'll get their value - depreciation.

Some insurances might come to you with a great first offer. Generally, you don't sign the first one. You can even tell them you have a sore neck. They would come back to you VERY quickly with a better offer, just to get you to sign and leave them alone. The Jeep might be wroth 50k. But medical stuff can EASILY go over 100k, even for fake chiropractor shit therapy.

Definitely not typical. In fact, some insurance companies assign the "injury" (liability) portion of the claim to a second adjuster so that the property and injury claims are handled appropriately and separately. Neck pain that occurs based on a disagreement in property value is also referred to as insurance fraud and is why you, me and everyone else pay so much in claims. Insurance fraud is so rampant and the cost are so high, we all pay for it.

Property damage claims are pretty objective. What does it cost to make you whole, to pay actual cash value. There are comparable vehicles out there, or it becomes a negotiation (which is still based on objective findings).

If you make an injury claim and there is no mechanism for injury, expect to have the claim closed until you incur medical expenses. Expect those fraudulent medical expenses to be denied and have to prove your case in court. I've been that adjuster that looked a fraudulent claimant in the eyes and said the statute of limitations is two years, file litigation, but until then there is no further need to make contact.

If you're only asking to be made whole, expect the process to go very smooth.

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