diminished value

mdprince.... l believe you are right, to a point. Two identical RVs side by side same bottom line price. One had been in a wreck and very well repaired ( no structural or frame damage) which of the two would most buyers choose?
FWIW Freightliner Tolleson is doing chassis work...RV Renovators of Mesa doing body and house work. Both using factory parts. Both shops I selected.

Rollnhome wrote:
What I am trying to do is not lose money because I now own a coach that has been devalued because of someone else's bad driving. Would you pay top dollar for a vehicle that has been in a collision? Being repaired is not being in the same position prior to the collision. The accident was not my fault. Why should I take the loss?

Most of us would not pay top dollar for a coach that had been smoked in, shows signs of water damage and in some cases pets can be a turn off (some folks have allergies). But, if the repair was done properly, by a reputable shop, I don't think there would be a problem with getting top dollar. This is assuming no frame damage, no structural damage and a top notch factory type repair job.

However, there is always going to be a buyer, looking for a lower price and using anything and everything in his/her tool box to pay less.

That I believe is true. Each state has its own regulations.

My guess is that each state insurance commissioner sets the rules for that state. Just saw an interview with the Washington state insurance commissioner who said that insurance companies are not required to use OEM nor even new parts. Refurbished parts are all that they are required to use. Body shop said that he rejects a very high percentage of these parts as they're just not serviceable. Refurbished is cheaper than made in China, which is cheaper than OEM.

My daughter hit a deer in her car a few years ago, and my insurance paid the diminished value without me even asking for it. It was a pleasant surprise, because on her inexpensive 3-4 year old car, it was about the amount of the deductible we had... so I broke even..

Once the repairs are completed, you may be asked to sign a COMPLETE release to get your coach back. At that time you have sort of lost all of your negotiating power.
On our vehicle, when we got hit, we settled on the exact amount I would get BEFORE I ever let them start any repairs, etc. As I mentioned, the diminished value took the vehicle from being repaired to being totaled and we got a check for the fair totaled value of the vehicle approximately 1 month after the incident. The entire month that we were negotiating the settlement, his insurance company paid for a rental vehicle. His company was State Farm and I found them fair to deal with.

I have current selling prices. Just need to wait for repairs to be completed to get updated appraisal. I think then the staring contest begins. This forum has been very helpful.

We got hit in my DW's Honda CRV 2 months ago. When we asked about Diminished Value we were told to give them appraisal for what our car was worth after the damage was fixed plus the appraisal of the same car without the prior damage and they would start a claim.

So, what I would do is just that, go to an RV Dealership and see what they say.

We live in a world where CarFax can really diminish the value of something and the Insurance Companies know this and a good company will work with you.

Good Luck

Rollnhome wrote:
What I am trying to do is not lose money because I now own a coach that has been devalued because of someone else's bad driving. Would you pay top dollar for a vehicle that has been in a collision? Being repaired is not being in the same position prior to the collision. The accident was not my fault. Why should I take the loss?

I know in Florida that his insurance must pay for the repairs, do not let your insurance say they will pay for the repairs then get the money from his insurance. This will void your ablity to claim diminished value. IMO, insurance companies know this and help each other out.

The way it worked on my claim was they sent out an independant adjuster to inspect the car after the repairs and then we came to an agreemnet on the DV of the claim.

This is for Florida, every state is different.

In our instance, when another driver ran a red light and broadsided our vehicle, DV made the difference between HIS insurance company repairing our vehicle or just totaling it. We got the totaled value for our vehicle, which was fair.