APPRAISAL CLAUSE RESULTS IN A $5K GAIN FOR KATHERINE’S MAZDA CX-5!

May 7, 2025Appraisal Clause, Appraisal Clause success, Auto Repair, Insurance Claims, Total Loss, Vehicle Valuation, Winning!

Appraisal Clause Success for Katherine

Katherine reached out to us after her daughter’s 2020 Mazda CX-5 got totaled by a hail storm. Once she got an offer from her insurance carrier Travelers, she did her research and felt the offer was very low.

She reached out to us for a free claim review and we agreed that it seemed like her vehicle should be worth around $21K when compared to the market.

Her offer was $15.9K before taxes and, after the appraisal clause process, she was awarded $20.7K for the value of her vehicle. This happens over and over again for our customers and you could be next if your claim is worth it.

Reach out today if you’re dealing with a total loss and see if you’re leaving money on the table!

My car was totaled by a hail storm!

May 7, 2025Appraisal Clause, Auto Repair, Insurance Claims, Total Loss, Total Loss Resources, Vehicle Valuation

With storm season raging on in Texas and the surrounding states, many people are dealing with not only damage to their homes but also major damage on their vehicles.

If your car was totaled due to hail or other storm damage, let us run the numbers when you get your offer to see if you’re getting a fair value – we do that for FREE so you have nothing to lose! If you’re being lowballed by a CCC report or some other computer generated valuation, you can fight with the Appraisal Clause to get a fair value for your vehicle and it makes a world of difference.

With the Appraisal Clause, you can also dispute the repair amount if the shop and the carrier disagree on what the repair should entail. Keep in mind that State Farm in Texas has removed the Appraisal Clause language out of their contracts for repair dispute so they’re the only carrier where you can’t use that dispute resolution so you’re at their mercy when it comes to repair if you have a policy with them and that is actively being fought about in front of legislation under HB.

Need a good shop in DFW? Request a free claim consultation and we’ll review your case and help you make great choices from the very beginning of your claim.

Reach out today if you’re dealing with storm damage on your vehicle and aren’t sure how to get help and we’ll tell you the truth!

Hail, Salvage Retention & the Appraisal Clause

July 15, 2024Appraisal Clause, Auto Accident, Auto Repair, CCC, Expert Answers, Insurance Claims, Total Loss, Total Loss FAQ, Total Loss Resources, Vehicle Valuation

It seems like every other call or request we got this past two months has been a hail damage total loss claim or someone with a total loss that wanted to keep the wrecked vehicle. There are a lot of issues that come along with keeping the wrecked vehicle aka salvage and the first one may be with your very own carrier.

In our latest post, Justin discusses the issues our clients have dealt with when trying to retain their salvage.

Hail, Salvage Retention & the Appraisal Clause

After a vehicle crash or a damaging storm, if your insurance company deems your vehicle a total loss and makes you an offer to settle the value which you believe is low, you generally have the ability to use the appraisal provision of your policy to resolve the disputed value. 

In its simplest form, the clause says that both you and your insurance company have to hire your own appraisers and agree to let the appraisers decide the value.  This remedy to a low total loss settlement offer is also known as invoking the “appraisal clause”, or in some instances invoking the “right to appraisal”.  It is a great way to resolve most disputed (first party) total loss settlements.   

So that’s seems pretty straightforward, right? 

If you disagree with your insurance carrier as to the settlement amount, you can invoke the appraisal clause to resolve the issue.  You’d be right, it is pretty straightforward, but ONLY if you don’t want to keep and repair (or not if hail) your totaled vehicle, also known as retaining the salvage.

If you have the right to and elect to retain your total loss vehicle, then the insurance company will deduct from your settlement the salvage value of your vehicle. It should be as simple as that but things can get sticky fast.

Click below to read more of Justin’s in depth discussion on issues you may run into when trying to retain your salvage!

Tesla Battery Value Issues on Total Loss Disputes

May 15, 2023Appraisal Clause, Auto Accident, CCC, Expert Answers, FAQ, Total Loss, Total Loss FAQ, Vehicle Valuation

I recently wrote an article where I talked about this super important issue that I’ve had countless discussions about with Tesla owners. Trust me, it’s a topic that’s been making waves because of the parts availability on Teslas that is causing repair times to drag on and there’s a buzz going on with more and more auto manufacturers diving into the Electric Vehicle market.

One thing that really caught my attention is the value of the battery on a Tesla. I’ve seen this issue pop up time and time again, and it’s something I definitely think we should dig into.

If you’re interested or dealing with this, I hope you’ll check out the entire article where I go into detail about my thoughts and opinions on this matter. I genuinely believe it’s a hot topic that deserves some serious discussion. So, click the link below to give it a read, and let’s kickstart a real conversation about how we should be handling these claims.

Thanks for taking the time to dive into this with me!

Diminished Value decreases and Total Loss Values Soar!

September 21, 2021Appraisal Clause, Arizona diminished value, Auto Accident, Auto Repair, California Diminished Value, CCC, Diminished Value, Insurance Claims, Luxury Vehicle Diminished Value, New York Diminished Value, Oklahoma Diminished Value, Tesla Diminished Value, Texas Diminished Value, Total Loss, Vehicle Valuation, Virginia Diminished Value, Washington Diminished Value

Diminished Value decreases a bit while Total Loss Values Soar!

Diminished Value Claim severity is dropping, while total loss settlement values are increasing!  The effects of high demand on the automobile market.
  
As chip shortages and high demand for used vehicles continue, I’ve seen a couple of trends.
 
1.  Minor to moderate accident histories on a vehicle are less damaging to the re-sale value than has been the case prior to approximately April 2021. 
 
2.  Most of the auto claim industry’s preferred vendors for market valuation reports haven’t caught up to the increased prices on used vehicle.
 
These two trends have dramatically affected the distribution of the percentage of cases we handle that are either total loss cases or diminished value cases.  Specifically, a lot more people are seeking out our assistance for appraisal clause help because they believe they are getting a “low-ball” offer on their recently totaled vehicle.  Spoiler. . . . they are normally right in their belief.
 
Although we are now doing more appraisal clause work than diminished value work, diminished value has not disappeared, nor has the increase in demand for used vehicles eliminated the potential for an economically viable pursuit for diminished value recovery. 
 
What we’re seeing is that instead of the typical reduction (for a prior collision and repair history) of between 18% – 25% (depending on make/model/market), dealers and individuals are willing to bear a bit more risk and the deduction for a prior collision and repair history is not as severe in this current market of high demand. 

Markets change. 

Diminished value won’t be going away, but the severity of it is less right now due to Covid.  On the other hand, total loss payouts are on the rise. 

If you have questions or need more information regarding this subject, feel free to reach out to us and we’ll do our best to make sure you get the information or help you need. Both of our forms are below for a free consultation whether you have a DV claim or a Total Loss you want to talk about!

Tesla Model S Appraisal Clause Dispute

June 12, 2019Appraisal Clause, Appraisal Clause success, Auto Accident, CCC, Insurance Claims, Total Loss, Vehicle Valuation, Winning!

Tesla Model S Appraisal Clause Dispute

Are you dealing with a low offer on a total loss claim through your own insurance company?

So was Michael! His brand new 2018 Tesla Model S had less than 6K miles on it and a purchase price of $90K – he was offered $67,000….😡

He invoked the Appraisal Clause and hired Petty Details to be his appraiser on his dispute. After quite a battle, our experts got his total loss claim settled at $80,000.

Many accident victims and attorneys deal with these total losses and don’t know where to turn to find out how to fight for the value of their vehicle.

Want our expert opinion on your total loss?

If you’re dealing with a total loss claim with your own insurance company & want us to review it to find out our opinion, visit our website today & request a FREE claim consultation!

Trouble viewing the form or missing a submit button? Here is a direct link to it: https://pettydetails.wufoo.com/forms/request-a-free-repair-dispute-consultation/