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Diminished Vehicle Value – it's real

Diminished Vehicle Value – it's real

Joseph Coupal - Friday, February 07, 2014

If you have been in a car accident, your vehicle will suffer from diminished value. Insurance carriers are of the opinion that diminished value is not a component of the standard auto insurance policy and seek to evade the topic entirely. The argument can be made that diminished value is "extra insurance" that the purchaser of the policy did not buy. If I had full coverage with a $250 deductible, I of course, would argue that it should be included. But what if someone hits you and it's their fault? With the multitude of auto policy choices, deductibles, PIP, uninsured motorist coverage, etc. do we really need another "moving part"?

You can argue for or against who has to pay for diminished value, but what cannot be argued is that diminished value exists.

Here is how diminished value affects the value of your car or truck:

  1. Accident History – the police report will be fed to vehicle history providers and the NICB (National Insurance Crime Board) and show up reading something like this: Severe Collision Damage, Left Side, Airbag Deployment towed from scene. Now isn't that lovely? Who in god's name will buy your car with that appearing on a CARFAX Report? Additionally, it will appear in BOLD RED on the report–very hard to miss and very dramatic. Dramatic is the perfect term for CARFAX because they want to scare you into buying their history reports. The scarier the better! Accident History will cost you 15% off the Book Value of Your Vehicle. Many a study has been done, some say 13%, others say 17%. It is $1500-2000 all day long!
  2. Stuctural Damage/Repairs: the severity of the collision will dictate how extensive the repairs are that are needed to restore the vehicle to roadworthy condition. Anything can be fixed – all it takes is money. It has always been up to the insurance company what gets fixed and what get's totaled out but make no mistake, a severely collision damaged vehicle will take a huge value hit. It does not matter how well it was repaired. There are companies sprouting up all over the US that perform frame and structural checks to try to "restore" some of this lost value by certifying the repairs with laser alignment devices, etc. Great! So the car you are trying to sell has been in a serious accident but relax, it was repaired with military precision and its "better than new"? Help me understand here…were their robots welding it together like it was at the factory? How about, NO!

The game is changing for the consumer and the emergence of the internet has opened up new channels and global markets for damaged cars to be sold. They are in demand and a damaged vehicle can be sold for fast cash. Consumers with Damaged Vehicles don't have to wait for some insurance claims clerk to decide whether your car gets fixed or will be totaled out. You can sell your damaged car to DamageMAX and it's easy.

Before you agree to let the insurance company fix your car, weigh your options carefully and make an educated decision.

Call DamageMAX at (888) 629-2137 or visit http://damagemax.com/contact-us.htm

Get a written guaranteed buy now price from DamageMAX.com, then add-in the repair check and your deductible and see if that is a better deal than keeping a repaired wreck. Don't forget the diminished value of $2000 / 15% because you will take that hit when you go to sell the vehicle, in fact most dealers won't trade a car with accident history.

For more on diminished value, visit www.damagemax.com or call (888) 629-2137 to speak to a live agent