318is totaled - insurance won't acknowledge added value of modifications

[e30BMart]

Putting tasteful mods into these cars ADD value to the said car. This concept for e30's is not new, show them proof (classified ads). Most stock 318is won't go over 4k, but with improvements such as Billie sports and H&R OE sports it goes up and up. These kinds of mods bring value because of the nature of this car being for pleasurable spirited driving! Thus improving its overall desirability. In short: insurance company should pay you what your car was worth, which is over average stock value, end of discussion.

[CleanAzzE30z]

On another topic.... Those 3 e30s are yours??

[ChaseN]

It was USAA (united servicemembers automobile association, a military only insurance co.) which, coincidently and somewhat unusually, is also my insurance co. May have had something to do with it, dunno.

I had esurance for like 4 months back in 05/06ish until a buddy of mine with the same wrecked his then brand-new body style '05 Mustang...they tried to convince him to take an offer that would have barely bought him an 04 (old body style). He had to go to court IIRC and barely got enough to pay the damn loan off. I switched verrry fast after that. Bastards.

[Ziggens96]

Hold your ground. Ive been fighting with my insurance company since july about my m coupe. Finally things started to turn around.

Hah, I'm hoping the same will happen, this claim has been open since September.

i got 7500 out of the other parties insurance when my car was hit in a wal mart parking lot. took a month of fighting. they originally offered me 1400.

keep fighting. you can get what you deserve. its what people pay high priced insurance for. if your lucky you can get a rental through this whole time period. i got a g37 in that same claim too with 100 miles on it.

all it takes is not budging or jumping for the first few offers. the longer its open the more they work with you because it looks worse on them as adjusters.

How did you get such an increase in the amount of your offer? Sounds like you did really well. What kind of car was totaled?
They covered me for a rental car for like a week and a half or so, it was a near-new Impala. God I hated that thing.

I havent read through the whole thread but what happened to the car? not just the oilpan damage right?

the car that was totaled is my other 318is, not the one I had talked with you about w/ the cracked oil pan.

You should've been wise and purchased aftermarket equipment insurance. That's what I did, and I'm glad I did. Someone stole my fixed back recaro out of my car, insurance cut me a check for 2k to get it all replaced. I think I pay $70 more every 6months to cover 5k extra. plus the 1k already on the policy.

Not a bad idea, but I don't have collision/theft insurance anyway so there's no reason for me to disclose modifications to my own insurance company. The insurance company I'm seeking a settlement with is the "other guy's" insurance, since they accepted full liability for the accident.

I'm assuming the OP is in the US...and this is totally irrelevant here unless you live in Cali. The other 49 states have no "certification process" to speak of when it comes to heavily modified cars, save for a basic safety and emissions inspection completed by an independent, private shop (and some states and counties don't even have those). They don't really care what engine/mods you have in/on the car, as long as it isn't a complete rolling deathtrap...for example my euro S50 M3 passes safety inspection just fine (don't think they even pop the hood in the process), and isn't even required to pass an emissions check.

OP, good luck, it seems it greatly varies company to company - I got hit in the side in my old '93 Wrangler by a lady on the highway, with minimal damage, and her insurance co. gave me a $4000 check first offer - which I then used to mod my M3 :D

Exactly, as you pointed out, it's irrelevant here. I never bothered to correct the Aussie guy.

Sounds like you got lucky on that one. What insurance co. was it? The appraisers I spoke with both said Progressive (the company I'm having to deal with) is the toughest when it comes to payouts, and GEICO (my insurance) is second worst.

[ChaseN]

The only cars that have increased value due to modifications are the ones that have been approved buy the local transport department. For example here in australia it is common for people to drop rotaries into everything, but the only ones that increase there value are the ones that are approved buy the transport department. Price differance is crazy datsun 1600 (510 in you land) with 13B in them will sell for 15-20k but if they are street legal you will see them in 50-60k.

I'm assuming the OP is in the US...and this is totally irrelevant here unless you live in Cali. The other 49 states have no "certification process" to speak of when it comes to heavily modified cars, save for a basic safety and emissions inspection completed by an independent, private shop (and some states and counties don't even have those). They don't really care what engine/mods you have in/on the car, as long as it isn't a complete rolling deathtrap...for example my euro S50 M3 passes safety inspection just fine (don't think they even pop the hood in the process), and isn't even required to pass an emissions check.

OP, good luck, it seems it greatly varies company to company - I got hit in the side in my old '93 Wrangler by a lady on the highway, with minimal damage, and her insurance co. gave me a $4000 check first offer - which I then used to mod my M3 :D

[Bglad]

You should've been wise and purchased aftermarket equipment insurance. That's what I did, and I'm glad I did. Someone stole my fixed back recaro out of my car, insurance cut me a check for 2k to get it all replaced. I think I pay $70 more every 6months to cover 5k extra. plus the 1k already on the policy.

[BUDNUNTA]

I havent read through the whole thread but what happened to the car? not just the oilpan damage right?

[Jesse30]

i got 7500 out of the other parties insurance when my car was hit in a wal mart parking lot. took a month of fighting. they originally offered me 1400.

keep fighting. you can get what you deserve. its what people pay high priced insurance for. if your lucky you can get a rental through this whole time period. i got a g37 in that same claim too with 100 miles on it.

all it takes is not budging or jumping for the first few offers. the longer its open the more they work with you because it looks worse on them as adjusters.

[gnarlycreature]

Hold your ground. Ive been fighting with my insurance company since july about my m coupe. Finally things started to turn around.

[Ziggens96]

Sorry to hear about this. About to organize all my receipts right now. Hopefully you get the amount you're after. I say pay that bimmer guy appraiser. That $300 something he's asking is nothing compared to what he'll be able to get you back. Keep us updated.

Thanks man. DEFINITELY keep your receipts organized, mine were kinda all over the place. I went through like 800 old emails because I knew I had receipts in there somewhere. I also went through every file on my computer to find receipts in there too. Keep them all in the same place. And keep a record of everything you buy used as well, like paypal transaction confirmations.

[SimplyDope]

Sorry to hear about this. About to organize all my receipts right now. Hopefully you get the amount you're after. I say pay that bimmer guy appraiser. That $300 something he's asking is nothing compared to what he'll be able to get you back. Keep us updated.

[azael325i]

It sucks i bet. I hope to god I won't be in this position but yet I'm driving my turbo as my DD. Not good.

[Ziggens96]

Good Luck with getting more money....Im still lost though because they are giving you ~2700 plus the car=parts back but you instead feel they should give you the book value plus the money you spend on the parts then also give you back the car with the parts. So, to sum it up, you want ~$5000 plus still have the parts, hmmmm that would be nice though, keep us posted when you receive the settlement.

well, look at it this way: when your car is totaled, it's the insurance company's job to give you an amount of money that reflects the car's value before the accident. Then, you have the option to sell the car to insurance for the aforementioned amount, or you can keep the car and they deduct the amount of money that a salvage yard would pay them for the car. In my case, they offered $3160, and the salvage yard would pay them ~$450 for the car, so I would get $2710 if I decide to keep the car. Since the parts on this car are worth more than $450, it makes sense for me to keep the car. It is not their business what I do with the parts after that point. (The car is in my garage BTW and has been since the day of the accident.)

[soupiemelody]

yeah, thanks. somehow I don't think the insurance company would hire an appraiser. they sent the adjuster out twice to look at my car. i think he was sent the second time because the first time, he told me that he used to have E30s himself and he probably knew that I was going to get into some shit about getting a fair price for the car. he said he was going to try to take his photos in such a way that the hail damage wouldn't be very visible, and in general try to help me out by trying to source used body panels etc. in hopes that the car wouldn't be totaled. obviously, that didn't pan out. i believe they sent him back to evaluate the car again because some info he provided may have been vague. the next time he came, he was taking photos of every single tiny imperfection on the car and he seemed bummed out and much less like he was "on my side" anymore. this second time, he asked me about the modifications to the car, and while he got me some money back for the steering wheel, SSK, shift knob, and intake, he passed the euroweaves off as common items because he found some iX weaves in his database for $50 each and didn't know the difference.

he also told me that i had set off a "red flag" because i had mentioned over the phone to the person handling my claim, before the adjuster came out, that my car has a bit of a niche market and that KBB values might not be very accurate. apparently if you say something along these lines they tend to scrutinize the appraisal a bit more, for better or worse.

anyway, a couple things that ticked me off were the euroweaves being ignored, and every component of the interior being marked 3/5 in the condition adjustment with the only explanation being "soiling removable with detail." furthermore, i've come to find out that the condition adjustment figures are calculated based on the condition of comparable vehicles - 1991 BMWs in this case. my interior is absolutely mint, especially when compared to the average 1991 BMW - and to downgrade it because it wasn't sparkling clean is total horseshit. I asked over the phone today (half-mockingly) if they could send someone over to look at the interior after I detail it and they said no. they said my only option really was to hire a private appraiser, but i'd be worried about the cost and how much effect it would really have.

so did your friend just get lucky with the appraiser and they sent a bimmerhead over? or did your friend have to explain what every part was and what he paid for it? I have a pretty thorough record of every maintenance part/upgrade on the car and I have sent my receipts to the insurance company already but they are simply denying that these things add any value. do you know what the private appraisal cost your friend?

Good Luck with getting more money....Im still lost though because they are giving you ~2700 plus the car=parts back but you instead feel they should give you the book value plus the money you spend on the parts then also give you back the car with the parts. So, to sum it up, you want ~$5000 plus still have the parts, hmmmm that would be nice though, keep us posted when you receive the settlement.

[evan.scott]

You just might have luck on your side it seems. Keep all your receipts handy for your appraiser and try to look for some similar models (online/in your area) to show proof to the car insurance company.