Proving your diminished value
First step is to prove you have lost some value that the insurance company is liable to pay. You will need to determine what types of diminished value claims you may have. It is reasonable in most cases to presume that there is some amount of inherent diminished value by virtue of the accident appearing on your vehicle’s record. One exception is when your car already had cosmetic and/or mechanical defects before the accident and the post-accident repairs fixed some of those defects or added enough improved value to make the car more valuable in a sale than the value without the repairs. This would happen on vehicles where you have caused prior damage the new repairs fixed or the car is old and adding new parts makes the car more desirable. You must understand that this exception is extremely rare. Most cars with existing damage or are old and worn will end up being totaled by the insurance company. After all repairs by the insurance company are made, you should make sure your receipts ...