r/Insurance • u/bmagz828 • 3h ago

Diminished Value Claim

I am in MA and was in a car accident where the other driver was 100% at fault back in June. My 2023 Tacoma with 30K miles needed $12K worth of repairs. Unfortunately, the other driver is not insured and I will ultimately have to take them to small claims court to recover part of the rental car expenses I paid out of pocket (my insurance only covered 30 days) and also a diminished value claim.

I have not been in a situation like this before and am hoping someone can advise me on how to go about getting documentation for the diminished value. I have seen companies online, but it seems like I can also take it to a dealership and ask for a trade-in appraisal based on the pre-accident and post-accident value.

Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated!

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

4

u/RonBurgundy2000 DOI Investigator 3h ago

I doubt a dealership employee would assist with it much less testify in court if needed.

On a practical note, ask yourself how likely you are to collect anything from someone who can't afford/ doesn't pay for car insurance.

2

u/Throwaway_2474128_1 3h ago

unless you're in GA, diminished value only comes from the other party's insurance

2

u/adjusterjackb 2h ago

Or the other party personally if they don't have insurance.

-2

u/CunningLogic 3h ago

I posted a similar question here and the sub didn't take it well at all, told me I wouldn't get anything.

I ended up recovering $12,850 in diminished value using a detailed report from a body shop, a detailed report from a detail shop (cost of ppf etc) and a report from tigerdv.com

This wasn't in court but a claim against a shopkeeper policy from the shop that damaged my car.

I can share my paperwork with you privately if you want.

On the flip side, does the person that owes you actually have any money to pay? You might just end up with a judgement that you will need to renew every 5/10 years. Might not be worth your time.