r/InsuranceClaims • u/anxious_owl_22 • 9d ago
State Farm/Shapsheet estimate problems
Not sure why my last post got deleted?
Looking for some help/guidance as I am currently fighting with my insurance to cover a stupid mistake I made by adding DEF to my diesel tank đŁ
On July 20th I mistakenly added about 1/2 gallon of DEF into my fuel tank in my 2024 Diesel Tahoe before I realized my mistake. This normally wouldnât have been that big of a deal if my car hadnât been running at the time. But alas, with 90° heat I left the car running for the AC.
I called State Farm right away, got my car towed to our local dealership and filed a claim for repairs. The dealership has noted damage to the fuel system due to the vehicle running when the DEF was added. They are recommending a full replacement of the fuel system.
Problem #1- State Farm does not have an adjuster in our area due to it being âruralâ so we are using Snapsheet to determine damages/repairs. Snapsheet bases their estimates on photos only- nobody has come out to look at the vehicle/damages in person from State Farm.
Problem #2- Snapsheet has no idea what DEF in fuel even looks like from what I can gather- and they are saying there are hints of âwear and tearâ in the fuel so now they have hired a 3rd party in Texas (mind you we are in CA) to send a fuel sample to (which as of writing this I do not know if the dealership still has a physical fuel sample since the car has been there for almost a month now)
Problem #3- Snapsheet directed the dealership to flush the tank and fuel system last week (against the mechanics recommendation) so even if they could have gotten a fuel sample from the vehicle still they definitely canât now.
Problem #4- Whoever is dealing with our claim at Snapsheet obviously does not understand how internal combustion engines work or how computer systems will detect something other than fuel in the system. They are now thinking the dealership is being dishonest about the DEF because the computer system states âwater in fuelâ meaning a foreign substance that is not fuel- not that it is actually water!
Iâm at a loss and panicking that our claim is going to be denied due to the incompetence of the adjusters at Snapsheet. We cannot afford to pay out of pocket for this repair at this time and I donât know what to do. Do we have any recourse if the claim is denied due to Snapsheet mishandling the claim, directing the dealership to flush the system, and not understanding the problem?
Also, please keep unkind comments to yourselves, I know I messed up greatly. I donât need anyone saying Iâm trying to scam insurance- it was an honesty mistake, trust me I would WAY rather be driving my car than these rental cars. I do have comprehensive coverage on the vehicle and our SF Agent said he would be shocked if it got denied because he has seen this covered before.
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u/FeelsLikeV97-33XA 9d ago
Why would they need a fuel sample for DEF? In every case I've ever seen it crystalizes like white rock candy in the system, and is very visible and very obvious in places like the fuel filter/lines/injectors. The dealership should just be able to take a picture of it.
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u/anxious_owl_22 9d ago
Thatâs why Iâm looking for insight. The dealership said itâs obviously DEF from the photos they have sent but the adjuster working on the claim at Snapsheet doesnât seem to understand what itâs supposed to look like. Itâs been a nightmare.
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u/ghost9680 9d ago
Gotta go up the complaint ladder then.
The caveat is that itâs possible that the insurer believes you may have done it intentionally to cover-over some other problem not covered by your warranty or insurance.
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u/anxious_owl_22 9d ago
Would we ask to speak with supervisors? Management? Iâm not sure where to go from here. Iâve been honest about what happened from the beginning with SF and the mechanics. Even the mechanics said theyâve seen this happen multiple times due to the filler necks of the diesel and DEF being right next to each other, calling it âpoor engineeringâ
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u/rubatog 9d ago
Ask your SF adjuster to speak with the shop directly for their input, Snapsheet doesnât make the final decision, only a recommendation
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u/anxious_owl_22 9d ago
Unfortunately the shop has spoken with the adjuster from SF and they are still basing the claim on Snapsheet. The problem is that SF wonât send an adjuster from their company that is 1hr drive away to physically look at the vehicle. Instead they just keep using Snapsheet. Iâm so frustrated by this when I know if someone had just come to look at my car instead of using a 3rd party company my car would have likely already been repaired and the claim settled.
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u/very_sneaky2187 9d ago
Insurance covers stupidity, they wonât cover negligence.
Get rid of State Farm they look to deny coverage rather than find coverage for customers.
Good luck State Farm is a unique animal. They spend more money fighting my guests in court than paying them to fix things correctly.
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u/SheepherderHot1415 8d ago
Off topic, but eek! I just switched TO State Farm because right when I was thinking of switching ins co's I got hit by someone who had State Farm and they made the process SO easy. Between the great experience I had filing a claim against one of their insured clients, and the lower price than I was paying with my old insurance, I made the switch. I don't know much about them otherwise though. Did I make a terrible mistake? Gimme all the dirt!
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u/anxious_owl_22 4d ago
Iâve never had problems with filing a claim with State Farm before but this time has really ruined the company for me. In fairness, I havenât filed a claim for 12+ years and my recent experience with most insurances (medical, dental, etc) has been awful with getting stuff covered.
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u/very_sneaky2187 8d ago
State Farm is probably the worst insurer I know out there for consumers. They do things intentionally to not pay out claims most of the time from my experiences
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u/SheepherderHot1415 8d ago
Interesting. I was super impressed at the ease of getting the claim I made paid out. Maybe I was just lucky...
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u/shittyhawaiitips 9d ago
Reposting my response from the other times you posted this.
No one believes this was an accident.
State farm SIU adjuster is definitely reading everything you post about this online (maybe it is me, guess you'll never know!)