Negotiating with insurance company

[CaptainNJ]

Originally Posted by adjusterjack

I think you mean "depreciable" which means it loses value as it deteriorates.

If it's rusted out with holes and gagged edges then it's a maintenance item that you should have replaced long ago and I agree that you shouldn't be paid for it.

But if it's solid with just surface rust you can try arguing that it's still usable and shouldn't be depreciated.

If you post a photo of the exhaust pipe I'll comment on which way I think it should go.

well, my car is 2016 with about 75,000 miles, so its not new but its not all rusted and full of holes either. anything else that they are replacing has the same wear on it, im not sure why this one thing would be treated differently. im more concerned that its repair/replacement will completely fix the problem. i noticed some more engine noise after the accident which i figure it probably related to the hit that the exhaust pipe suffered.

[CaptainNJ]

here is how they designate that part:

Muffler & pipe B8%

it was $375

so i guess they are making me pick up 8% of the price. not a biggy just a bit annoying.

im going to report the driver/insured to fraud investigation for lying when he gave his report to the insurance company. general opinion is that it wont matter at all. im hoping that they either drop him with fraud on his record or give him a big increase at renewal. doesnt cost me anything to report him.

[adjusterjack]

Originally Posted by CaptainNJ

here is how they designate that part:

Muffler & pipe B8%

it was $375

so i guess they are making me pick up 8% of the price. not a biggy just a bit annoying.

Hard to tell from the photo. Doesn't even look damaged. But if they are only taking off $31 out of $375, not worth the fight. Besides, you can have the body shop leave it alone. Then take the car to a muffler shop and probably have that piece replaced for a lot less money.

Originally Posted by CaptainNJ

im going to report the driver/insured to fraud investigation for lying when he gave his report to the insurance company. general opinion is that it wont matter at all. im hoping that they either drop him with fraud on his record or give him a big increase at renewal. doesnt cost me anything to report him.

Guaranteed not to matter at all. It's not fraud when you claim to be not at fault when you are at fault. It's human nature. Nobody's getting punished for it other than he'll be surcharged by his insurance company for the at-fault accident. You'll have to be satisfied with that.

[CaptainNJ]

Originally Posted by adjusterjack

Hard to tell from the photo. Doesn't even look damaged. But if they are only taking off $31 out of $375, not worth the fight. Besides, you can have the body shop leave it alone. Then take the car to a muffler shop and probably have that piece replaced for a lot less money.

Guaranteed not to matter at all. It's not fraud when you claim to be not at fault when you are at fault. It's human nature. Nobody's getting punished for it other than he'll be surcharged by his insurance company for the at-fault accident. You'll have to be satisfied with that.

if you get a close look you can see a little mark from the hit. my concern is more the fact that i could hear more engine noise after the accident, i assume it was from that system.

i figured they wouldnt do anything but it doesnt cost me anything to report it. he didnt just say it wasnt his fault; he manufactured a completely false story of me backing out of a driveway and hitting him. after speaking to the guy from his insurance company who determines fault; i got the feeling like there was a good chance that his insurance company would just say "he said/he said so nobody is declared at fault and each party will file claims with their own insurance company" if i didnt have dashcam footage of the incident to prove what happened. given the damage, it seems obvious that his story was bs but i dont know if the insurance company would care so much since its easier to just say its not conclusive.