Need Guidance after an accident

[eagle_eye]

Hello all, my 21 MY with 15k miles on it was rear-ended while I was at a red light in upstate NY. The driver was apologetic, and his insurance company has already reached out to start the claim on their end (they have found me not to be at fault).
I submitted pictures of the damage, and they estimated 5k worth of damages.
The Tesla Certified Body Shop I took the car to estimates the costs to exceed 8k once they start opening it all up (They cannot take the car for at least 6 to 8 weeks).

I initially called my insurance company and started a claim, however after learning the other person's insurance company has already accepted fault and is working with me to get my car fixed, my insurer said i don't need to go through them if the other insurance company is already working with me and that i can always file a claim with them if the other insurance company gives any pushback or issues.

The party at faults insurance company has already mailed me a check and stated that once the body shop opens it up they can submit claims to them directly.
They have also arranged for a rental car for me while my car is in the shop.

When do folks start the diminished value claim? Is this something I have to wait for once the car repair is complete, or can I start it now? Also how do i get proof of DV ? Is this something i can do myself or do i need to pay someone (if you have anyone in mind please DM me their info thanks).

Do i need to do anything else ? Any recommendations on something i may have missed ?

The Car still drives/charges fine, the rear hatch and bumper/sensors and tow wiring will need to be replaced along with any internal damage the shop may find.
The collision was at about 15 mph.

 

[sekim alset]

Sorry for your situation, but it sounds like all is going ok so far. For DV, each state is a little different, so I would first recommend to do some research on your state’s dept of ins (DOI) website to learn more. Typically DV claims are processed post-repair, and the ins company should handle it. It’s a good idea to let your adjuster know your intent to claim DV, and they can let you know what to expect. You can also hire an independent company to handle the DV claim for you, but there would be a fee that’s generally taken from your settlement payment. You can check to see if your area has any Licensed Public Adjusters who handle DV claims, or might be able to refer you to a firm that does. Good luck!

 

[schen72]

Anytime I've had fender benders in the past, I always open a claim with my own insurance. Then I take the car to a body shop of my choosing, and my own insurance covers everything. They will get reimbursed from the other party's insurance.

 

[gx9901]

It sounds like you're pretty much all set and just need to wait for the collision center to take your car in. I got rear ended in October, 2021 and my initial estimate was just under $4k. It took a couple of months before the collision center took the car in (I was able to drive it for those 2 months) and after opening it up the estimate went to close to $7k. The car stayed there for about 1.5 months.

Regarding diminished value claim, assuming you have different insurance companies (can't do DV claim if both parties have same insurance company), from what I found is that you submit the claim once the repairs are completed. I went with a 3rd party appraiser that does DV reports and sent the report to the other insurance company. They kind of low-balled me but increased it a little bit after some back and forth. I was always going to keep the car for a long time so I didn't push that hard for higher compensation on the DV. I'm not sure if paying for a DV report helps or not, but the appraiser did give some guidance on how to proceed with the claim. If you want to obtain a DV report, I would suggest searching these forums and choose one you are comfortable with.

 

[eagle_eye]

It sounds like you're pretty much all set and just need to wait for the collision center to take your car in. I got rear ended in October, 2021 and my initial estimate was just under $4k. It took a couple of months before the collision center took the car in (I was able to drive it for those 2 months) and after opening it up the estimate went to close to $7k. The car stayed there for about 1.5 months.

Regarding diminished value claim, assuming you have different insurance companies (can't do DV claim if both parties have same insurance company), from what I found is that you submit the claim once the repairs are completed. I went with a 3rd party appraiser that does DV reports and sent the report to the other insurance company. They kind of low-balled me but increased it a little bit after some back and forth. I was always going to keep the car for a long time so I didn't push that hard for higher compensation on the DV. I'm not sure if paying for a DV report helps or not, but the appraiser did give some guidance on how to proceed with the claim. If you want to obtain a DV report, I would suggest searching these forums and choose one you are comfortable with.

Thanks for the detailed response. I am also wondering how i can check the insurance coverage limits on the other party. Just want to be sure they have enough coverage for my repairs. I now have anotehr issue. The car is having a close to 10% phantom drain daily WITHOUT sentry mode. is this common ? Some of the wires on the back bumper were cut during the accident. The trunk closes and the car registers it as closed but for whatever reason I'm loosing energy. I had literally 0 phantom drain before the accident.

 

[gx9901]

Thanks for the detailed response. I am also wondering how i can check the insurance coverage limits on the other party. Just want to be sure they have enough coverage for my repairs. I now have anotehr issue. The car is having a close to 10% phantom drain daily WITHOUT sentry mode. is this common ? Some of the wires on the back bumper were cut during the accident. The trunk closes and the car registers it as closed but for whatever reason I'm loosing energy. I had literally 0 phantom drain before the accident.

I’m not sure how to check insurance coverage of the other party, but I imagine they would tell you if that was an issue. When I had my accident the other agent never mentioned about coverage limits and there wasn’t an issue as far as I’m aware of. Mine was covered through my own insurance and subrogated, but the other agent did contact me and assumed responsibility.

As for the phantom drain, that’s something you might want to have Tesla take a look at. 10% per day seems excessive. I did not experience this after getting rear ended.

 

[eagle_eye]

I’m not sure how to check insurance coverage of the other party, but I imagine they would tell you if that was an issue. When I had my accident the other agent never mentioned about coverage limits and there wasn’t an issue as far as I’m aware of. Mine was covered through my own insurance and subrogated, but the other agent did contact me and assumed responsibility.

As for the phantom drain, that’s something you might want to have Tesla take a look at. 10% per day seems excessive. I did not experience this after getting rear ended.

I bluntly asked and the question was not answered directly but I was told they do not foresee any issues with the claim so in other words I should be ok.