hell I just bought one for 5 bucks..
my truck was hit by a hit and run driver a few months back. the insurance company and I are still fighting..
They think a fender, headlight, bumper, bumper cover and several other little bits are only with 1800 bucks before my deduct..
my truck is a 2014..
my estimates are only in the 2500-3000 range
Keep fighting...
Their first move is always to deny a claim. If you give up they won.
When it appears you are not, they will back down.
I just had a flood on my property from a driver crashing into a fire hydrant. His insurance company offered $9K for damages.
Before I was done they ‘settled’ for $29K
“They think a fender, headlight, bumper, bumper cover and several other little bits are only with 1800 bucks before my deduct..”
—
The advantage back in the day, in the scenario I mentioned, is that the most you were out if the auto were pulverized to smithereens would be 100-200 bucks (usually about 100). Life was a bit easier in those days...
There is a tendency to overlook the fact that while the insurance company has an interest in writing as low an estimate as possible, the shop has an interest in writing as high an estimate as possible.