Why is AUTODIMINISHEDVALUE “The Only One”?
The simple answer is because we do the work that no other auto appraisal company is either willing or courageous enough to do – real world research. There is a confirmed preferred methodology for determining a vehicle’s diminished value after it acquires a repair history. This can reach into the tens of thousands of dollars.
In the beginning, after the advent of CARFAX and other accident reporting companies, car owners whose vehicles were damaged by someone’s negligence realized they could obtain compensation via the at-fault party’s insurance company. A letter from a dealership asserting that a vehicle lost value was sent to the insurer as proof of diminished value. It was the dealers who had the most intimate knowledge of the market, so these letters were used as proof. Many insurance companies still denied third-party inherent diminished value claims, so car owners had to sue the negligent drivers. By subpoenaing the dealers who had provided letters to appear in court, the insurance companies quickly put a stop to the practice. The sales managers at new car dealerships had better things to do than sit in courtrooms, so they naturally discontinued writing letters for their customers. They were still the experts but were effectively silenced.
What followed were a multitude of alternative methodologies including formulas, algorithms, online ad comparisons, and book value condition differences—all essentially shortcuts.
AUTODIMINISHEDVALUE employs the unique methodology of first establishing an approximate diminished value of a vehicle by consulting our database, then confirming our opinion by consulting with six dealers—yes, those same dealers who were being harassed by insurance companies years ago. The difference is:
#1 All of our dealer opinions are unbiased since they were informed that the vehicle was not available for purchase or trade.
#2 Insurance companies concluded that subpoenaing six angry sales managers to court was inefficient and counterproductive.
The fact remains that the sales managers at new car dealerships—who buy, sell, trade, and auction cars every day—remain the most reliable source of information when it comes to vehicle values and how repair histories affect them.
SEARCH OUR DATABASE OF AUTO DIMINISHED VALUE REPORTS
Please email the body shop estimate or insurance company appraisal to
contact@autodiminishedvalue.com
Then click on the payment button above to pay by Credit Card or PayPal. The fee for an Automobile Diminished Value Report is $275.00. You may also make your Credit Card Payment by telephone, call 772-359-4300. Tesla and other exotic car owners please call for rates.
Service throughout Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming
This is an Open Education resource focused on auto diminished value, collective knowledge and the sharing of scholarly content.
AUTODIMINISHEDVALUE.COM and TOTALLOSSDISPUTE.COM are services of The St. Lucie Appraisal Company