RE: HELP!! Insurance company trying to screw me and my 4000Q!! (part 2)...

[JustaxPHX@aol.com]

> The issue here with which I am not yet satisfied is in assessing the value
of damages.

When a similar situation happened to me, I was successful in convincing the
insurance company that while a modified Audi may have limited market interest
and/or value locally, an Audi enthusiast might be willing to pay a premium for
it.

>From there, it was easy to convince them that thanks to the internet and the
Quattro mailing list, I had access to more than a 1,000 Audi enthusiasts
around the world and that *this* was the market for my car, not the classified
ads in the local paper or the trade-in value from a local dealer.

It took a few letters and six weeks but I eventually got them to increase
their offer considerably ... of course, if you have to replace your car
immediately -- and insurance companies know that most people do -- you have
less leverage than if you can wait them out.  The longer you can drag things
out, the better the chance that they'll eventually settle with you for an
acceptable amount if only to get you to go away.  Also, don't forget that they
might be willing to pay you to waive any future claims against them in the
event of hidden injuries, the inconvenience you suffered from the loss of your
car, etc.  Several years ago, my father had a situation where the insurance
company wasn't willing to pay him any more for his car but were happy to give
him $2,500 for signing a waiver ... since the car wasn't occupied during the
accident and he (obviously) suffered no injuries, he gladly did so and managed
to come out whole on the deal.

JG