audijim113

I posted previously about my wife's 98 A8

No doubt, I am upside down on the car. After $2,600+ for T-belt, oil cooler fix, and fuel pump, the car got whacked on driver side. Wife was not hurt as it was a glancing sideswipe. We do not carry collision insurance on it. My wife drives very little (2,500 - 4,500 miles / year). She likes the car, it runs great, etc, etc, including rebuilt tranny a few years ago., So after soul searching, I dumped $3,600 in collision repair. (left front fender, steering knuckle, driver door, rear door and rear quarter panel). It now looks as good as it runs. That doesn't mean it's perfect as there are minor dings on other side of car. It would have bumped the collision repair up to $4,500 to repaint it completely.

It has 178,000 miles and no way in hell would I expect to get $6,000 plus on the open market.

Michigan has "mini-torte" which provides up to $3,000 from the at fault driver if you don't carry your own collision. This is for guys who drive lower value cars without insurance. The other guy was clearly at fault. In addition to police report showing fault, he also had expired driver license and no insurance. Insurance (liability, medical, etc) is required in MI. The mini-torte is pretty automatic from his insurance but since he had zero insurance, I'm taking him to small claims court. I wasn't going to bother thinking I could get blood out of a rock. However, I've learned that he does have a job and recently bought a small fishing boat. He's a bum, but I'd be able to attach his salary when I win in court. With the police report, it will be open and shut case.

My question, is, will I get a judgement for $3,600, which is my out of pocket for the collision repair? KBB shows the value at a low of about $1,000 for average, but a high of $4,500 for excellent. Hence, my question about "excellent" I'll also get $150 for court fees which is default for winner.

Does it mean showroom new appearance? Low mileage, with new car smell?

Would excellent also factor in all the service stuff done recently and the typical, high mileage common repairs on a D2?

I know it would be hard to squeeze and insurance company but this is a no-lawyer, casual court. I'll have documents showing KBB, NADA and JD Power, all of which show "excellent condition value over my $3,600.

Kneale

Keep us posted. I'm also an oder (both me and the cars) Audi driver (Allroad and S8) who only carries required PLPD in Michigan, so I'd be interested in what you experience in court. You may get a judgment but no way to collect. Scumbags usually also have most of their earnings held to pay their alimony. I don't understand how the state allows these idiots to keep a car licensed without insurance. I know the insurance companies let the state know if someone lets their policy run out. The cops can find the license plate with an electronic scan. You'd think they'd be looking for uninsured motorists on the roadways.

Number48

I would hope most insurances consider it normal recovering costs to return the vehicle to the pre-collision condition. In court, I would believe they should pay for your expenses to return your car back to pre-accident condition and $3600 seems very reasonable. Providing the receipts, photos before and after, and the police report will be very helpful in your case. Providing details about expenses to keep your car in top condition also works in your favor detailing it's not just a beat up college kid's car. Resale is another topic for these, and that may be a point of contention. You could argue what "excellent" means. My D2 got smushed in the back in a parking lot and the lady was kind enough to leave a note. Her insurance paid for it all, and it was about $500 from getting totaled. During my research on the value of my A8, I found it had a -$200 trade in value. lol!

2001 S8

That's hilarious and ridiculous at the same time.