Total Loss Valuation Disputes: A Field Guide

Who this is for

Public adjusters and independent adjusters who get pulled into vehicle total losses, usually because the same event that damaged the house totaled the car, and the client trusts you more than the process. No auto claims background required: this is an audit method, and auditing files is what you already do.

The problem

The carrier's settlement offer arrives inside a valuation report that looks like science: comparable vehicles, condition adjustments, an averaged value in bold. Clients assume it is final. It is not. The report is only as good as its inputs, and the inputs fail in predictable places: comparables in the wrong trim, listings from distant markets, condition assumptions that ignore new tires and a full service history, options nobody entered. Most people negotiate against the average. The number moves when you audit what is underneath it. Add rental cutoffs and storage fees to the mix and plenty of offers get accepted before anyone examines a single input.

Inside the free PDF

• How the vendor report is actually built, and where it bends
• The written request that gets you the complete report, not the summary
• A comparable audit checklist: trim, options, mileage, distance, listing age,

This guide is part of MESHA Academy, free field education for adjusters: mesha.cc/academy. MESHA for adjusters: mesha.cc