Let’s get to work.
Let_s_get_to_workChapter
Okay!
You’ve read a lot.
I hope you’ve learned a lot.
I hope you’ve gotten wise
to many of the shenanigans
that automobile insurance companies
try to pull.
Now let’s gather your supporting documents.
Then let’s get to work on your letter
to the automobile insurance company.
In this module, I take you through
the next few tasks at hand
in this order:
If you do not have a copy
of the Monroney Label window sticker
for your total-loss vehicle,
then get a PDF of it
from monroneylabels.com for $9.99.
Or, if you already have a paper copy
of your total-loss vehicle’s
Monroney Label window sticker,
take a photo of it with your cellphone.
You’ll want to attach a PDF or a jpg
of your Monroney Label window sticker
to the email that you send
to the automobile insurance company.
Use your Monroney Label window sticker
to get your total-loss vehicle’s
exact J.D. Power Buy from Dealer Price.
If you choose to use one of my model letters
as the starting point for your letter
to the automobile insurance company,
then let’s go down this path:
In your word-processing software,
use “Find and replace” ➞ “Replace all”
to change the specifics
of my model letter
to the specifics
of your total-loss claim.
Thereby, you will turn my model letter
into your draft letter.
Edit your draft letter
to make it consistent
with your total-loss vehicle’s
J.D. Power valuation.
Then edit your draft letter
to make it consistent
with the market valuation report
that you received
from the automobile insurance company.
If your total-loss claim
is a first-party claim,
then edit your draft letter
to make it consistent
with what
your automobile insurance policy says.
At the end of your draft letter,
make a note of any questions
that you wish to ask the attorney
when you meet with her or him.
(I already have some questions there
that you may wish to ask the attorney.)
After you complete these tasks,
you’ll be ready to go
to the next module.
In the next module,
you can check, vet, and edit
your draft letter
against my excerpts
of the laws of your state
that regulate
how automobile insurance companies
that do business in your state
are required to value total-loss vehicles
and settle total-loss claims.
Just one last thought
before we get to work:
Let_s_get_to_workChapter
Might you want to invite someone
who believes in you
to be your co‑pilot
and share this learning adventure
with you?
I’m doing everything that I can think of
to support you and encourage you
in your fight to get a fair valuation
of your total-loss vehicle.
Even so, most of us find any new undertaking
less arduous and more enjoyable
if we share the experience in person
with someone who believes in us,
who encourages us,
and who bolsters our self confidence.
If you have the good fortune
to have a friend, relative,
or significant other
who likes to encourage you,
support you,
and see you succeed;
then might you want
to invite her or him
to be your co‑pilot
and share this adventure with you?
The two of you could
learn together,
share the work,
share the thinking,
share the drama,
and in the end—
I do believe!—
share the victory.
If you have multiple people to choose from,
you might want to pick someone
who is strong where you are weak.
If you have a lot of courage
but you don’t have a lot of computer skills,
then enlist someone who has computer
and word processing skills.
She or he need not supply any courage.
Or, if you have computer skills
and word processing skills,
but you haven’t yet tapped into
your ability to confront and challenge
people who are out to cheat you,
then enlist someone
who meets challenges head on
and lets the fur fly.
She or he need not have
the computer skills that you have.
If you team up with your opposite,
you’ll learn a lot from one another.
Heck!
If you have a tendency
to let people in suits push you around,
enlist as your co‑pilot
someone who is downright scary!
She or he will be flattered.
When you’re dealing with people
who are out to cheat you,
being scary has its benefits.
Maria can be downright scary.
Maria’s a New York City Latina.
I can be a little scary.
But I cannot be
as scary as a New York City Latina.
With the right role model,
you too can learn to be scary!
When you’re dealing with people
who are out to cheat you,
being kinda scary can be kinda fun!
Don’t be shy.
If there’s someone you know, like, and trust
who would like to help you
get more money
for your total-loss vehicle,
give her or him a call.
Better yet, invite the person
whom you’re thinking of
to meet for coffee.
Pay for their coffee!
Sell this wonderful person on learning
what you’re learning!
Sell her or him on being your co‑pilot.
The takeoff point is now!
might_you_want_to_enlist_a_co_pilotChapter
If you have a paper version
of the Monroney Label window sticker
for your total-loss vehicle,
take a photo of it with your cellphone.
If you do not have
a Monroney Label window sticker
for your total-loss vehicle,
let’s get a PDF of one
from monroneylabels.com for $9.99.
To get the exact
J.D. Power Buy from Dealer Price
for your total-loss vehicle
we’re going to use
a Monroney Label window sticker.
We’re going to attach
either a jpg photo or a PDF
of the Monroney Label window sticker
for your total-loss vehicle
to the email that you use
to send your letter
to the automobile insurance company.
If you have a paper copy
of the Monroney Label window sticker
for your total-loss vehicle,
take a photo of it with your cellphone.
If you do not have
a Monroney Label window sticker
for your total-loss vehicle,
then you can buy one.
To buy a Monroney Label window sticker
for your total-loss vehicle
from monroneylabels.com for $9.99,
click www.monroneylabels.com.
Select your total-loss vehicle’s model year.
Select your total-loss vehicle’s make.
Type in your total-loss vehicle’s VIN number.
Click Submit.
Create a new customer account.
Pay.
Place your order.
MonroneyLabels emails you a receipt.
Open the receipt.
Look for the link that ends in “pdf”.
Click the link
or copy and paste it into a browser.
Download the PDF.
Create a new file folder.
Name the new file folder Attachments_To_First_Email.
Save the Monroney Label PDF to your
Attachments_To_First_Email
file folder.
When you save the Monroney Label PDF,
make your total-loss vehicle’s VIN number
the first part of the filename.
Make the rest of the filename:
Total_loss_vehicle_Monroney_Label_MSRP_$XX,XXX.pdf
where $XX,XXX is your total-loss vehicle’s MSRP.
Your pdf’s filename should look a lot like my model pdf’s filename:
1C4PJMJX2KD249619_Total_loss_vehicle_Monroney_Label_MSRP_$41,560.pdf
“Jerry, why on earth put the MSRP
in the filename?”
Couple of reasons.
If you have a right of recourse
and you exercise it,
you’ll be searching
at automobile dealerships
for vehicles that are substantially similar
to your total-loss vehicle.
A lot of automobile dealerships
offer free CarFax Vehicle History Reports
on the vehicles that they have for sale.
Usually, a free CarFax Vehicle History Report
includes a Monroney Label window sticker
for the for-sale vehicle.
The Monroney Label window sticker
includes the for-sale vehicle’s MSRP.
If a candidate right-of-recourse vehicle
has an MSRP
that is close to your total-loss vehicle’s MSRP,
then that’s a quick and easy indication
that the candidate right-of-recourse vehicle
is substantially similar
or at least similar enough
to your total-loss vehicle
to use that vehicle for valuation purposes.
If you put each vehicle’s MSRP
in the filename of its Monroney Label pdf,
then, to see what a vehicle’s MSRP is,
you won’t need to open the file.
You’ll be able to see the MSRP
for every vehicle
in your file directory.
Your search
for substantially similar vehicles
or similar enough vehicles
will go much faster.
Further down the line, if you sue
the automobile insurance company
and your judge or court arbitrator
reads your letter
to the automobile insurance company,
then he or she likely will notice
that the actual cash value
that you are asking for
is a lot less money
than your total-loss vehicle’s MSRP.
Conclusion?
You’re not greedy.
You’re reasonable.
Let_s_get_a_Monroney_Label_window_sticker_for_your_total_loss_vehicleChapter
Let’s get the exact
J.D. Power Buy from Dealer Price
for your total-loss vehicle.
On a printout of the Monroney Label
for your total-loss vehicle,
circle the options
that J.D. Power considers to be
major options.
If, earlier, you got a ballpark
J.D. Power Buy from Dealer Price
for your total-loss vehicle,
I suggest that you run the valuation again.
This time, work
from the Monroney Label window sticker
for your total-loss vehicle.
Do your best to get the exact
J.D. Power Buy from Dealer Price
for your total-loss vehicle.
We’ll get the two valuation PDFs
that you’ll want to attach
to your email
to the automobile insurance company:
-
The J.D. Power Buy from Dealer Price
-
The specs that you used to get
the J.D. Power Buy from Dealer Price
The vehicles and prices
in J.D. Power’s database
change over time.
Hence, J.D. Power valuation amounts
bounce around over time.
You may want to run the valuation
several times over a week or two
and use the report
that has the valuation amount
that best serves your purpose.
When www.jdpower.com/cars/manufacturers opens
in a new browser window,
arrange your browser windows
something like this:
Go to
www.jdpower.com/cars/manufacturers.
Work from your Monroney Label
for your total-loss vehicle.
To keep track
of the vehicle specs that you have entered
and of the specs that you have not entered,
I suggest that you
print your Monroney Label on paper
and make notations on it.
Step through the valuation dialog
for your total-loss vehicle.
Every time you select something
or enter something
in the dialog,
circle the selection or otherwise note it
on the printout of your Monroney Label.
Your total-loss vehicle’s Monroney Label
with your notations on it
could come in handy later
if you exercise your right of recourse
(if you have one)
or if you have some other reason
to search for substantially similar vehicles
for sale at automobile dealerships.
Under Select a Make,
select the make of your total-loss vehicle.
Circle the make on your Monroney Label.
Under Select a __________ Model,
select the model year.
Circle the model year
on your Monroney Label.
Select “All Body Styles.”
I find the dialog works best
if you select All Body Styles
and scroll all the way down the page
until you find the body style
of your total-loss vehicle.
Once you find your vehicle’s body style,
select it.
Don’t let the interruption of an ad
make you think that you’ve reached
the bottom of the page.
Circle the body style
on your Monroney Label.
Under Select a ___ ____ ____ trim,
select the trim level.
Circle the trim level
on your Monroney Label.
Under Enter Zip Code,
enter the ZIP Code of the location
where you most often parked or garaged
your total-loss vehicle.
Write the ZIP Code on your Monroney Label.
Under Enter Mileage and Select Options,
enter your total-loss vehicle’s mileage.
Write the mileage on your Monroney Label.
Select Select Your Options.
CarFax will select for you options
that it expects your total-loss vehicle to have.
You may or may not need
to un-select some of those.
Select your total-loss vehicle’s major options.
Work from the list of options
on your Monroney Label.
Options can have weird names.
The word or words
that J.D. Power uses for an option
may not be the same word or words
that your Monroney Label uses.
If you do not know what an option
listed on your Monroney Label is,
Google the year, make,
and model of your vehicle
plus the Monroney-Label name of the option.
For example, the Monroney Label
for Maria’s total-loss vehicle included:
“Auto-Dimming Interior Mirror w/HomeLink.”
What the heck is a HomeLink?
Neither one of us knew.
When we Googled 2019 Mazda3 HomeLink,
we were able to figure out that what
the Monroney Label called HomeLink
was the same thing
that J.D. Power called
a “Universal garage door opener.”
In some way, make a record
of the major options
that your total-loss vehicles has
and J.D. Power asks about.
On your Monroney Label,
you may want to circle each major option
that J.D. Power asks about
that your total-loss vehicle has.
Or you can take a screen capture
of the major options
that the J.D. Power calculator uses
to value your total-loss vehicle.
“Why bother?” you might ask.
In your negotiations
with the automobile insurance company,
or in an arbitration proceeding
with the automobile insurance company,
or in court;
you might possibly get into an argument
with the automobile insurance company
about whether or not a certain option
is a major option.
I would like for you to be able to say,
“In deciding which options are major options,
I did not rely on my personal judgement.
“I relied on which options J.D. Power—
the automobile valuation company—
considers to be
the important or major options
for the purpose of valuing
a used automobile.
“For my total-loss vehicle,
J.D. Power does not consider this option
to be a major option.”
Or, as the situation may call for:
“For my total-loss vehicle,
J.D. Power considers this option
to be a major option.”
Here, from a screen capture
of the J.D. Power valuation dialog,
with check marks,
are the major options
that J.D. Power asked about
that my fictitious total-loss vehicle had.
When you finish selecting
and, in some way, recording
your total-loss vehicle’s major options,
click Next.
Under Pricing & Values,
J.D. Power reports two types of values:
-
A buy-from-dealer average price paid
-
Trade-in values
Most likely, your state’s laws recognize
that you the total-loss claimant
are in the position of a retail buyer.
Hence, the relevant J.D. Power valuation
is the “Buy from Dealer Price.”
On the J.D. Power screen,
on the same line that says
“Values” “Specifications,”
look over on the right for “Print.”
Print the values on paper.
Print the values as a PDF.
Make your total-loss vehicle’s VIN number
the first part of the filename.
Make the rest of the filename
_Total_loss_vehicle_JD_Power_Value_$XX,XXX.pdf.
Replace $XX,XXX with the J.D. Power valuation amount
for your total-loss vehicle.
Save this valuation PDF to your
Attachments_to_first_email folder.
Click “Specifications.”
To print a PDF of all the specifications,
before you print,
for some of the clusters of specifications,
you have to click the +
that is next to each and every cluster
of specifications.
Print the specifications on paper.
Print the specifications as a PDF.
Make your total-loss vehicle’s VIN number
the first part of the filename.
Make the rest of the filename
_Total_loss_vehicle_JD_Power_Specs.pdf.
Save the specifications PDF to your
Attachments_to_first_email folder.
In your computer’s file directory,
in the Attachments_to_first_email folder,
sort the files by name.
The names of the three PDFs
that you’ve saved thus far
should look a lot like
the names of three of the PDFs
that I attached to my model email:
Let_s_get_the_exact_jdpower_retail_priceChapter
The attachments that you have thus far should look something like this:
Let’s edit
one of my model letters
into a draft letter
that you can ask an attorney
to review, vet, edit, and strengthen.
Earlier you read models of the letters
that I might send today
to an automobile insurance company
to get a fair valuation
of my total-loss vehicle.
My model letters are generic letters.
If you’re going to use
one of my model letters
as the starting point
for your letter
to the automobile insurance company,
then you need to make changes
to that model letter.
I wrote the model letters in my name.
You need to change my name to your name,
my address to your address,
my email address to your email address,
and so on.
I based my model letters on
a make-believe insurance company,
a make-believe total-loss vehicle,
a make-believe total-loss claim,
and a make-believe
valuation-services vendor.
You need to change
these make-believe specifics
to your total-loss claim’s specifics.
I based the model letters
on a make-believe market valuation report.
Where my model letters
are not consistent
with the market valuation report
that you received
from the automobile insurance company,
you or your attorney needs
to make your draft letter consistent
with the market valuation report
that you received.
For the first-party-claim letter,
I based the model letters
on a make-believe
automobile insurance policy.
If your total-loss claim is a first-party claim
and my model letters are not consistent with
what your automobile insurance policy says,
then you or your attorney needs
to make your draft letter consistent with
what your automobile insurance policy says.
My model letters are consistent
with my understanding
of the laws of many states.
However, the laws of the fifty states
differ from state to state.
Where my model letter is not consistent
with the laws of your state,
you or your attorney will need
to make your draft letter consistent
with the laws of your state.
Some of the necessary changes
you can easily make yourself.
Some you likely will want to leave as is
and, when you meet with an attorney,
let her or him make the necessary changes.
To make it easy and efficient
for you and your attorney
to edit and modify
my model letters and emails,
I created two Word.docx documents:
Marlow_First_party_Not_yet_settled_letter.docx
and
Marlow_Third_party_Not_yet_settled_letter.docx
I made my instructions, suggestions,
and comments part of each document.
After you complete the instructions
and follow or consider my suggestions,
you can delete
those instructions and suggestions
from the document.
You can resolve
some of my comments yourself.
Those comments that you resolve,
you can delete.
You can save some of my comments
for your attorney to consider.
At the end of my model letters,
I typed in additional questions
that you may find it useful
to know the answers to
if the automobile insurance company
does not agree to the valuation
of your total-loss vehicle
that you propose in your letter.
The answers to some of these questions
you may be able to find
when you read
the laws of your state that regulate
how automobile insurance companies
that do business in your state
are required to value total-loss vehicles
and settle total-loss claims.
Any questions
that you cannot answer yourself,
you can ask the attorney
when you meet with him or her.
When you’re ready to do so:
If your total-loss claim is a first-party claim, download
Marlow_First_party_Not_yet_settled_letter.docx
and start turning my model letter
into your draft letter.
If your total-loss claim is a third-party claim, download
Marlow_Third_party_Not_yet_settled_letter.docx
and start turning my model letter
into your draft letter.
After you edit your draft letter
to make it consistent
with your total-loss vehicle’s
J.D. Power valuation,
consistent with the market valuation report
that you received
from the automobile insurance company, and,
if your total-loss claim
is a first-party claim,
consistent with what your automobile insurance policy says;
come back to wasyourcartotaledorstolen.com.
Click the map of the USA.
Then click your state.
Check, vet, and edit your draft letter
against my excerpts of your state’s laws.
If, at any time,
you feel a warrior’s impulse
to help me
help other everyday Americans
fight back
against automobile insurance companies
that are out to screw us all,
at the top right of your screen,
click this image:
Send me a few dollars.
let_s_edit_model_letter_and_email_into_draft_letter_and_emailChapter
Nota bene
Jerry Marlow is not an attorney. Neither information nor opinions published on this site constitute legal advice. This site is not a lawyer referral service. No attorney‑client or confidential relationship is or will be formed by use of this site. Any attorney listings on this site are paid attorney advertising. In some states, the information on this website may be considered a lawyer referral service.
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