And that’s what causes most TJ related problems because of their age, the margin between 'repairable' and 'total loss' is small and getting smaller every day. Regardless of what
we think our rigs are worth carriers use different methods to evaluate their value as you know so a ding like this one could very well end up rendering this this particular TJ a total loss depending on what it needs. Then you’re stuck with whatever crap ass check you get & a big loss in real dollars you’ve got into it, even if you’re successful in wheeling & dealing your way to be better number it’s still most often not going to make you whole depending on what you’ve got into the rig. It’s been covered here many times but bears repeating,
always buy an added value rider if your carrier sells it, or switch to one that does if not. I’ve got Travelers & they sell up to 10k in coverage for upgrades for a few extra bucks a year. That’ll get me back some of the money I’ve pissed into the wind on my pile
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be careful what you wish for, keep in mind that while it may be counter-intuitive, you're better off getting low balled AND getting your rig repaired than getting a few more bucks on the appraisal but that number pushes your rig into total loss territory, I'd call that a hollow victory assuming your rig is worth a good bit in excess of that total loss evaluation, which it probably is.