The questions we are asked most often by phone – answered briefly.
In this dedicated section of our website we have put together a comprehensive collection of answers to the questions that come up most often in connection with accident reports, appraisal reports, insurance topics, and your vehicle. Whether you are looking for information on what happens after an accident, the specific requirements an appraisal report has to meet, or the various aspects of insurance coverage, you will find it here.
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PKW GUTACHTER takes data security exceptionally seriously. For that reason we never pass information on to third parties unless it is essential to the service and those companies take data security just as seriously as we do. Beyond that, we use our customers' information to keep improving our work and the services we provide to you.
No. You have the right to an appraiser of your own choosing.
You would rather have the money than the repair? If your vehicle has nothing more than a minor dent or one damaged panel, a repair is not strictly required. Vehicle owners who decide not to have the accident damage fixed are still entitled to compensation. In legal terminology this is referred to as a "fiktive Abrechnung," a notional settlement. Even so, certain deductions apply compared with having the repair shop costs covered. If you want to receive payment for accident damage, the insurance company will assign an appraiser to your case. To determine the repair costs, you can hire an expert to assess the damage. Insurance companies often work with an appraiser as well. Regardless of that, it is advisable to hire a specialist separately: it is not unusual for the amount calculated to exceed the insurer's estimates. Under German law, an appraiser's fees are reimbursed by the at-fault party's insurer. However, this is only possible if the damage exceeds € 700.
The replacement value is the price you would have to pay on the market for an equivalent replacement vehicle, for example a passenger car, in the event of a total loss or theft.
Current value of the car. The current value of a vehicle is the value the vehicle has at present. Starting from the price when new, all changes in value are factored in, both decreases and increases.
The personal and contact details as well as the insurance information of the other party involved in the accident
Everything we have listed here you get from PKW GUTACHTER from a single source.
A constructive total loss is when, in the insurer's assessment, repairing the car is not economically worthwhile. The insurer does not cover the repair costs, but instead reimburses the injured party only the replacement value of the vehicle minus the salvage value.
Loss of use means the condition in which the vehicle is not available for the owner to use after a car accident. This may be because the vehicle has to be repaired at a repair shop, which takes only a few days. In the case of a total loss, the loss of use consists in the vehicle no longer being usable at all. In any event, the injured party in a traffic accident is entitled to what is known as loss-of-use compensation, or reimbursement for the loss of use. In the case of a total loss, however, this does not mean that the other party or their liability insurer can be required to pay loss-of-use compensation indefinitely for the period after the accident. Instead, as part of the appraisal report, an appraiser calculates what is known as the replacement period, which is usually in the range of 12 to 14 days. The replacement period is the time needed to obtain a comparable vehicle under realistic conditions.
If a person causes bodily injury, property damage, or financial loss to a third party, the liability insurance of the party who caused the damage covers it.
A person who is liable in damages must restore the condition that would exist if the circumstance giving rise to the liability had not occurred.
The assignment of claim as security allows the appraiser to bill the at-fault party's insurer directly for the cost of the damage appraisal prepared to substantiate your damage claims. At the same time, the assignment of claim serves as the engagement for the automotive appraiser.
It is not quite that simple. Most Vollkasko (full coverage) policies insure only accident damage and not what are known as operational damages, which is the category engine damage falls into. But there is no rule without exceptions. There are cases, for example, in which full coverage does pay for engine damage.
The most important thing after a car accident is first to determine whether anyone is injured. If so, you should call an ambulance first and then the police. Then secure the accident scene properly. You should also switch on your hazard lights.
If you are involved in an accident as a witness or as a party, take the following steps.
If possible:
Photos are the most important thing you can have to document the damage. Photograph the damage to your own car as well as to the other party's car.
Once you have cleared the accident scene, you can exchange information with the other party at your leisure. Ask to see the driver's ID and note down the name, address, phone number, auto insurer, and license plate number. It is best to take a photo of the ID.
If there are witnesses to the accident, you should note down their names and addresses as well. Also fill out an accident report and have the other party sign it too. An accident report is not mandatory, but it can be helpful later on.
Important: do not admit fault to the other party, and certainly not in writing. That can cause trouble with the insurer and weakens your position if it turns out you were not at fault after all.
Comprehensive/collision coverage. Kasko insurance (from the Spanish casco, meaning "hull") is insurance against damage to a motor vehicle, aircraft, or ship. … In auto insurance, a distinction is made between Teilkasko (partial coverage) and Vollkasko (full coverage).
If you cause an accident, liability insurance pays only for the damage to the other party, not for the damage to your own vehicle. Partial coverage and full coverage, by contrast, pay for damage to your own car, which is why they are strongly recommended for new or expensive vehicles in particular.
If you were at fault in the accident, partial coverage generally does not pay for the damage to the car of the person who caused it. Partial coverage steps in for damage caused by another person, by animals (for example in a collision with wildlife), or by environmental influences.
Liability insurance: motor vehicle liability insurance covers bodily injury, property damage, and financial loss suffered by others when you cause an accident with your car. It is required by law for every vehicle. Partial coverage: partial coverage covers damage to your own vehicle.
Comprehensive/collision coverage. Kasko insurance (from the Spanish casco, meaning "hull") is insurance against damage to a motor vehicle, aircraft, or ship. … In auto insurance, a distinction is made between Teilkasko (partial coverage) and Vollkasko (full coverage).
In German auto insurance, a repair shop restriction is an agreement between the policyholder and the insurer that requires the policyholder to use a designated repair shop in the event of a claim.
As a rule you have to wait about three to four weeks. To speed things up, you can hire an attorney.
Vehicle Kasko claim – you are at fault for the accident. A vehicle Kasko claim exists when your vehicle was damaged through your own fault, by an act of nature, lightning strike, storm, hail, wildlife, theft, fire, or in any other way.
If the accident was not your fault, the insurer of the other party usually covers the cost of the report. In that case you pay nothing.
No. If the accident was not your fault, you have the right to choose your own expert. You decide who assesses the damage.
Usually within 24 hours of the inspection of the vehicle.
Yes. Our experts carry out appraisals across Europe.
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