Cars have already ceased to be some kind of luxury item today and have become a real means of prime necessity. According to official figures, more than 4 million cars drive in the largest cities of the CIS countries. However, the use of the vehicle carries not only positive aspects, because various accidents periodically occur, in the event of which an independent examination can be carried out after an accident. Reviews of such services today can be found to be very controversial, so it is best to independently figure out what this procedure is and how it is carried out.
What it is?
After a person gets into a traffic accident, they should automatically be sent to an appraisal company, and that, in turn, is almost always a partner of the insurer. Thus, the debtor will determine the amount that must be paid to him, and the smaller the compensation for damage, the more profitable is the appraisal company. It is for this reason that in case of any accidents you can really get an adequate payment, it is better to order a service such as an independent examination after an accident. Most of the reviews about such services are rather flattering, since in many situations people really managed to get good insurance payments.
Features of the law
Not everyone knows that for more than 10 years, in accordance with the current legislation of the Russian Federation, the driver of the vehicle has no obligation to take his own car after the accident to the insurance company. Each person has the right to have a full independent examination of the vehicle, and the insurance company must accept these documents without fail, and then use the results of studies conducted by an independent company as the basis for their work, and determine the size of them refunds.
An independent examination after an accident (reviews of which will be discussed later) is a determination of the amount of damage caused by independent experts in the event of any damage to vehicles. It also includes determining the amount of money needed to restore a car.
How is this procedure performed?
Depending on the legislation of a certain country, the way an independent examination is conducted after an accident also changes. User reviews, as well as a description of the work of most companies, characterize such work as follows:
- A professional appraiser leaves for the place of inspection (if there is such a need).
- A full-fledged photo table is drawn up, as well as an inspection report and a report indicating the amount of damage caused. All damaged components are recorded using a professional camera, after which an inspection certificate of the vehicle is drawn up. It is worth noting that in the process of conducting such a procedure, any persons who may be interested in this are invited to the place of the examination.
- All necessary documentation is drawn up and submitted free of charge to the appropriate insurance company (in this case, a power of attorney for the company's lawyers must be drawn up).
- If necessary, the company's lawyers advise their client on all necessary issues.Regardless of the severity of the accident, the accident participants need professional advice from a lawyer, and in particular this applies to cases in which the culprit of the accident is identified, because there is no guarantee that the traffic police will ultimately make an extremely impartial and fair opinion.
It is worth noting another advantage that distinguishes any independent examination (Moscow or another city - it doesn’t matter). The advantage of this procedure is that any costs that you must incur during its implementation will be reimbursed by your insurance company, that is, in fact, you get these services completely or almost free of charge.
When else can it come in handy?
There are a large number of situations in which an independent examination of the car may be necessary, and an accident is far from the only option for ordering this service. Thus, we consider a complete list of possible circumstances under which this service will be relevant:
- damage assessment in case of accident;
- recovery of damage from the insurance company or the culprit of a traffic accident (checking the car for the subsequent preparation of a statement of claim to the court);
- identification of the culprit of the accident;
- determination of the causes of a traffic accident;
- determination of the consequences of poor-quality repairs;
- TCB assessment;
- determination of the market value of the vehicle.
What are the advantages of such services?
Professional experts conduct an independent examination of the car, which in the overwhelming majority of cases determines the amount of compensation for damage an order of magnitude greater than that declared by the insurance company. Moreover, payment for such services is carried out not by the clients themselves, but by their insurers. It is also impossible not to say that, in addition to reimbursing the cost of repairs, a person receives some other payments, among which it is also worth highlighting TCB (loss of the commodity value of a car), which is approximately 5-10% of the market price of your vehicle.
What is the difference between insurance and independent valuation?
There are a large number of differences in how an independent examination is conducted. Moscow, like many other megacities, includes a wide variety of companies involved in insurance and vehicle valuation, and all of them constantly interact with each other, as the latter literally force insurers to pay exactly the amount that must be provided to car owners for a full-fledged cover damage.
In the insurance company, experts conduct their own expertise to assess the damage, while, accordingly, trying to minimize losses as much as possible, because for obvious reasons it is beneficial for them to reduce the cost of payment. At the same time, appraisal companies examine cars in such a way as to ultimately determine the real market value of the damage, as well as receive any due payments. In addition, such organizations often take on the responsibility of protecting the interests of the car owner in a court of law, if the need arises.
In accordance with the current legislation, an independent examination is carried out by any expert organizations that have a license to conduct valuation activities. If this procedure is carried out by the insurer, then in this case its term should not exceed 5 working days. When the time period within which an independent examination is to be carried out is continuously stretching, then you can contact any independent company.
Answers to the most common questions
It is quite natural that modern drivers have a fairly large number of questions about what the nuances of the work of an independent examination are.It is for this reason that it is worth considering the main points that can be useful to any vehicle owner.
The purpose of this work
In almost 100% of cases, an independent examination is ordered in order to exclude underestimation of payments by the insurance company. Modern insurers use a huge number of tricks in order to underestimate payments on their obligations, regardless of whether it is a hull or compulsory motor liability insurance. In such situations, in order to be entitled to require additional payments of the missing amounts, an independent examination is carried out, after which the money received is compared with what the valuation company has estimated for you, and then you can demand the difference in the pre-trial procedure or, if it comes to that, then directly in court.
Composition of work
To begin with, specialists draw up a detailed inspection certificate of your vehicle. After this, an independent assessment is already carried out after the accident, that is, the expert begins to calculate what approximately the cost of the repair repair can cost.
Who has the right to do this?
The inspection certificate of the vehicle should be drawn up exclusively by a professional expert with relevant knowledge, which is confirmed by the presence of a state-issued diploma in such specialties:
- traffic accident expert;
- expert-technician at CTP;
- expert on diagnostics and technical control of motor vehicles.
Who is involved in damage assessment?
Assessment after an accident is carried out only by a professional appraiser who has the appropriate equipment, as well as higher and additional education in this subject. It is also important that the specialist consist of a self-regulatory organization of appraisers who conduct their activities in accordance with the applicable requirements of federal law.
Who can issue an opinion?
The conclusion on the circumstances of the accident should be issued by an expert. It should be noted that a specialist dealing with this issue must have a state diploma indicating that he has a degree in "Expert in crash investigation."
What does the procedure look like on the part of the accident participant?
The person who will be assisted by car lawyers in road accidents needs to do the following series of actions:
- An inquiry officer in the traffic police department receives a certificate of an accident issued in the form of No. 154, after which a resolution is also issued on the accident that occurred.
- You go to an insurance company (not your own, but that person who is recognized as the culprit of the incident), and then write a statement that you have an insured event. All documentation obtained earlier in the traffic police department is attached to this statement, and it is worth noting that all papers must be original. Among other things, take with you all the documents you have for your car, as well as indicate the coordinates of the bank account to which the payment should be transferred.
- In accordance with the rules of compulsory motor liability insurance, within five working days after your preparation of the application, the insurers will have to carry out an inspection of your car, that is, send you your own expert who is involved in such procedures.
- After the initial inspection is conducted at the insurance company, a completely independent transport expertise is carried out.
- When the inspection in the insurance company and an independent appraiser will be carried out, you can repair your own car.
- Now you are awaiting payment from the insurance company. This payment must be made within 30 days from the moment you submit a full package of documents to the insurance company.
- If the amount paid differs from that determined by an independent assessment of damage, then in this case you will need to hire your own lawyer or lawyer, and apply to the court with the results. Given the experience of the current practice, pre-trial insurance companies do not make payments, but can only do some formal formal replies. That is why it is immediately recommended to go to court.
As mentioned above, in this case you do not need to worry about how much an independent examination costs after an accident, since all the costs of this procedure will ultimately be borne by the insurer.
