Had A Car Accident In Oregon? Within The Last 6 Years? The Other Driver At-Fault? You're Owed Diminished Value! You need... Diminished Value Auto Appraisers - DVAA
Located at 8885 SW Canyon Rd, Suite 126, Portland, OR 97225|Right across the street from Lexus of Portland
DVAA is a Portland, Oregon Diminished Value Auto Appraisal firm that specializes in Diminished Value Claims throughout Oregon. Each Diminished Value Appraisal report is prepared by a Certified Auto Appraiser, licensed by the state of Oregon.
Why Choose Us?
✅ Oregon Licensed Auto Appraiser (Beware Appraisers not licensed in OREGON)
✅ Located in Portland, Oregon (not the East Coast or at a UPS Store)
✅ We specialize in OREGON Diminished Value Claims
✅ USPAP Compliant Appraisals
✅ Authorized by the Oregon Department of Transportation
✅ Fully Detailed Instructions
✅ Expert Negotiation Assistance
✅ Includes 2 demand letters referencing ORS. 20.080
✅ No Risk, 100% Money Back Guarantee
What is Diminished Value?
Diminished Value is the loss of value a wrecked and repaired vehicle has suffered due to now having a significant damage history. Your car now has a damage history and may be branded for life with a negative Carfax® Report. Auto Dealers will now pay you less for your vehicle as it will be harder for them to sell. When compared to another car with no accident history, a normal buyer will pay less for a vehicle with a prior accident history.
Oregon Diminished Value Law. Oregon has some of the best Diminished Value case law in the country. Caselaw supporting diminished value in Oregon can be found as far back as 1941in the case of Dunmire Motor Co. v. Oregon Mutual Fire Insurance Co., 166 Or. 690, 699, 114 P.2d 1005, 1009 (1941), the Oregon Supreme Court held that if the policy limits the insurer’s liability to “what it would then cost to repair the automobile, or parts thereof, with other of like kind and quality,” a complete restoration of the car cannot be had until there has been an establishment of a diminution in value after repair.
ORS. 20.080 A Claimant’s Dream. A few years ago, Oregon enacted the law ORS. 20.080. It was designed to help claimants recover expenses in small claims court. An insurance company has 30 days to make a “best offer”. If the planiff/claimant sues in court and prevails 1 cent more than the “best offer”, the claimant is allowed an additional award to cover attorney fees, court costs, etc. The possible “threat” of not only paying the claim but also paying possibly thousands in attorney fees gives insurance companies cause to make a reasonable offer.
How Much Money Will I Get? This is normally the number one question we hear. The reality is that this is a claim. There is no guarantee as to how much the insurance company will pay you, with the exception of our Money Back Guarantee. We put this policy in place to limit your risk. So if you follow our process and don’t recover at least the cost of the appraisal, we’ll refund the money you paid for your appraisal. On average our clients receive between 60 and 80% of the appraised value as a first offer. We have clients who are initially offered as much as 100% and as little as zero dollars. Normally if an insurance company is making a low offer, it is because it is an out of state insurance company and they may believe that ORS. 20.080 doesn’t pertain to them. Normally, after they realize that an attorney will only have to prove 1 cent of loss of value, they become much more cooperative.
How long do I have to file a claim?
In Oregon, you have up to 6 years to file a claim. But the claim is based on the date of the accident, or “date of loss. The older the data used, the less you’ll probably recover. We suggest starting your appraisal as soon as possible. Even before you bring your car to the body shop.
Can I file a Diminished Value Claim against my own insurance company?
You can only do so in Oregon if you were not at fault, you have uninsured or underinsured property damage insurance, and you were either a victim of a hit and run or the at fault driver is either uninsured or has exhausted the funds in his insurance policy. In Oregon, anyone with a 3rd party claim against an at-fault driver can file a claim for diminished value.
How do I claim my Diminished Value in Oregon? 
We make it easy as we’ve developed a process to provide you with credible evidence to support your claim for Diminished Value. Your Diminished Value appraisal includes our Oregon Diminished Value Made Easy manual on claiming diminished value, and one on one support from a diminished value expert with a minimum of 20 years experience in the automotive industry.
Being Smart When Choosing A Body Shop
We’re automotive consumer advocates. There are a few things that we can help you with after you are in an accident. Most people only have one or two car accidents their entire lives. This puts you at a distinct disadvantage when dealing with the insurance companies and auto body shops. They can be big bullies, because they do this every day, and they know you don’t.
We’re here to help. We provide information on this site to help you navigate the pitfalls and traps that can leave you with a badly repaired car or truck. Did you know that some insurance companies routinely use used car parts from junkyards on vehicles with less than 10,000 miles? Many of those parts are previously damaged and have shoddy repairs. Will they tell you? Absolutely not. But if you walk in and quickly sign their paperwork, you may find that you’ve already signed away your rights to having any say as to whether your vehicle is repaired with OEM parts, or Used and/or Aftermarket Parts. Don’t think there’s any difference? Ford begs to differ in the next video.
Ways insurance companies may try to steer you to one of their body shops.
Insurance companies know that you don’t have a lot of experience when it comes to collision repair and they know how to take advantage of you. Next is a great video by a family owned shop that cares more about their customer’s safety than being paid off by an insurance company.
Not knowing the right questions to ask, can leave you with a poorly repaired vehicle with compromised safety. Here’s 4 questions you should ask before picking a body shop.
? Is the body shop loyal to you, or the insurance company?
Is the body shop on one or more insurance company’s preferred network, or do they produce solid repairs to keep their clientele coming back? Many body shops are Direct Repair Program (DRP) facilities, which mean that insurance companies send them a LOT of business. The insurance company may call them preferred to make it sound good, but in reality it preferred because they’re willing to do what the insurance company tells them to do, not what is best for you.
? Can you repair my car the way the manufacturer considers the right way?
Ask the shop if they have the training and equipment to fix your car correctly. If it is an Audi, you’re going to want to bring the car to Precision Auto Body as they are a Certified Audi Auto Body Repair Shop, and not Joe Schmoe’s Auto Repair. Many new vehicles require specialized tools and equipment to be repaired correctly. If you don’t ask, they won’t tell. If they can’t return the vehicle to the manufacture’s standards, then that may jeopardize the vehicle’s overall safety.
? Will you be using any Used, Aftermarket or Recycled Parts in the repair of my vehicle?
Sometimes this can’t be avoided. If it is a 10-year-old Camry, they’re probably not going to use all OEM parts. They will normally use LKQ and sometimes aftermarket parts. If they insist on using these type of parts, then you should insist that the parts be certified by a third party such as CAPA. That will ensure that the part is reasonably safe to use.
Would you really want your vehicle repaired with an inferior structural component?
Imagine a brand new truck with less than 1,000 miles have it’s door replaced with a door that was damaged in another accident. Insurance companies take advantage of victims of car accidents by steering you to their shops. But, they’re not the only ones you have to watch out for. Just because they don’t send you to that shop, doesn’t mean the shop you choose isn’t already working with them, or worse, just not qualified to repair your car at all. First big clue that the body shop may not have your best interest in mind is when the adjuster for the insurance company has an office right there on the premises.
? Even if you’re car is not being repaired with LKQ (Like,Kind, Quality) parts which is normally just a fancy way of saying junk yard parts or “recycled” parts, they still may not be using OEM (Original Equipment Manufactured) parts. We are seeing more and more auto body shops using Aftermarket parts to repair vehicles over the past couple of years. Aftermarket parts do not have to go through the rigorous testing that OEM parts have to. So you may end up with a fender that is thinner than the OEM fender and could cause your air bag to either inflate to soon or too late. This Honda video show us just what happens when an aftermarket air bad inflates just a microsecond too late.
Document, Document, Document.
As we said earlier, we’re automotive consumer advocates. We only work for consumers, not insurance companies. We’re not attorneys and we do not provide legal advice. The next video is from an attorney in Louisiana, not Oregon, but the information works everywhere and is good advice. Most accidents are minor and an attorney isn’t always going to take a small case. So it’s good to have a general sense of what’s going on and ways that may protect you from giving too much information to the insurance company.
Remember, Claim Adjusters and Insurance company employees are employed to not be your friend, but to allow you the least amount of compensation possible. DO NOT TRUST THEM! They will provide misinformation, may try to trick you and may even outright lie to you. They are not your friend, but many have been trained to assume that role in order to provide you the least settlement they can.
Again, Just some good advice we came across.
Know your rights. Don’t be bullied. Don’t give out information freely. We are not attorneys and do not receive any commission, compensation or payment from any attorney in exchange for a referral. If you feel you should speak to an attorney, you probably should.
Out Of State DV Appraisal Companies.
Beware the out of state appraisers who claim to be licensed Auto Appraisers. They are probably licensed in their state, but normally not OREGON. The State of Oregon requires all Auto Appraisers to be certified by ODOT. This can possibly affect your claim or even lead to your claim being dismissed.
Why don’t they have negative ratings? Many of these large companies immediately file lawsuits against anyone filing a negative review and since they are from the East Coast, you would have to go there, over 2,700 miles just to defend yourself from that lawsuit. And you may find their laws are much more sympathetic to defamation than Oregon. So be careful when considering an appraisal firm on the other side of the country just because they claim to have 100% satisfaction with their customers.
Diminished Value Auto Appraisers is an appraisal company only and does not offer legal or tax advise. The Oregon auto accident legal information presented at this site should not in any way be construed to be legal advice. If you are in need of legal advice, you should seek the help of a qualified attorney in your area. This site is not intended to solicit clients outside of the State of Oregon. Laws vary by state and you are urged to research the specific laws and you right within you state.
There is no warranty expressed or implied for any information and/or material contained in this web site. Diminished Value Auto Appraisers and/or its associates will not be liable for any damages arising from using the information on this site including direct, indirect, incidental, punitive and/or consequential damages.
Diminished Value Auto Appraisers | DVAA
Diminished Value Auto Appraisers
DVAA
Authorized by the State of Oregon to Appraise vehicles.
Located at :
8885 SW Canyon Rd. STE 126 Portland, OR.
Phone: (503)954-1404
© 2017 DiminishedValueAutoAppraisers.com
INSPECTION PHOTOS FOR DIMINISHED VALUE
