Well, as stated in a my post last weekend, my wife hit a deer in her 98 Land Rover (she's ok thankfully). She hit it at about 75. Needless to say her car is pretty messed up.

We've pretty much decided to trade it off no matter what.

But our best bet right now is if they total it. I've got no doubt that even if they decide to get out cheap on this and pay to "fix" it, that it will never be the same.

What is the best way to deal with insurance claim adjusters when it comes to these kind of situations?

How much leverage does the insurance customer have when dealing with adjusters to make sure they don't get screwed?

We have all of our insurance through AAA, have never had a ticket or claim, and have been pleased so far.

That being said, I want to prepare for the worst if I have to battle with them over this.

Any input appreciated.

I did this just this morning for my great-niece.  [b]Before[/b} you talk to the adjuster, get a detailed written quote from a good body shop.  The guy from State Farm tried to claim that only two parts needed to be replaced and about 2 hours of labor was needed to fix her car.  He estimated the damage at only $400.  With the nice quote in my hand, I was able to point-out several other parts that needed replacing and the real prices on the parts and the estimated labor.  The crook tried to claim you could get a new painted bumper cover for a Camry for $200 and get it installed for $25.  Maybe you could ... in 1980!  After going over the written quote, I was able to get him up to $1,800, which should be enough to pay for about 80% of the repair.  I'm not happy that they refused to pay for all of it, but she wanted her car fixed quickly since she's driving to meet her boyfriend's parents for the first time in a couple of weeks.  He tried to short us $1,400 on a $2,100 repair!

If you really want to do your homework, and it might be worth it considering how much the car is worth, spend some time at the dealer with the service manual and get prices for all of the parts that need to be replaced.  I did that for a friend with a Park Avenue, and the parts came-out to be several times what State Farm (yes, them again) offered to pay.  The pricing on parts for cars defies logic, so you will have to look them up.z