Your insurer cannot make you use their shop

No. California Insurance Code section 758.5 gives you the right to select your own repair facility. Your carrier may recommend a direct repair program shop. It may not require one, and it may not condition payment on your using it. This matters more on a large vehicle than on a car, because most carrier-preferred facilities are automotive shops without a frame rack rated for a 26,000 pound chassis or a paint booth that holds 45 feet.

Because the adjuster wrote the original estimate from what was visible, and on a large vehicle the visible damage is routinely a third of the total. Teardown finds the rest. Supplements are normal rather than exceptional on coach and fleet work. What decides whether one is approved in a week or argued for a month is documentation, which is why we photograph everything at teardown before a single part is ordered.

Total loss is an economic determination, not an engineering one. The carrier compares repair cost against actual cash value and applies a threshold. Both inputs can be wrong: a repair figure based on a visual estimate is frequently inaccurate, and actual cash value on a coach is often understated because comparable sales data is thin and custom work is valued at nothing. We provide measured repair figures and documentation, which is the material you need to contest it.

Only if it is documented. The single most common uncovered loss on modified vehicles is aftermarket equipment settled at base vehicle specification. Solar arrays, lithium banks, lift kits, custom bumpers, roof racks, interior builds and upgraded appliances all routinely get valued at nothing. Bring every receipt you still have and we will photograph and submit all of it at intake.

No. We bill the carrier direct on covered claims, so you are generally responsible for your deductible and any betterment or non-covered items rather than fronting the whole repair. Where an approved rate will not cover the repair as it needs to be done, we tell you rather than quietly reducing the repair to fit the number.

Photograph everything at the scene from several angles including wide shots that show context. Get the other party details and a police report number where applicable. Notify your carrier promptly. Avoid authorising a tow to a storage yard if you can, because storage fees accrue daily and come out of your settlement. Then get the vehicle assessed properly before accepting any settlement figure, because a figure accepted before teardown is based on a guess.