Do not argue with the total. Audit the report.

Start with the complete report

Ask the adjuster for the full market valuation report, including the comparable pages, adjustment pages, condition details, valuation notes, and any revisions. An offer letter is not enough. Save the PDF with the date you received it. If another version arrives later, keep both. A changed total without a version comparison is hard to review.

CCC describes its valuation product as a tool for total-loss adjusters that uses local-market comparable data along with vehicle optioning and conditioning information. That distinction matters. CCC supplies the valuation system. Your insurer supplies or confirms claim inputs, configures parts of the process, and makes the settlement offer.

1. Verify the loss vehicle before reading the comps

Go line by line through the vehicle description. Check the VIN, model year, trim, body style, engine, drivetrain, transmission, mileage, factory packages, and major options. A report built on the wrong trim cannot be repaired by adding more weak comparables.

• Use the window sticker, build sheet, dealer invoice, owner's manual records, and clear pre-loss photos.
• Mark each incorrect or missing item and attach the document that proves it.
• Separate factory equipment from dealer-installed or aftermarket equipment. The evidence and policy treatment may differ.

2. Test every comparable vehicle

A nearby car with the same model name is not automatically comparable. Open each listing if it is still available. Confirm the trim, drivetrain, engine, body style, model generation, mileage, equipment, seller, location, and listing date. Call the dealer when a key fact is unclear. Record who you spoke with and when.

Then ask a harder question: could this vehicle reasonably stand in for yours in the local market? A price adjustment may account for a mileage difference. It may not cure a different powertrain, missing package, prior damage, or a listing that was never actually available.

3. Reproduce the adjustments

Read each comparable from its listed price to its adjusted value. Follow mileage, options, condition, and any other line items. The direction matters. If a comparable has more miles than your car, an adjustment should not make your car worth less without a clear explanation. Do not assume a universal dollars-per-mile rule. Ask for the basis when the report does not show enough information to reproduce the result.

Condition needs its own check. Identify the baseline used for the comparables and the condition assigned to your car. Ask what inspection, photos, or records support a deduction. Maintenance does not make a used car new, but it can rebut an unsupported description of worn tires, damaged interior, or neglected mechanical condition.

4. Check the gross-to-net settlement

The report's vehicle value and the check amount are not the same number. Trace the settlement through applicable taxes and fees, deductible, lien payoff, prior payments, and any owner-retained salvage deduction. A small check may come from a correct lien payoff rather than a low vehicle value. Identify the disputed line before choosing a response.

Build one correction table

Do not send a pile of screenshots with “this is unfair.” Give the adjuster a short index that ties each request to evidence.

The example is fictional. It shows how to organize a request, not what any particular adjustment should be worth.

Send a narrow written request

State the claim number, identify the report date, list the supported corrections, attach the evidence index, and ask for a revised report or a written explanation. Give the insurer a reasonable way to answer each point. Save the email and attachments.

If the insurer corrects the facts but the value gap remains, the next step may be supervisor review, an independent appraisal, the policy's appraisal process, or a regulatory complaint about claim handling. Those tools do different jobs. Appraisal generally addresses the amount of loss. A complaint does not replace valuation evidence.