Auto Mediator Diminished Value Auto Appraisal Experts

My one month old Tesla Model 3 LR RWD was hit by another driver who was deemed to be at fault. Needless to say I was devastated to go through this on my brand new car but Steve at Auto Mediator was with me every step of the way. My vehicle needed extensive repairs from a Tesla Approved body shop which ended up taking nearly two months and resulted in a total repair bill that exceeded 20k. It was my first time filing a Diminished Value Claim and I had heard from others that it was a very arduous process but Steve made it so much easier! With his guidance and the amazing comprehensive and detailed appraisal report he wrote, I was able to get reimbursed over $10,000 dollars for Loss of Use on top of what I received for my Diminished Value Claim from the insurance company. I could not be more happy with the outcome and service provided by Auto Mediator. :) More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Steve helped me to estimate the diminished value after an accident where my opponent ran a stop sign and caused a 50.000$ repair bill on my 911. I managed to get around 40k$ which made me feel fairly treated. A car with an accident report is just difficult to ever sell. Steve did a great job and I will be back More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Steve's work at Auto Mediator appraising diminished value claims is tops in the business. Our law firm, Kerr & Sheldon, is one of the leading firms in CA handling diminished value claims and recently obtained a record settlement of $87,350 for diminished value and loss of use to a 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo S based on Steve's report.
In addition to establishing the Porsche’s resale value was substantially reduced despite being restored to its pre-accident condition, Steve also established the reasonable cost to rent a similar vehicle during repairs was nearly $700 per day. I recommend Steve highly to anyone who's car has lost value due to an accident. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

As an attorney trying to get complete compensation for my client I sought Mr. Proto's expertise on the diminished value of my client's vehicle. His background and experience give his testimony a lot of weight. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I had been working in the automotive world for 15 years before I managed to find myself in a position where I needed someone's help. I was cheated by someone across the entire country. Steve was critical in helping me establish diminished value for my case and was incredibly helpful by sharing his network and helping me find a great attorney to work with. I cannot thank him enough. Steve was the second appraiser I found by asking around locally and I wish he had been the first. The first guy had terrible service and was more expensive. If I had found Steve first, it would have saved me a lot of time and headache! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I had a rare car (KBB says "no data") that burned in a house fire and Steve was willing to research if would even be worth contesting what my insurance company was offering. It turned out that it would not be (because of existing comps for sale of the same car) but Steve was amazing in double-checking that I would not be underpaid by my insurance company. He knows his cars and can dig for what is needed to help you out. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

You can expect insurance companies to attempt to save money and get you to settle on loosing thousands of dollars of value from your vehicle. This is a negotiation plain and simple.

Steve is the expert who can put in your hands the real numbers that you need to effectively argue your case about the lost value of your vehicle.

To explain just how important this is; I should mention that I had made an original settlement offer to the insurance company which they declined. Because of Steve's report I was able to demand and recover a lost value on my vehicle of over three times what I had offered as an initial settlement offer.

I highly recommend working with Steve and communication with him is outstanding. He is an honest man and will tell you based on the information that you provide wether it is worth hiring him for a report.

I hope to not need his services again because that means I have been in an accident, but if I do he has my business. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Steve is a class act. He knows what he is doing and very professional in his coaching. Helped us secure a diminished value and loss of use in excess of $28K . ..$21K more than what the insurance company first offered. Could not of achieved this result without his help! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I needed an Expert for my Diminished Value Claim asked by the insurance company.I found Auto Mediator to do an excellent job for me. Steve was on time with my appointment, professional and knowledgeable.When I needed follow up questions he would always answer my e-mail with a quick response.When I asked for a recommendation I would get one.I would recommend Auro Mediator highly.Thanks Steve More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I found Auto Mediator through an internet search and Steve was more than helpful in working with me to understand diminished value and how it works. I thought his advice was sound and he explained all parts of the process and possible outcomes with me thoroughly. I was able to recover a good portion of the loss thanks to his work. I would highly recommend him to anyone who needs a vehicle appraisal. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

This was the best money I ever spent in my life. Long story short, my husband was involved in a very bad car accident on HWY 101 in the Bay Area. His almost-brand-new-car, a Tesla, was completely totaled. (Miraculously, nothing happened to him). The other drive was found 100% at fault so we started the claim process through our own insurance policy, GEICO. They estimated the car to be valued at $59K, which was significantly lower than our expectations. I decided to provoke our appraisal clause and hire an independent appraiser to prepare a valuation report for us. I searched a lot, called many places but almost no one had experience with Teslas. I came across Steve Proto's name. Gave him a call and found him to be not only a true professional but also very familiar with our car. He first asked me to send him pictures and a detailed description of the car, which I did. Then, he gave me an idea of what his report would show. He suggested that our car would be valued at $68K. I was more than happy with that so I hired him, paid him his "very modest" service charge and awaited his report. A week or so later, Steve sent me a very detailed, thorough report that was not only easy to follow but contained statements and conclusions that were all strongly supported by evidence, such as advertisements for other cars in the market. True to his word and ashe had promised, he valued the car at $68K. I went ahead and forwarded the estimate/report to GEICO, who also had to hire their own independent appraiser to prepare a report and then fight it out with Steve. A few days later, GEICO e-mailed me their appraiser's report, and their estimate was at $72K!!!!! I was shocked. My husband was stunned. We couldn't believe it. GEICO offered to pay us what their own appraiser had offered, which was $72K. I seriously think that hiring Steve was one of the best decisions I ever made. I'm sure many people just accept what their insurance company offers them but they shouldn't! They should hire Steve. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Steve is very knowledgable and straightforward. He's confident, but doesn't make pie-in-the-sky promises. He inspected my car after the initial repairs, and spotted a lot of issues, which I was able to communicate to the repair shop. With each step, he was very responsive and supportive. The diminished value appeal to the other party's insurance was not successful, so I went to small claims court. The judge gave credence to Steve's report, and I got a good judgment. Definitely recommend. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

$25,752 for a 14 year old truck!In December 2015 my 14 year old truck was parked in front of my house and a driver slammed into it and took off. Fortunately one of my neighbors heard the accident and called 911. A short while later, the driver was arrested for hit and run DUI. After about a week I was able to (through Police Report) who actually hit my truck. I was able to get their insurance info and in the meantime I filed a claim with my own Insurance Company. After consideration I decided to continue the claim with the responsible party’s Insurance Company. My own Insurance Company had exclusions when it came to Diminished Value (DV). So I continued the claim with the responsible party’s Insurance Company and it was fairly smooth at first but then became difficult. Due to holidays and authorization delays it took 54 days to repair my F250 Truck. I knew nothing about DV. I purchased this truck brand new and it had no prior collisions. I knew that my truck would now be worth less money but I didn’t know how to quantify it. So I turned to Google and found Steve (Auto Mediator). I read the reviews on Yelp. Since I am in Northern California I wasn’t sure if even contacting him seemed crazy. But I did it anyway and talking with Steve was one of the best things I ever did. He didn’t think my 14 year old truck would have much DV but when he ran the initial numbers he came up with roughly $4000. So I decided why the heck not and I decided to pursue it. Working with Steve was super easy. I sent him some details of my truck and some pictures after the repairs. Within a month or so, Steve provided me with the diminished value report. VERY PROFESSIONAL REPORT!!!!! Once he ran the numbers and comps, he came up with $8132 for DM! Now for the unexpected part. Renting a F250 ¾ ton truck is much more than a standard car. Since I was entitled to a like replacement there was an additional 54 days @ $138 per day! They paid $38.99 for my rental so the difference came to $5446!In additional the insurance company refused to pay for my battery after it started leaking ($282). I added in interest ($602) and $699 for the report. So I submitted a demand letter for a little over $15,000 to the insurance company. DON’T EXPECT THE INSURANCE COMPANY TO PAY RIGHT AWAY OR AT ALL So the insurance company responded to my demand letter and came up with their own DM assessment of approximately $300. Obviously we were far apart. It seemed to me the only way to get them to pay was to get this in front of a judge and get a court order. Well, small claims has a limit of 10K – not a bad option. In my case, there was a criminal element to it so I contacted the District Attorney. I found out there was a restitution hearing so I submitted my claim. The judge reviewed my claim and the very professional DM report and he ordered the defendant to pay me approximately $15,000 (Insurance Company already paid $8600 for repair of my truck and over $2000 for my rental). But having a court order is only as good as the person’s ability to pay. My initial correspondence with the Insurance Company did not result in any different decision and the Insurance Company considered the matter closed. So I filed a complaint with the CA Dept of Insurance asking that they reevaluate their decision. That finally prompted the Insurance Company to reevaluate their decision and in the end, they decided to pay! To sum it up, it takes perseverance. The Insurance Company will only pay if they are forced to pay. They will not volunteer to pay. Steve provides a very tight and concise analysis – very hard to disputeIt took me 18 months but well worth it in my opinion. Not only did my truck get repaired, I was able to keep my truck, and I received a check for $15,000 for the DV and rental car difference!Collecting the $$ is another story. Good luck to all. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

If you're reading this, I know that you're doing your research on diminished value (DV) at this moment and wondering which appraiser to pick from. I was in the same situation two years back (July 2014) when I just got into an accident in my brand new BMW 4 series. I was rear ended a little less than 2 months into my new car. (I haven't even change my license plate :'(... ). Same procedure for everyone who got into an accident, I went through insurance, the person at fault accepted the liability, car in the shop, repaired and fixed. Structural damage to my car which makes the total repair costs about 14K. Went to Steve who met with me on a Saturday (he is really dedicated) and glad that I made that trip to Santa Monica from Riverside. He guided me through the steps and preparation of demand letter to GEICO. A few correspondences back and forth and of coz, GEICO wouldn't budge. Steve suggested a few options, which one of them is to go through small claims court (SCC)Started to get fed up and got an attorney at the end of all the correspondences. Attorney takes care of it and I will only need to pay attorney fees if I won the case. Fast forward a year, after a year long procrastination from the attorney, I finally sued the person at fault in SCC in December 2015, but only for 10k which is the max allowed in SCC even though DV is appraiser at 15k or so. Managed to contact Steve on the eve of the court date and he sent me a really important document to be included in my stack of supporting documents (personally, I think this document is the driving factor why I won this case or his impressive CV). He gave me assurance that I'm in the best position to win this case and sure I did. 10k awarded to me, but 4K went to the attorney.Case closed after a year and a half from the incident date but I'm a happy camper at the end of the day. Yes it is a long process but it's worth the effort.Thank you Steve for your effort and dedication in handling my case!On two really important side notes:1) Found a "CHEAP" appraiser by the name of Jeff from CAA since I didn't know what to expect from this. Some forums said it is nearly impossible to get the DV in California, so on and so forth. I thought I'll give it a try and see what the appraiser can do in negotiating with GEICO insurance (at fault party). Lesson learnt, you really get what you paid for. You should just pay a couple hundred dollars more for a better appraiser to do a clean and complete job. Steve is the man!2) If you choose to go SCC, get Steve's opinion on whether you should hire an attorney and do it yourself. For me, I just went in, presented my case, submitted my supporting documents (the judge won't have the time to go through those documents on the spot and will tell you his or her judgment in a few days), wait for a couple days and got the 10 grand. In actuality, I don't even need to hire the attorney and let him take a 40% cut of the payout. He took the DV report that Steve provides and re-arranged them to make him looks like he did something (I'm sorry, but the attorney really did nothing - I think Steve should take a cut of that payout rather than him). Sami from Beverly Hills is the attorney if you're wondering who I hired for my case. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps