Speak adjuster.
Fluently.

The ID number your insurance company stamps on your accident the moment you report it. Every call, email, and check ties back to this one number.

Why it matters: Nothing moves without it. Save it in your phone the second you get it — call without it and you start from zero with a stranger every time.

The insurance company employee assigned to your claim. They decide what gets paid, how much, and how fast.

Why it matters: They are polite, but they work for the insurance company, not you. Their job is to close your claim cheap and quick — be nice, take notes, and never treat the first number as final.

First-party means you file with YOUR insurance company. Third-party means you file with the OTHER driver's insurance because their driver hit you.

Why it matters: Different rules. You have a duty to cooperate with your own insurer, but you do not owe the other driver's insurer a recorded statement. In California, things like diminished value are usually third-party claims.

Your share of the repair bill when you use your own insurance. Repairs cost $5,000, your deductible is $500 — insurance pays $4,500, you pay $500.

Why it matters: If the other driver was at fault, going through THEIR insurance usually means no deductible at all. Go through yours and you can often get it back later when your insurer collects from the other side.

Optional coverage on your own policy that pays for a rental car while yours is in the shop. Usually a daily dollar limit and a max number of days.

Why it matters: If the other driver was at fault, their insurance should cover your rental once they accept fault — don't burn your own coverage if you don't have to. Either way, know the daily limit before you grab the SUV at the counter.

When the insurance company pressures you to use THEIR preferred body shop. "We can't guarantee the work anywhere else" is the classic line.

Why it matters: In California you have the legal right to pick your own shop. Their shop works under their pricing and their rules — pick a shop that answers to you. Anyone who says you have no choice? Run. Seriously.

A deal between a body shop and an insurance company. The insurer sends the shop steady work, and the shop agrees to the insurer's prices and procedures.

Why it matters: Some DRP shops are great. But the shop's biggest customer is the insurance company, not you — ask any shop who they answer to when there's a fight over a part.

Taking the damaged parts off the car to see what's actually broken underneath. You can't see a bent rail through a bumper cover.

Why it matters: The first estimate is written off what's visible, and real damage hides inside. A shop that tears down before ordering parts finds the full cost up front instead of surprises later.

Extra damage found after the repair starts, billed to the insurance company on top of the original estimate. Totally normal — it happens on most jobs.

Why it matters: This is where a lowball first estimate gets fixed. A good shop documents the hidden damage and makes the insurer pay — you should never eat that cost. Estimate looks light? Text me a photo of it, free: (213) 279-2992.

Parts made by your car's manufacturer — the same stuff the factory bolted on. OEM stands for "original equipment manufacturer."

Why it matters: Insurers push cheaper parts to save money. On newer cars, or anything near a safety sensor, ask for OEM in writing. Whether they have to pay for it depends on your policy — but you'll never get it if you don't ask.

Copy parts made by some other company, not your car's maker. Cheaper, sometimes fine, sometimes fits like a glove two sizes off.

Why it matters: In California the insurer has to tell you when the estimate uses aftermarket parts. Read your estimate — "A/M" next to a part is money the insurer saved at your car's expense.

"Like kind and quality" — a used part pulled from a similar car at a salvage yard. It's a real factory part, just with miles on it.

Why it matters: Often a fair deal on older cars — a used original fender can beat a new copy. But it should match your car's age and condition. A rusty door on a two-year-old car is not "like kind."

Fading new paint into the panels next to the repair so the color matches. Paint one door and stop at the edge, and you'll see the line forever.

Why it matters: Insurers love trimming blend time off estimates. One painted panel on a metallic color with zero blend usually means a visible mismatch — make them pay to do it right.

Damage to the car's skeleton, not just its skin. The structure is what protects you in the next crash.

Why it matters: It changes everything: repair cost jumps, resale value drops, and total loss gets closer. Demand measurements and documentation — this is not a "looks fine to me" repair.

When the insurer says the repair made your car BETTER than before — like a new tire replacing a worn one — and charges you the difference.

Why it matters: Legit on wear items like tires and batteries. But some adjusters try it on parts that don't wear out. Betterment on a fender? Push back hard.

What your exact car was worth the minute before the crash — your year, your miles, your condition. Not what a new one costs, and not your loan balance.

Why it matters: This number decides your total loss check, and the first offer is often soft. Pull listings for the same year, miles, and trim near you and make them match reality.

The insurer decides fixing the car costs too much compared to what it's worth, so they pay you the car's value instead of repairing it.

Why it matters: In California it's a formula — roughly, repair cost plus what they'd get selling the wreck, weighed against the car's value — not a fixed percentage. Borderline cars can go either way, and that math can be argued. Not sure which side you're on? Text me a photo: (213) 279-2992.

The permanent mark on a car's title after it's been totaled. It follows the car forever, even after it's fully repaired.

Why it matters: It cuts resale value hard, and some insurers won't fully cover a salvage car. If you keep your totaled car and buy it back, this is the trade — know it going in.

Coverage that pays the difference between what you still owe on your loan and what the car is actually worth when it's totaled.

Why it matters: Without it you can owe thousands on a car that no longer exists. Totaled and upside down on the loan? Dig through your loan paperwork — gap is sometimes buried in there and people forget they bought it.

Your own coverage that steps in when the driver who hit you has no insurance, or not enough. UM is uninsured, UIM is underinsured.

Why it matters: Plenty of LA drivers carry nothing or the bare minimum. It's optional in California, but insurers have to offer it — you only lose it by signing a waiver. Check your policy today, not after the next crash.

California splits blame by percentage. Even if you were 20% at fault, you can still collect 80% of your damages from the other driver.

Why it matters: Adjusters use fault percentages to shave money off your payout — "we feel you were 25% at fault" is a negotiation move, not a verdict. Photos, witnesses, and the police report are how you fight that number.

Your car is worth less after a crash even when it's repaired perfectly, because the accident now shows up on its history report.

Why it matters: In California you can usually claim this against the AT-FAULT driver's insurance. It's real money on newer cars, and adjusters almost never bring it up — you have to ask, with documentation.

A tool buried in most policies for when you and your insurer can't agree on your car's value. Each side hires an appraiser, and a neutral umpire breaks the tie.

Why it matters: It's leverage when the total loss offer is insulting and they won't move. There are costs, so read your policy first — but just mentioning it tells the adjuster you know the playbook.

After your insurer pays your claim, they go collect that money back from the at-fault driver's insurance. Their fight, behind the scenes.

Why it matters: This is how your deductible comes home. When subrogation succeeds, you're usually entitled to get your deductible back — follow up and ask, because that refund doesn't always show up on its own.