Independent total loss appraisals in Michigan
An independent total loss appraisal establishes what your vehicle was worth before the loss — in writing, with the evidence attached — so there's something to put against an offer that's too low. $350, flat. No percentage of your settlement.
The number your insurer sent isn't a final position, whatever the letter sounds like.It's an opinion of value produced by a valuation report, and a valuation report can be wrong in specific, documentable ways.
What happened when they priced your car
Almost no total loss valuation is done by anyone standing next to the vehicle. A system assembles comparable sales and adjusts them, and the adjustments are where the errors live. Five worth checking:
- Comparables from the wrong market, applied to yours as though the markets matched.
- The wrong trim, or options never counted — factory packages, engines, drivetrain.
- Condition assumed, not inspected. A well-kept car and a rough one get the same grade.
- Mileage adjusted wrongly — at the wrong rate, or in the wrong direction.
- Prior work ignored. A rebuilt engine, a repaint, a restoration, new tires and suspension six months ago — money the owner spent that the valuation never saw.
What Harold does
Looks at the car, in person, wherever it is. That alone separates the report from the one the carrier is holding.
Photographs it properly — condition, options, equipment, wear, prior work. The evidence that turns "it was in good shape" into something a claims file has to answer.
Researches comparable sales on vehicles actually comparable to yours, in a market that applies.
Writes a valuation report: what the car was worth immediately before the loss, and what supports that figure. A document you can put in front of the adjuster.
He has run a restoration and repair business since 2018 and is a licensed Michigan vehicle dealer, which in Michigan is what's required to perform appraisals. He does not work for insurance companies.
What it has done on real claims
Documented outcomes, published with the owners' consent — the insurer's opening offer, and what the claim settled at.
- A 2003 Toyota Tundra — offered $880, settled at $3,300.
- A 2014 Volkswagen Passat — offered $3,975, settled at $12,400.
- A 1990 BMW 325i — offered $10,800, settled at $20,286.
Nobody else in this market publishes numbers like these, because publishing them means having produced them. The documented outcomes are here, with photographs.
Every claim is different, and nobody can tell you in advance what yours will do. An appraisal is evidence, not a guarantee.
If negotiating doesn't move it
Most auto policies contain an appraisal clause — a provision for when you and the insurer agree the vehicle is a total loss but disagree about its value. Each side names an appraiser, and an umpire breaks a tie.
It's a formal step with costs attached, and most offers move before it's needed. Either way, what comes first is the same: a defensible number of your own. How the appraisal clause works in Michigan.
Michigan's total loss threshold
Michigan compares the damage against what the car was worth before it was damaged. Under MCL 257.217c, a late-model vehicle is titled salvage at 75% of its pre-damage value and scrap at 91%.
Notice what those are percentages of. The pre-damage value is the number the rest of your claim is calculated from. Set it too low and everything downstream is too low with it.
What it costs
$350, flat — inspection, research, written report.
No percentage. Some operators take a share of any increase, commonly around a third; on a claim that moves by $8,000 that's roughly $2,600. Harry's charges $350 whether the number moves by $500 or by $12,000. Full pricing is here.
If the vehicle is a classic or a custom build
The gap is usually widest on these, because the valuation systems have least to work with. A restored, modified, or collector car with no book value is where an automated comparable search produces something unrecognizable.
Harold's background is restoration and repair work, which is the relevant experience for arguing what a car like that is worth. Start here instead.
Where Harold works
Grand Rapids and West Michigan — Wyoming, Kentwood, Grandville, Holland, Muskegon, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, and the lakeshore. The shop is at 5723 Division Ave S, Grand Rapids, MI 49548.
Farther out than that — a claimant in Lansing or Traverse City, say — Harold will sometimes work from photographs instead of an in-person visit. It's judged case by case, not offered as a standing option, so ask before you book — it costs nothing to check.
Questions people ask
- How much does an independent total loss appraisal cost?
- Harry’s Appraisals charges $350, flat, for an independent total loss appraisal in Michigan. That covers inspecting the vehicle, researching comparable sales, and producing a written valuation report. No percentage of the settlement, no hourly rate.
- Am I suing my insurance company if I hire my own appraiser?
- No. An independent appraisal is a valuation, not a lawsuit — a document establishing what your vehicle was worth before the loss, which you give to your adjuster. Most auto policies contain an appraisal clause precisely because disagreements over the amount of a loss are expected.
- Does the insurance company have to accept an independent appraisal?
- Not automatically. An appraisal is evidence the carrier has to engage with, not an instruction it must follow. Where a policy contains an appraisal clause, there’s a defined process for resolving a disagreement over value, and a completed independent appraisal is what that process starts from.
- How is a total loss decided in Michigan?
- Michigan compares the damage against the vehicle’s value immediately before it was damaged. Under MCL 257.217c, a late-model vehicle is titled salvage at 75% of that pre-damage value and scrap at 91%. Both are percentages of the pre-damage value, which is why that figure decides the claim.
- How long does an appraisal take?
- Reports are generally ready within 1 business day of the inspection. Collision claims like a total loss usually take a bit longer — typically 3 to 4 working days — because of the additional comparable-sales research involved.
- Do you work for insurance companies?
- No. Harry’s Appraisals works for vehicle owners. Harold Bloomer is an independent appraiser and a licensed Michigan vehicle dealer, not retained by, contracted to, or paid by any carrier.
Get a number you can defend
Send the vehicle details, the VIN, and the offer you've been given. Harold will tell you honestly whether there's something worth disputing — and if there isn't, he'll say so.