Auto Mediator Diminished Value Auto Appraisal Experts

The short story: Steve was incredibly helpful, extremely knowledgeable, and easily reachable throughout my process. I ended up in small claims court, sued for almost $ 10,000, and won and was granted $ 2650. I’d use him again in a heartbeat.
The long story: I was rear-​ended by an insured driver 3÷31÷15 in a 3 year old Subaru Impreza sport limited with about 50,000 miles on it. The other driver’s insurance co (Alliance United) was initially a pain (per their report the other driver wasn’t cooperating), but eventually paid for the $ 9,000 or so in repairs and my 2 weeks of rental car. Of note, there was substantial frame damage to my car, which means that it may not react or crumple the way it should in a future accident. Initially, I emailed Alliance asking about documentation on their policy for diminished value, and stating that I would be pursuing a diminished value claim. They responded stating they were not responsible for the DV, and would not provide any compensation beyond the repairs, giving reference to a court case where in the state of CA, repairs were considered fully fixing a damaged car.
At this point, I spent time trying to find a DV expert, and spoke to several companies. They thought I’d be able to get 2−3k for my claim, and one refused to represent me because I was not «aggressive enough to win» and the other never returned my calls. I finally found Steve in early May, and after I emailed him a copy of the garage’s damage/​repairs report, he was able to make an appointment to look at my car that weekend. On 5÷13÷15, I contracted him to do the full DV evaluation, and on 5÷19÷15, he sent me a full report for me to read and review. The report was 42 pages long and extremely comprehensive, with many pieces of evidence and significant research. Of note, I was moving out of CA early August, so he rushed this process for me. We went back and forth a few times, and on 5÷30÷15, I sent Alliance a demand letter (drafted by Steve) requesting a total amount of $ 9649, $ 8017 of which was for diminished value.
Alliance rejected this claim outright on 6÷15÷15, stating that my car’s record showed a document loss 2 years prior. That loss was for my computer being stolen out of my car, so I forwarded documentation from my insurance co stating my car had never been in an accident of any kind. Alliance re-​reviewed my case, and again rejected the claim completely on 6÷25÷15. As I anticipated this, I had sent a letter of demand for the above amount to the person who hit me on 6÷18÷15. He did not respond, and I filed a small claims court case on 6÷26÷15. Their next available date was early October, and as I was going to be back in CA for work in November, I scheduled the court date for 11÷4÷15.
Steve was in ongoing communication with me over the course of these months and spent over an hour on the phone with me reviewing the case and answering all my questions before the court date. Alliance sent a rep to the court, and that person coached the other driver. We both presented our information to the judge, and he ruled that he wanted time to make a decision. I received his judgment on 12÷11÷15 that I was to be paid $ 2500 for the DV and $ 150 for interest and fees. I emailed a copy of this judgment to the Alliance person who attended court the next day, and received a check on 12÷28÷15.
Obviously, this is a lengthy process if the insurance company doesn’t settle. Steve was supportive and easy to reach throughout the months, and his expertise in the area is clear. He didn’t react negatively or critically to any of my questions or difficulty understanding the terminology in the report, explained everything carefully, and was great to work with. He was also available as an expert witness for the case, but I chose not to use him for expense reasons. Of note, the judge asked me why I didn’t bring him as a witness, so if you have more money on the line that might be a good option. While I clearly didn’t win most of what I was seeking, it was worth it.

Found the Auto Mediator online and after seeing his great Unilocal reviews I pulled the trigger and went with him. So happy I did as he got me many times over what his fee was. He was great to work with and very quick to respond. I recommend him to anyone! Diminished Value report for my 2010 Shelby GT500 was very conclusive and worked great to prove up my DV to State Farm. Thanks Steven!!!

My wife’s vehicle was stolen over a month ago. We have been dealing with the insurance company and the low pay off amount the insurance was offering. Doing a quick google search and web search we found Auto Mediator. We spoke with Steven and he was very kind enough to ask us to send him the quote and research papers the insurance had generated and told us he would let us know in a few hours if he felt that the value of the vehicle was worth more than what the insurance was quoting. Steven got back to us and told us he would be able to get more money with an appraisal that he would generate. The report was very detailed and precise. And also included several options of different vehicles in different regions of the country. Certain cars can be worth more in a particular area of where you live. The report gave us plenty of bargaining power with the Insurance company. Steven even spoke to our Insurance Adjustor on our behalf about the value of our vehicle and was able to get a way better pay out then we would have been able to get on our own.
The Auto Mediator is a great tool to have on your side when dealing with insurance and payouts for a vehicle. I HIGHLY recommend talking to him before you settle with your insurance.

Negotiating with insurance companies is never easy, even when you are dealing with your own insurance. I am an attorney and decided to reach out to Steve when my client’s insurance company, State Farm, offered a somewhat fair settlement for my client’s property damage claim but I still felt that we would be leaving money on the table by accepting their offer and I wanted to go above and beyond to get my client top dollar for her vehicle’s value. Not being that familiar with insurance valuation disputes and 3^rd party appraisers, I searched for an experienced appraiser who would not only handle the dispute but also educate me on the process. I hit the jackpot with Steve. For one, he is the only reputable person in this field located in Southern California. What also struck me was that he spent the time to get all the information about what was going on and asked what our expectations were before asking for payment. In other words, he made me feel completely comfortable that he was going to get us more than what we were going to pay him. It’s not often that you meet people who won’t take your money unless they can meet or exceed your expectations. He completely guided me through the process, was spot on in his expertise and thoughts on the negotiations with the insurance even when State Farm had gone silent on us and wasn’t responding, and in the end he got us more than we expected and I looked like a superstar to my client. I am glad that I didn’t go with some other company that cost a little less but was located out of state because I really believe that Steve’s experience dealing with the insurance-​side appraisers, Big Block, was the reason we were able to get that much more for our claim. It is not just about getting an appraisal report to submit to the insurance, you need someone to negotiate with the insurance appraisers for you. That’s Steve. Top class service and results from a stand up guy. Would not hesitate to call Steve anytime for his services and happy to be a reference for him. To be honest, it was a little absurd how much money we ended up getting from the insurance for my client’s vehicle. Many thanks Steve. Feel free to give potential clients my email or phone number if they are on the fence.

steve was so wonderful, helpful, professional, honorable and got great results, e.g., nearly $ 3000 more for my 2002 totaled truck than geico was demanding i accept.
i was having an horrific time fighting with geico about the value of my vehicle totaled when i was hit by another geico insured totaling my truck. i was so distressed and harassed by geico i was literaly in tears several times and at a loss as to how to proceed. i searched and found steve’s site and spoke to him about the situation. he asked me to send him the voluminous paperwork-25+/- pages geico had sent to me justifying ripping me off on the value. he said he wanted to review it before he would do an appraisal and charge me as he wanted to be sure there was additional value to justify the appraisal. i cannot say how refreshing this was an example of integrity, honor and honesty. after he reviewed all he determined he agreed the value for my vehicle should be more than geico was offering. steve did an appraisal and geico screamed bloody murder threatening to discredit him. steve wasn’t in the slightest intimidated-​i was but became calmer as soon as i spoke to him to say geico management was planning to call and attack him. i think he may have even chuckled but certainly made clear he would stand behind his valuation and had won many a time against insurers who attacked his valuations. geico went radio silent for quite a while but just today i received a check that included the value steve added and reimbursement for his appraisal fee.
all done and said, i received nearly $ 3000 more than geico was demanding i accept for my totaled truck. $ 3000 will go a long way toward finding and replacing my truck.
i cannot, literally cannot, say enough good things about steve. i am so very thankful for his help.
pamela :))

Everything you’ve read and heard about Steve Proto is true. This man is THE expert in his field. His hard work and great advice allowed me to win the battle. Everyone knows insurance companies are quick to take your premium but slow to pay out. When I submitted the report Steve put together they knew I meant business and was not going away easily. Not only was the Diminished Value claim paid but I received close to $ 8k for loss of use even though they paid for a rental. I highly recommend that anyone in the unfortunate position of being in an accident that was not their fault give Steve a call.

The auto mediator got me over 5 times his fee for my Diminished Value claim on my Kia, even my lawyer was impressed (talk about a return on investment)! He was straight forward, knew his stuff and was very direct. His report put me in a good position:
1. I can still pursue my claim for more that what AAA paid me
Or
2. I can accept their first amount offered (which is thousands).
Thanks to the auto mediator this is all possible.
If the auto mediator will take your case (like he did mine) he is looking out for your best interest, take it from me.

First off Steve Proto is just an amazing human being. He went so above and beyond to help me that I really do not know where to start this review.
In early March my jeep was stolen. I followed the normal process of submitting all the necessary documents to my insurance company, State Farm, only to be completely under valued. I decided to turn down the offer and fight. Not knowing what to do next I turned to the internet and search for my own appraiser. Lucky I found this place, and even more importantly, this guy Steve Proto.
I went to his total loss inspection offices, showed him my case, told him about (other appraisers fear) the insurance co’s appraiser had a rep of being «very litigious.» Steve told me what he would do from the onset, charged me one price, followed up throughout the process; since my stolen Jeep had a lot of extras the auto mediator’s specific knowledge of my vehicle in his report proved strong when the «Umpire clause» was invoked. He researched all the history on the opposing appraiser’s vehicle comps poking many holes in there report. I was very happy to recover over $ 5000 more than State Farm’s original offer. Steve is a hard worker and has well informed contacts in every direction; Auto Dealer’s, Mediators, Legal services and Appraisal Umpire’s. You get what you pay for and he was well worth it.
I would highly highly recommend this guy if you are ever in need.
–Greg B.
Los Angeles, CA

Words of Mouth… I heard of Steve from a friend of mine. He got an $ 14,000 check from an Insurance company with the help of Steve. The insurance company was originally offer $ 3000 to settle the case, but with Steve’s help and Persistent. He got an extra of $ 11,000 with no hassle at all for the Diminished Value caused by the accident not at his fault. I am so happy I was introduced to Steve. He is working on a Diminished Value case for me now. He is so professional and patient. He deals with everything and I just sit back and relax. It is the best thing ever and I am expecting a check soon from the insurance company.
Steve, is a tough negotiator. For all the softy out there. YOU NEED STEVE.

Last month, I threw off my pelt-​skin and crawled out from under my prehistoric rock where I had lived 10 glorious, car-​accident free years (in LOS ANGELES mind you.) Have I been driving an invisible super blooper from Mario Kart??? Maybe just call me the one decent Asian driver on earth (triple certified). Well I got PLOWED into heading down La Cienega and um, those Judge Judy trials about subsequent neck pain? Yeah, it might’ve been legit.
Short story long, I was going to get $ 9k back from insurance and written off as «totaled». Uh. on which planet is a 2010 BMW worth a sack of lentils? I got another appraisal from Rusnak and it was a cookie-​cutter 1-​pager just a few hundred more bucks. I was processed faster than a McDonalds Drive-​thru so I’m assuming it was a standard trade-​in price based on the specs. I made a big stink on FB and my friend said to contest it and get one from a mediator.
Steve at Auto Mediator was super straightforward and helpful. Naturally, I called with dramatic flair because I’m already out of my element being a CHICK and all. He explained everything, was a great listener, and got me a 30-​page detailed appraisal with comps through his auction. Confidence Level: Russell Crowe in Gladiator, I sent THAT baby to the insurance co and got cut a check for $ 14k =)
This experience now tops that one time I used 23 consecutive Bed Bath Beyond coupons and saved $ 190.