It is unfortunate that automobile diminished value appraisers throughout the country do such poor work. This has contributed to the public’s general notion that third-party claim reimbursements for inherent diminished value after accident repairs are difficult if not impossible to obtain. Insurance companies have created a number of boilerplate responses to claims such as “We are denying your claim because your appraisal was computer-generated”. This article illustrates common mistakes that consumers make when hiring independent appraisers.