When you file a claim on your car insurance policy, expect to deal with a claims adjuster. It's his job to help process your claim, but remember that his goal includes saving your car insurance company money whenever possible. Some adjusters' income may be "performance related," so although they are helping you, they ultimately work for your insurance company.

If the adjuster recommends that your insurer give you less money than you believe your claim deserves, you can make an appeal with your insurer. But the appeals process is not always easy.

For example, the claims adjuster could decide that your car is a total loss following an accident. He'll then likely input information about your car into a software program that will churn out a list of replacement cars, along with their prices. Say he determines it will cost $6,000 dollars to replace your car, but you disagree. What then?

Disagreeing on price

If you plan to appeal the claims adjuster's decision, consider doing some serious research.

Scour local newspaper ads or talk to area car dealers to document prices for vehicles similar to yours. Get prices for the same model and model year as your car.

After collecting prices for several comparable cars, calculate the average. If your average price is larger than what the insurance company is offering to pay, use your research to argue for a bigger settlement.

Check what your insurance company offers

Your insurance company may have a list of cars it believes can adequately replace yours. Ask for a copy of that list, as well as contact information for the dealers or companies selling those cars.

Investigate each car on the list. Watch out for vehicles that have an accident history, salvage title or unusually high mileage. The databases insurance companies use to find replacement cars don't always take these factors into account.

If you find problems with the cars your insurance company has selected to replace yours, present that information to your insurer and request better vehicles. In some cases, insurance companies will agree to look for more suitable replacements.

If you're still dissatisfied

You could hire an independent adjuster, who may agree with your findings. If the insurance company still refuses to budge, you can hire a third adjuster to mediate the dispute. In many cases, the mediator will simply split the difference between what your insurance company and you believe your old car was worth.

However, the cost of hiring an adjuster might be more than any extra payment you'd receive from your insurance company. Independent adjusters usually receive a percentage of your settlement.

Reverse valuation

Auto insurance company databases use a process known as 'reverse valuation' to determine the replacement value for a totaled or stolen vehicle. The process allows the claims adjuster to use particular characteristics of your car, such as the mileage or damage to certain parts, to determine a "replacement value."

Adjusters have widely varying standards for evaluating car insurance claims. That can greatly impact the amount your insurance company is willing to pay. States have varying laws regarding adjusters and whether they must be licensed. In most states, adjusters employed by auto insurance companies do not have to be licensed independently. They are often licensed by their insurance company.