First of all I hope you are ok health wise after your car incident. I hate to be the dark cloud in all this but, take a close look at your insurance policy. Insurance co. have a way to sneak in there that if there is ever the need to replace a part, this part can be replaced with an "as new" or "reconditioned" part. I am telling you this because this has happened to a lot of my friends and the company is totally in the right to replace your broken part with one or several of these "as new" parts".
Thanks for asking. I understand what you're saying. They've given me the "replacement part in like condition" speech that could be used, reconditioned or new. Essentially which ever part is cheapest. I honestly don't expect them to just give me a new seat without some effort on my part which is why I'd like to identify the old seat which will be an uphill battle. But I'm willing to try I've nothing to lose and a new seat to gain lol
Apart from the used seat I really don't know now if the other parts fitted to my car are new or used at this point and that is something I now need to know. My insurance estimate stated new parts to be used apart from the "recycled" junk yard seat. The reason for my suspicions is the body shop has sworn time and again that there was no frame damage at all to the car.. none. I had it appraised today and they found it was clamped and had frame damage repaired but no frame damage is listed in the title? My insurance estimate lists there was 4 hours applied to the frame but nothing on anything from the body shop about the frame?
Honestly I'm disgusted at how they've applied a $ amount and the lowest amount possible to this vs what is right and what should be done. In the grand scheme of things there's probably not a lot I can do. I mean it's not like I bought a very expensive car. This whole process has knocked a good $3,000 - $3,500 off the value of my car should I sell or trade it in. Plus this raises the question in my mind.. if I were hit again from behind would these repairs protect me the same way a new car would?