Terrible news - nothing good comes out of situations like these.
Here's my advice:
Make friends with a) the body shop owner / general manager, and b) the claim worker (not the roving adjuster, but the person behind the desk who is assigned the claim).
The thing is, you don't have a lot of leverage being a single person against the insurance machine. You can get a lot more done if people are willing to help you - heck, the claim worker is just some poor schmo who probably gets yelled at ten times a day by irate accident victims! You'll be surprised at how much leeway there is when it comes to totalling the car, approving extra benefits, etc., things that you won't get by yelling but you might get by asking nicely. If the relationship goes sour, you don't have much to threaten with except going to the insurance comission, and that can take a lot of your time and energy.
The body shop is your best ally here. Make friends (bring 'em doughnuts or cookies or something) and they can help you navigate the process sucessfully, and show you options you didn't know about. They do this all day, every day, and will have intimate knowledge of ways to get around the insurance company crap. Pop in, let your enthusiasm for nice cars show through, and listen intently to what they say.
That's my $0.02.
- Robin
Robin
72 Chevy K10
01 E39 M5