For the past 507 days, I’ve been dealing nonstop with AAA Insurance over my BMW X5 M. In July 2023, my car was repossessed (shit happens), but I got it redeemed in September. When I picked it up from Sacramento, multiple dashboard warning lights were on, and it smelled like something was burning. I later found out the repo guy towed my all-wheel drive vehicle by two tires from Chico to Sacramento — completely destroying the transfer case. These types of cars are supposed to be flat-bedded. I got nowhere with the repo company, so I filed a claim with my insurance (AAA) and brought the car to BMW Pajouh/Courtesy Automotive in Chico. It was in their shop from September 11 to November 3 for repairs. Then in February 2024, it started feeling like my tire was going to fall off. I took it back to BMW Chico and got a rental car from them while they looked at it. A couple days later, Nick, the service advisor (not the same one who helped during the first repair), called and asked what the issues were. I had already told them that when I dropped it off, so I was annoyed. The next day, he called again and said, “Whoever did your transfer case didn’t do it correctly.” I reminded him it was their shop that had done the work, and it had been an insurance repair — so the claim should be reopened. A few weeks went by, then I got a call from the AAA adjuster saying the new estimate was too high and they were going to total the car. I told them I would be getting a second opinion from a specialty European shop. I wasn’t able to take the car there until the following week, but I made sure to notify both BMW Chico and AAA. Then a few days later, I started getting calls and texts from both BMW and CoPart, saying they needed my authorization to tow the car to CoPart (a salvage yard). I told them I hadn’t signed anything and had NOT agreed to the total loss — I was still getting a second opinion. Later that night, I went outside and noticed the BMW rental car was gone from my parking space. I ran upstairs thinking I had left the key fob in the car and it got stolen, but it was still in my purse. My daughter reminded me my spare house keys were in the rental, and they had an AirTag on them. I checked FindMy, and sure enough — it pinged at BMW Chico. I called the dealership, and the front desk guy acted clueless. I told him my AirTag showed the car was there. He suddenly put me on hold. A few minutes later, he came back and transferred me to Michael Mumbus, the director. Mumbus told me they removed the car because they don’t allow loaners past 30 days — but it had only been 29 days, and no one had said a word to me about any rental limit. The next day I went down there to pick up my belongings from the car. I came prepared and was recording everything. Mumbus got heated with me, accused me of “holding the key fob hostage,” and said I owed them $650. I had the key fob with me, ready to return it. Then he hit me with it — “Your BMW is gone. CoPart towed it yesterday.” Blaming AAA for giving the consent. They took my car without any consent or authorization. One of the staff members handed me a printout of the repair documentation. That’s when I found out they had installed a junked transfer case in my vehicle — not remanufactured, not OEM, just a used one from a salvage yard. And my insurance policy clearly included OEM endorsement, meaning it should have been brand new from BMW. That’s when I realized not only had they done a terrible job, they had completely violated my policy. I immediately put a hold on the car at CoPart, telling them they had no legal right to it. That gave me time to start digging deeper. Over the course of the year, I reached out to more than 100 lawyers. Every single one said no. They didn’t want to go up against AAA or BMW — said it wasn’t worth the fight. So I kept pushing. I requested every document from AAA and went through everything line by line. That’s when I noticed a payment made to CoPart for $7,000 in “storage fees” — which made no sense. I filed formal complaints with: • California Department of Insurance • Bureau of Automotive Repair And then — this morning — I got the call. AAA told me they had good news: • I can take my car to any shop that does mechanical work and paint (it was severely oxidized from sitting outside this whole time)— and they’re covering all of it. • They’re paying me $35/day for 507 days of loss of use. • They’re removing the salvage title and returning the clean title back into my name. • And… the car is paid off. DMV will take 3–6 months to process the title, but I can wait. I honestly don’t know how this kind of shit always ends up happening to me, but one thing I know for sure — I never stop fighting. It’s exhausting. It’s stressful. It feels impossible. But I do not give up.