Any Advice on Accident Claims?

Tldr Gimme all your claims tips and tricks, things to look out for, etc.

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I was in a single-vehicle collision w a pole in the snow in my financed 2018 car. I still owe like $14,000 on it but being financed it had full coverage. (No GAP ins btw)

I had it towed to an auto body shop and today the adjuster finally went to look at it. I noticed that all the damages he mentioned were cosmetic / structural (for example, my door is crushed) and I'm fairly certain that there is internal damage or damage to my suspension. I told him I think so but he said the mechanic will let us know if they find anything additional that needs to be repaired.

I also noted that he did not mention the damage to my front driver rim, and when I brought that up to him he said he probably just didn't see it because of the dirt on it. What?

Anyway the conversation did not inspire confidence and I'm wondering if there's anything I need to look out for in this process, or if there's anything I can do to my own benefit going forward.

Speaking in hypotheticals, in your opinions, is it better to have a total loss or is it better to fall below the total loss formula and get the repairs done? I don't know the tlf for Geico and I know it's not up to me but I'm just curious what the best experience is. Btw right now the damages are estimated to cost $5k which probably doesn't even approach a total loss. ( I still haven't Kelley Blue Booked the value of my car but when I bought it in April it was like $18,000 on the lot)

Also initially Geico said that I'm covered $50 a day rental for 30 days but today after seeing I went with a $48-a-day jeep, and the repairs could take a month (or more it there's a hold on parts), the adjuster told me if I get something cheaper it can be extended beyond the 30 days. Where can I find these kind of details in my agreement with Geico like how do I find out what my coverage provides? because I looked at my documents on my Geico app and I couldn't make sense of any of it or find what I was looking for.

Finally the last thing I'll mention is that at the start of this claims process I was instructed to take photos of the car using the app but when I tried to do that the function was inaccessible. So they asked me to try using the website instead and that as well did not work. Ultimately it was decided that we would just let the adjuster take the photos and submit them for my case. Now that I've spoken to the adjuster and he's revealed missing at least one bit of damage, I can't help but feel that whole claims-app-failure thing is suspicious. I want any and all damage from the accident to be addressed.

I've been paying Geico $227 a month and actually was about to drop them shop around and switch just before this happened. I don't wholly trust Geico so I want some advice on what I can do to sniff out or protect myself against dishonesty. I know there's probably not much I can do but I assume many people here know more than I do.