Can i disagree with my insurance company and get my car fix if they want to total it?

jezzabell

no, but sometimes, you can accept the payment for it, and either they let you keep it, or you can buy it back really cheap.

Jay D

Let the insurance company total your vehicle and then buy it back at the salvage rate. You can then have the vehicle repaired, but you will need to check with the State Dept of Motor Vehicles about what you need to do regarding the Title. Most vehicles end up with a Salvage Title, but the State has regulations which allow you to have a safety inspection completed and receive a "normal" title again.

You need to contact your adjuster and discuss this. They should be able to tell you what options you have.

Good luck.

Ian F

Your body shop guy could be wrong, could be an idiot/ignoramus, or could just not have any scruples. If there is frame damage to your car...any deformation to the passenger cell, to the crumple zones, or to the "frame rails," anything that throws the car out of alignment...your car will NEVER...EVER be as safe in a crash as it was when it was new.

Many shops will claim that they can fix such damage...and they CAN often straighten it out...but the metal will not be the same strength as it was before. They could actually make it stronger...but it won't be UNIFORM. Having one spot be too strong could transfer more force to the weaker metal around it, and cause MORE damage.

This is why I say your body shop guy could be an idiot or a liar. He could not know about or understand this stuff, or he could just not CARE.

A car with any non-superficial frame damage SHOULD be totalled, and SHOULD be branded as salvage, no matter what the body shop's estimate is.

If that isn't what happened to your car, then you have more room to fight. (And in this case, you are okay trusting the body shop guy) Even 6000 is a lot for superficial body damage (on an 11000 dollar car anyway), but isn't inconceivable. If the insurance company is just trying to undervalue your car, thereby lowering the threshhold for totalling it (and also your payout), you can fight them by gathering evidence of the value of your car. Not just book value (BTW, book value should be for the EXACT TRIM LEVEL of your car...not just some vaguely similar car), but actual selling and asking prices in your area.

If you just want to keep driving your car, you can take the payout, buy the wreck from the insurance company, and have your car fixed yourself. (In that case, you should try and save some money by doing as much of the work as you can yourself...you can make out like a bandit that way) This WILL still leave the car with a salvage title, which makes it harder to sell and insure.

Oh, and regardless, an accident this big diminishes the value of the car. If it isn't totalled, try and get paid for the diminished value (particularly if there was another driver involved).

rcrines

Hello Lidiana,

The answer to you question is this, yes you may disagree with your insurance company all day long. As the previous answer provided by an Adjuster has already stated. Yes you can Let the insurance company total your car and collect the replacement cost, minus any deductable you have agreed to when you purchased the policy, and then buy the car back at the Salvage Sale, and expect to receive a Salvage Title from the state when the car gets reregistered to you from the Insurance Company.

If you do this then you can take the car to your repair shop and have it fixed, but would you really feel safe in this car? I know you are saying that you trust the mechanic that says he can repair you car for $6,000.00, but would you not be better off having a new car that you know doesn't have structural damage?

Then there is the question of do you still owe money on the car? Or do you own it outright? The check that the insurance company writes to you will be for the least # of dollars for which an agent of the company can buy a make, and model comprable to your car, minus your deductable. This might not cover what it would take for you to pay off your finance company. If you got GAP Insurance when you purchased your car, this would not be a concern because the GAP Insurance take into account the Car might be totaled at a point in the future, and covers the balance owed on an account, when the Insurance check is written. Then there is this, if the car was financed, and has not yet been paid in full then the Check will be written to you, and the Finance Company, and not to you alone.

What it all boils down to is this, what is your personal safety, and financial status worth to you. The adjuster, a Licensed Professional, who has the balancing act of trying to maintain your safety, and Financial Welfare, in mind as well as His Companies Policie's and Financial Interest on his plate has stated that the Car is only suitable for Salvage. Despite the posibility that there is some sentimental attachment built up in the car, the real decisions you have to make right now are all welfare issues.

I hope this helps!
Robert

tamarack58

In insurance terms "totaled" means it cost more to fix then the car is worth.(What they are going to pay you) If it's worth more (according to the insurance company) then $6,000 then they should have no problem letting you fix it.

Cafe

If you and the shop are willing to sign a "close bid agreement" and then the insurance will pay out the $8,000. It releases your insurance from any other responsibilities. What you and the shop are agreeing to is taking responsibility of any hidden damage there might be to your vehicle.

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