Does frame damage equal salvage?

drobrules

Frame damage is NOT the determining factor (unless it was not repaired properly). A car is totalled if the cost to repair equals or is close to the value of the car at the time of the accident.

It seems that your car had some frame damage, but was repairable. Thus, the bottom line is that the dealer IS trying to screw you. If your car was totalled, the insurance company would have told you. They would have paid you the value of the car at the time of the accident. They would have then gotten your title, taken posession of the car, and sold it as salvage.

mike L

Dealer Ships say it all the time. im sure they fixed your frame ,they can be straightened. They just want to steal your car or take it as a trade in and give you nothing for it. If it was fixed right it was fixed right period. If they put on a new bumper and new parts then its fixed . the only time is if you totaled it out and take the money and buy it back then yes it needs a salvage title. Frames have nothing to do with it if it was fixed and realigned.

CowboyBill

Find another car dealer. 'Frame' or in your case unistructure damage is repaired thousands of times daily by body shops across the entire world. If your vehicle was in an accident that was more than a fender or bumper then of course it had unistructure damage. The idiots you are dealing with are trying to shark you into giving away your car, dude. Drop by a big, reputible body shop in your area and ask them to let you see their frame correction system -- it probably cost more than your car, has laser measuring and can return a vehicles dimensions back to within 1 mm tolerance. Only the state can title the vehicle as 'salvage', meaning that cost to repair exceeds value of the car. Carfax means nothing -- it is just a reporting device to track insurance claims. Did I mention that you need to get away from this idiot dealer??

jareihart

THE DEALERSHIP LIED BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO MAKE YOU THINK THEY WOULD BE DOING YOU A BIG BIG FAVOR BY DEALING WITH YOU...FIND ANOTHER DEALER!

Zyrilia

It should not equal "salvaged". Salvaged means the insurance company determined that the cost of repairs exceeded the value of the vehicle at the time, and instead of getting money for the car from them, you opted to keep it in lieu of a cash settlement.

Now, if you did that, then you indeed have a salvaged title. Your local DMV would have been notified by your insurance company.

Nunoyvgvna Awi

sounds like the dealership fed you a line so they wouldn't have to deal with your car.

if they found that info on a carfax, what would stop any customers from doing the same. in turn the dealership wouldn't be able to sell the car.

frame damage is allowed in insurance claims but the industry does have a tollerance on how much it can be damaged and how much can be fixed. as long as you were within this you are fine otherwise your insurance company or body shop did something wrong.

but most likely the dealership just didnt' want the car and fed you an excuse.

londonhawk

No, a 2001 Ford Focus is a Uni-body constructed vehicle, you would not have "frame damage" that would make your car "totaled" and list your title as "salvaged". Uni-bodies can be bent back into shape and does not total the vehicle, so the dealership informed you wrong but they dont have to accept your vehicle for trade if they dont want to ... I would recommend going to another dealer.

IdiotWind

was it or was it not repaired after the accident? If they just paid you off, then it is salvage.

jarheadndn

just cuz the frame was fixed doesn't mean it was a major deal and they can't give you less for it. you can have a clean title with frame work done. they are just trying to mess with you at the dealership. and the insurance company was doing the right thang with the clean title. if the frame met the specs for the car then you need a clean title.

vincebeknown

It is equal value to salvage title.When you get into an accident and you notify your insurance to fix your car then they will send it to the DMV to be registered of what happened to the vehicle.If I got into an accident and my car wasn't drivable then I would have asked them to give me a new car instead of fixing it.If it was a minor damage and still drivable.I would fix it myself instead of having to deal with the insurance company so my vehicle would attain their value and still be CLEAN TITLE.

Karrien Sim Peters

Make your insurance people clarify why there was frame damage and they repaired it. It should have been in writting. It doesn't mean its salvaged though. You can find another dealer that will probably not check.

Chris H

It depends upon the laws in your specific state. In most states, a salvage title is assigned to a vehicle that was declared a write off by the insurance company - that is, the insurance company decided it wasn't worth repairing, so they wrote you a check, then someone else bought the damaged vehicle at auction and "restored" it.

Your insurance agent should know the laws regarding this, or at least know where to get the answer. You can check with your local motor vehicle department as well. If it turns out that the insurance company didn't do something they were supposed to, you can likely file a claim against them with your state insurance regulator. In any case, I wouldn't rely upon what one dealership said.

More than likely the car dealership just didn't want to take a trade in that had frame damage. That significantly reduces the value of your car, and makes it harder for them to resell. I would never buy a car with frame damage myself

cork

NOT YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY BUT YOU.

THIS ALSO TEACHES A PERSON
NEVER BUY FROM DEALER (OR ANYONE UNLESS YOU KNOW FOR SURE) WITHOUT THEM PROVIDING CARFAX.

FOR 35 BUCKS YOU CAN GET ONE YOURSELF.

YOU LNEW OF THIS DAMAGE TO YOU. YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY PAID TO HAVE VEHICLE FIXED.

SURELY YOU ASKED QUESTIONS OF THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP?

YOU IN A PICKLE NOT YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY.
YOU AT THIS POINT OWN A WRECKED AUTO.

BESIDES ANY AUTO REPAIRED IS SALVAGED AS OPPOSED TO TOTALED.

yOU'LL LOSE VALUE TRADING ANYWAY--SELL IT THRU CLASSIFIEDS.

DEALER NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU ANY FAIR SHAKE HERE.

zgzig

Does a Ford Focus 01 have an actual frame?? Not being nasty, but "frame damage" ??? My car was written off..because the car was "tweeked" .. the Uni-body was slightly damaged which would have caused the car....03 to "dog track" which means the back end would not have been in "sinc" with the front end.

They can straighten cars now that don't have frames..so, no, it's not salvage...

It's repaired..

I was going to buy a car from a guy that had the same issue as you. The only reason he had the title as salvage is that he took the settlement from the insurance and also kept the car...or bought back the car and fixed it.

He told me that the reason for salvage title was there was more damage to car than car was worth..but keep in mind he did originally have it written off.

This was Chrysler Crossfire..they cost big money..
I agree with the rest of the posts that say.. Go to another dealer or sell it privately..

good luck on that.

brian L

I would tell the dealership to shove it. Frame damage on a uni-body is meaningless unless the body is twisted. the frames on this kind of car are removable and can be completely replaced. It is true in some states that your title must be stamped rebuilt or salvaged after an accident. however this shouldn't stop you from trading in your car. If these guys are too fussy find another dealer. As for your insurance company they should have notified you about your cars status. I would check with your state better business bureau. state laws vary widely state to state.

I think it usually does. When my car was in an accident the frame was damaged. My car insurance paid me for my car and had me get a salvage title for it. Then I sold it for half of what it was worth. It is never good to trade in a car at a dealership they never give you what they say they will they raise the price of your new car and add hidden fees. Make sure to read every line on the contract. It's also good if you want to trade in your car to check the trade in value at kellybluebook.com or bluebook.com.. I hope this helped you. Good Luck

mgnysgtcappo

A vehicle is considered salvage if it is a 'total loss'. A total loss means that the vehicle was damaged more than the value of the car. Some vehicles wouldn't be considered a total loss just because of frame damage. Consider a brand new BMW gets into an accident just off the lot, if the frame is bent it can be repaired for less than the car is worth and therefore isn't a total loss and isn't considered salvage. Frames can be straightened on a frame straightening machine at a body shop. However, in your case, a 01 ford focus with frame damage is probably considered a total loss. When you settled with your insurance company they should have told you that your vehicle was considered a total loss...and then adjusted the claim accordingly. The car would have become the insurance company's property after they settled your claim (usually they sell these vehicles to junk yards for parts). You would have been given the opportunity to purchase the vehicle back from the insurance company for a few hundred bucks. At this time your vehicle is considered salavage and must be registered accordingly. This is your responsibility however, not the insurance company.

dutch

Someone is using the wrong term here.How can a car without a frame have frame damage?A Focus is Unibody construction--NO FRAME

Spud55

Body shops can do a good job of straightening frames these days so I have doubts about an '01 vehicle being considered salvage for that alone. If the frame was bent and some insurance company totaled it, then it might be true. I'd suspect the dealership first of all - they might be trying to lead you on but I would definitely confront your insurance company to find out the deatils.

Jessica M

who knows

Conservative Texan

Sell it yourself. The dealer lied to you.

Good Deeds

Your insurance company should and must of told you. You must of signed something to that effect. Check with your insurance company. The ford guys might be taking you for a ride.

Slim Whitman

If the frame was straightened or substantial body damage after an accident and the car was totaled it should have rolled to a salvage title, If you received compensation for the car via insurance payoff, the insurance company should had paid the total claim and taken the car.

Salvage repairs from totaled vehicle stipulate "Salvage" in the title in most if not all US states.

Smudgeward

In the UK it would have been 'written off' you could have gotten the full book value of the car in cash and still driven it legally until selling/scraping or salvaging.
Good way to earn money here, drive a crap car and let at fault drivers pay you for it thought their insurance co's; get witnesses though!

R1volta

No! frame damage does not mean it needs a salvage title. The car only gets a salvage title if it is totaled by the insurance company. The totaled cars are then sold by the insurance company as rebuildable or parts only.
Frame damage can occur in unbody cars from a fender bender.
Todays frame machines can correct the frame damage to better than factory tolerances.

sfcjcl

Not really, depends on the amount of frame damage vs. the repair costs vs. the value of the car. In other words, if it was cheaper to fix your car at the time of the accident than pay you the value then repair the vehicle is what your insurance company would have done. As for carfax, the accident and the amount of damage is going to be listed. So states, define major repairs to certain parts of the vehicles to be considered as "rebuilt" or "salvage". Your insurance company should have told you this, at the very least, the body shop that did the work. Anyway, I am affraid that you have to look at it this way, if you were looking to purchase a used vehicle and the carfax stated that it had frame damage, would you buy it?

slickcut

It probably was considered totalled when you had your accident,However some sorry insurance companies will not total an automobile regardless...I bought a brand new car and had it about 5 months when a teenager ran a red light and plowed into me,As we all have to do a wreaker came and picked it up,It was totaled out....Well my insurance company refused to total it,they just wasn,t going to regardless of the damage.....After fighting with them I finally thought well maybe I will just go ahead and have it fixed,so even though the wreaker Co told me it was totalled they had no choice but to fix it because of the insurance co..When I got my car back it was never the same ,it would go down the road sideways,because the frame was damaged,so i was just sick about it and had 4 more years of payments since it was new.I ocntacted the insurance co,whick was General MOTORS and told them that the car was going down the road sideways and ask them What can I do ,do you expect me to continue to drive this car in this shape? finally I just called them and told them they could just come pick the car up cause I was NOT going to pay 4 more years on a car that should have been totalled and they knew it......So they came and picked it up.....They ended up selling it at auction and they got all the balance except for 1,200 which they sent ME a bill, for,well I paid it to save my credit but i have NEVER used GENERAL MOTORS again......So the blame lies on your insurance co,I would never use that company again....I can assure you that the insurance co knew it was totalled because they have to inform the insurance co,but they did you like they did me.......he company that repaired your car will tell you it was the insurance Co that was at fault......the best thing for u to do is to unload your car ASAP,to the first dealer that will take it on....Im sorry you r having to deal with this but ,you need to contact another insurance Co,and get your insurance somewhere else before you drop your now insurance and let your insurance Co know WHY you don,t want their Comapany insuring you again,and let them KNoW that you plan to turn them in to the better business bureau......Good luckkk PS and frame damage does egual salvage

rottentothecore

depends were you live,
my insurance company paid me for a car
I got it fixed,they re-insured it
and I drove it for 3 more years
even though it was written off as scrapped.
then i sold it for 200 hundred bucks
to someone else,and there was a never a gripe.

Amy N

Laws differ from state to state. If the dealership is telling you the truth, then the insurance company IS responsible for not changing that title over at the time they ordered the repairs.

Were the repairs done, or did you keep the money and not do the repairs? If they were done, get a statement from the dealer as to what they said about the salvage title, then take that to the insurance company and offer to get a lawyer if they don't straighten this out.

You may be able to make them "total" your car now, and pay you for the full cash value of the car at the time of the accident.

dr.zoomzoom

No a car is not necessarily considered salvaged to to frame damage. Salvage means that the car was considered a total loss by the insurance company."Repairs exceed the value of the car's worth." Then salvage means after it was totaled you or someone else bought the title & car. It will say on the title "Salvage", and it would show up on Ford's systems as well.

Summer

Depends on the extent of the frame damage. I had a car with SLIGHT frame damage, and it does not have a salvage title.

From my experience working at a car dealership for a very short time, and having a friend that works for one, it sounds like you were probably wanting too much for your trade (you are probably upside down) and they just didn't want to deal with you, so they told you something ridiculous like it needs to be registered as a salvage title so that they didn't have to negotiate a trade. I would go to another dealer, tell them what they found on the carfax, and don't have very high expectations when trading in your car. Realistically, an 01 Focus with frame damage, you're looking at $3000 to $4000 on a trade AT THE ABSOLUTE HIGHEST. Most car dealers would probably give you maybe $2500 to $3000.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: