last night i went to trade in my 01 ford focus at the dealership. they ran a carfax and it came up with frame damage from a previous accident of mine. they told me this meant the car was considered salvaged and must be registered as such. is this true? was my insurance company at fault for not notifying my of my cars status after the accident? help! i'm stuck now!
2006-10-17 04:57:34 · 61 answers · asked by joel w 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Insurance & Registration
i talked to the DMV. they said since the insurance didn't total the car out that it wouldn't be considered salvaged unless the insurance company requested it. i think the dealer is trying to screw me. i'm gonna call around to some other dealers
2006-10-17 07:14:37 · update #1
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.
2006-10-17 07:30:53 · answer #1 · answered by drobrules 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
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.
2006-10-17 05:23:01 · answer #2 · answered by Amy N 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Frame Damage
2016-09-28 14:01:20 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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.
2006-10-17 05:19:56 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
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.
2006-10-17 05:18:24 · answer #5 · answered by Spud55 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
honestly, if the car has been hit and has a salvage title, one is no better than the other. a bent frame is a bent frame. either way you go. salvage title cars can be okay, though. if the problems were corrected, well, correctly. but, you have to consider the pros and cons. pros: you buy them cheap, and they can be just as good as a car that has a clean title, again, if the job was done right, you'll want to have a mechanic, or someone who knows cars look over it. and the cons: when you go to sell it, it wont bring but about half the amount of the same car with a clean title. the work might not have been done right and the car is a death trap. and there could be various other things in the car that have been rigged to work for a while, then just stop working. you'll need to know mechanics or have someone who does look over it before buying. but, a bent frame is a bent frame, again, no matter where it was bent.
2016-03-22 17:17:22 · answer #6 · answered by CherylAnn 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, not at all. A car is considered totalled if the cost to repair the damage exceeds the value of the car. In this case, your insurance company should give you cash for the car and you can buy a new one. If you still want to keep the totalled car you can pay the insurance company a fee to salvage the car and fix it up on your own but the title from that point forward would be considered a salvage title.
Hopefully, your insurance company just made a clerical error that they can clear up. Otherwise you should really switch insurance companies and consider legal action against them because a salvage title detracts significantly from the value of the car and you should have been compensated for that.
2006-10-17 05:10:48 · answer #7 · answered by lepninja 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋
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.
2006-10-17 05:32:01 · answer #8 · answered by cork 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
At the time of the previous accident were you told that the damage to your vehicle exceeded the value of the vehicle? If so, then that is considered a total loss, which would make your vehicle salvage. In some states you are required to get a salvage title, even if you keep your vehicle. Your insurance company should have explained that to you. Unfortunately I don't know what state your in, but if you still have the title you can show that tot he dealership and explain that your vehicle had not been totalled. Hope that helps.
2006-10-17 05:14:58 · answer #9 · answered by Arte Salon 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Zyrilia's answer above is not far off. "salvage" actually means that the cost to repair the car was more than a set portion of the value of the car based on various book values, and the percentage the insurance company has set, which is limited to a minimum salvage percentage of 40% in nearly all credible insurance agencies. So it may not actually be called salvaged, but it doesn't matter if the damage is on carfax, which means the accident was cited, rather the car is technically noted as salvaged or not doesn't matter, the value of your car is dramatically decreased.
You can go to carfax.com and they have information regarding the significance of the word "salvaged" and so on.
2006-10-17 05:12:54 · answer #10 · answered by burnemwill 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
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.
2006-10-17 05:18:00 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋