If your vehicle’s airbags deploy in a car accident, that does not necessarily mean your car is a total loss. Your insurance adjuster will assess the situation and determine if the cost of replacing the airbags and repairing your vehicle would exceed its actual cash value. If the cost of repairs is less than the value of your car, your vehicle will likely not be declared a total loss.
No one wants to hear the unfortunate news of their car is wrecked, especially during an accident. However, no one wants to be in an accident. Brooklyn collision repairs are quite common, due to the rate of accident, other than the injuries that the victims get, there is the painful scene of seeing a totaled car. And if the damage to your car doesn’t total your car, you can get proper assistance from your mechanic who can help process your insurance. They can also work on being your car’s condition back to its pre-loss condition.
To determine your car’s worth (the “actual cash value” in insurance terms) at the time of the accident, insurers typically use a number of factors to figure your car’s actual cash value, including its age, condition, mileage and resale value, in addition to the selling price of similar vehicles in your area.
What happens when you’re not at fault for a totaled car wreck?
There are a lot of instances where no one is to be blamed but through natural disasters. For example, during a storm, a tree was uprooted and fell on your car. If you are properly covered you would be fully reimbursed, minus any deductibles. Take note that the actual value is the cash value of the car if it was sold on the market if there weren’t any damages. Collision coverage would activate if our vehicle was damaged by a motorist or another vehicle. Then the decision is left to your insurance company if they want to seek any payment from the other party.
What does it mean when someone tells you that your car is totaled? It could mean either of these things:
It is beyond repair.
The cost to repair would be greater than the amount you bought the car.
It doesn’t matter if you are not paying for the damages, the insurance company would try to make you see how bad your car had been totaled, advising you against any risk of wasting money. Let’s take a scenario, if you had brought the car for $20,000 and the amount for the repairs is $27,000, then your car would be declared totaled. Depending on your coverage, you could end up being paid by the insurance company for the value of the car. In other to find out the cash value, you need to follow the necessary factors:
- The car model.
- The age of the car.
- The current condition of your car.
- Your mileage.
- Resale value and saleable parts.
- The amount the car can be sold for in the local market.
Will an insurance company fully pay for a totaled car?
It is recommended that you have both comprehensive and collision coverages on your car. So, when you have completely paid for the car, then the car becomes yours, it left to you to continue with the coverage or not. However, if you opt-out of the coverage you may have to cover payments yourself, especially if the fault came from you. Comprehensive coverage covers any damages caused by disasters and is unrelated to the crash. A collision coverage activates after an accident has occurred and addresses the damages made to the car.
There are times when the insurance company won’t cover any damages, especially when the vehicle involved is completely totaled. A common reason for claim denial could involve:
- Wrong coverage plan.
- Failure to make some payments on time.
- Driving while under the influence of alcohol.
- Fraudulent claim.
How do you know when to file a totaled vehicle claim:
- You would need to check if you have completed payments on your deductibles.
- You can make necessary negotiation if we believe that your car value is worth it.
- Note that, after your claim has been approved your totaled car would be owned by the insurance company.
Has your car been in a totaled collision? If your vehicle has received body, frame or paint damage, call Auto Group Collision at (718) 449-4616 and see how we can help! Contact us now to for a FREE ESTIMATE!
Auto Group Collision is Brooklyn’s Body Shop Experts
Since 2004 Auto Group Collision has been providing the people of Brooklyn and surrounding areas with the highest quality of collision repair and auto body repair service. We established a trusted collision center that takes customer from the initial estimate to the completion of repair to getting you back into your car and in the driver’s seat while working closely with your insurance company.
Dealing with an automobile collision is traumatic enough without having to worry about filing insurance claims. We know that each insurance company has its own procedures, and we’re here to assist you with the insurance company transactions. We provide the information they require regarding the collision repairs, as we guide you through the entire process of dealing with all the paperwork.
We accept all insurance estimates and work with all insurance companies. Auto Body Collision wants you to be a satisfied policy holder, so we’ve established relationships with all the region’s major insurance companies. Working directly with your insurance company, we’re able to start repairs immediately while also often helping speed up the insurance adjuster’s inspection and approval.
As soon as the work is approved, the parts are ordered. To expedite the work, when parts are received they are put into a bin, which only holds parts for one particular job. This type of care and orderliness insures your vehicle is repaired using only authorized parts.
Auto Body Collision works with your insurance company, estimating damage, handling your claim, and negotiating with the insurance company to make sure your repairs are done properly and swiftly.
Has your car been in a collision or minor fender bender? If your vehicle has received body damage, frame or paint damage, call Auto Group Collision at (718) 449-4616 and see how we can help! Contact us now to for a FREE ESTIMATE!