Car Totaled

One major truth is auto accidents are not funny in reality. But, have you ever thought about what it means for your vehicle to be tagged as unsalvageable? Do you know that debilitating accidents are unnecessary?

In real life, a particular vehicle or even your own car can be referred to as ‘totaled’ without having any visible significant damage. In this article, we will teach you all you need to know about a totaled vehicle. So, keep reading to find out more.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR A VEHICLE TO BE TOTALED?

It is always very important for a car/vehicle owner to have the real definition of a totaled car in his/her jurisdiction. If not, you will be surprised by all the assessments that your insurance carrier will offer you have an auto accident.

Generally speaking, when the highest resale value of a car is lesser compared to the amount of sustained damage, the vehicle will be declared as a ‘totaled’ vehicle in Brooklyn. Your car’s insurance company will consider the situation to be untenable because you will need to spend more to fix it.

Yes, this is actually simple as you are seeing it. At this point, the complex part is how to assess the total monetary damages and the real resale value. These can be totally subjective decisions.

USUAL CASES

If it happens that the value of your car is low in the market for any reason, it can be rendered unsalvageable just because of the small damage it may sustain. But, if you are driving a highly expensive car, it will be declared totaled only after it has sustained significantly serious damage.

You should always put it at the back of your mind that a resale value might be the whole vehicle value, rate of the current dealer in your vicinity, or the average rate of a private party. Just ensure that you know the standard that will be used by your insurer.

ODD CASES

As we have mentioned earlier, an expensive vehicle will have to sustain a significant amount of damage before it can be declared as total losses.

There are still odd cases. For instance, the owner of a corvette was unfortunate that he could not avoid big road debris that rolled underneath the car while at high speed. The car sustained no damage, except the rear frame.

You may conclude that everything is alright. But the owner realized that he cannot replace the frame in an Auto Body Shop in Brooklyn, neither can it be welded by a mechanic and still maintain the car’s structure. What is the final result? This good looking Corvette has now been declared totaled.

HOW IS MY CAR’S VALUE DECIDED?

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..

DO I STILL HAVE TO PAY A LOAN ON A TOTALED CAR?

If you’re financing a car that’s been totaled, your insurance company will likely make the claim check payable to both you and your lender, which means you’ll have to come to an agreement with your lender on how to release that money, the Insurance Information Institute (III) says. Typically, the lender will be reimbursed first, with any remaining money then being paid to you.

It’s possible that you may still owe your lender more for the car than the insurance payment you receive. In that case, you are responsible for paying the remaining balance on the car lease or loan. For instance, suppose you owe $15,000 on your car loan, but your vehicle’s value has depreciated to $13,000 when it’s totaled. If you have collision coverage, your insurer would reimburse you for the actual cash value of your car — in this case, $13,000. You would have to pay your lender that amount, plus the remaining $2,000 out of your own pocket.

Adding loan or lease gap coverage to your car insurance policy is one way to help protect against paying a lender out of pocket for a totaled vehicle. Depending on your insurer, this optional coverage may be available as part of a package or as a standalone coverage. It may also be available only for brand-new cars

WHAT IF THE TOTAL LOSS WASN’T MY FAULT?

In some cases, a totaled car may not be anyone’s fault. Suppose, for instance, that a tree topples onto your parked car and your insurer declares it’s totaled. If you have comprehensive coverage on your car insurance policy, it will likely reimburse you for the actual cash value of your vehicle (again, minus your deductible).

If your car is totaled in an accident that is caused by another driver, your collision coverage may first come into play. However, your insurer may seek repayment from the other driver’s insurer to cover the loss. In some cases, that may mean you are also reimbursed for the deductible that was subtracted from your insurance payout.

Auto Group Collision in Brooklyn, NY is Here to Assist with Your Car Insurance Claims

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!