*****Salvaged Vehicle Question*****

[Dirty Octopus™]

Okay we have a vehicle that got hit by someone in a 6 car accident last year.

the only damage caused to the vehicle, from what i can see, was to the fender.
the insurance company handling the claim stated that the car was TOTALED.

they gave my fiancee 2 options.

give her $1700 and they keep the vehicle.
or give her $1300 and she can keep the vehicle.

BUT they're saying that she will HAVE to get the vehicle titled as SALVAGED and surrender her tag until it passes inspection.

my question is... "Is this for real?"
does she SERIOUSLY have to salvage the title and get it inspected?

if so what do we have to do to get it inspected as cost effectively as possible?

does ANYONE at all on IA inspect vehicles? this woman kept saying that we have to keep getting it towed to and fro a shop until it passes inspection but...
REAL TALK is there anyone here that can pass the vehicle?
i would really HATE to see a PERFECTLY running car go to waste simply because an insurance company fucked us over.

i mean with $700 there is NOTHING we can buy thats as reliable as the car we have now. NOTHING

(i say $700 because there's a balance of $1000 on a title loan)

[B18c1Turboed]

Yup. if they total the car,you would have to get reinspected by the state. Its a huge pain in the ass to do. U wont be able to drive the car as stated also.

[Dirty Octopus™]

Yup. if they total the car,you would have to get reinspected by the state. Its a huge pain in the ass to do. U wont be able to drive the car as stated also.

so there is a specific division of the state of GA that does these inspections?

so its not any old "shop" that inspects the vehicles (like she kept saying)

[B18c1Turboed]

so there is a specific division of the state of GA that does these inspections?

so its not any old "shop" that inspects the vehicles (like she kept saying)

Some body shops are licensed to do the inspection, basically the car has to get inspected too make sure it road worthy..

If your car is declared a total loss by your insurance company, a salvage title will be issued to either you or the insurer.

If your vehicle requires a Georgia title (cars older than 1962 do not require a title), then you must complete a Salvage Title Application, and the Georgia license plate and registration must be surrendered. Fill out a surrender form and give all of the applications, documents, and tag to your insurance agent. If you have the original title, it must be surrendered also. These steps must be taken to receive payment on your damaged car.

If your car has a special tag, the tag must be removed, but it need not be surrendered.

You must obtain the salvage title before you can sell or dispose of the wrecked car.

If you are retaining the car, your insurance company will then apply for the salvage title in your name. Note that if you take this route, you will be required to rebuild or restore the vehicle (see below). Your insurer will require that you sign a Payment of a "Total Loss" Claim notice before they process the paperwork.

Before you can apply for a rebuilt-salvage title, you will be required to furnish photographs of the damaged vehicle before it was repaired. The vehicle will also have to pass a special inspection (see below). Keep any receipts for parts that you or your rebuilder buy for the car; you'll need to provide these with your application.

If the insurance company retains the title (and the vehicle), you will keep your license plate and surrender it at the tag office to be cancelled.

[B18c1Turboed]

<H2>Rebuilding

Only a licensed rebuilder may resurrect a salvage vehicle, so don't try to fix the car yourself. You must use a licensed rebuilder to be able to have the title's brand changed from "salvage" to "rebuilt." After that, you may again register and drive the vehicle.

Inspections

If you have restored or rebuilt a salvaged car in the state of Georgia, you must have it inspected before you can title it. Inspections may be done at one of the following locations or at your home or business. If you choose to have the inspection done at a station, you must tow the vehicle there¯inspections will not be done on vehicles driven there.

• Bartow County

• (770) 606-9635

• Hall County

• (770) 534-0850

• Clarke County

• (706) 548-1169

• Jeff Davis County

• (912) 379-0388

• Douglas County

• (770) 942-0468

• Peach County

• (478) 953-5000

Inspection stations set their own fees, so you will need to call in advance to determine the cost. In addition to these fees, when you take the inspection paperwork to your local tag office, you will also need to pay the state a $100 inspection fee and $18 title fee.

If you instead choose to have your vehicle inspected at your home or business, you must complete a Request for Inspection after submitting the requested documents by mail. Send the request to:

• Attention: Salvage Unit

• Motor Vehicle Division

• P.O. Box 740384

• Atlanta, GA 30374-0384

Your vehicle must pass inspection before a Georgia title or license plate will be issued.

[gsrteg]

how can a damaged fender be considered as totalled? Did you take the car to a body shop or did the insurance send an adjuster to inspect the car at your house? I would advise getting several opinions around shops? If it ends up being salvaged, then it's gonna be a problem. Some insurance don't even cover salvaged rebuilt cars, and if they do: they might even raise the rates on payment due to higher risks....Find someone to clear the title, I heard this was possible.

[Dirty Octopus™]

so we're just fucked huh?

absolutely no way around it.

[1SOL2NV]

DO .. they done this for my red sol ... the one im rebuilding and if you personally are gonna be driving the car after YOU rebuild it ( as they say ) then yes its worth it ... but if you had plans on fixing then selling .. because it has a SALVAGE/Rebuildable title ... u wont get much for the car ... the red sol held to many memories just to part out and let it die with only like 1k worth of damage ... so im rebuilding it FOR ME .... so in my eyes u better make sure you are willing to drive the car cause you can put over 2 k in a car and it wont pass inspection and try to sell it and cant even get 500 for it ...

[Tracy]

how can a damaged fender be considered as totalled? Did you take the car to a body shop or did the insurance send an adjuster to inspect the car at your house? I would advise getting several opinions around shops? If it ends up being salvaged, then it's gonna be a problem. Some insurance don't even cover salvaged rebuilt cars, and if they do: they might even raise the rates on payment due to higher risks....Find someone to clear the title, I heard this was possible.

If the price of repairs is more than the BB value of the car then they total it. They want to give you the lesser of the 2 values. If it costs $3k to fix a $1000 car, they want to give you the lower price. Depending on the car, you can try to dispute it. You can look on autotrader and like websites and try to establish an actual "market value". You will need at least 10 listings printed to prove it.

For example, if you look up the KBB value of a TURBO Supra with 150k miles it is:
Condition Value
Excellent $18,000
Good $16,705
Fair $14,990

They actually sell for more like $30k give or take in the real market. The insurance company will try to give you $15k. You can also go to an "expert" and have them appraise the car for market value.