How to negotiate with Ins. company to prevent a total loss?

AJ smith

New Member
1
Hi,
I was in a no fault car accident and I am assuming the damage to my car will exceed its value and my car will get total loss.
Since I am the original owner and kept the car clean and maintained and paid off and it is in drive able condition, can I negotiate with the other sides insurance company Not to salvage the car but still receive the most money for the repair?


Thanks
AJ
 
Depends on how much damage is done. You can ask the repair shop to use nothing but LQK parts or to buy a clip from a junkyard to save repairing or replacing fenders or quarter panels BUT, even if they repair the vehicle with lesser cost parts chances are that your vehicle will still get a "Salvage" title. So you wind up with a vehicle that is mostly your original but in some states you won't be able to sell it privately or retitle the vehicle to someone else.
 
can I negotiate with the other sides insurance company Not to salvage the car but still receive the most money for the repair?

Sorry, insurance companies don't play those games.

Either take the total loss settlement and give up the car or keep the car and take the ACV less the salvage value (10% to 15% or so) and try to fix the car with what you get. Unfortunately, the insurance company will not give you the money until you turn over the title so it can be branded.

One alternative that you might want to consider. Take your car to a hole in the wall body shop, tell them you have no insurance and want your car fixed for the lowest possible cost, pay the bill and submit the invoice to the insurance company for reimbursement. You roll the dice as to whether you still get a rebuilt title or not.
 
Uh, not exactly. I have negotiated with bodyshops on behalf of customers who don't have the money to replace the car which was totaled, hence my statement of depends on the amount of the loss. My neighbor's pontiac sunbird was hit beyond value of vehicle. She did not have the money to replace the car after what would have been a write-off. The body shop used a clip to replace the frontend and the total cost came in under the check value of the vehicle. The title was marked "salvage" but she got her car back and was able to drive it for a few more years. Stop trolling me with your sometimes wrong advice. The OP's insurance company would file the repairs and have the vehicle tagged as Salvage. Not all reputable bodyshops which are willing to work with a customer would be classified as Hole in the Wall. The bodyshop which fixed my neighbor's car was the dealership bodyshop with 3 paintbooths, 16 bays, multi-million yearly repairs, and hardly a hole in the wall
 
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