Can You Fix a Totaled Car?

After a car accident, your insurance company may declare your vehicle totaled if the cost of repairs equals or outstrips your vehicle’s value. This declaration may make you wonder, “Can you fix a totaled car?”

While the reasons for wishing to keep your car vary, learn the answer to this question from the best auto body shop in Tucson, AZ.

What Happens When a Vehicle Is Totaled?

When your insurance declares your vehicle totaled, they’ll issue you a salvage title. This title restricts you from driving, registering, or selling your car without repairing it. 

If you choose to keep your vehicle after your insurance declares it totaled, your insurance provider will give you a check for your vehicle’s value. Before cutting the check, your insurance company will subtract your deductible and the cost your vehicle would sell for at a used car lot or salvage yard.

Can I Fight My Insurance’s Declaration?

Many people love their vehicles and wish to keep them, even after extensive collision damage. Your reasons may include:

• Sentimental attachment
• Ease of operation
• Interest in the vehicle’s antiquity

When your insurance states that the vehicle’s repair costs make it a total loss, you may want to dispute the claim. You must either find a way to lower the cost of repairs or prove that your vehicle has a higher value than your insurance company’s original valuation.

You can prove higher value by:

• Requesting information on how the insurance company valued your vehicle
• Searching for other methods to prove a higher fair market value, such as:

• Used car dealers
• Online prices
• Local advertisements

• Including unique features in your vehicle’s value, such as customized equipment or packages

Can an Auto Body Shop Fix a Totaled Car?

When you wonder, “Can you fix a totaled car,” your next step is finding a repair shop willing to work on your vehicle. Some auto body shops may not work on totaled vehicles, while others have experience handling extensive collision damage. Other shops only work on particular brands, such as American-made brands or luxury vehicles.

Call your local repair shops to find out if they can work on your vehicle’s make and model. Inform them that your insurance has declared the car totaled.

Some auto body shops can help you find less expensive parts or repairs to get your vehicle in working order. A lower price, or your proof of your vehicle’s higher value, helps you request your insurance carrier to reevaluate your car’s condition.

Once you choose a shop, they can walk you through steps to have your insurance cover your vehicle repairs. You’ll need to prove your vehicle’s value and supply your insurance with an acceptable repair cost to reverse a total loss declaration.

Bring Your Totaled Car to the Collision Experts in Tucson, AZ

Can you fix a totaled car? Call (520) 369-4291 to learn more about your options with Formula 1 Collision Center in Tucson, AZ.

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