Getting into an auto accident might turn your entire life upside down. One minute you drive along with a set of concerns on your mind and instantly have a new set of issues to handle.
Thousands of Americans mostly depend on their trucks and cars to get them to their office/work, childcare, supermarket, and school, among other places people take for granted until they don’t have a ride anymore.
If you get involved in a car accident and need to get the vehicle back on the road right away, narrow down to the following rundowns to learn how to have it repaired or paid-as totaled:
1. Know the Claim Repair Procedure
When filing a claim, your insurance firm may refer you to an adjuster who can verify the losses and make initial determinations on what it might cost you to repair the vehicle.
The insurance firm doesn’t expect you to accept an estimate from an adjuster until you’re fully satisfied that it may cover repair expenses. Apart from that, the insurance company might prefer paying for the lowest bid.
Just the way you want your car repaired, an insurance firm wants to ensure it doesn’t pay grossly inflated repair bills. If your old vehicle gets repaired with new parts, the insurer might argue the repairs have enhanced the car’s value and could legitimately minimize the value of your claim by the difference between new parts and used ones.
2. Insurance Policy and Totaled Car
If another person or driver is at fault in an auto accident, their insurance company will pay you the value of the totaled car.
According to every car damage manual, if your car gets damaged by a driver without insurance coverage, the following policies may protect against a totaled car on your insurance policy:
- UIMPD or UMPD
- Collision
- Comprehensive
3. Options for Totaled Cars
With more than 5 million light truck and car collisions happening every year, you might deal with one someday. If the collision is bad enough that your vehicle is totaled, you have the option of letting the insurance pay for you. Based on the insurance regulations within your state, this may encompass offering you money as payment or replacing a totaled car with a comparable one.
If you choose to go for money and still have an auto loan, the insurance firm may write a check to you and your lender. Once you pay off the loan, the remaining cash will be yours to keep.
Alternatively, you may choose to leave your vehicle as-is. In some situations, totaled cars are still drivable. If yours is still is, you have the option of keeping it and use the vehicle as-is.
This can be something you might want to consider, especially when you don’t have comprehensive or collision coverage to cover the repair expenses. If you choose to drive the totaled car, make sure you have it checked by a professional mechanic to be sure it will be safe for you to do so.
Closing Remarks!
Total car losses happen when insurance carriers determine that it will cost them more to repair the damages than fixing your car.
If you get involved in an auto collision, the best thing to do is reach out to your insurance firm immediately to get the process rolling.