What are the general guidelines for totalling a car?

[minendo]

Is there some sort of general guideline that insurance companies follow? If so, what is it?

Do they just base it off of which is cheaper value of car or cost of repairs?

 

[Turkish]

I think they usually total the car if there is frame damage.

 

[waggy]

or if repair is more then the car is worth

 

[sillymofo]

mandatory: automatic weapons + deserted land (on the way to Vegas is good)

 

[yukichigai]

Like someone else said, frame damage.

 

[Bryophyte]

Yeah, if it's cheaper to just pay you the value of the car than to pay to fix it, they usually total it.

 

[EvilYoda]

75% of current worth is what they told me for my accident last year with a 2002 Blazer. bah. Whole back end got fvcked up and they spent $8000 fixing it.

 

[Viper GTS]

From the insurance company it's basically when the value of the repair exceeds a set percentage of the car's value.

It will vary by insurance company, I believe it's typically around 40-60%.

Viper GTS

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Originally posted by: Xiety
I think they usually total the car if there is frame damage.

Not true. most cars are unibody, meaning there is no real frame.

Most companies will total a car if the cost of repairing it is 70-80% the value of the car, or if someone died in the car.

 

[brtspears2]

Originally posted by: yukichigai
Like someone else said, frame damage.

My car had frame damage but it was still repaired. I guess it also goes on the value of the car vs. the cost of repairs.

 

[nboy22]

I got in an accident with my mom's 89 sable.. but it wasn't my fault, the girl rear-ended me and her insurance company came and looked at it, the only damage done was a few small chunks missing from the back bumper and they declared it totaled, so we got $1500 for the total worth of the car and my dad and uncle are just gonna go get another bumper from the junk yard and put it on for about $500. So me getting in wreck = $1000 gain.

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
From the insurance company it's basically when the value of the repair exceeds a set percentage of the car's value.

It will vary by insurance company, I believe it's typically around 40-60%.

Viper GTS

Kelly Blue Book places my car at ~$2400 for private party value. It is currently undergoing almost $3000 in repairs.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski

Originally posted by: Xiety
I think they usually total the car if there is frame damage.

Not true. most cars are unibody, meaning there is no real frame.

Most companies will total a car if the cost of repairing it is 70-80% the value of the car, or if someone died in the car.

Wrong. Unibody still has a frame, it is simply integrated into the body shell as opposed to being a separate unit. There are many non-load bearing parts on a "unibody" car, and these parts are not considered to be the frame. While it's not as cut and dried as it is with an old-fashioned "body on frame" construction method, the unibody construction method still has a de-facto frame.

ZV

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: minendo

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
From the insurance company it's basically when the value of the repair exceeds a set percentage of the car's value.

It will vary by insurance company, I believe it's typically around 40-60%.

Viper GTS

Kelly Blue Book places my car at ~$2400 for private party value. It is currently undergoing almost $3000 in repairs.

eh? thats odd.

they are spending MORE money to fix it then to pay you off? what company is this?

 

[Bryophyte]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: minendo

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
From the insurance company it's basically when the value of the repair exceeds a set percentage of the car's value.

It will vary by insurance company, I believe it's typically around 40-60%.

Viper GTS

Kelly Blue Book places my car at ~$2400 for private party value. It is currently undergoing almost $3000 in repairs.

eh? thats odd.

they are spending MORE money to fix it then to pay you off? what company is this?

I've had my (past) insurance company tell me that they would not even consider totalling a car if it had less than $2000 in damage, even if the car wasn't worth $500 on KBB. So I guess there are exceptions to the rule.

 

[Drizzy]

Originally posted by: waggy
or if repair is more then the car is worth

All the insurance company cares about is how much they have to pay out. Which ever is cheaper they will do- total it or repair it.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: Drizzy

Originally posted by: waggy
or if repair is more then the car is worth

All the insurance company cares about is how much they have to pay out. Which ever is cheaper they will do- total it or repair it.

yeap thats what i always thought. but i guess thats not always true!

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: minendo

Originally posted by: Viper GTS
From the insurance company it's basically when the value of the repair exceeds a set percentage of the car's value.

It will vary by insurance company, I believe it's typically around 40-60%.

Viper GTS

Kelly Blue Book places my car at ~$2400 for private party value. It is currently undergoing almost $3000 in repairs.

eh? thats odd.

they are spending MORE money to fix it then to pay you off? what company is this?

State Farm.

 

[Bryophyte]

I think it was Nationwide that told me about their $2000 general rule.

 

[v3rrv3]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski

Originally posted by: Xiety
I think they usually total the car if there is frame damage.

Not true. most cars are unibody, meaning there is no real frame.

Most companies will total a car if the cost of repairing it is 70-80% the value of the car, or if someone died in the car.

Wrong. Unibody still has a frame, it is simply integrated into the body shell as opposed to being a separate unit. There are many non-load bearing parts on a "unibody" car, and these parts are not considered to be the frame. While it's not as cut and dried as it is with an old-fashioned "body on frame" construction method, the unibody construction method still has a de-facto frame.

ZV

Yep, that's how it is on my Cherokee, it's bad at times, if I really flex my wheels and suck I hear my body creaking and groaning :x It's worse if you have a unibody in terms of replacement. You can't just stick a new frame under there, if a unibody gets damaged the car is never going to be the same.

- Kevin

 

[CrackRabbit]

Originally posted by: v3rrv3

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski

Originally posted by: Xiety
I think they usually total the car if there is frame damage.

Not true. most cars are unibody, meaning there is no real frame.

Most companies will total a car if the cost of repairing it is 70-80% the value of the car, or if someone died in the car.

Wrong. Unibody still has a frame, it is simply integrated into the body shell as opposed to being a separate unit. There are many non-load bearing parts on a "unibody" car, and these parts are not considered to be the frame. While it's not as cut and dried as it is with an old-fashioned "body on frame" construction method, the unibody construction method still has a de-facto frame.

ZV

Yep, that's how it is on my Cherokee, it's bad at times, if I really flex my wheels and suck I hear my body creaking and groaning :x It's worse if you have a unibody in terms of replacement. You can't just stick a new frame under there, if a unibody gets damaged the car is never going to be the same.

- Kevin

Acutaly if i remember correctly the Cherokee is a Unibody. I think its one of the few true SUVs that are.

CrackRabbit