In 2020, alone, the Texas Department of Transportation has told us there were 12,107 serious injury crashes across the State. Of this, thousands of vehicles were totaled in the process. So, it’s not an uncommon occurrence with interstate speeds.

That said, we’re car enthusiasts here at the Dealership Autoplex Collision Center. And that means we know exactly why you might not be happy to accept totaled car status from your insurer. So, we’re here to tell you exactly how to go about getting your vehicle fixed with auto body repair and back on the highway in 10 simple steps.

1. Make Sure You and Your Passengers are Well

The first step after any car accident is to make sure you and your passengers are well. Otherwise, it’s a case of continuing with the other 9 steps while you’re in the hospital and making sure everyone is on the road to recovery, not just your vehicle. And, no matter who is at fault, this goes for any other drivers and passengers, too.

2. Take the Details of Those in the Crash with You

If the driver(s) of the other vehicle(s) involved in the collision can provide this information, it’s handy to grab their insurance details. This way, if they are at fault in the crash that caused a totaled car and they have property damage liability insurance (PD) or comprehensive collision insurance, you’ll receive a payout from their insurer.

3. Consider Which Insurance Type You Have

Just like with considering the insurance type of the other driver(s) involved, it’s important you’re aware of the effect your own insurance can have. For any payout on a claim for a totaled car, you need to have either property damage liability insurance (PD) or comprehensive collision insurance. Otherwise, yall’ll be a tad stuck.

4. Tell Your Insurer About the Crash

After catching your breath, ensuring everyone is safe and gathering details together, your next step should be to contact your insurer. Which is just like with any crash. It’s worth noting the process for assessing and paying out for a totaled car is quite lengthy, so it’s best to get the ball rolling and report the claim as soon as you can.

5. Know How Your Insurer Calculates a Totaled Car

In Texas, insurers use a 100% pre-collision value of the car against the cost of the repairs to determine if it’s a totaled car or not. This means your insurer will calculate The Steps to Take When You’ve Totaled Your Car

the cost for auto body repair and – if they exceed the true value of the car the moment before the crash, it’s totaled. Other states may use the Total Loss Formula (TLF).

6. Decide If You’d Like to Dispute the Total Loss

Sometimes, your insurer will use in-house evaluators and sometimes they’ll be external. These people consider the value of your vehicle prior to the accident. If you believe they have miss-valued your car and you might not have a totaled car, you are fully in your rights to dispute, request a new assessment and even take it to court.

7. Understand How You’ll Get Paid Out

If your totaled car is under three months old, it’s likely your insurer will simply provide you with another vehicle. However, the standard process is to “make you whole” by paying you the cash value of the car prior to totaling and minus the deductible on your policy. But know that opting to restore your car can potentially decrease this payout!

8. Choose If You’d Like to Keep the Vehicle for Auto Body Repair

Whether it’s for sentimental reasons, a love for that exact car or even just because you like the challenge of restoration, choosing to keep your car for auto body repair can be a good idea. But if you do this, you’ll need to obtain a ‘Salvage Title” from the Texas DMV that says you’ll be restoring the vehicle without it being on the road.

9. Take Your Car in to the Auto Body Shop for Restoration

After obtaining that title, you’ll have the full freedom to make repairs on your totaled car and bring it back to a safe standard. You can even add new modifications to help it run more cost efficiently or add a new paint color just to make it stand out. But know that restoration will cost more than the insurance payout!

10. Obtain a New Salvage Title from the Texas DMV

In order to drive your car on the road again, you’ll need to obtain a new title from the Texas DMV to state the car has been fully restored with certified auto body repair and is safe to drive. As well as this, you’ll need to get new insurance for the car which can be more costly than before as it’s been previously classed a totaled car.

Now you know exactly how to get your salvage title for a totaled car to go in for auto body repair, you just need to choose your dealership. So, call our team of ASE certified technicians at the Dealership Autoplex Collision Center on (972) 242-0092, today. We’ll give you a free estimate for total restoration on your vehicle and provide a shuttle service, too.

Alternatively, have a look at our website to find out all the services we can offer your wheels in the Lone Star State. Plus, it has our opening hours so you can come directly into the shop here in Carrollton, TX.