Front End Damage - How Bad Is It?

[Rickvd]

Question. In instances like this where the insurance looks to total the car and you negotiate a buyout do you have to be wary of a salvage title? Or not? I don’t know just asking for my own knowledge. Rick

[piper6909]

Originally Posted by Rickvd

Question. In instances like this where the insurance looks to total the car and you negotiate a buyout do you have to be wary of a salvage title? Or not? I don’t know just asking for my own knowledge. Rick

Yes, if the insurance totals it, you may be able to buy it back with a Salvage Title. You'd have to repair it, send to to a facility that does "enhanced inspections" and if it passes, the car will then have a "reconstructed title", which makes it road legal. It will always be branded "reconstructed". At least that's how it works in PA.


Lowski, Like RacerBoy said, the insurance company will most likely total it.

If you like the car, you can probably fix it yourself for 2k or less, if you're willing to do some of the work yourself and not looking for perfection. Looks like the damage was above the 'bumper beam' and nothing structural was damaged. By that, I mean suspension, steering, frame, etc. Although the bent part helps keep the rigidity in the front end. See if you can find a shop that will pull the frunk tub straight. Then look on car-part.com and if you get lucky you'll find a used hood and bumper cover with matching paint. then bolt the parts on. I saw a place in CA that has a black hood and bumper cover. They may ship or you may have to take a road trip.

If you don't involve the insurance company, the car will not be totaled and you'll keep the clean title.

Good luck.

[Frodo]

I tend to agree with the others about it being totaled but would suggest it’s not a “given”. I had a similar mishap a couple years ago. Like you, mine also trashed the bumper cover (worse than yours) but spared the hood. It did, however, also damage, to the point of requiring R&R, my right front fender, radiator/condenser and (importantly) the right headlamp. Litronic—those puppies are ridiculously expensive. (Have you ascertained whether your headlamp will need to be replaced?) No frame damage. I was relatively sure my insurance company would total it—but they didn’t. Mine is a newer car: 2001, and is an “S” model. OTOH, I had over 95k miles. Let us know what happens.

[Rob175]

Considering the age/mileage...IF it were my car, I'd do some "comparable" research BEFORE calling the insurance company on what your car's retail value would be. THEN I'd call my insurance company and see what I can negotiate for a totaled payoff.

Unless your car was special, you might be able to find another good one to buy, with the insurance money, instead of the long process to repair yours. I'm not a DIY guy so I bit the bullet, get the insurance money and go shopping.