Tires squeal, metal screeches, and glass shatters- you have just been in a vehicle accident. Your heart is beating fast and you take a deep breath and realize that you are alive. After being involved in an auto accident you ask yourself, now what?
After the cops have visited with you, you will need to call your insurance company; once you do that the next call should be made to Offutt Collision Repair, your local Bellevue Body Shop. Tiffany, our Director of First Impressions, is happy to set up a tow truck for you if needed. If your vehicle is towed to OCR our trained estimators have 24-48 hours to write up an estimate. Once the damaged has been assessed our Estimator will then submit the estimate and photographs to your insurance company.
Body shops deal with the aftermath of damaged vehicles each and every day. Offutt Collision Repairalso deals with the emotional well being of our clients who have now been informed their vehicle has been deemed a Total Loss. Let’s face it, a few people are ok hearing that their vehicle has been totaled. However, try watching the single mother who just paid her last car payment on her Honda start pulling out car seats and cleaning out her belongings. Try watching the young teenager who has been saving money since he was 14 to purchase his first car. We at Offutt Collision Repair understand how delicate this can be. Body shops do not want to see a vehicle get “totaled”.
So, what factors are looked at to determine if a vehicle will total? Insurance companies look at the following: The value of the vehicle, mileage on the vehicle, and the condition that the vehicle is in. What this means is if it costs more to repair your car then the cash value of your car, the insurance company will total it.
Does this mean vehicles that are “totaled” cannot be repaired? No, it just means the insurance company will not pay for the added expense to make it drivable again.
When your car has been deemed a total loss, your insurance company should give you a call to let you know. Once informed, the insurance company will ask that you go back to the body shop and clean out your belongings and take the plates off. After you have verbally released your car, the tow truck will pick your car back up and take it to the local Auto Auction.
In our next blog, we will explore the cycle of parts! We hope this helps you understand why some cars are totaled and others are not.
Offutt Collision Repair, in Bellevue, NE understands how painful and time consuming the loss of a vehicle can be. Let the professionals at Offutt Collision Repair help guide you through this process.
