Firstly, yes I know I was stupid not buying fully comp insurance. It was an error and a costly one at that and trust me, I have learnt my lesson.
For context, I was involved in an accident that wasn’t my fault but the other driver has not admitted fault. Since I am covered Third Party, Fire & Theft, the other drivers insurance will not cover the cost of the damages whilst the investigation is undergoing and liability is being battled, and the damages look to be very expensive. I want this car written off even if the damages are repairable, it has caused me nothing but trouble in the past and I no longer have any faith in it.
I still owe a years worth of finance on this car, which I know I still will have to pay off and i am willing to even if the car is written off. Luckily, the monthly payments are not that much. As it is not through insurance, how do I go about getting this car written off because of the damages? Can it be written off even if the damages are repairable? Who would I need to talk to about this?
Any advice would be appreciated 🙂
Sincerely, a stupid first-time car owner.
How do I get my damaged car written off?
byu/or4c1e inInsurance
Posted by or4c1e
5 Comments
You cannot force them to declare it a total loss. Assuming the other insurance carrier accepts liability, they’ll inspect the car. They’ll determine the cost to repair. They’ll compare that to the value of the car. If they haven’t hit any state mandated thresholds for a total loss and it makes financial sense to repair it, then they’ll repair it. So there is literally nothing you can say to force them to total out the car if the numbers say it makes financial sense to repair it.
You don’t get a say in determining if the car is a total loss. The insurance company makes that decision based on state law requirements and their expertise in evaluating repairs.
You have pretty much zero impact on this decision, unfortunately.
You might want to confirm with the bank how they handle things when a car is totaled. Quite often, they will require the entire amount due to be paid since the collateral of the loan (the car) is no longer there.
You say it is not through insurance, but you are hoping the other insurance pays, so it WOULD be through insurance?
The fact that you want it written off and has caused you nothing but troubles is not their problem. They will repair the vehicle if it is repairable and will total it if not.
How do you have a loan and not have comp and collision on the vehicle? Your bank is going to have something to say about that.
How did you not have comp if it wasn’t paid for?Â
You cannot force them to total it. Why would they if it doesn’t meet the threshold for it?Â
Typically if it is totaled you don’t get to continue the monthly payments. It is due at once.Â