Guys,


My car was stolen about 2 weeks ago, and from the way things are the insurance company is starting the total loss claim. So they told me on Wed that my car was actually a salvage.

I did a carfax check in 2001 and it came out fine(although odometer is stated as unreliable). But just yesterday, I did an AutoCheck VIN Check and good God there exists salvage history back in 1998 due to theft recovery. But then it was titled again in 1999 and 2000 and it came out clean. This whole thing happened in Florida btw. When I bought the car in 2001, there is nowhere in the title that says salvage. And when i titled the car three times in WI, IL, and NH they're all clean.

So my questions are :
1. Is it true that once declared as salvage, always a salvage ?
2. I'm going to call Florida DMV and asked for a copy of 1999 and 2000 title. If it comes clean, it should be a clean title right ? Since the whole thing happened in Florida and last I look it was a clean title back in 2001.

 

I don't think anyone can accurately answer your question.

Every state has different laws on salvage titles and the process involved.

Some states are known to be very easy to use to "wash" titles and get salvage cars back to clean titles. Other states are like the gestapo and ANY out of state car has to have impeccable paperwork before it can get a title.

I am sure there is a State of Florida website that explains their rules, but usually, once a salvage that VIN will probably always have salvage associated with it.

 

Well, I believe once you attain title of Salvage from one state, it will carry by Carfax.. You could so call "Clean" the title.. but that's with in certain states..

I know some about this because, I knew someone so called "clean" titles.. He buys a salvage car in one state and takes it to another to get clean title.. When selling, if someone do not check via Carfax, they would never know.. also Carfax system is (I think) 1 year back.. so, recently acquired car with salvage title wouldn't be in their system.. but of course this was 5 years ago.. It might be quicker now..

Hope this helps..

 

Did you ever get the car back

 

Like others have said it depends on the state.

Also depending on the insurance company it is worth the same as a clean title car, I mean you didn't pay reduced premiums for the salvage title did you?

 

No, I didn't get the car back and I probably never will.

And no, I didn't pay reduced premium for the "supposedly salvage" car, I paid full price. That's right I could also put that in my defense, thanks turbojeff. I guess I'll have to call Florida DMV and investigate further.

 

If you carfaxed it and it said clean title. Carfax guarantees their reports up to $10,000. See if you cant make up for the salvage title by trying to milk carfax for some of that money. My car had odometer rollback never reported on carfax...in process of milking them for that error as we speak. Carfax is s crap company IMHO.

 

I agree with mr g. Carfax makes the guarantee. You paid carfax. Go to carfax once you have all the numbers back from insurance.

Shawn

 

Once a car is salvaged, it is always salvaged. It means that the car was totalled at one time. That fact will never change.

It's a very good point that you were paying full price for your insurance. I suspect the inurance company will have to pay you full price based on that.

I hope you are able to work out a settlement that is satisfactory.

Adam (Insurance Broker)

 

Yeah, the problem is the car has the unreliable odometer problem and carfax would not guarantee it because of that problem. When I bought the car, the owner showed me a receipt for engine rebuilt just 3-4 months back so I thought the odometer problem isn't a biggie, hey motors blew up in these cars mileage doesn't really matter that much. I'll still bring carfax report to the insurance co attention though.

Adam, you're an insurance broker ? Is what you said true that because I paid full premium then I should be entitled to full compensation ? Where can I find this in writing ? Or maybe anything remotely supports this fact. Help please, I need everything I can get before the adjuster gets involved.
BTW, I'm not completely sure that the car was salvaged. When I bought the car in 2001 in Florida, the FL title didn't say salvage although the incident happens in 98/99 in Florida. What actually constitues salvage ? If somebody found my car a year later and very little stuff missing from it, will it be considered salvage because the ins co wil have paid total loss claim to me by then ?


Thanks for everything guys,

 

It appears that you bought the car with a clean title. The insurance co. insured it as a car with a clean title. Then they charged you rates for a car with a clean title. I don't see any way that they can pay you for a salvaged vehicle, unless you let them get away with it. Many times, it's a game. They try to pay you as little as possible, to see if they can get away with it. Don't let them. Explain the above to them, and see what they say. If they refuse to pay the full price, you may have to get an attorney.

I don't have any regulations for you to look at.

Good luck, Adam

 

Maybe I should call the Dept of Insurance and see if I can pick their brain a little. Again, thanks adam.

 

Bring a lawsuit against the state of Florida for issuing a Clean title when it prevously was salvaged in the same state. They are now falsifying records. Include the insurance company as an accessory for charging full price for insurance for a car they know has a salvage history and are not willing to pay back full value when damaged. They are defrauding the public.

Just a thought.

Tim

 

Actualy my uncle has a dealership and some people do this type of thing. If you have a salvaged titled car you ship it to another state and retitle it and it will come out clean then you bring it back to your state and the title remains clean. I know a lot of car dealers who do this here in SOCAL that pass salvaged cars off as clean title cars.

 

Well, I called the Florida DMV and the customer service told me that as far back as the year 2000, the car always has clean title. And she also told me that in FL, once declared as salvage it will always be a salvage. So, right at this moment I feel good that the car is not a salvage. I'm requesting a full copies of all titles made in FL anyway just to be sure there isn't any surprises earlier in the past.

kundo,
The problem was that the car was always in FL when all this happened, neither carfax nor autocheck detected that the car has been titled outside of FL during this time period.

 

I didn't spend time to read through this, so forgive me if someone mentioned this already.

My friend used to work for an Insurance company and told me that all u have to do is take ur car outta state and register it there and then re-register the car coming back in and that should clean up the records.

However I am not sure if that is all cars......