Can someone besides an insurance adjuster determine if the car is totaled ?

by Roxanne
(N. Little Rock, AR )

The credit company said the payoff would be a lot cheaper if the car was determined to be totaled.

The adjuster will not look a it, because my daughter lacked $76 of the premium, and the insurance was not in effect at the time of the wreck-we were told.


Answer:

Hello Roxanne,

I am sorry you are in this position. This is interesting because total loss is usually an insurance concept.

To answer your question, you can hire a public insurance adjuster and explain to them what you are trying to accomplish (before the evaluation).

They can run the numbers and tell you if the car is "worth" fixing or if the cost to repair is more or close to the fair market value for that vehicle (declaring a total loss).

The problem here is that most public insurance adjusters will evaluate the damages of the car and then move on. They might not look at the fair market value (you will need both numbers).

Public adjuster can do both, but they might charge you more.

Note: I am not sure the lien holder will take the word of the public insurance adjuster. You want to ask before you incur the expense.

I hope this helps,

See more about total loss here: http://www.auto-insurance-claim-advice.com/totaling-a-vehicle.html

Good Luck
http://www.auto-insurance-claim-advice.com/