TOTAL LOSS · BEFORE YOU SIGN

Totaled Car?
Bring It In Before You Sign.

When the insurance company calls your car a total loss, they usually take it away and send you a check. Before you sign, let us look at it. Sometimes keeping the car and fixing it makes sense. Sometimes taking the check does, and we’ll tell you which.

Rather talk? (510) 632-0993

Start your free estimate · 5 quick steps

4.7 ★ · 32 reviews on CarWise · 92% would recommend

Where’s the damage?

Pick one. If it’s more than one spot, you can mark them on the car.

What does it look like?

Pick the closest one.

How do you expect to pay?

You can decide later. This just helps us get ready.

What’s the car?
Photos of the damage (optional, up to 4)
  1. 01Step back: the whole car
  2. 02Up close: the damage
  3. 03From the side: how deep it goes
  4. 04Anything else that’s damaged

Got a quote from another shop? Add a photo of it too and we’ll give you ours to compare.

    How do we reach you?

    Phone or email: one is enough.

    We’ll get back to you with a ballpark. Your details are only used to reach you about this estimate.

    Got it. Your request is in.

    We’ll reach out with a ballpark (and ask for photos if you didn’t send any). Need us sooner? Call:

    (510) 632-0993

    Paying yourself? See your monthly payment options with Sunbit. No hard credit check to see your options; a down payment is due at the shop.

    4.7 32 reviews on CarWise · 92% would recommend →
    • “I went in there with uncertainty and walked out with a fixed truck and a preferred body shop. They treated me like family.”
      Juan, RAM owner
    • “… Went above and beyond even after they finished, they made sure to address my concerns.”
      Tiaira, Nissan owner

    What “total loss” means

    The insurance company declares a total loss when it decides the repair would cost too much compared with what the car is worth. It then offers you the car’s value (minus your deductible, on your own policy) and takes the car.

    That decision is about their numbers. An older car that runs well can be worth more to you than the check, especially if replacing it would cost more than the settlement.

    A black Corvette with front-end crash damage at Eagle and Sun

    Before you sign

    • Ask how they valued the car. If the offer seems low, ask the insurer what it was based on.
    • Ask whether you can keep it. If the insurer agrees, it pays you the settlement minus what it would get for the car as salvage.
    • Bring it to us for a free estimate. We look at the damage and tell you honestly what the repair would take.
    • Owe more than the car is worth? Gap insurance, if you have it, may cover the difference.

    If you keep the car

    A car that was declared a total loss gets a salvage title. In California it has to pass a vehicle safety systems inspection at a licensed station before it can be registered again. The Bureau of Automotive Repair explains the steps. Keeping it is your call; we just make sure you decide with real numbers.

    Your car, your shop

    In California, your insurance company can’t require you to use a particular body shop. You choose where your car is repaired (California Insurance Code §758.5). How claims work · Collision repair.

    Quick answers

    Can I keep my car if insurance totals it?

    You can ask. If the insurer agrees, it pays you the settlement minus the car’s salvage value. Ask before you sign.

    Is it worth fixing a totaled car?

    Sometimes. It depends on the damage, what the car is worth to you and what a replacement would cost. Bring it in for a free estimate and we’ll tell you honestly.

    What happens after I keep a totaled car?

    It gets a salvage title, and in California it has to pass a vehicle safety systems inspection at a licensed station before it can be registered again.

    Other services

    Ready? Start with a few photos.

    Free estimate. No claim needed, or use your insurance.

    Get a Free Estimate Call (510) 632-0993
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