Being told your vehicle is a total loss raises more questions than it answers. We handle the communication with the carrier and explain what is actually happening at each stage.

What a total loss determination is

An insurer totals a vehicle when the repair cost plus salvage value crosses a threshold against what they consider the vehicle worth. That threshold varies by state and by carrier, and the number that matters most is their valuation of your vehicle.

That valuation is an opinion, produced by a system, and it is regularly low. It is also challengeable.

Where the number goes wrong

Comparable vehicles pulled from markets nothing like Central New York. Recent work not accounted for: new tires, a fresh set of parts, mechanical work you paid for last year. Trim level or options recorded wrongly. Mileage below average for the year.

Documentation moves these numbers. Receipts, service records, and photographs are worth gathering before you accept anything.

Repairable, or not

Sometimes a vehicle written off is genuinely repairable and worth repairing, particularly an older vehicle you intend to keep. Sometimes it truly is finished and the argument is only about the payout. As an independent auto body shop we will tell you which situation you are in, since we have no incentive either way.

The paperwork

Total loss claims involve title work, salvage retention if you want to keep the vehicle, and lienholder coordination if there is a loan. We walk through it rather than leaving you to work it out.

Talk it over first

Call (315) 717-8894 before accepting an offer. A conversation costs nothing and the offer will still be there afterward.