Pictures of Mercury totalled by HAIL!
Totalled in Tennessee!
This car is "undrivable" according to state law. Read further to find out why. . . . .
As unbelievable as it may seem, this 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis was hit by sufficient hail on April 7, 2006 to damage it to the tune of $6200, as estimated by State Farm Insurance. It was examined in early May, and I was told that the damages exceeded the value of the car. I had to either accept the value they had put on the car, or I could receive payment for that amount less about $1000 salvage value. I drove the car to some dealers and by submitting the values to State Farm I was given a better settlement, and I decided to keep the car. On May 31 I had the car inspected for emissions ($10), and after it passed easily I went to buy a sticker ($76.50) for my license plate, extending it to 2007. At that time I was told that I would need to apply for a "salvage title" and turn my regular title in.
At NO time was I told by the insurance adjusters or the county officials that my car could not be driven. I had driven it on several trips, including a trip to a men's church related event and on other trips of at least 100 miles distance one way.
On June 16 I applied to my agent to have the coverages on the car reduced from full coverage to a liability and medical payments policy. (I knew the insurance would not pay me even if I had a wreck with full damage, because the car had been "totalled") In a few days I received my insurance card and a letter reflecting the new premiums.
An acquaintance at the church retreat saw the dents in my car and told me that when the rush was over to fix new cars on dealers' lots, he would fix mine at a reduced price. Since I had another newer car that was not totalled, I decided to wait and let him fix that car also. I was considering having BOTH cars fixed and the returning to full coverage on the Mercury!
How surprised was I to receive a letter from the state of Tennessee telling me that since my car was a total loss, I could not legally sell it or drive it until filing paperwork, a three step process designed to prevent autos from being repaired using stolen parts! All of a sudden, what I had been doing freely and ignorantly, driving my dented but perfectly running car, had become ILLEGAL! And to make it legal I would have to wait for several days, maybe two weeks or longer, to have the papers processed. And, not surprisingly, the state wants me to send them $75. . . . For what? . . . to cover the expense of carrying out this "service".
I understand why such might be necessary if I had an accident that disabled the car or made it unsafe to drive. I understand the need to prevent the use of stolen parts. But I do not understand why hail damage would cost a person $75 just to label his car as a salvaged vehicle, especially if no glass was broken or parts required for safety were damaged.
Below are copies of the forms I have to fill out, along with the warnings against using the car. You have seen the photos I will submit to show the condition of the car before any repairs are done. (Dents are hardly visible. Bright spots are glare off of the car finish.)
The purpose of this webpage is to inform others of the situation so they can make an informed decision when faced with whether to keep the car or let the insurance company have the title. Knowing how good the car is, I would still have chosen to keep the car and go through the hassle and expense. But it is aggravating to find out about the red tape and restrictions AFTER THE DECISION TO KEEP THE "SALVAGE". and because he is a paintless dent removal Click here to add text.
Mouse over picture to stop the scroll. Click on picture to see larger picture
UPDATE: I now have a certificate of title. It contains these words: "Rebuilt Vehicle - Anti-theft inspection passed" ! In reality NOTHING was fixed, and the inspection consisted of sending in paperwork and the pictures you see here.
