Guys,
I have a 2005 HSE LR3, it was in great shape until a rodent went inside the car and chewed some wires behind the CJB. Car starts but I am getting all dashboard lights on.
I brought car to an independent repair shop and I filed a claim to my insurance. The cost of repair the electrical issue is 12k because they need to remove pretty much everything.
Insurance is totaling car because of the repair cost and it is giving me $5k if they keep the car or $3k if I keep the car and then sell it (maybe to someone that can sell parts of the car). What is the best option here for me? I am in florida.

Thanks

 

I have a hard time believing it would be even close to that much to fix the rodent damage. But if they are totaling it, it might be your chance to get out from under it. $5K sure doesn't seem like much. What are they basing the value on?

 

They follow some type of kelly blue book to get the value of the car.

 

Just take as much money as they will give you and fix the car at a different shop. There is no way it would cost $12k....that's one of those "I don't really want to do this job, but..." type of estimates.

 

If I get the money and the car then insurance will request my tittle to be salvaged, meaning that car cannot be fixed. I am not sure how much a junkyard will give me because they can sell too many good parts from my car. NAV system, premium sound, 3rd row, etc, you name it.

 

Take the $5k and use as down payment on something else. And the $12k is total garbage. Criminal almost.

 

Since when does salvaged mean not able to fix? FL law or something? The very definition of salvaged means its something that was recovered from destruction. If it was mean I would salvage it and fix it myself. Just splice the wires up and good to go but I am also very comfortable with vehicle electrical work.

 

Who cares if it's salvaged? I mean...obviously you do. ...but I'd suggest you take the dough, fix the electrical, and then just keep it forever.

 

Get a 2nd and 3rd opinion before proceeding
Perhaps a realistic quote will appease insurance to actually work with it