View Full Version : Car small accident HELP if knowledge about being smogged
If in california I have small accident and insurance states car totalled,but can still drive car,will this keep me from getting smogged? or not matter. Please Help with good knowledge. Thank you who know and respond.:thumbsup:
BizWrangler
04-26-2010, 09:15 PM
If in california I have small accident and insurance states car totalled,but can still drive car,will this keep me from getting smogged? or not matter. Please Help with good knowledge. Thank you who know and respond.:thumbsup:
I just went through this myself earlier this year. No, having your car totalled will not keep you from getting smogged, just the reverse. You will have to not only get it smogged, but also you will need a brake inspection and lamp inspection from state certified inspection places. If any repairs need to be made to lamps/brakes/smog, you'll have to have those done to pass inspection. You'll then get inspection certificates.
Next, you'll have to call CHP and make an appointment (they're about a month behind schedule, too) and bring in your certificates and pink slip. The officer will verify the VIN number and sign off if all is ok. Then, you take all of these documents/certificates along with your pink slip to DMV to get a SALVAGE registration. That means, you turn in your original pink slip and your license plates, pay even more $$ and get a new set of plates. Now, your car will be registered as a salvage vehicle. Not just anyone can do these inspections, and they all cost money, not to mention any repairs to pass these inspections. Good luck!
zkoolman
04-26-2010, 09:34 PM
The smogging and the totaling are two seperate things. Your car will have a salvage title if it is totaled and you opt to keep it, but it will still need to pass smog as normal. Basically, your car is worth far less, but if it passes regular smog criteria, you may continue to register it and drive it.
If in california I have small accident and insurance states car totalled,but can still drive car,will this keep me from getting smogged? or not matter. Please Help with good knowledge. Thank you who know and respond.:thumbsup:
BizWrangler
04-27-2010, 12:20 AM
I just went through this myself earlier this year. No, having your car totalled will not keep you from getting smogged, just the reverse. You will have to not only get it smogged, but also you will need a brake inspection and lamp inspection from state certified inspection places. If any repairs need to be made to lamps/brakes/smog, you'll have to have those done to pass inspection. You'll then get inspection certificates.
Next, you'll have to call CHP and make an appointment (they're about a month behind schedule, too) and bring in your certificates and pink slip. The officer will verify the VIN number and sign off if all is ok. Then, you take all of these documents/certificates along with your pink slip to DMV to get a SALVAGE registration. That means, you turn in your original pink slip and your license plates, pay even more $$ and get a new set of plates. Now, your car will be registered as a salvage vehicle. Not just anyone can do these inspections, and they all cost money, not to mention any repairs to pass these inspections. Good luck!
I forgot to mention that the insurance company will notify DMV your vehicle has been totalled. According to the DMV website, you have 10 days from the claim being settled to turn in your old plates and register as salvaged. However, the gentleman at DMV understood how backlogged CHP is in getting an appointment with them, I was not assessed a penalty for missing that deadline.
If you go to the DMV website and look up registering a salvage vehicle, it will explain all I wrote above. What you can NOT do is just proceed as before, driving without registering as salvage. You must have the brakes, lights and smog inspected and certified to get the new registration.
One of my fog lamps had a little play in it even though it was not at all involved in the damage to the vehicle, but I was forced to have it replaced in order to 'pass' inspection and get the required certificate.
I first hunted around for a local mechanic who could repair the emmissions before going for the test, but then when I found out I needed all these other inspections on top of smog, it made sense to go where I could get them all done at the same time. Also, if a problem did come up requiring repair, they fixed it on the spot and got my vehicle to pass. It was more convenient to do that (for me, anyway) than to take the chance it wouldn't pass and have to return to the mechanic and then go back again to re test.
I also had to call a number of places to find one that could do all the tests. Even though some said they could in their yellow page ad, when I called, I discovered some no longer were certified to do one or more of the tests, they'd lost a key employee who did those, or whatever. So be sure to call first to be sure they are still licensed to test/certify. You can NOT register without all three of those certificates and the CHP inspection. You also cannot wait too long after settling with the insurance company to take care of this as DMV will be notified of your accident. If you let it go too long, then you will be looking at the added expense of a penalty.
donna campbell
04-27-2010, 09:54 PM
If in california I have small accident and insurance states car totalled,but can still drive car,will this keep me from getting smogged? or not matter. Please Help with good knowledge. Thank you who know and respond.:thumbsup:
that would depend on the damage, if any, to the undercarriage or smog controls in the car - I once bought a car which had been designated as totalled on the registration and it was smoggable - you might want to call California DMV - if you can get them on the phone, they are very helpful OR stop by any smog shop and talk to them...good luck...
gvbken0417
04-29-2010, 11:34 AM
that would depend on the damage, if any, to the undercarriage or smog controls in the car - I once bought a car which had been designated as totalled on the registration and it was smoggable - you might want to call California DMV - if you can get them on the phone, they are very helpful OR stop by any smog shop and talk to them...good luck...
as a totalled car you will have to change to a salvage title and will require to pass a brake and lamp safety inspection and a smog inspection to get it. then it will fall into the 2 year pattern like normal vehicles.