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The Law Offices of Hovanes Margarian
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CA 91423
818.990.0418
As you look for a used car, you might come across the phrase “salvage title” in a used car advertisement. The price is going to seem right and you’re really going to buy it. Used car salvage titles are not bad idea at all, but make sure you know what you’re getting into before purchasing a used car with a salvage title. Here you have four things for you to do before buying a vehicle with a salvage title: • Understand What a Salvage Title Is • Get a CarFax report • Get a Qualified Inspection • Weigh the savings vs. future costs Understand What a Salvage Title Is …
Categories: Car scams, General Articles, Helpful tips
Tags: dealer fraud, Fraud, junk title., salvage title, used car salvage title
Title washing scam results from the lack of a unified law regulating vehicle documentation in all the states. Title washing is used by car owners to “erase” the vehicle’s bad history in order to conceal from the buyer that it had a salvage title because of flood, severe accident or other damage. Title washing incidents increased after hurricane Katrina when many car dealers got stuck with excess of flood-damaged vehicles. Title washing is also frequently applied to “clipped” vehicles with the back and front coming from different cars, or rather of what was left of them after a crash. The process of title washing is very simple. Here is …
A salvage vehicle is any motor vehicle which has been wrecked, destroyed or damaged to the extent that it is declared a total loss by the insurance company or, in the event an insurance company is not involved in the settlement of the claim, sustains damage in an amount exceeding 75% of its actual retail cash value. There are some steps you may take to protect yourself from buying salvaged vehicles that have extensive water damage. Many people may not realize they have bought a flooded car until they take it to an insurance company. They then find out that their agent cannot even issue them an insurance rate …
Categories: General Articles
Tags: dealer fraud attorney, flooded vehicles, salvage title, salvage vehicle, vehicle history report
Purchasing a pre-owned vehicle may be a difficult task, especially if you do not know which used cars to avoid. There are certain steps that consumers should know to avoid becoming a car dealer fraud victim. Step 1 Check Consumer Reports before purchasing any vehicle. Consumer Reports contains valuable information on the reliability of new and used cars. They contain evaluations from both the car experts and everyday drivers. Search by the vehicles’ year, make and model. Read each evaluation carefully and check the used car’s overall rating. Step 2 Go to a private party or dealership and test drive the vehicle. If you are not sure what to …
Categories: Helpful tips
Tags: Car-dealer fraud, dealer fraud, dealer fraud victim, salvage title
A salvage title is something that is issued by a state when a vehicle is severely damaged and the costs of repair can exceed the vehicle’s value. The seller should disclose if a vehicle has a salvage title. Unfortunately, salvage titles are not always revealed. Sellers often alter title documents and make cheap cosmetic repairs to salvaged vehicles to make the vehicles look sound on paper and in person. A common scheme associated with salvaged vehicles is title washing. In title washing, a dealer moves a vehicle to a state with looser title laws and then registers the vehicle in that state. Depending on that state’s laws, the state …
Categories: General Articles
Tags: junked, rebuilt, salvage title, salvaged vehicles, Title washing, Title washing scam
Each year thousands of people unwittingly buy cars that have been severely damaged in accidents. It’s not too difficult for dishonest rebuilders to patch such vehicles up quickly and turn a profit by selling them to unsuspecting buyers. To avoid becoming a victim of such auto scams, keep reading our blog. 1. Understand what happens to “totaled” vehicles. If a car or truck is damaged so badly that the cost of repairs exceeds its value, insurance companies typically declare the vehicle to be a total loss and pay out a claim to the owner. Then many insurers sell these totaled vehicles at salvage auctions. Sometimes the cars get purchased …
Categories: General Articles
Tags: Auto Scam, salvage auctions, salvage title
Title washing is used by car dealers for “washing” the vehicle’s bad history in order to conceal from the buyer that it had a salvage title because of severe accident, flood or other damage. Title washing incidents reached their outbreak after hurricane Katrina when many car dealers got stuck with excess of flood-damaged vehicles. Title washing is also applied to “clipped” vehicles with the back and front coming from different cars, or rather of what was left of them after a crash. So, a wreck is sold at the price of a good car. Title washing scam results from the lack of a unified law regulating vehicle documentation in …
Sellers are supposed to disclose if a vehicle has a salvage title, however this is not always the case. Carfax reports that yearly thousands of salvage cars are sold to unsuspecting buyers. Altered title documents and cheap cosmetic repairs make the cars look sound. When purchasing a vehicle, always check the title for any “remarks” on the title that will denote any discrepancies such as: Reconditioned Salvage Flood Theft recovery Stolen True miles unknown Out of state title Exceeds mechanical limitations Remarks such as the above mentioned are causes for alarm. Besides, be aware of the limitations of a CARFAX vehicle title report. A vehicle with a Salvage” or …
Categories: General Articles
Tags: "Recondition" title, curbstoners, flood, Reconditioned, salvage, salvage cars, salvage title, salvage vehicles, stolen, vehicle title report
Sometimes car dealers sell poorly rebuilt, wrecked or salvaged vehicles. Thus, after the purchase car buyers find that the vehicle is unsafe and moreover it is priced too high. The majority of these vehicles were involved in accidents or floods. Most of the vehicles look good on the surface, but they may have steering problems, defective brakes, inadequately welded parts and overall, poor handling. Most of the state laws require car dealers to inform customers before purchase if the car has, to their knowledge, a “salvage title” or has been involved in an accident. If a car dealer fails to disclose any such information it is considered fraud. Make …
After the recent hurricanes in the southern part of the United States a lot of vehicles were damaged. Though insurance companies have declared these vehicles to be salvage, many flood vehicles appeared in dealership lots. These salvaged vehicles have extensive water damage, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself from buying them. Flood vehicles are usually sold to consumers “as is” and the buyer finds out that the vehicle is salvaged only when he/she take it to get insured. This is when they realize that their agent can’t even issue them an insurance rate quote because of the salvage title on the vehicle. In cases like …
