switching salvage title to clear title

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There are some interesting thoughts and observations in this thread.
Federal mandate is crazy talk though, the only way that would work is federal titling and registration and take the whole affair out of the states control. No state is going to stand for that.
Another similar title issue is the selling of titles and VIN plates. Historical document myass! There are no morals in the good ole USA anymore.
 
Just because you can rebuild a salvaged vehicle does not mean you get a "clean" title back. In Oklahoma any vehicle that has been totaled has either a Junk non-rebuildable title or a Salvage rebuildable title. When a salvage title vehicle is repaired it comes back as an orange repaired vehicle title. Our normal titles are green.
 
i do not know where all you guys get your info from, and how valid it is, but all the wreced cars/trucks i have dealt with, once it is deemed salvaged, the best you can get from there would be a rebuilt title, never in the lower 48 states could you get it back to clear title, that is what the "branding of the title" is for. the title is for prior history, and to know who present owner is. so if it was wrecked, it stays with the said car. you cannot buy a wreck, fix it, and think just cause it is in perfect mechanical and running condition with a new paint job that it will ever be the same as one that has never been wrecked.i have never even stumbled upon a loophole on it. cause if you pass ownership, you by law are supposed to disclose the salvage or rebuilt title. the reason is because when they go to register it, they too may have to taKE IT FOR A SAFTY INSPECTION TO REGISTER IT IN THEIR STATE.

a rebuilt title is way better than a salvage title. the rebuilt shows that it met all safty tests/requirements. but a salvage has yet to be inspected if it is already fixed
 
another problem with buying cars today, is when say, i own a 2004 bmw that is paid for, i have title in my possesion, and i get wrecked. insurance pays for it, and gives me the option to buy back for pennies on the dollar. i take that car a rig it together to fix it. and all this time, i have still maintained the possesion of the title. so it is still clear on the tile i have. so i go and sell the car, and hand over the clean title, but when the buyer takes it to dmv, they get the shock of a lifetime, being told that there car has a salvege title, and must first be inspected. i t happen to me, and i am sure it happens everyday to un-suspecting buyers
 
crackedback said:
Don't know about AZ, but, in California that's a felony last I heard. It's called washing a title.

Every state has different rules on this. Check with AZ MVD about the process if it's even possible to remove the salvage/branded title issues.
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i used to haul flood cars out of texas up north where they would dry them out and resell them and the term is correct washing titles is moving them from state to state i personally dont think it is right but if you rebuild and disclose info on car you should be able to get it legit
 
bama-a-body said:
carfax sucks.......and this is why i just went and looked at a jeep to buy at a used car dealer,.......keep in mind i am an auto restore guy and now crap when i c it............. now i had the sales pull a carfax and it said the jeep had never had a problem even tho i should the salesman sanding marks and yes if you can believe it even masking tape that was forgotten, now as far as i could tell the frame was kinked two times and straightened and the entire front clip had been replaced........ just a thought watch out for carfax.....
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CarFax relies on info supplied by the insurance industry. If the vehicle was wrecked and repaired without going through insurance how is CarFax to know? CarFax is just a tool to use but not the holy grail. Anyone buying a car should have a good inspection done by a professional if you don't have the expertise to do it yourself.
 
There are more reasons to seek a clean title other than just to "eff someone over".

1) The biggest reason you should try to get a clean title, is insurance. If you're doing a late model vehicle and you have a salvage title some insurance companies will only pay out 40% if you total it. So you just bought a truck that books at 32k for 20k, put 4k in it. So you've got a 24k truck, someone runs a red light and totals your truck the day after you finish it. Their insurance says your truck is salvage so only 40% of 32k. 12,800.

Just because you get a clean non-rebuilt title doesn't mean a carfax won't show damage records. Also, in most states regardless if you have a salvage or non-salvage title, if the car has had more than 3k damage and you know about it you must disclose that.

Sure, there might be people who do it for the wrong reasons, but there are legit reasons as well. So the guy saying "you're a cool dude", should chill. Just because you can't see any other reason (probably because you're that kind of guy, or you can't see the good in anyone) doesn't mean there isn't one.
 
Never once, in 3 different states have ever seen the DMV Measure or otherwise inspect a rebuild for anything other than stolen parts. Your states safety inspection is just for safety items etc. Neither one of those entities would know if the vehicle structure was repaired properly or not. It's not what they're looking for.
 
I sure as hell don't want a washed title car. If I know it's a salvage title and buy it (have to be priced right) then that's on me. But to not know and be told it's a. Lean title I'd be pissed.

I would think washing a title could end up in a nice law suit somewhere along the way too.
 
GeorgeH said:
Never once, in 3 different states have ever seen the DMV Measure or otherwise inspect a rebuild for anything other than stolen parts. Your states safety inspection is just for safety items etc. Neither one of those entities would know if the vehicle structure was repaired properly or not. It's not what they're looking for.
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That's true for Iowa. They check the odometer and check for stolen parts. Other than that, it's all about figuring out your taxes. Since they moved to taxing you for kbb value subtract the parts you bought.
 
abodyjoe said:
I sure as hell don't want a washed title car. If I know it's a salvage title and buy it (have to be priced right) then that's on me. But to not know and be told it's a. Lean title I'd be pissed.

I would think washing a title could end up in a nice law suit somewhere along the way too.
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If the dmv makes it a clean title, it's a clean title. "Washed" or not, a dealer or individual legal has to disclose any damage over 3k. If your vehicle has less damage than 3k and was totalled.....well I'm guessing the least of your worries is if the title was washed. Haha.
 
McCrea said:
That's true for Iowa. They check the odometer and check for stolen parts. Other than that, it's all about figuring out your taxes. Since they moved to taxing you for kbb value subtract the parts you bought.
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I put it out because there was some misleading info put out there.
 
There is a business near me (PA) that sells wrecked/flood and recovered stolen vehicles. They aren't cheap, I think you'd be better off paying a little more and getting something undamaged. I do stop a couple of times a year to check out the stock. One more thing. The reason for all these laws is " The good old days when people were honest".
 
im surprised no one has suggested to just swap VIN tags yet
 
diymirage said:
im surprised no one has suggested to just swap VIN tags yet
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Right!! lol But newer cars, the vin is stamped, etched, and tagged everywhere, and can be read from the ecm. They'd be playing Hotel California when you rolled up, and I've seen them seize a car from another individual when I was there. In MD anyways.
 
I've read so much I had to go back to the original post and re-read. Anyway, you made the right decision by going to buy a different truck. Now you don't have to worry about cleaning the title or ever reselling to the next guy.
 
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McCrea said:
The biggest reason you should try to get a clean title, is insurance. If you're doing a late model vehicle and you have a salvage title some insurance companies will only pay out 40% if you total it. So you just bought a truck that books at 32k for 20k, put 4k in it. So you've got a 24k truck, someone runs a red light and totals your truck the day after you finish it. Their insurance says your truck is salvage so only 40% of 32k. 12,800.
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Book value of 32k? That 32k is for a clean titled car, the salvage you bought is worth 40% of that, the insurance company tells you this. Why you'd ever pay more for a vehicle than its payout from insurance I have no idea.
 
if a client came into my PA law office and asked how he could "legally" change a "reconstructed" or "salvage" pennsylvania motor vehicle title into a "regular" non-reconstructed, non-salvage title i would have a simple answer for him: "there is no process in pennsylvania to do that legally." pennsylvania maintains several classifications of motor vehicle titles to protect insurance companies, car dealerships and private auto buyers. the state legislature has determined that there is a difference in value to motor vehicles that have not been involved in catastrophic accidents and those that have been. the state also argues that there are public safety reasons also justifying labeling vehicles that have been involved in accidents. generally, the state leaves the determination as to whether or not a vehicle can be repaired up to the individual insurance companies. if a vehicle is determined to be a "total loss" by an insurance company as the result of the owner submitting a claim for compensation, the company will notify the PA state officials and that designation will be assigned to that VIN #. then if the original owner or another private party purchases that vehicle off of the insurance company, when that person applies for a PA title, they will get a "reconstructed" title. i purchased one of my trucks, a 2006 dodge duelly from a body shop in ohio after they had purchased it and repaired it from a total accident. it has a reconstructed title. every vehicle titled and licensed in pennsylvania is subject to these titling rules.

if a resident of PA had a vehicle with a reconstructed title and then sold it to someone in another state under an agreement that the other person would resale that vehicle back to the PA resident so the PA resident could obtain a "clean" or "good" title, that would be a felony in PA - conspiracy to commit fraud. if a PA resident sells a vehicle with a bad title to someone in another state and through some process, that state issues the new owner a "good" title, that is up to the second state's department of motor vehicles. perhaps if this second owner kept this car for some reasonable period of time - probably at least a year - and then sold it back to the original PA seller, the PA person "probably" would be safe as far as legality in PA. HOWEVER, there could still be a problem with the PA buyer not informing PennDot that he had knowledge of the car having a reconstructed title when he owned it. the natural suspicion on the part of the PA authorities would be that the entire arrangement was "a conspiracy."

anyway you look at it, messing around with VIN numbers and titles is a tricky and legally dangerous practice. most states will not allow altering of vehicle titles for vehicles registered to residents of that state. AND there are laws against trying to send titles across state lines for "nefarious" purposes. and the final worry even if you could somehow "wash" your title "clean" - if you sell that vehicle, you MUST disclose that the vehicle had a salvage or reconstructed title to the new buyer. if you don't and the buyer discovers that fact, that buyer will have a very easy legal issue upon which to sue you - and you WILL lose that suit.
 
DNasty777 said:
Book value of 32k? That 32k is for a clean titled car, the salvage you bought is worth 40% of that, the insurance company tells you this. Why you'd ever pay more for a vehicle than its payout from insurance I have no idea.
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i would never advise someone to obtain a "clean" title for "insurance purposes." in pennsylvania, that act would be considered INSURANCE FRAUD - a first degree felony in this state. AND, if the insurance company discovered that had been done, that would be just cause for the insurance company to NOT pay ANYTHING under the policy under the "false swearing" or "lying on the policy details" exceptions within the policy. so at the very least, the owner of the "washed title" vehicle would not get a penny if something happened to the vehicle and at the worst - the owner would be prosecuted for INSURANCE FRAUD. my advice to EVERYONE reading this - DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO THIS!!
 
McCrea said:
There are more reasons to seek a clean title other than just to "eff someone over".

1) The biggest reason you should try to get a clean title, is insurance. If you're doing a late model vehicle and you have a salvage title some insurance companies will only pay out 40% if you total it. So you just bought a truck that books at 32k for 20k, put 4k in it. So you've got a 24k truck, someone runs a red light and totals your truck the day after you finish it. Their insurance says your truck is salvage so only 40% of 32k. 12,800.

Just because you get a clean non-rebuilt title doesn't mean a carfax won't show damage records. Also, in most states regardless if you have a salvage or non-salvage title, if the car has had more than 3k damage and you know about it you must disclose that.

Sure, there might be people who do it for the wrong reasons, but there are legit reasons as well. So the guy saying "you're a cool dude", should chill. Just because you can't see any other reason (probably because you're that kind of guy, or you can't see the good in anyone) doesn't mean there isn't one.
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i would never advise someone to obtain a "clean" title for "insurance purposes." in pennsylvania, that act would be considered INSURANCE FRAUD - a first degree felony in this state. AND, if the insurance company discovered that had been done, that would be just cause for the insurance company to NOT pay ANYTHING under the policy under the "false swearing" or "lying on the policy details" exceptions within the policy. so at the very least, the owner of the "washed title" vehicle would not get a penny if something happened to the vehicle and at the worst - the owner would be prosecuted for INSURANCE FRAUD. my advice to EVERYONE reading this - DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO THIS!!
 
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