Being involved in an accident is not an event that everyone wants to go through. If you are reading this just after being involved in one, we hope that you are doing fine. In the case of such an unfortunate incident, you may be thinking about whether or not your car will be scrapped. Or perhaps, you are considering whether or not to scrap or sell the damaged car rather than repair it. Which is the better option to take?
Today, we will address your concerns and share with you the process of determining whether or not your car should be scrapped after an accident.
Determining whether to scrap or repair your damaged car
In order to determine whether or not you should scrap your vehicle, it will depend on the age of your vehicle as well as the severity of the accident. In general, as long as the cost of repair is less than that of the scrap value of your vehicle and that vehicle can be repaired, in most cases repairing the car is the most cost-efficient option. This is the route that will be taken by the vehicle Insurer which will assess the situation when your car is sent to a car workshop.
Situations to repair your damaged car
For vehicles that are relatively new and less than 3 years of age, our general recommendation is that after the accident, your damaged car should be sent for repairs rather than be scrapped. While being involved in accidents that damage your car paint or cause a dent to your bumper which can be displeasing to look at, these are considered aesthetic damages which have no impact when it comes to drivability. You should get the damaged car repaired if there are simply cracks in the bumper or damaged headlights.
However, when there is damage to the chassis, engine or transmission of the damaged vehicle, these are often the most expensive components to replace or repair, and it may not be worthwhile to do so. There is also a concern about the safety of the vehicle’s roadworthiness and drivability after such major repairs.
Our consensus is that if there is any damage to the chassis, it may not be worth taking the risk to continue driving the vehicle even if it can be repaired.
Situations to scrap your damaged car
These can be applied for vehicles which are older, when involved in severe accidents that involve expensive parts as mentioned above are often recommended to scrap as the cost of repair in most cases outweighs the vehicle’s scrap value. However, if you are involved in accidents where there are exterior damages to the vehicle (such as the headlights and other car parts) the total cost of repair may still outweigh the vehicle’s value. For instance, the headlights are often the costliest component to repair after experiencing less severe accidents.
Often, when it comes to older vehicles, reconditioned parts are used to keep the cost of repair low, which may mean that your car may not operate as good as it was before the accident. If your vehicle is just months away from its COE expiry, perhaps you should also consider scrapping the damaged vehicle, as even repairing it may not be worthwhile since you will only be driving the repaired car for a short period of time.
Final Words
At the end of the day, whether or not a vehicle is to be scrapped after an accident is determined by the cost to repair as well as other safety concerns (concerning the chassis and engine) which may arise after the car repair works have been performed. The main concern we have is that a damaged car frame may not be able to withstand the impact of another accident, posing as a serious liability.
We understand that usually, such accidents are incredibly costly and the vehicle insurance providers will be involved, be it claiming from your vehicle insurance or the third party that was involved in the accident. In the event that your vehicle is not declared as a total loss, you may still wish to sell your car or scrap your car (depending on which is more worthwhile) and purchase a new vehicle instead.
