Tips to Vandalize a Car to Total It

This publication discusses how to vandalize a car to total it. Perhaps, you have grown tired of your car and need a replacement. It is actually illegal to vandalize your vehicle to total it.

how to vandalize a car to total it

Even though many auto insurance companies will total vandalized cars, it has to be badly vandalized. If the vandalism totals the car enough, your insurance company will agree to settle for the fair loss.

Note, however, that self-vandalizing your car for payout or a new car is an auto insurance fraud.

What is vehicle vandalism?

Auto vandalism comes in different ways. Generally, it is intentional damage to a vehicle, including keying or a broken window.

Thieves more commonly break car windows to steal items, including stereo equipment, money, or other items. Or the hood of the vehicle could be opened to steal the battery. Car tires or rims could also be damaged or stolen.

Typically, vandalism is carried out by people who hold grudges or a random passerby out of pure spite the car owner may not even know.

Read also: Do this if your car is vandalized

In your case, you want the act of vandalism to be damaging enough for your insurance company to pay out and write it off. This will not be an easy shot as your insurer will investigate the situation and inspect the car to know if it is worth totaling.

Can your insurance company cover your car if you totaled it?

You need comprehensive physical damage coverage in your insurance policy to receive coverage for vandalism. This is coverage for vehicle damage sustained in accidents not related to collisions. Vandalism and theft are commonly covered by such losses.

Auto insurance policies may cover vandalism to your vehicle minus a certain deductible you agree to pay out of your pocket. Specific policies also exempt you from paying the deductible for damage like a shattered windshield.

If the vandalism causes a total loss, you can receive a settlement from your insurance company, likely the actual cash value of the car.

Read also: Do this if your vehicle is in an accident with stolen car

The actual cash value of a car is its value at the time an accident occurs, which is typically a depreciated value. Of course, certain cars lose value with age.

To get a higher settlement from the insurance, find out from the agent if you can get a replacement cost value (RCV) policy. You may get paid more money for the value of your vandalized car when it was new with RCV policies.

How to vandalize a car to total it

Whatever you do, you want to leave no trace that you are responsible for this vandalism.

  1. Vandalizing the car

Spraying paint or keying the car is not what you want to do to vandalize a car total it. Even a cup full of high-strength paint stripper poured all over the vehicle will not cause enough damage, but will take a fraction of the time to do it.

If you really want to vandalize your vehicle to total, get a sledge hammer for the metal parts on either side of the front window. Strike every part that will cost so much to repair, forcing the insurance company to write it off.

It should take a few minutes to whack and whack the vehicle to a totaled condition at night, somewhere not near your home. Brake fluid also works wonders as well.

An insurance company considers a car a total loss when the overall damage cost approaches or exceeds the value of the car. Many insurers determine total loss when the cost of repairs plus salvage value equates to more than the actual cash value of the car.

  1. Gather vandal evidence

Your insurance company relies on evidence, so you want pictures and videos of the damaged car. This will also strengthen your police report and validate your claim with the insurance company. Do not attempt to clean up the damage.

Read also: a screwdriver will open a trunk/boot

If you intend to include a list of stolen items, you can write down any stolen personal belongings missing from the vehicle, bearing in mind that this is insurance fraud.

  1. Call the police

Call the non-emergency number of your local police station. A dispatch officer will be sent your way to file a report. This filing is just a mere procedure to make your claim look authentic to the insurance company.

And if you covered your tracks well enough, the police will never be able to link it to you. Your explanation ends at “I just returned to meet my car in this condition.

  1. Notify your insurance company

An insurance adjuster will evaluate the vandal damage on your car in person. Sometimes, they remotely use photos or videos to evaluate the damage.

Meanwhile, if your stolen car was not insured, here are the things to do…

Ensure to send all required details you can provide to your adjuster, including the police report, pictures/video evidence, and mechanic’s damage estimate attached to your claim.

The insurance company will contact you within a few days, perhaps, to schedule a damage estimate.

  1. Negotiate your settlement

Finally, review and negotiate the settlement. If your insurance company approves your claim, you will receive an offer to settle the payment.

If you have new car replacement insurance, your insurer will give you money to buy a new car of the same make and model (minus your deductible) instead of the depreciated totaled car value.

If the insurance company deems your car a total loss, negotiate for a fair settlement. An adjuster will try to pay less, and if you think you are also being played by the insurance, involve an attorney in your state to win you a fair settlement.

If the total loss formula (TLF) does not meet the threshold set by your insurance company or the state, they will not total the car.

Customize your policy to your advantage

You can customize your comprehensive coverage to your advantage to claim for vehicle vandalism. For this reason, pay attention to the terms and conditions of your insurance policy to make sure you are offered appropriate benefits.

A deductible applies to physical damage claims like vandalism. If you have a $9,000 damage deductible, and the vandalism is worth $10,000 damage to the car, your insurance company will pay $1,500. You are responsible for the remaining $9,000. There is no coverage if you claim for less than the deductible value.

If the insurance company deems the car totaled to the vandalism, you get a settlement. Again, some insurers pay based on the actual cash value of the car, which is its used value at the time of the vandal – not the value of a new car. A deductible typically usually applies to this settlement.

If you want more coverage for vandalism damage, ask if you can increase your cash value policy to a replacement cost value policy. This insurance plan can pay out an amount close to that of a new car.

Final thoughts

If you are not sure about how to optimize your vandalism damage insurance to your advantage, call your insurance agent.

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