How To Clear Your Salvage Title In 4 Easy Steps

Salvaged titles are used by state departments to track cars that have been written off by insurance companies as losses after suffering excessive damage. The damage ranges from being purely cosmetic like hail damage, to severe damage like bent frames. Depending on the degree of damage, car shoppers looking for inexpensive cars may find vehicles with salvage titles a little more attractive. It is important to note that a salvage title doesn’t necessarily mean you should stay away from the car. It is undoubtedly a riskier option with more critical caveats to consider, but the trick is to understand what a salvage title really means, and how to turn it into a rebuilt title. Once you buy a salvage title vehicle online, you can only hit the road after clearing its title. This means that your vehicle will have to undergo a series of inspections after repair to ensure that it has all the components required to make it roadworthy.

How to get a rebuilt title

A salvaged vehicle can only be brought back to the road once it has passed all the necessary tests and processes required to qualify for a rebuilt title. This process may vary from one state to another. Some states allow licensed rebuilders only to apply for a rebuilt title, but you can do it yourself in most states. If you’re wondering how to clear your salvage title, here are four easy steps to get you there.

Purchase a salvage title

First, you need to establish that the vehicle you bought is salvage-titled and you do own it. Typically, this is not an option in all states as retitling requires the original title. It is essential to take some pictures of the vehicle as this is a requirement in some places. Focus your photographs on the parts that need fixing.


Fix the vehicle

Fix the vehicle while keeping all records of parts and receipts, since you’re not looking to establish just the ownership of the car alone, but of the components used as well. Records can be anything from the original receipts to a handwritten description of the work done. Again, this provision varies from one state to another. Be sure that all your parts are road legal if you’re looking to drive your vehicle on the road again.

Head for inspection

This is arguably one of the most critical hurdles to getting a rebuilt title. While inspection processes vary from one state to another, you are generally required to demonstrate a vehicle that has been well repaired, emissions-compliant and drivable. If you are asked to pay some fee, prepare accordingly to ensure you only go through the process once.

Paperwork & Title fee

This is the last step to getting a rebuilt title. At the very least, there’s some application to be filled for a new title. Visit your department of motor vehicles and look for downloadable forms that you may be required to fill out. Be sure to have all the paperwork you’ll need. Also, pay the necessary title fee to complete the process.

Wrap up

Buying a salvage title is not necessarily a significant risk, as long as you get things right from the start. It’s a great way to get inexpensive transportation, as long as you have no problem with doing the wrench work.