Why won't body shops fix my salvage car for inspection?
Body shops frequently refuse the work because they do not want to fix someone else's previous repairs on an older collision. This prevents owners from getting necessary repairs for dashboard warning lights, such as the engine or SRS indicators, in order to pass a salvage inspection. As a result, buyers who only discovered the salvage title status at the DMV are stuck with a vehicle they cannot legally register or verify is safe to drive.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Checking under the engine cover to see if plastic linkage arms are snapped.Did this help you?
- 2Checking the underbody part of the frame and the alignment of all 4 tires instead of relying on a body shop.Did this help you?
- 3Buying rubber grommets to plug exposed holes and prevent water leaks.Did this help you?
- 4Finding an independent mechanic rather than a collision center to adjust misaligned doors.Did this help you?
- 5Getting a pre-purchase inspection (PPI) before buying.Did this help you?
- 6Driving the car as-is and ignoring cosmetic issues if it drives well.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Yes, at this point, just want to make sure I’m not driving something that is dangerous to myself or others.”source ↗
“Part of me thinks they just don’t want to take it since it’s not a fresh collision and it’s fixing someone else’s repairs. I thought I would at least get an estimate but they said they wouldn’t even take it.”source ↗
“The guy goes out takes a 1 minute look at it and basically says they wouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole.”source ↗
“I was going to get a second opinion tomorrow from another body shop, but I am worried I made a bad mistake and would like some opinions from people more car-literate than myself.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Will custom modifications like a flat bed pass safety inspection?
- 7How to inspect a used car yourself without looking clueless
- 11Is chunky oil buildup a dealbreaker on a used car?
- 2How to tell if a car repair can wait
- 19How to assess car damage and talk to a mechanic remotely
- 5How to find a reliable used car under $2000