How is a salvage title converted to a regular title?

Answer 1

SALVAGE VEHICLE

When you dismantle, destroy or change the character of your car so that it no longer is a complete car, you must surrender your Certificate of Title to the Clerk of Courts for cancellation.

When you sell your car to a salvage dealer, you must surrender your Certificate of Title to that dealer with the assignment completely executed.

To convert a Salvage Title to a Regular Title, a HP 106 inspection must be made by the State Highway Patrol. A fee of $50.00 is charged. The HP-105 application for the inspection may be obtained at the State Highway Patrol.

In the State of California a Salvage Title is just that, it exists for a specific reason. A vehicle is assigned a Salvage Title because the car was written off as a loss by the insurance company. There are various reasons which would cause this to happen. A Salvage Title does not always mean that the car was involved in an accident. It may have been a theft recovered vehicle, it may have water damage, it may have been in a fire, these are just some examples of why a vehicle may receive a salvage title. The State of California does not distinguish between different salvage types as some states do. Once the car receives a "branded" title there is no legal way to wash the title in the State of California. The reason for this is to protect the consumer. If there were a way to remove the salvage designation from a vehicle then the purpose of issuing that title in the first place would have been defeated.