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 Note : Be aware that rules and regulations governing vehicle titles vary from state to state.
We recommend you to familiarize yourself with the title process since purchasing a vehicle is an important investment.
As a courtesy to our customers, I Parts Only has provided a list below of detailed explanations for each title to aid you in understanding the differences between them. |
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A good title, also know as a clean title or clear title, designates that the vehicle
has not been issued a salvage title within any of the states of the U.S. Some states
issue clean titles to insurance companies if the damage to the vehicle is under a certain
percentage of its value.
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A salvage title is issued for a vehicle that has become a "distressed vehicle". A vehicle becomes "distressed" when one or more major component parts (such as bumpers, fenders, transmission, engine, hood, doors, frame, tailgate, body, etc.) have been wrecked, destroyed, damaged, stolen, or are missing to the extent the total estimated damage is from 75% to less than 91% of its pre-damaged cash value. The vehicle owner's insurance company will determine the amount of damage to the vehicle. The regular title is replaced with a salvage title.
A vehicle with a salvage title cannot be plated or used on public roads until it is recertified by a specially trained police officer and retitled. Since 1989, salvage and rebuilt titles are orange in color and list the vehicle's color and non-salvageable major component parts.
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A reconstructed title is issued when a vehicle has been repaired and has passed its state’s reconstructed title process. Once a reconstructed title has been issued the vehicle can be insured, registered and driven like any other vehicle but the title will always be branded with a reconstructed or previous salvage notion. More information about vehicles having a reconstructed title in the state of California can be found here:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/ brochures/howto/htvr13.htm
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| A non-repairable or parts only title indicates that the vehicle cannot be titled or registered within the U.S. again. These vehicles may be exported in most cases. |
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TMU is a title designation which means “True Mileage Unknown”. Often this is marked on a vehicle which has a digital odometer which may have been inoperable due to the damage to the vehicle or no key.
Canadian customers check here for import instructions and a list of cars admissible from the United States:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/safevehicles/ importation/usa/index.htm |
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| A scrap title is issued to a vehicle that has one or more major component parts (such as bumpers, fenders, transmission, engine, hood, doors, frame, tailgate, body, etc.) that have been wrecked, destroyed, damaged, stolen, or missing to the extent that the total estimated cost of repair (parts and labor) for the vehicle is 91% or more of its pre-damaged value. The owner's insurance company will determine the amount of damage to the vehicle. A California scrap title is red and has the wording "Scrap Title" at the top, while regular California titles are green.
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| Note : After a scrap title is issued, the vehicle may be used only for parts or scrap metal. It cannot be re-titled or returned to the road using the existing vehicle identification number. |
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| EXAMPLE OF CERTIFICATE OF TITLE |
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UPON PURCHASE OF A USED VEHICLE THE DMV ISSUES A TEPORARY PERMIT. AN EXAMPLE OF A TEMPORARY CALIFORNIA DMV TAG IS SEEN BELOW:
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