Car safety has come a long way in a short amount of time, but while airbags have been made to squeeze into every crevice of modern motors, their ultimate function has remained just as explosive and brutal as ever. That’s why when a car deploys its airbags, it immediately becomes much less desirable to potential private buyers, but should it be sold at all? Read on to find out.
We think it’s safe to assume that if your car’s airbags have deployed, it’s probably been involved in a pretty nasty crash. So, rather than pay out to replace the airbags and fix up the rest of your motor, sell it with National Scrap Car instead! As the name suggests, we operate all over the UK so wherever you are, you can get a quote for your car and we’ll even sort out free collection – don’t stress about arranging transport from your home to the scrap heap! Call us now on 0800 86 20 958 or enter your details on our website to get the best price for your car today!
Can You Sell A Car With Deployed Airbags?
Yes, there’s nothing stopping you from attempting to sell your motor even after the airbags have gone off. However, you should always inform the potential buyer of this so that they know what they’re getting themselves into. It would be incredibly unsafe and potentially even illegal for you to sell a motor to another driver without telling them that there are no working airbags in place!
Selling it as scrap or salvage might not have the same health and safety repercussions, but it could be considered fraudulent to sell your car until the guise of it having all of its working parts that a salvage buyer could reuse.
Is It Illegal To Sell A Car With Faulty Airbags?
The answer to this question is very much the same as the one above. Whilst it’s not actually illegal for a car to have no airbags at all, being dishonest about the existence of working airbags in the motor when trying to sell it could be, especially if the new driver was to get involved in an accident and discover your deception the hard way.
Is A Car Written Off If The Airbags Deploy?
This is a bit of a grey area, but we’ll try and spell it out in black and white as best as possible. Ultimately, cars are written off if the financial cost of repairing them outweighs the overall value of the vehicle. This is a problem because airbag replacement is a very expensive undertaking.
So, in many, many cases, a car will be considered a write off if an airbag deploys (and is more likely to be if multiple go off) but it’s not a guarantee. If your motor is worth a lot of money and the airbags are triggered following a minor incident, you might be lucky enough to have them replaced by your insurance company!
That being said, it’s also important to remember that when airbags do deploy, it’s usually due to an accident that certainly isn’t minor at all. The value of any other damage that needs fixing will be added to the cost of airbag replacement, which also explains why a lot of cars in this situation end up being written off.
Can A Car Be Fixed If Airbags Deploy?
Yes, a car can have new airbags fitted but as we mentioned above, this is a much more complex procedure than the average driver may realise. Every time an airbag goes off, a small explosion is triggered – no, we’re not exaggerating either – which blasts the device outwards towards your body. This force is why a lot of drivers or passengers can end up with broken bones or bruises if an airbag impacts them.
Removing and replacing those spent airbags is not only time consuming, but also requires the use of expensive parts and extensive mechanical knowledge. It’s highly unlikely that an untrained car owner would be able to do a DIY job here.
Why Insurers May Write Off Your Car Instead Of Paying For Repairs
Your insurance company will always assess the value of any damage done to your motor, which does include the deployment of airbags. Cars that are already lower in value, be it because they’re getting on a bit or they’re simply a less expensive model, will be more susceptible to gaining write off status after an airbag deployment because it’s more likely that the repair job will not be worth doing from a financial standpoint. At this point, it’s probably more profitable to sell your car for spares and repairs.
Scrap Your Car In Any Condition
Whether your airbags are still intact or not, National Scrap Car can get your motor sold in no time at all, and for an amazing price! Bank a sizable sum of cash by getting a quote from us no matter where you are, thanks to our network of scrap buyers positioned around the UK. We’ll even arrange for your car to be collected and taken away from a location of your choosing at absolutely no cost! Call 0800 86 20 958 or enter your details into our online form to see offers for your car now!