If your car is a total loss will the insurance company help you fix it if you both pay?

If your car is deemed a total loss, the insurance company will only pay up the value of the vehicle. They will have nothing to do with the repairs. If the vehicle is worth $5,000 and the damage is $8,000, you are going to pay $3,000 out of your own pocket. Once the insurance company pays you that $5,000, they are out of the picture. Just be prepared for a 'salvage' fee to be deducted from your settlement by the insurance company. That is what they would have gotten for your vehicle if you had surrendered it to them.