no fault accident wrote off my beloved car

eira

I have amuch treasured old BMW which has been carefully tended and maintained. BMW dealership gave it a rough value of £1800 (but that's to a 'collector'. Going on varioius sites they range from about £350 in need of work to about £2000. But it's an old car.
Last week an idiot-who cheerfully said she hadn't seen me coming/ was not concentrating smashed in the rear door frame and two passenger doors. The insurance co estimators reckoned £2050 for repairs and deemed it beyond economic repair. The specialist BMW garage reckoned £1000 using second hand doors (the doors alone were close on £900)

The acident happened in a supermarket car park-I was on the 'ring road' and the other driver just pulled out of a give way sign and smashed into me- I couldn't avoid her she just literally drove into me

I reckon I should be put back in the position I was in before the accident. My nightmare is being offered £400 in settlement which won't buy me a second hand Micra let alone what I've got .Where do I stand- any one know where the insurance co get their valuations from/ is the fact the accident was not my fault make a difference ?

Any help appreciated-I really love the car

Takoda

Some one more knowlegdable about this stuff will be along in a minute I'm sure. But I have always believed that people could buy back write offs from the insurance company. Then you could get it fixed yourself.

eira

Thanks for reply. Had to ring insurance co today-they've offered £875 -£25 more than I paid for it three years ago but it's in immaculate nick-there is no way I could get a car like it for that money. Asked to be put through to the liability dept and had to press them to contact other party's insurance. They said it was 'one of those companies with no phone contact nos !'

NigeWick

eira wrote: »

Thanks for reply. Had to ring insurance co today-they've offered £875 -£25 more than I paid for it three years ago but it's in immaculate nick-there is no way I could get a car like it for that money. Asked to be put through to the liability dept and had to press them to contact other party's insurance. They said it was 'one of those companies with no phone contact nos !'

This is not my area of expertise. But, have you though about the small claims court?

You said>>>The specialist BMW garage reckoned £1000 using second hand doors<<< If you get to keep the "write off" and the insurance pays you £875, you will need another £125 or so to get it back to what it was. If you check and see what you can claim by using the court, it may be worth your while to have a go at the driver or her insurance company. Just a thought.

plane_boy2000

collect evidence! When you see one the same as yours advertised provide the advert to your insurers. You need to be put back in the same position you were in before the accident, so if its 1800 to buy a car the same as yours then thats what you should get.

Failing a suitable payout then I would suggest you get down to yor doctors complaining on pain......

TRADESIZE

dont waste your time with examples, you simply need to tell them to do this:
look at parkers, glasses, and cap guide, adjust for mileage where possible, make sure its valued at the same month of the accident and give you the average of the 3.
If the average of the 3 guides is more than the repair cost, they will have to repair it for you, though in this instance its unlikely

When you've done this post the outcome here so other forum users can see the outcome. Get them to post you the 3 guide prices too just to make sure they've done it properly.

Good luck

EdGasket

You are not obliged to use insurance companies at all. You can just claim your losses off the other party who was at fault. Give her 14 days to pay up the costs of repair/replacement or you will commence a small claim for the amount plus costs. That way you get to keep the car too !

cyclonebri1

Unfortunately unless you have the car covered by classic insurance, then the going rate, largely decided by the insurers is all you will get.

I would claim the £s and get some salvage parts sorted

motorguy

TRADESIZE wrote: »

hey man this ones easy listen up because I work in the complaints dept of a top uk motor insurer.
The answer is simple, first things first advise them I wish to make an offiicial complaint because my pre accident value is not as much as it should be.

dont waste your time with examples, you simply need to tell them to do this:
look at parkers, glasses, and cap guide, adjust for mileage where possible, make sure its valued at the same month of the accident and give you the average of the 3. Tell them they must do this becasue if they dont you will go to the financial ombudsman, and thats what they will tell your insurer to do!
If the average of the 3 guides is more than the repair cost, they will have to repair it for you, though in this instance its unlikely

When you've done this post the outcome here so other forum users can see the outcome. Get them to post you the 3 guide prices too just to make sure they've done it properly.
This is one of the things I do as a job about 6 times a week!
Good luck, but follow my instructions and you wont need it - honestly.

If the cars an old one - which it is - surely CAP and Glasses wont have a listing for it?

eira

Thanks for replies have acted on advice. This is present situation
1) Protested valuation and told co to contact other party's insurance-they hadn't bothered to do this
2)Thought that was situation. I had received nothing from my insurance re sources of valuation or cost of repairs. I got details e mailed from estimating garage
3) Yesterday I got a) a cheque for £625-value of car minus £250 excess
b)a form for filling in details of accident c) a letter saying DVLA had been informed vehicle was a write off as 'beyond economic repair'

4) After fruitless calls to other depts got through to complaints who are now dealing with it. As far as I can gather they had no right to write off the car without telling me first; I should have had the right to negotiate the valuation and been informed of how the value was arrived at; if the other party admits liability I have the right to be restored to the situation I was in before the accident happened

5)Have followed advice re valuations-it ranges from £620 (Glass) to over £2000. There is no way I can get an equivalent car for the money offered.
An added complication is that MOT runs out in a week. It may fail as a previous garage allegedly fitted a catlytic convertor that may fail emmissions test, The convertor is under warranty but said garage refuses to produce the receipt so I can claim on it.

NB Italics are an accident!

Thanks for advice folks

dacouch

The variation in your valuations is surprising, where are you getting the valuations for £2000 from?

Is the £625 you received including you keeping the salvage of the car?