Car write off - claim advice needed

jon200

Hi,

I'm looking for some advice on my car insurance claim.

I had a crash yesterday, hitting a car in the rear, her car probably written off, my car definitely written off.

My insurance company (Bell), tell me that i should have an offer by the end of tomorrow (despite them already telling me they probably can't pick it up from the recovery company until the end of the week).

I don't know how this all works - people tell to refuse the first offer as it is always derisory, but how many "offers" do they make you and how do they calculate how much to pay out?

My difficulty is that i have hired a car (i'm not covered with a courtesy car for write offs), which i have until next Friday and i cannot afford it for any longer. My work location is such that a vehicle is essential, plus i study about 20 miles away from my workplace so i need this done with sooner rather than later.

Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

StephenMarsh

Insurance is designed to put you back in the same position you were in prior to the accident. If they offer you enough to replace your car for a like for like then take it ask for a bacs payment (they may not do this but its quicker than a cheque for you). If the offer is less than what you can buy your make/model/year of car for then its worthwhile questioning the offer but they may ask you for your own evidence. Also bear in mind you will have to pay your own excess which they will deduct from any settlement.

Auto Trader is a decent benchmark these days so do some research before the offer comes in so you can make an informed decision

jon200

Thanks for your reply,

I have a zero excess which is handy for me. I can't find any like for like replacements on Auto Trader, there are a couple on Ebay going for £2500-£3000, but the Parkers guide only gives a value of £2115.

Obviously ideally i'd want around £3000, but we'll see.

dacouch

Insurers are not obliged to go by Autotrader adverts as the prices they advertise are regarded as prices to start haggling from.

The values Insurers tend to go by are Glasses and Parkers values etc.

They sometimes go by completed sale prices on ebay and will take Autotrader prices into account if they are for exactly the same model, mileage and condition etc.

Have a read of this http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/motor-valuation.html#13 in particular 2, 5 & 6

What is the exact make, model, spec, year and mileage of your car ?

jon200

dacouch wrote: »

Insurers are not obliged to go by Autotrader adverts as the prices they advertise are regarded as prices to start haggling from.

The values Insurers tend to go by are Glasses and Parkers values etc.

They sometimes go by completed sale prices on ebay and will take Autotrader prices into account if they are for exactly the same model, mileage and condition etc.

Have a read of this http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/motor-valuation.html#13 in particular 2, 5 & 6

What is the exact make, model, spec, year and mileage of your car ?

It's a Vauxhall Astra Elegance, 5dr, 1.8i 16v, 52 plate, 70,000 miles, metallic blue.

dacouch

I think you have very little chance of getting £3000 for the car, Parkers are giving a value of circa £2250 for the car for dealer price and £1800 for good private. http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/used-prices/Valuation.aspx?deriv=23345&plate=70#amount=3000&years=3

If you look at completed ebay listings for the car between £1010 and £1495 (2003 model).

Autotrader has a few on there starting at £2190 upto £2742 for the same year, however as stated before these prices are regarded as a price to start haggling from so are not neccessarily the value of the car. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/cars/vauxhall/astra/postcode/wd25bb/radius/200/keywords/elegance/sort/priceasc/quantity-of-doors/5/engine-size-cars/1-7l_to_1-9l/maximum-mileage/up_to_80000_miles/maximum-age/up_to_10_years_old/transmission/manual

I'm guessing your Insurer will offer you between £1900 and £2200 for the car assuming it was in good condition

StephenMarsh

Agree with dacouch on his valuation ive known a few insurers to just take auto trader valuations rather than parkers but they would certainly be looking at the lower end of the pricing (they do also use a wide search rather than local area for best pricing) and as he says its a starting point so anything around £2100 would be a good offer.

jon200

An update - The insurance company offerered me £1700. I rejected it out of hand and provided them with an ad on Auto Trader for the exact same model, same year, same colour, same mileage (without cruise control which my car has) for £2495.

They cannot provide me with any evidence that their valuation is correct.

They claim the £1700 valuation is from the glass's guide, but i got my own Glass's valuation and it says the below - i'd welcome your thoughts.

Nearest mileage available 70,000 Price when new £14,090

Retail value
Garage/retailer's selling price £2,680

Trade-in values
Clean Condition £1,415
Aveerage Condition £1,275
Below Average Condition £1,130

Quote

jon200 wrote: »

Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Get better cover next time?

jon200 wrote: »

I don't know how this all works - people tell to refuse the first offer.

A lot of people don't know much.

mikey72

jon200 wrote: »

Hi,

I'm looking for some advice on my car insurance claim.

I had a crash yesterday, hitting a car in the rear, her car probably written off, my car definitely written off.

My insurance company (Bell), tell me that i should have an offer by the end of tomorrow (despite them already telling me they probably can't pick it up from the recovery company until the end of the week).

I don't know how this all works - people tell to refuse the first offer as it is always derisory, but how many "offers" do they make you and how do they calculate how much to pay out?

My difficulty is that i have hired a car (i'm not covered with a courtesy car for write offs), which i have until next Friday and i cannot afford it for any longer. My work location is such that a vehicle is essential, plus i study about 20 miles away from my workplace so i need this done with sooner rather than later.

Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

The basic premise is they charge as much as possible on premiums, and then pay as little as possible if you claim.
Like everything else, haggle.
They have you, as if you can't agree, it drags on forever, until you give in.