Car deemed a "write-off" but it's completely driveable

Savvy_Sue

Astradude wrote: »

Im not in a hurry to buy another car because the hire car is just as good as the one i had.

You do need to check how long the insurance co. will carry on paying out for a hire car: there may well be a limit, especially if they feel you are not accepting a reasonable settlement. Even if it's the other chap's insurance you are claiming on, there may be a limit.

cyclonebri1

goldspanners wrote: »

just a side note, ive noticed a hell of a lot of cat d and c right offs repaired and being resold recently,especially on ebay.
but ive also noticed an increase of folk on here surprized at thier car being written off. why is this? is this due to the weather and people not driving accordingly or are cars being written of to easily?

Yes it is winter, but cheaper p/x cars can now not be given away, never mind the ex bent ones. This has devalued the lower end of the market to an extent that few punters yet realise. It is this that gives the insurers more incentive to write off than repair.

I think the reason there are more on ebay is that ex right offs are now proving hard to shift as there is solittle profit to be had.;)

ray123

Go to the doctor and say you have a bad neck, etc. and claim compensation.

As for original post, as far as I am aware, your car will need to pass a VIC (vechicle insurance check). So before you get it repaired ask the garage whether it will pass! If you were to repair the car and it failed the VIC, it would be uninsurable and so you would not be able to drive it!
Good luck

housesitter

As for more cars being cat C&D, well, blame the safety for that.
When you introduce lots of crumple zones into a vehicle, they get more squished when in a crash.
It's not so easy to jig a modern car, you tend to have to cut bits off and replace them which is much more expensive to repair.

city_girl_258

Hi there, wonder if anyone can help.

My mum had an accident in her car last week which wasn't her fault. The lady pulled into the inside lane where my mum was driving and promptly hit the side of my mums car leaving a dent and cosmetic damage on the side but not too bad.
It went in for an assessment this weekend and the insurers have decided to write the car off. They haven't decided which category yet, we find out this tomorrow or the day after. Does anyone know what rights we have if it's a Category B or a Category C/D? From what i've gathered by reading through this thread if they do it as a Cat C/D we can get the car back on the road following repairs and a new MOT. But are we completely stuck with getting rid of the car if they write if off as a Cat B? The car means alot to my mum and i know she doesn't want to get rid of it. Any help as to what we should expect and any advice on how to negotiate with the insurers would be much appreciated!

sarahg1969

You cnnot put a Cat B car back on the road, but if it's only minor cosmetic damage, then it's likely to be Cat C or D anyway. It will need a VIC if it's cat C though, before you can put it back on the road.

dacouch

If its cosmetic damage it will probably be a Cat C or D which will normally mean the Insurer will give you the option to buy the salvage back and have the work done yourself.

It would be worth having a word with a local body repairer and asking them how much they would charge to repair the car for Cash eg No Insurer involved. Their prices will often be much lower as they labour rates will be less and they can if you want use pattern parts (Not the manufacturers official parts).

Once you have got this price you will know whether its worth buying the salvage from the Insurer.

Beaware that the Insurer will often get the salvage company to collect the vehicle very quickly so its best to let them know that you are considering retaining the salvage so the car does not get taken away.

Also be aware that if your mum keeps it and then sells the car on it sometimes reduces the value of the car slightly because it has been a write off.

Hintza

dacouch wrote: »

Also be aware that if your mum keeps it and then sells the car on it sometimes reduces the value of the car slightly because it has been a write off.

This is a good point my mate in the businerss reckons by 18% for a CAT D.

Don't pay too much to buy it back though work on cost + cost of repairs < than say +/-30% of retail value.

So here is an example:-

Insurance company offer you £1,000 for the car and it is written off CAT D and you agree that is fair (need to haggle with them here probably). You then price up repairs and are quoted say £500 cash.

Then you want to pay:-

£1,000 - 30% = £700 less £500 (cost of repair) = £200.

So to retain the car you need to accept a cheque for £800.

That then leaves you with a paper profit of £300 but that will cover drop in value and the inevitable phone call to say that they can not repair x and now need to buy a new one!!

Revel

VIC stands for Vehicle Identity Check and it is an inspection to make sure the car hasn't been stolen or isn't a ringer. The repairs are not inspected. Failing the VIC means the car's dodgy & the police get involved, nothing to do with the insurance company.
More info to be found at http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/BuyingAndSellingAVehicle/AdviceOnBuyingAndSellingAVehicle/DG_4022107
There you can download the form to apply for one. The correct telephone number now is 0300 123 9000 to ring to see if the car needs one.

vaio

ray123 wrote: »

Go to the doctor and say you have a bad neck, etc. and claim compensation.

As for original post, as far as I am aware, your car will need to pass a VIC (vechicle insurance check). So before you get it repaired ask the garage whether it will pass! If you were to repair the car and it failed the VIC, it would be uninsurable and so you would not be able to drive it!
Good luck

Not going to comment on the bad neck suggestion but the rest of your post is completely wrong…..

VIC is identity only, nothing to do with repairs, roadworthyness or insurance. You can insure and MOT a car that needs but hasn’t yet had a VIC, the only thing you can’t do is tax it.