Accident - MOT expired - advice please!

Wig

dacouch wrote: »

If she can get the car repaired for £1000 from a back street garage and the write off value is say £2000 the OP might as well take the £2000 (Less Excess) and keep the balance.

Not sure what you mean here. Do you mean she keeps
£2000 less excess say £250, less the remaining premium say £300

leaving her with £1450

She then buys the car for salvage say £100 - 150 leaving her with £1300 uses this money to repair car, and remains £300 up on the deal?

I agree it's a possible solution, It all depends on what all the actual figures are, also assuming cat C does not diminish the value for her.

dacouch

Wig wrote: »

Not sure what you mean here. Do you mean she keeps
£2000 less excess say £250, less the remaining premium say £300

leaving her with £1450

She then buys the car for salvage say £100 - 150 leaving her with £1300 uses this money to repair car, and remains £300 up on the deal?

I agree it's a possible solution, It all depends on what all the actual figures are, also assuming cat C does not diminish the value for her.

Basically yes, Cat C will reduce the future resale value of the car, although the OP mentioned that they would like the car repaired and back so they can run it into the ground.

sarriep

Hi,
Thanks again - it's an 03 Zafira - done about 80k. Our policy was taken out in November and we're paying monthly. We also have (yes I know bad move) a £350 excess on our policy.
Fro what the garage told us about the condition of the car I'm not expecting to be offered much but we've not yet had a settlement figure from them.
Zafira 1.6 Club, 5 doors, petrol, silver.
The damage is to the bumper and bonnet - both need replacing but I'm not sure what else. The cost of repair was quoted as £2500 - we've not seen the report - would we expect to?
I did wonder about us buying it and getting the repairs done - could we?
Having said that, when my husband went to get a couple of things from it from the garage he said they were bashing and banging it around, knocking the door into another written off car. There was no bonnet on it at all. He said they seemed to be treating all of the cars like that.

sarriep

And Cat C wouldn't be a problem as we had never intended to sell it on.

dacouch

I think they will offer you circa £1600 eg the trade price http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/used-prices/Valuation.aspx?deriv=19411&plate=72#amount=3000&years=3 Obviously they will deduct the excess from the settlement figure

If you're considering keeping the car, it's pointless doing it unless the car can be repaired for a reasonable amount. You need to get a quote to repair for "Cash" eg not involving an Insurer from a local garage. Ask friends for recommendations, explain to the garage the situation that your thinking of buying the salvage and they can then work out the cost they can repair it for.

sarriep

Thanks again! I'm am worried the garage has also now done further damage to the car - are they obliged to look after it until a settlement has been made?
I'm thinking it's probably not worth repairing but will look into it. And would you expect them to deduct the rest of the years insurance payments? I wondered if they factored all of this into the equation as if the car had been repaired we would have just continued with the policy so in effect by NOT repairing it they also gain the next 9 months of payments back ... ? (Does that make sense?)

dacouch

The rest of the premiums should not affect them calculating whether it is a write off or not.

The car is still your property until you agree a settlement with the Insurers, so if your not happy with the garage tell them.

sarriep

I understand but if they will get nearly £300 back from us if they write the car off then surely this is favourable to them as opposed to repairing it? I'm thinking of if it's a close call - which I know it doesn't seem to be ....
I suppose I'm just frustrated that a possible offer of £1600 - £350 excess - nearly £300 yet to pay insurance won't leave us much to get a similar car with!

Quentin

sarriep wrote: »

And would you expect them to deduct the rest of the years insurance payments?

Check your policy and see if it ends after a total loss payout.

If that is the case they would normally deduct what you owe in outstanding premiums from the settlement figure.

One other nasty to be prepared for - unless you have protected your NCB expect any new policy premiums to be more expensive.

sarriep

Thank you . Probably one of the only things we have done right is to have a protected NCB!