Car Insurance Claim - advice please! Write-off or no?

fivetide

Cat D shouldn't be an issue. your current insurer can't complain at least!

You'd get a reduced payout if you claimed again of course but that wouldn't matter. Look into how much they'd want for you to keep it and make a decision. If they say £200 could you buy another car in the same mechanical (if not cosmetic) condition for that price?

scheming_gypsy

I'd try and get a lower payout and have it fixed privately. If they scrap it and you buy it back then it's a cat D but if they don't it's just a damaged / repaired and still worth the original value.

BJV

colino wrote: »

Unless you withdraw your claim, it's up to the insurer the outcome of this deal. Bear in mind all of the UK insurers now manipulate the salvage market and they often "overclassify" a car to make sure it goes to salvage and their income from that source will be better than a contribution from the original owner.

That's not completely true. Since the FSA was dissolved and the FCA came into force they are now becoming at last more an more interested in insurance esp car insurance.

The insurance company is a business and they will want to settle as little as possible true! But equally the FSC / FSA guidelines say that they must still justify where and on what the settlement is based.

No insurance company wants to fall foul of the new FCA as they are out to prove themselves.

BJV

fivetide wrote: »

Why though?

Better the devil you know and all that.

You could get another one and BAM another £750 for a clutch in a few months.

This way, as said, you might get a bit of brass in pocket and keep 'old faithful' for a bit longer.

As long as the damage isn't dangerous, keep the war wound. It'll make people thing twice about cutting you up and parking next to you at the supermarket. Run the car until the wheels fall off.

That's what i would do. Providing that the damage was only cosmetic and nothing dangerous.

Prothet_of_Doom

I'd make them a formal offer.

They can give you £2000 (or whatever) for the car, (and you can provide 20 adverts retail of less worthy cars at a higher price, and you can provide evidence of recent expenditure ) , and you'll buy the salvage as a CAT D for £500 back from them,

or

they can send a different assessor, and re-estimate the cost, and repair it.

I see no reason, other than 'policy' why they wouldn't let you buy the car back. Policies are designed to be tested and rewitten if needed.

Prothet_of_Doom

A Cat D with photo's of the damage, and photo's mid repair and receipts for the work, is hardly less valuable than a car with no history with it.

Geoff_Mutton

I've received an email from the insurers today asking for my documents and my keys.

Moments later I got a phone call. I was calm and explained to them that I was not happy.

I was told that policy said that they do not offer any option for me to keep the car. A neighbour has told me that this is illegal. I don't know who to believe.

I'm still considering getting them to increase the payout price and changing car. I'm aware that the car is getting old and has been driven very hard. (I also have weighing on my mind the fact that awhile ago I discovered the dipstick was reading no oil whatsoever - which means there could be untold damage to the engine - so this may be a good time to move on and avoid further hefty garage bills).

The annoying thing about all of this is that the car is sitting in the drive and would probably serve me just fine for another 60-80,000 miles. Whatever happens, I'm in for a huge amount of hassle - still, in the grand scheme of things, it's not exactly the worst I could be facing.

Thanks for all the advice so far folks - at least I feel a little less lost and alone!

Quentin

If they aren't prepared to sell it back to you after writing it off then there's little you can do about it.

Your neighbour is misleading you.

Foxy-Stoat_3

If you are able to buy it back, you will need to re-mot it and take it for a VIC check before you can use it again.

colino

Foxy-Stoat, at what point did the classification of write off get established here or VOSA get involved to rescind the MOT.
Absolute rubbish.