Cat D Repaired Cars

AdrianC

<looks very sceptical>
Any chance of a link to that thread?

Nodding_Donkey

It was in the Consumer Rights forum https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5183596

xHannahx

Hubby previously had an old citroen that had minor damage after an accident. He bought it back off the insurer for scrap value after they'd paid out, and repaired himself as he knew it was a reliable car and it was cheaper than buying a new car. The only damage was somebody had hit and dented the offside rear door. £20 for a new one from scrapyard (in an odd colour). It was given that category as it was only a £750 car.
Once it was repaired and been through VIC he found a lot of insurance companies T&Cs stated they did not cover vehicles previously written off. It had no impact on premium with the companies that would cover him though.
That was about 7 years ago so things may have changed since then.

AdrianC

Nodding_Donkey wrote: »

It was in the Consumer Rights forum https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5183596

Seems my scepticism was well-founded.

Somebody knowingly buys repaired-but-unVICced CatC car, gets in argument with dealer over VICing, tells insurer the car they're already covering is CatC, insurer says "We don't cover CatC vehicles" and cancels existing cover on that vehicle, taken out with status undeclared.

So nothing at all about cancelling cover if you even enquire about insuring a CatD, and nothing at all about blacklisting you in the future.

redux

Marktheshark wrote: »

On here last week someone bought a bargain write off and called their insurance only to be told, your insurance is cancelled immediately and we will not insure you again.

It sounds like the question should have been asked beforehand, not afterwards.

On the other hand, my insurer proposed to write off my car as cat C. They were willing to let me buy the salvage, but not continue to insure it, which I pointed out would lose me 9 months remaining premium. In the end we negotiated that they pay me in lieu of the repairs without writing it off.

Babbawah

AdrianC wrote: »

Isn't that the precise point of CatX?

There's also Cat U, which is 'U'nrecorded. Which is a bit of an oxymoron, don't you think?

I've seen vehicles with zero damage recorded as Cat A. The destruction and disposal of which has been RIGIDLY enforced.

Can you imagine why?

forgotmyname

CAT A. Vehicle identity unknown? Water damaged?

Babbawah

forgotmyname wrote: »

CAT A. Vehicle identity unknown? Water damaged?

If a vehicle has no identity then there are only 2 possibilities :

1. It never had an identity. In which case it is highly unusual for it to fall under the ABI code of practice on disposal.

2. The identity has been removed. In which case it has sustained damage, even if the extent of the damage is limited to removing that identity.

Water damage does not in any way qualify for a description of zero damage !

You need to think outside of the box that your presumptions have put you into. Every day vehicles are disposed of under Cat A rules when they have sustained ZERO damage !

I once took a 3yr old Merc 'S' Class to the crusher and personnally witnessed the destruction. Everyone present had a tear in their eye as a £48k car in undamaged condition was cubed.

Why did we do that?

AdrianC

Babbawah wrote: »

I've seen vehicles with zero damage recorded as Cat A. The destruction and disposal of which has been RIGIDLY enforced.

I believe that anything involved in a fatality is usually CatA.

CatA & B both have to be destroyed by licensed disposal sites only - the only difference is that CatB can have parts removed for sale.

xHannahx

The definitions on the RAC website state

Category A: scrap only. For cars so badly damaged they should be crushed and never re-appear on the road. Even salvageable parts must be destroyed.

Category B: body shell should be crushed. Signifies extensive damage, although some parts are salvageable. Should never re-appear on road, although reclaimed parts can be used in other road-going vehicles.

Category C: the vehicle is repairable but the costs exceed the vehicle’s value. Can re-appear on road.

Category the vehicle is repairable but repair costs are significant compared to the vehicle value – including time delays to source parts. Can re-appear on road.

The ABI Salvage Code dictates that Category A and Category B cars should be crushed, with Cat B vehicles allowed to donate some safe and serviceable parts.

However, write-offs in the latter two categories can be sold on by the insurance company, either to the original owner or to a third party via a car salvage company. Cars written off as a Category C case, according to the ABI’s Salvage Code, “require a Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) before a V5C registration certificate is re-issued by the DVLA.” The VIC is carried out by the Vehicle Operator and Services Agency (VOSA).

As no notifications are made to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) or VOSA when a car is written off in a Category D situation, the vehicle is not subject to a VIC before it is allowed back on the road – just make sure the repair work has been carried out to a safe and satisfactory standard.

Cars in the latter two categories can sometimes represent a bargain, if they are priced accordingly. An older car can be repaired to an acceptable standard at a lower cost than that dictated by an insurance company’s standards – especially if used parts or cheaper labour are used.