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Can we contest a car insurance write off?
Spyderbryte
Posts: 3 Newbie
Hi everyone…
Long story short, is there a way for me/my husband to contest an insurance company writing off his car?
Long story:
A few weeks ago, my hubby was sitting in traffic when the guy behind him slipped off the brake, and hit his car from behind. He admitted that his foot slipped but there appeared to be no damage to either car – no scratched on the bumpers or anything. They swapped details to be sure, and that was that. However, on the way home, there was a bit of a grinding noise that there normally wouldn’t be. So we checked it when we got home. Hubby put his hand on the side of the bumped and it jumped, so we believe the jolt had knocked the clips loose and by putting his hand on the side, it has pushed them back in. To be sure though, we checked under the rear bumper (Just to make sure the exhaust or something wasn’t loose) and spotted that the plastic bar things that had the bumped bolted under the car had shattered. We took photo’s (in addition to the couple taken before) and sent them off after phoning the insurance. They elected a garage for the car to go to etc, and off we went believing everything was in hand. Car was collected and it went off, courtesy car was provided 3rd party.
About a week later, the hubby got a call saying that basically, the repair would cost over £2000 and his car was only worth £1600. Immediately we were a bit shocked – the same model as his seems to average out at about £2000 private seller (It’s a 2006 Clio campus Sport, 55k miles, immaculate condition with full service history). We contested that and they point blank refused to budge on their price, even though that was based on a 2004 clio, 90k miles that was a cat D. They sent us the ad for it and when we pointed out the difference they said it was the closest one, so we sent them the ad’s for ones we had found of the exact same model as the hubbies, with slightly different mileage. Still wouldn’t budge. So they’ve immediately said it’s a cat C. He then asked for a full report so we could ask our local Renault about the repair. They directed us to a specialist for Renault’s. In the mean time, the report came though. Their garage has said that the boot floor needs completely replacing, the bumper needs replacing and that the two rear side panels need replacing. We asked about that, about the cost being so high. Their response was that they only use new parts with 3 years warranty.
Again, long story short, we had the car back (for which they charge a total of £350 for) and took it to the garage. They’ve come back and said that the damage is barely there. To repair the whole thing, it will cost about £450, and £300 of that is in labour. So needless to say, that’s drastically different. We even double checked and that’s with official, brand new Renault parts with 3 yrs. warranty. So that’s a DRASTIC difference. We have the Renault specialists estimate form too, so we can send that to the insurance company but as it stands, we have a car THEY are estimating at £1600 value, the insurance valuation calculators are saying is worth £2100, private seller ad’s are valuing at roughly £2000. They’re saying the cost of repairing the car would be £2300, but a specialist for the car is saying would be less than £500. Yet the car has been “written off” as a cat C. Can we contest this ruling, given that they are effectively devaluing the car to match their garages report which we feel has been proven to be false.
Oh, and that’s NOTHING compared to the state they brought the car back in!! The bumper and rear lights were taken off and left in the car, and they've cracked one of his rear lights. When it was brought up with the guy returning the car (after he over-revved it whilst we were standing there), the guy just laughed and said it was a "heap of s***" anyway and that we're lucky to have got it back like that. Oh, the specialists quote to repair, includes replacing the light casing for their damage.
Long story short, is there a way for me/my husband to contest an insurance company writing off his car?
Long story:
A few weeks ago, my hubby was sitting in traffic when the guy behind him slipped off the brake, and hit his car from behind. He admitted that his foot slipped but there appeared to be no damage to either car – no scratched on the bumpers or anything. They swapped details to be sure, and that was that. However, on the way home, there was a bit of a grinding noise that there normally wouldn’t be. So we checked it when we got home. Hubby put his hand on the side of the bumped and it jumped, so we believe the jolt had knocked the clips loose and by putting his hand on the side, it has pushed them back in. To be sure though, we checked under the rear bumper (Just to make sure the exhaust or something wasn’t loose) and spotted that the plastic bar things that had the bumped bolted under the car had shattered. We took photo’s (in addition to the couple taken before) and sent them off after phoning the insurance. They elected a garage for the car to go to etc, and off we went believing everything was in hand. Car was collected and it went off, courtesy car was provided 3rd party.
About a week later, the hubby got a call saying that basically, the repair would cost over £2000 and his car was only worth £1600. Immediately we were a bit shocked – the same model as his seems to average out at about £2000 private seller (It’s a 2006 Clio campus Sport, 55k miles, immaculate condition with full service history). We contested that and they point blank refused to budge on their price, even though that was based on a 2004 clio, 90k miles that was a cat D. They sent us the ad for it and when we pointed out the difference they said it was the closest one, so we sent them the ad’s for ones we had found of the exact same model as the hubbies, with slightly different mileage. Still wouldn’t budge. So they’ve immediately said it’s a cat C. He then asked for a full report so we could ask our local Renault about the repair. They directed us to a specialist for Renault’s. In the mean time, the report came though. Their garage has said that the boot floor needs completely replacing, the bumper needs replacing and that the two rear side panels need replacing. We asked about that, about the cost being so high. Their response was that they only use new parts with 3 years warranty.
Again, long story short, we had the car back (for which they charge a total of £350 for) and took it to the garage. They’ve come back and said that the damage is barely there. To repair the whole thing, it will cost about £450, and £300 of that is in labour. So needless to say, that’s drastically different. We even double checked and that’s with official, brand new Renault parts with 3 yrs. warranty. So that’s a DRASTIC difference. We have the Renault specialists estimate form too, so we can send that to the insurance company but as it stands, we have a car THEY are estimating at £1600 value, the insurance valuation calculators are saying is worth £2100, private seller ad’s are valuing at roughly £2000. They’re saying the cost of repairing the car would be £2300, but a specialist for the car is saying would be less than £500. Yet the car has been “written off” as a cat C. Can we contest this ruling, given that they are effectively devaluing the car to match their garages report which we feel has been proven to be false.
Oh, and that’s NOTHING compared to the state they brought the car back in!! The bumper and rear lights were taken off and left in the car, and they've cracked one of his rear lights. When it was brought up with the guy returning the car (after he over-revved it whilst we were standing there), the guy just laughed and said it was a "heap of s***" anyway and that we're lucky to have got it back like that. Oh, the specialists quote to repair, includes replacing the light casing for their damage.
0
Comments
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Have they offered you the opportunity to buy the salvage from them if they write the car off?0
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Hi
I think so... They said that if we took the car back then hubs would receive less than the value they provided based on them taking money that they'd lose for not scrapping selling the car for scrap. If that's what you mean.0 -
So the solution to your problem is you allow the Insurer to write the car off, they pay you less the value of the salvage which will be circa £500.
You can then use the money the Insurer pay you to have the car repaired for £500.
Any money left over, you're perfectly entitled to keep.
In return you'll have your own car, it will be repaired but bear in mind when you go to sell it the value will be about 20% less as it will have a marker against it that it has previously been written off0
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