Rear shunt this morning, write-off but driveable

thevinternet

Hiya,

I would really appreciate some advice about this situation...pretty please?

I drive a very old and loved 2001 Skoda. I put a new exhaust on it just last week, it's in very good working condition.

I was rear-ended by a young girl this morning. She jumped out of her car and immediately admitted liability 'Late for work, lost concentration'. Her car seemed fine, but I have contacted my insurance company this afternoon, since the bumper has a long thin crack on it, and the bumper bodywork has moved away from the wheel arch by about 1cm.

This was the first time I've been involved in any incident in 5 years of driving. I am embarrassed to say that I was really shocked when my insurance company (Aviva) told me that it is an economic write-off). I have emailed them some pictures for a second opinion, but sure enough, they are are saying the same thing this evening. I've also had my local garage look at the car and they are sure there is no structural damage, it is largely cosmetic.

I do have a sore neck but I'm hoping for no delayed onset of whiplash (I read that it can take 3 days to come on? She was fine, just a bit shaken and very apologetic.

I have some very specific questions if that's ok please?

1. What are my options? I am aware that the money I will be offered for the car will be pitiful. Taking emotion out of it, I truly believe that the car is worth more than they will show up on their computer - brand new exhaust, new cat converter a couple of years ago, 4 new tyres a couple of months ago. It passes it's MOT first time, every time. If they offer me £700, I won't be able to go out and buy a car that will be as good.

2. Is there any way that I can keep the car as a CAT D, and get some kind of payout for the loss in value? Even £300 I would be very happy with.

3. The girl who went into me is on the phone wanting to sort it out privately, however, now that I have started a claim, am I right in thinking that even if I cancel it, my car will be registered as a CAT D, and both her and my premiums will go up? I can't imagine that Aviva will just delete that info if I cancel my claim!

4. Is it true that my premiums WILL go up, even though I am not the party at fault?

Many thanks,
thevinternet

Silver-Surfer_2

Both your premiums will go up regardless of what you do now you've informed the insurance company. Something you'll need to do for the next five years of renewals.

Marktheshark

Once you have been through this you will understand why whiplash is so common.

thevinternet

Thanks Silver-Surfer!

That's disappointing to hear re the premiums, but thank you for clarifying for me.

pappa_golf

a new exhaust , cat and tyres are just parts that are used for maintain the vehicle to a standard acceptable for the MOT , those parts will not be used in calculating any money due to you

Marktheshark

Sad truth I am afraid, you are going to end up out of pocket for years, the insurance companies do not care it was not your fault.
Those that have been through this before some how appear to be more prone to whiplash, must be the first jolt that weakens their necks.

thevinternet

pappa_golf wrote: »

a new exhaust , cat and tyres are just parts that are used for maintain the vehicle to a standard acceptable for the MOT , those parts will not be used in calculating any money due to you

Thanks Pappa Golf. I realise that those parts won't mean much to the insurance company! I suppose my point was more that I will struggle to buy a car with their financial offer with so many new bits! My car is very reliable and I'm hoping to keep it if possible.

thevinternet

Marktheshark wrote: »

Sad truth I am afraid, you are going to end up out of pocket for years, the insurance companies do not care it was not your fault.
Those that have been through this before some how appear to be more prone to whiplash, must be the first jolt that weakens their necks.

Thanks for this advice. I do have some neck pain this evening and will keep an eye on it. If I need to go to A&E tomorrow then I will, luckily I work in a hospital so it won't be too hard for me to get there!

straighttalker

If I were you, I'd try and contact her insurance company direct. Given that it was a rear end shunt, I doubt liability will be an issue. Go through them as most insurance companies have dedicated teams to deal with third parties. They might inspect again. If it is a write off, they will make a payment without any excess. They may also let you buy the salvage back from them and let you use it as a Cat D.

thevinternet

straighttalker wrote: »

If I were you, I'd try and contact her insurance company direct. Given that it was a rear end shunt, I doubt liability will be an issue. Go through them as most insurance companies have dedicated teams to deal with third parties. They might inspect again. If it is a write off, they will make a payment without any excess. They may also let you buy the salvage back from them and let you use it as a Cat D.

This shows how naive I am, since I didn't even know this was an option!

I am with Aviva, they have stated that if the girl who hits me claims liability then they will waive the excess.

loskie

You should be able just to notify your insurer and make clear you DO NOT want to claim through them.
Claim DIRECTLY off the other parties insurer.
They will prefer this as it will cost them less.
You will be offered a hire car or £10 per day in lieu, you have to ask for that.
They will assess the car and declare it a write off too.
You should have the option to buy it from them for 9% of the write off value(haggle on that). Then using second hand parts you can get a local back street place to fix it to a reasonable quality.
I did this in feb this year when someone ran into my old Subaru.
It was all remarkably straightforward.
One final thing is it had no effect on my premium as all losses were recovered from the other party.
I have insurance with Direct Line and LV and neither are effected,
The other blokes insurance was privelidge.