Car Insurance

sasparillo

Thanks. The thing is I have an excess of £250. Should I then wait for the insurance company to come back with its valuations?

facade wrote: »

Ambulance chasers. Avoid.


Only think of using them if the third party insurer isn't co-operating and paying out.


As above though, in my experience drivers never* look when they reverse off their drive ( at high speed usually) you should be ready to stand on the brakes and sound your horn at the first hint of a car backing out.


* I think because they looked before they got into the car, and the road was clear then that they don't need to look again until the back wheels have bounced into the gutter. Bad luck for pedestrians walking their dog past the drive.......

sasparillo

Thanks. The thing is I have an excess of £250. Should I then wait for the insurance company to come back with its valuations?

Can anyone kindly help me with this?

shaun_from_Africa

sasparillo wrote: »

Thanks. The thing is I have an excess of £250. Should I then wait for the insurance company to come back with its valuations?

Can anyone kindly help me with this?

If you think that your vehicle is going to be written off, it wouldn't do any harm to pre-empt this and see if you can find examples of cars for sale that are of a similar age, condition and mileage and get copies of any adverts.
You might not need these but if you do, it may save time getting a decent payout if you can submit these to the insurers as soon as they make their first offer.

facade

The excess only applies (to your own damage) if you claim with your own insurance. There is no excess on claiming directly from the third party. If the third party insurer disputes liability, and won't pay, you can claim from your own fully comprehensive policy, and then there is a £250 excess deducted from the payout.

sasparillo

facade wrote: »

The excess only applies (to your own damage) if you claim with your own insurance. There is no excess on claiming directly from the third party. If the third party insurer disputes liability, and won't pay, you can claim from your own fully comprehensive policy, and then there is a £250 excess deducted from the payout.

Thank you for this, facade. So if by chance the third party insurer refuses to pay the excess, can I resort to the legal insurance to claim back the excess or is it not worth it?

Car_54

The TP insurer won’t even know you have an excess.

sasparillo

Car_54 wrote: »

The TP insurer won’t even know you have an excess.

Thanks Car 54, so ... it’s a case of negotiating as large a sum as possible as to the valuation?

a.turner

sasparillo wrote: »

Thanks Car 54, so ... it’s a case of negotiating as large a sum as possible as to the valuation?

Same a look at some adverts for similar cars and see what they're going for locally. Keep a copy in case you need them.

Car_54

a.turner wrote: »

Same a look at some adverts for similar cars and see what they're going for locally. Keep a copy in case you need them.

That won’t tell you what they’re going for - only what the sellers are asking!

Unless it’s a very unusual car, the insurers will use the trade guides (Glass’s etc.), and the ombudsman’s guidelines endorse that.

a.turner

Car_54 wrote: »

That won’t tell you what they’re going for - only what the sellers are asking!

Unless it’s a very unusual car, the insurers will use the trade guides (Glass’s etc.), and the ombudsman’s guidelines endorse that.

It's been suggested at least once before or are you suggesting he takes bottom book price which is below anything the public can see for free?