Car written off, now taxed??

NICKIR_2

Hi All, Can someone please advise?My car was in a no fault accident recently and after 11 weeks the other partys insurance said my car was to be written off as an uneconomical loss. I was heartbroken to be honest as the damage in my eyes was minimal. I know its only a car but it was the first thing Id treated myself to after a divorce. Anyway, originally the repairs were to be done through a third party, and it was them that told the car was being written off and destroyed. I wanted to buy the car back, as like Ive said the damage was minimal (scrathes to back bumper/wing and alloy) but they said this wasnt an option as it was against company policy. I tried to fight this as much as I could, pleaded and through sheer frustration and dismay, cried... but to no avail. They said my car would be collected by a salvage agent and destroyed. I had my suspiscions that someone else wanted my car and so Ive been keeping an eye on the vehicle via the gov.uk website...the car has been newly taxed and expires on 1st December 2023 What ,if any, are my options?Im gutted

DullGreyGuy

Should have been keeping your eye on Copart and the other car auction companies instead as most N and S total losses flow via their hands.

No one "wanted your car", insurers have deals with companies like Copart to sell them all salvage vehicles at x% of the total loss value. By assuring that all cars go to them and no cherry picking happens the insurer can get X to be a larger number. The set percentage also makes life simple in the accounting/claims teams as there is no messing about negotiating each case. 

NICKIR_2

Id not heard of Copart so wouldnt have known to check there, but Im sure as they deal with insurance claims, the repair company would have and so cant only assume they knowingly didnt advise me. They would have known that due to the little damage on the car, it would have been sold on...so why not let me buy it??

DullGreyGuy

As stated above, by not cherry picking which cars to pass to salvage and which to dispose of another way the salvage merchant will pay a higher percentage on every car which therefore reduces their losses.

As to why the garage advised you it'd be destroyed rather than potentially resold at auction, you'd need to ask them that...potentially they dont know what happens after the merchant picks up the salvage from them

Nobbie1967

Are you claiming directly off the third party rather than through your own insurance? If so, you can keep your car and just demand the difference between pre accident value and salvage value.

Suspect you are claiming through your own insurance and are therefore bound by their policy regarding disposal of the car.

Is your claim being handled by your insurers accident management company? Have they given you a hire car?

caprikid1

Unfortunately if you have a car you care about / expensive car you need to avoid the standard insurance companies IE Direct Line for both insurance and handling any claims as you will be most likely be bullied , lied to and de frauded by the larger insurance companies. They are just not structured to deal with such issues both in their contracts or service. They just want to  close the case as quickly and cheaply as possible

Aretnap

Nobbie1967 said:

Are you claiming directly off the third party rather than through your own insurance? If so, you can keep your car and just demand the difference between pre accident value and salvage value.

He could have insisted on this had he been dealing with the third party insurer. He has no contract with them which would give them the right to retain his car, and their obligation to him in tort law was simply to compensate him for the financial loss he has suffered, ie pay him the difference between his car's value before the accident and it's value after the accident.

However if his car has already been sold on and is being driven by someone else, its a bit late to insist on it now, and it's not obvious what recourse he'd have for the fact that they did take it and sell it on. At most he'd be entitled to the value of the car as they took it - which has already been factored into the write off cheque.

NICKIR_2

Im just really sad and feel Ive not been treated fairly by the repair people..Im not after anything or insisting on anything, I really just wanted my car back, and my post was only to ask if there was anything I could do/any offer of advise. 
ie pay the difference between his car's value before the accident and it's value after the accident - wish Id know this.
Obviously its now been sold, possibly through the Copart and there is nothing I can do..I was just so upset this morning...too trusting I think. Lesson learnt...Thank you for your comments

DullGreyGuy

NICKIR_2 said:

Im just really sad and feel Ive not been treated fairly by the repair people..

The repair people may be none the wiser... I put my recycling bin out every week, someone collects it... where it goes after that or what happens to the contents I've no idea. I know some places separate out and resell the bundles of plastic, paper etc, I know some turn it into some form of pellets for burning in energy plants. 

I could take a punt and say it's going to the recycling centre a couple of miles away, I think that one actually recycles metals onsite but bundles and resells the rest. 

Just because you deal with something every day/week doesn't mean you have any idea what goes on once it leaves your area but people try and be helpful and give what sounds like a plausible answer. Its similar with the police who are forever giving an opinion on liability which is often way off the mark and then as a claims technician you have to explain that yes the police may have said the motorcyclist was liable for creating their own lane but the courts have ruled many times that the car emerging from the side road still carries most the liability etc.

daveyjp

Its a pain when this happens as insurance companies will generally be more expensive than arranging own repairs, in one of my cases it was by a factor of ten.  It also demonstrates how insurance has become a process the vehicle owner can lose control over.  'Put in a claim and we do the rest', may not be the best for the policyholder.

Too late now, but once the decision is made to write off, if its minor damage you could drop the claim via the approved repairer, go to your own bodyshop get them to quote a sensible price and ask the third party to pay out that cost, they generally do.

Flight3287462

If you are ever in an accident always get the car recovered to your home (if feasibly possible ie can still drive or be towed).

Then the discussion on keeping the salvage becomes much easier than if it is in a compound somewhere.