Car write-off settlement advice?

AnnaJJ

AnnaJJ said:

No, I haven't been driving it. To a lay person like me, the thing was running fine, but the boot wouldn't always lock properly, and the impact gouged a whole in the rear bumper so there was metal sticking out (which made it a hazard, especially as I live in an area with a lot of kids...the thought of one of them stumbling against it...eek). And I think it kind of knocked the back out of alignment somehow, so I'm assuming that aside from the cost of replacing the bumper etc, something more significant may have been shunted internally?

i.e. the back of the car was shunted such that the boot would no longer shut reliably. It was fine before that.

Ectophile

There is nothing to stop you asking for more.  It's common for insurance companies to make a cheeky low offer, and hope that they can get away with it.  You reply with prices of similar cars in your area.  They may offer you a few hundred more.

AnnaJJ

Ok, so I thought I'd give you an update!

The original offer was around £3.7k. I went back to them, asked them to revise the figure given that just to replace with car of the same make, model and mileage would cost £4.5k, and I'd been put in that position through no fault of my own. They offered £3.9k. (This was all through a form, not actually talking to anyone.)

Feeling slightly emboldened, and having spoken to my local Honda dealer (who sent me a few examples of equivalent cars), I went back again, thanking them for adjusting, but also asking that they consider the 'real world' conditions in which I'm having to buy. They blurb says they don't take Autotrader etc into account, but I included 3 links to adverts of the closest thing to the car they're writing off, all of which were £4.3k+.

They came back to me, with more of an explanation of the guides they'd looked at, and saying this was their final offer: £4.8k..!

Which was a very pleasant surprise! I think it's still subject to review, but I'm so glad I just asked, and provided some evidence that I wasn't just asking fr the sake of it. I very rarely negotiate on things, but I think I've learnt the value of it now..!

lazydave

I am going through the same at the moment.  Great result!  Hoping I can achieve the same

caprikid1

They came back to me, with more of an explanation of the guides they'd looked at, and saying this was their final offer: £4.8k..!

Just be careful to check if this is in settlement for the car or full and final for the accident, that may block you from any injury claims. If you are happy with your physical state and the level of inconvenience that sounds ok.

I should also ask about the options to buy the car back as it may do another 6 months if the damage is minor allowing you more time to find a car.

lazydave

AnnaJJ said:

Ok, so I thought I'd give you an update!

The original offer was around £3.7k. I went back to them, asked them to revise the figure given that just to replace with car of the same make, model and mileage would cost £4.5k, and I'd been put in that position through no fault of my own. They offered £3.9k. (This was all through a form, not actually talking to anyone.)

Feeling slightly emboldened, and having spoken to my local Honda dealer (who sent me a few examples of equivalent cars), I went back again, thanking them for adjusting, but also asking that they consider the 'real world' conditions in which I'm having to buy. They blurb says they don't take Autotrader etc into account, but I included 3 links to adverts of the closest thing to the car they're writing off, all of which were £4.3k+.

They came back to me, with more of an explanation of the guides they'd looked at, and saying this was their final offer: £4.8k..!

Which was a very pleasant surprise! I think it's still subject to review, but I'm so glad I just asked, and provided some evidence that I wasn't just asking fr the sake of it. I very rarely negotiate on things, but I think I've learnt the value of it now..!

Hi.  Out of curiosity what did you value the car at when you insured it?  I am challenging my claim but slightly higher than valued, a figure their call centre worker suggested.  Thanks

Goudy

That sounds like a great result, well done.

Although buying a car back from the insurance company and having a more budget focused fix done can be worthwhile at times, I honestly don't think this would be a good option for you personally.

What might appear to be some cosmetic damage at first could turn out to be far worse once you dig into it, so you still might have to cut your losses on it and get a bill from a body shop for the hours they already spent on it.

With your payout, a trip back to that friendly Honda dealer might be the best option, but this time reverse the technique and haggle them down in price.
Surprise yourself a second time!

ashleyk

I am in a similar situation but far worse and hadn't seen this thread. I have a small Mazda, which the insurer wants to write off and they are offering about £1300 minus the £300 excess, yet when I look around, anything vaguely comparable is about £4K or more. Now they want to take it away tomorrow with the V5 and I just don't think they are behaving fairly.