unclear what to do about new insurance and possibly category s on log book need advice

milo11

Last weekend I went to see a fiat 500 which was for sale and looked and drove lovely. The car itself is a 2014 model and I decided to buy it. The person I bought it from was going to do the electronic bits for the sale and I transferred the money. The mot checks and tax came back fine and when I got the car on monday I made sure i took out direct line insurance and taxed it before i even picked up the car. The car itself is a seconday car which I now own and my husband is the named driver and the policies on both of my vehicles are fully comprehensive.yesterday the log book arrived and on it it said special notes, this vehicle has been salvaged because of structural  damage but it has been declared suitable for repair following a technical evaluation. I have since done a check on a car check website to see if i can find out more info and on damage history it just notes loss date 2021.08.03 category s type structural damage. under fiat salvage check it says we do not have any salvage auction records for  (then gives the car reg)The previous owner says they do not know anything about the damage, I am aware that 2021 was the year they purchased the vehicle for a relative who later became seriously ill and moved home abroad. the car has been sat in the same road my brother lives on and to his knowledge he saw the relative driving often before the illness so the car seemed fine then.  I answered the questions honestly when i took out insurance and this info has only came yesterday which was a shock, now I dont know if I have to legally say something to direct line. I have asked a friends who is a mechanic to casually look at the car and they noticed that it was likely that the damage may have been caused by  the car being lifted up incorrecty and some damage from a carjack may have occurred which has since been repaired. Vosa also woruld have had to have checked it. The car otherwise seems safe from my friends opinion. Do I declare any of this information to the insurance when i dont have much info or i am allowed to not declare it?

jimjames

Insurance company should already know if it's a cat S car. Did they ask if the car had been written off? This sort of info should come out with an HPI check so always worth doing one before you buy the car so you are fully informed.

Car_54

OP, did the insurer ask any questions which would have required you to mention this?

If not, forget it and move on. It may affect the price when you come to sell it, but at that age, not by much.

facade

milo11 said:

<snip>

 I have asked a friends who is a mechanic to casually look at the car and they noticed that it was likely that the damage may have been caused by  the car being lifted up incorrecty and some damage from a carjack may have occurred which has since been repaired. Vosa also woruld have had to have checked it. The car otherwise seems safe from my friends opinion.

That is probably secondary damage from when Copart (or another salvager) moved it around with a fork lift, so I'm surprised that there are no auction records- the often recommended website for checks is carvertical.

Cat S damage can just be bent/broken suspension arms that bolt off (most likely if they had to move it around with a fork lift, I'd look for signs of a replacement front wing and new suspension parts), or even panel damage that costs above a threshold to fix, as Cat S replaced the old Cat C.

If a mechanic can't find anything of concern and it drives fine, I wouldn't worry. 

DullGreyGuy

Insurers dont ask if the vehicle as ever been written off during the purchase process. All insurers have electronic access to MIAFTR which holds the records of all total losses and so if they were interested they can find out for themselves (in the same way they now ask for your driving license number rather than when you passed your test or points on your license).

The only impact it would have with your insurance is that a former write-off is worth less than a car that's never been written off and so it means its a bit more likely to be beyond economical repair in the event of a claim and the settlement would reflect the reduced market value.

milo11

Thank you for all of your responses its been really helpful. When I started looking for insurance for this vehicle, I didn't get many options in the gocompare and other sites and the options I was offered was around 140 whereas my other car I pay 38 a month for myself and husband.eventually i got direct line for 71 therefore a friend suggested tonight maybe the quotes were high because the insurance companies had all the info they needed on this vehicle whereas I just thought it was high because they counted 0 no claims bonus.i wasn't asked at the time about category s and I didn't know at that point.im not bothered that the car might be devalued as I'm happy to drive the same car for years, as long as its safe and I did what I have to do to let it run legally.from this post it seems I don't need to say anything, thank you all for taking the time to help, I appreciate it

DullGreyGuy

milo11 said:
from this post it seems I don't need to say anything, thank you all for taking the time to help, I appreciate it

The law (CIDRE) is very clear, for consumer insurance, if the insurer wants to know something they have to ask you about it. They cannot rely on nebulous questions ("is there anything else you think we should know?") or for you to offer up anything that they haven't asked about. 

The downside is the same law is also very clear that intentional or reckless non-disclosure when asked a question can allow the insurer to void the policy and keep the premiums even if it wouldnt have been a problem if the honest answer had been given. 

They dont ask, you dont have to offer. They do ask, you must give accurate answers to the best of your ability.