Identifying a write off

andygb

I would like to find a quick, cheap (ideally free) way of identifying a write off. The reason for this, is that we test drove a dealers car and were interested in part exchanging ours (2005 Skoda) if we wanted the car. Took the newer car for a test drive, got back to the dealers to be told that they couldn't give us a PX because our car had been a total write off. This was news to us, because we bought our car back in 2012 via AutoTrader, which would (should) have flagged up that our car was a write off. I have to say that our car has just passed its MOT and has done 220K miles (130K since we bought it).

So, I want to see if it has really been written off at some stage.

paul_c123

Which service did the dealer use?

MyRealNameToo

andygb said:

I would like to find a quick, cheap (ideally free) way of identifying a write off. The reason for this, is that we test drove a dealers car and were interested in part exchanging ours (2005 Skoda) if we wanted the car. Took the newer car for a test drive, got back to the dealers to be told that they couldn't give us a PX because our car had been a total write off. This was news to us, because we bought our car back in 2012 via AutoTrader, which would (should) have flagged up that our car was a write off. I have to say that our car has just passed its MOT and has done 220K miles (130K since we bought it).

So, I want to see if it has really been written off at some stage.

Did they say when it was written off? Did they say the total loss category? 

There can be a delay between the insurer writing off the car and it ultimately being recorded as such. There are certainly some cases where someone seems to have managed to patch up a car and sell it before the end to end process has run.

Never come across a free solution thats reliable, there are some cheaper ones but they tend to use secondary sources and so may be a case of getting what you pay for. 

Mildly_Miffed

If it was written off prior to your purchase in 2012, and the V5C doesn't say that it's been written off, then it must be Cat D - the damage was less than the car's value, but the insurer declined to repair.

Cat C would be listed on the V5C. The categories changed in 2017 to N and S (Non-structural and Structural damage).

The dealer is, of course, free to decline your car as a PX on whatever grounds they wish. I'd suggest that a CatD write off that's at least 13 years ago would not materially affect the value of a 220k 20yo Skoda by one penny. Given that you've covered 130k miles in the car and had no issues arising, or even suspicions, then the repairs would appear to have been done well.

If you really want to check, then purchase the services of one of the myriad of HPI-style checkers on the market.

CliveOfIndia

HPI is probably the most reliable source of such information, but it's not free.

andygb said:

I have to say that our car has just passed its MOT and has done 220K miles (130K since we bought it).

Do remember that a car can be written off for what appears to be relatively minor damage.  If the car is reasonably old and not worth particularly much, it doesn't take much to write it off.  For instance, a side impact that puts a dent in the door - that's going to result in a fairly large bill from a professional body-shop - who will probably remove the door, fix the dent properly and respray the whole panel (not just touch up the damaged parts).  You could do a pretty reasonable (though not professional standard) repair yourself for a fraction of the cost.  Or buy a second-hand door from a scrap-yard.

Add to that the cost of a courtesy car whilst yours is being repaired, and it doesn't take long for the insurance company to have to pay out more overall than what your car is worth.  It's often surprising how little damage, even if it's only cosmetic rather than structural, can result in an insurance write-off.

MyRealNameToo

CliveOfIndia said:
For instance, a side impact that puts a dent in the door - that's going to result in a fairly large bill from a professional body-shop - who will probably remove the door, fix the dent properly and respray the whole panel (not just touch up the damaged parts).  

Not just the whole panel, they will also blend in to all the neighbouring panels 

jimjames

andygb said:

I would like to find a quick, cheap (ideally free) way of identifying a write off. The reason for this, is that we test drove a dealers car and were interested in part exchanging ours (2005 Skoda) if we wanted the car. Took the newer car for a test drive, got back to the dealers to be told that they couldn't give us a PX because our car had been a total write off. This was news to us, because we bought our car back in 2012 via AutoTrader, which would (should) have flagged up that our car was a write off. I have to say that our car has just passed its MOT and has done 220K miles (130K since we bought it).

So, I want to see if it has really been written off at some stage.

You're probably lucky. A dealer is only going to give a derisory PX value for a 20 year old car with 220k miles unless there is a special min PX offer going on. I find it very hard to believe that write off status would have any meaningful impact on the value of that PX which would be low anyway.

andygb

Thanks for all the replies. We will probably run the car into the ground over the next ten months and replace with a newer car.