Car accident – repair privately vs insurance ( worried that Insurer will opt for r writ-off?)

sujsuj

I’ve recently had a car incident (no injuries) and my car needs some bodywork repairs due to deep scratches. I’m trying to work out the most cost-effective way forward. Damage is some deep scratches around rim. Damaged when car was parked. 

I have Insurer excess of £500.

My One concern is that although the damage appears to be mainly deep scratches/cosmetic, it’s a premium car, and I’m worried the insurer may decide to write it off based on repair costs rather than actual condition.

Another concern is if I follow Insurer repair option my renewal quote will be too high, so may be repair outside insurer may be more =economical due to £500 excee.>?

Before committing fully through insurance, I’d like to understand:

• Whether it’s sensible to get independent bodyshop quotes first

• At what point insurers typically decide to write a car off

• If repairing privately can make more financial sense once future premium increases and excess are factored in

• Whether insurers will consider independent repair estimates before making a write-off decision

I’m particularly interested in:

• Tips on getting fair and realistic repair quotes directly and not going via Insurer

• Any pitfalls to avoid when comparing private repair vs insurance claim

• Experiences from others who avoided a write-off large insurance repairs by repairing independently with out insurance coverage..?

I’ve already notified my insurer, but no repairs have been authorised yet.Any advice or experiences would be appreciated. Thanks.

GrumpyDil

Having notified your insurer the incident will have an impact on premiums as the stats suggest that having had one incident you are more likely to then have another.

Without knowing age/value of car mo.one can even hazard a guess as to what the insurance company would do. On a three year old £25000 car I suspect those repairs would not see it written off but on a 15 year old £1500 car I'd be surprised if it wasn't.

I'm in exactly that situation at the moment where my daughter had an accident in a car worth around £1000. I can fix it for around £500 using second hand panels but at the value of the car insurance wouldn't even bother looking at it.

Arunmor

Until you get an idea of costs you won't know which option to choose.  

MyRealNameToo

Is there a third party involved? You say the damage was caused whilst the car was parked would suggest someone else is at fault? Note that lampposts, bollards etc are also "third parties" (lampposts in particular are surprisingly expensive to repair)

Eldi_Dos

@sujsuj @GrumpyDil

If the insurance company deems that the car is not economical to repair and 'writes off' the car, many policies give the policy holder the option to buy the 'wrote off' car for a nominal fee.

You can sometimes find that after receiving the pay out,buying back the write off and paying for your own repairs that a profit can be made.

Especially as in some areas cars of a certain age are exempt from charges in Low Emission area's.

Mildly_Miffed

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81855959#Comment_81855959

Whether a third party was involved in causing the damage is, of course, different to whether a third party is involved in paying for the repair…

No insurer will pay more than the car is worth, market value - and they take hire car costs into account, too.
If it's close, your best bet may be to ask them to pay out in lieu of a repair, without writing it off - or to let them write it off, but ask to buy the salvage back then repair and keep driving it.

It sounds like it'll be Cat N - non-structural damage - so there's no issue whatsoever with continuing to drive it.
Cat S - structural - can still be repaired and used, too, but will be noted on the V5C.
Cat B - break for parts, but crush the shell - and A - crush whole - can't ever have V5Cs issued again.

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81856114#Comment_81856114

There is also the consideration that there is a third party's damage to be paid for, seems unlikely given the "parked" comment but the lack of mention of a third party raises some questions in my mind as most would mention if it was a hit and run etc.

Agree any insurer will cap at market value but disagree that it will always include the consideration of hire. If there is no cover for hire under their policy and there is a third party to be pursued then they will not consider hire in deciding if to write off or not and may sell pass the details to credit hire for provision of a hire car.

If you have entitled for hire either under your policy or you are claiming directly from a third party insurer then hire will still be due even in the event of a total loss, if its a border line total loss but only 1 days labour it would be a little perverse to write it off due to the potential hire and then have to provide 7 days hire because you wrote it off.

sujsuj

Yes, I’m aware this may still have an impact, but I expect it to be less significant than an insurance claim of £3,000–£5,000.

The car’s current value, as per popular Insurance quote site, is around £13,000.

The damage is limited to deep scratches on the panel above the tyre / wheel arch (see the disguised photo). There is no structural damage.

sujsuj

It’s been over a week now, and I’m still waiting for an estimate or any update on progress.

sujsuj

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81855959#Comment_81855959

Yes, I managed to identify the vehicle that caused the accident and have shared the details with the insurer.

sujsuj

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81856110#Comment_81856110

I hope it doesn’t come to that…