Car Insurance write off 2 claims Long Story

Marcus12b

Hi guys

This is a long story and I will try and make it short, it has been giving me a lot of headache and I hope someone here has some experience that can give me any pointers or advise best course of action.

I basically had a minor car accident back in November 2025, not a fault of my own but the other driver is not accepting liability and blames me for driving in her lane.

I won't go into all the nitty gritty about it but she hit on my driver's rear door and then drove off, rather than stopping and calling police instinctively I pursued as I had none of there details or number plate and I didn't know how bad the damage was etc but I got bumped and basically a runaway.

I managed to catch up exchange details after police call and got the details but she's basically blaming me which I really can't believe they got the audacity because I never drove in her lane.

Anyway I've told the insurance company claim being made damage to driver rear door dented in and scuff marks towards back panel where the tire is.

My own insurance company to be honest have been taking the absolute !!!!!! with this claim not been helpful at all but what they tell me is every time I ring we will get engineer to asses the damage and see if we can repair it. It's a 18 year old car another agent on two different occasions don't understand a car of this age why it's not written off.

Anyway they are addressing it.

I take it to 2 body shops myself and they tell me to be honest car is old and go through insurance let them write it off otherwise repair through insurance it's about 1k plus

Im at this point thinking it's only minor damage I will keep the car regardless repair or write off. So I wait for my insurance company...

Now in mid January 2026 another person goes and hits my parked car and it's damaged the other side that is very bad to be honest both doors side mirror back panel all body split definitely write off now..

Someone stopped that driver got his details etc

Now his insurance company kept sending me messages ever single day twice at least. So I ring them and they sweet talk and say we can get this sorted out quick saves us money etc and we will try and work things out with you instead of your insurance etc

In the meantime I ring and tell my Insurance company tell them what's happened, they start another claim I didn't ask them to start another claim yet, but then after sending them through pictures they then after me sending pictures etc say it's a write off because we was thinking of repairing the first claim…I think they are a bunch of bullsh@@@@

I then tell them why didnt you go and fix the car then on the first claim it's been since November you been doing nothing I have to chase it up.

The lady says after I ask this that if we write it off we will use your pre existing damage from first claim and then give you an amount after that.

I say to her hold on a minute. I told you about the damage to first car you have not done anything about it. You don't know if your going to write off or repair it now your telling me you will give me less because of the damage.

To be honest my insurance company have been useless it's simple as that. I would say more but there's more to come.

So I go back to the other third party insurance who been texting me every day show them the damage etc. I don't take a courtesy car they offer to be honest I could still drive my car here the doors though don't open from the outside but can from the inside I know it's not safe but I just don't trust insurance companies giving me a hire car and then trying to put something else on me if something was not quite right.

Ok so the third party from January who kept texting basically ask questions I answer them all honestly but they never asked about any existing claim on the car they do ask of any damage and I tell them there is damage to the drivers rear door there is a dent

I don't tell them about the claim in November because at this point I was thinking just forget that claim and do this instead.. just get this car damage fixed myself and go from there...

They do ask for pictures I show them all of it but here is the issue I'm at now. I don't show a picture showing a clear cut image of the dent. As you only can see that when at an angle, I never took a picture like that to show them because this will already be dealt with either by me or my insurance.

I didn't want this third party thinking I'm already getting this car fixed or possibly write off because there was still the possibility that I'm just going to stop this claim as potentially 50/50 fault.

I in the meantime tell me own insurance company this claim in January to put as notification only do not claim anything here I'm sorting it with the third party.

The claim from November they ask after I explain your not making your mind up some of your advisors telling me it's write off othe says repair.

The advisor says I go to a body shop get a invoice send it. I go to ford and they do this send them an invoice I'm waiting now for there response.

The third party come back want to write off the car basically offering me money.

The dilemma with this is my first claim is still open, my own insurance company not come to a conclusion if they are going to write it off and now the second claim saying it's a cat S offering the amount.

So far I've not accepted and disputed the amount as other cars online you find a couple of hundred pounds more at least

They are not budging though.

Now my question is this everyone who read up to here thank you first of all because this is long and sorry about it.

Personally I want my Insurance to write it off from Novembers claim or repair it, settle or whAtever they do, the car I keep it goes to repair or cat n.

I then go to the third party from second claim and tell them it's cat n or not same as before the condition they can adjust and pay out and take the car.

Thing is the damage to the car now it's not worth me keeping it because it costs a lot more now

What do you think I should do here. I have got my no claims discount protected so from the first claim I won't be loosing out on anything and I don't think I will be paying an excess charge either unless it's 50/50, than aboit 200.

The second claim though the third party insurance do I now explain that it's pending claim and show them the damage or shall I just leave it get the dent fixed myself before they take it.

If though the first claim gets cat n will the second claim know of do I need to tell them I don't want them thinking I'm pulling a fast one. They are already as it is giving me a lower amount

Thanks everyone

MyRealNameToo

If the vehicle is an unrepaired Cat N/D then the second insurer is pretty much off the hook as they have just done more damage to salvage which will have a negligible impact what an insurer will get from their salvage merchant.

Really the claims should be settled in order but if the second is willing to write it off with the pre-existing damage then your claim from the first claim effectively reduces to the deduction they have made in the settlement for the pre-existing damage from the other accident. Ideally they could illustrate this for you making your claim simpler.