BigTartanJudge

Audi S4 (B5) is defo 2.7 V6 Biturbo, 265BHP. The RS4 (B5) is the estate version having the same engine but with 380 BHP. The NEW Audi S4 has a normally-aspirated (non-turbo) 4.2L V8 with 340 BHP and the NEW RS4 has the same engine but with better power at 420 BHP. Cheers and HTH

Yay, today I got rid of the Kia Cerato cr4p hire-car back to Arnold Clark, and now got a Ford Focus 1.6 Ghia ZETEC from Auto Indemnity, ironically provided by the b ranch of Alamo-National Car Rental where I work ! Have been getting together photographs of my rado and it's associated parts together with classified adverts for last 3-4 months of corrado G60's with similar specs. TBH, nothing I have seen comes even close to spec of mine but the adverts I have found are for like £3500-£4400. Plus I have the full Recaro interior which was £1500 option when new, and a whole heap of other work / parts that are worth even more. So should be able to get value of my car above the £4200 threshold to get it repaired. Athough, I think it's pretty bad that I have to pay my excess of £450 before I get car back, leaving me out of pocket and then have to go through hassle and ringmarole of claiming it back. Surely, this should be paid direct to bodyshop by 3rd-parties insurers ?? The other problem as mentioned in previous post is that the last company are trying to sting me for hire-car costs and the cost of the enginerr's assessment / visit / report. Basically the terms and cond's state if the company cannot claim back costs of hire-car from 3rd-parties insurers then I am liable for the cost of the rental, WTF ?? And they want me to sign this paperwork before they try and claim back the cost from the 3rd-parties company, so effectively they have me over a barrel. Hopefully I can get some reputable independant VW garages that regularly deal with Corrado G60's to write an independant valuation showing the true value, that way the 3rd-parties insurers cannot say the car is not repairable as not worth it. Would anyone be willing to do a valuation on here ?

UPDATED: 21/06/06 I've cancelled the claim with 3rd-party company and have started a new claim against the 3rd-parties insurance through my own insurance company. Basically I have to, through help of my broker, prove to the 3rd parties insurers that the vehicle is worth at least £4200 before they will repair it. Hopefully with some help, I can get enough classified / forum ad's for similar car, together with photo's and receipts for work done to my car / parts fitted etc. as well as some written valuations from people that deal with corrado's etc. to prove the real value and get the car repaired. Also I will lose my £450 excess and will have to pay that to the garage once repairs are authorised and completed. Then I have to try to claim the excess back from his insurers. The 3rd-party non-fualt company I was using are trying to sting me with a bill for the hire car and the engineers assesment / visit........I think not somehow. The saga continues........

UPDATE 16/06/06 Received a fax from motor vehicle assesors today which made me laugh out loud, then almost cry........they have valued my rado G60 at..........wait for it........£1280

Welcome back to the fold Chris, hope you meant you will be at Inters this weekend as thats when it is !

Hmmmn, Can anyone else remember this being discussed or have anymore information on it ? Would be interested in finding out more about this case, can anyone help ?

That's all well and good, but the other parties insurance company won't (I am 99 % sure) agree to repair it at their cost, as stated in my rant post above, because the repair cost (£2200) WILL be more than 50 % of the "estimated" current "market value" of the corrado. Hence that isn't going to be an option. If they do record the corrado as CAT C/D I can put it back on the road at my own cost, but what would be the point when I wouldn't get back anywhere near what car would be worth when I came to sell it ? (meaning I would be even MORE out of pocket). Yes I could come to an agreed value and then buy the car back of the insurers, break it and then try and recoup some of the money I have spent / will be losing but I REALLY don't want to have to do that as it would be soul-destroying and a complete hassle..... L33RRR, I do appreciate the advice you gave, I am just a little frustrating at the quagmire of crap I have been left in by this guy and the claims / insurance company and the fact is at the moment I can't do anything about it.

Well, the guy driving the Calibra was arrested and charged on Tuesday night, nice of the police to call me and tell me this, only found out after I insisted I spoke to the officer involved in the case..... Ok here is the problems I have at the moment. I spoke to the third-party claims people yesterday who said an engineer had inspected the corrado at the bodyshop. The claims people said that the engineer will assign a value to the vehicle of between top and bottom Glass's guide book price. Which without one in front of me (anyone got access to a copy ? - 1992 Corrado G60, FSH, below average 97k miles, immaculate condition) I would estimate to be around 3£k. The cost of the repair to my corrado according to the bodyshop is just over £2k so this being more than 50 % of what the engineer has valued my car at, the other driver's insurance company are going to want to write my car off. Now I think this is horrendous..... I have an agreed value with all mods declared with my OWN insurance company of £6500 with £450 excess. The insurance company are going to get away with this because even if it is repaired they will classify car as CAT C or D write-off due to high repair cost, (called cash in lieu settlement - where other party's insurance company stumps up cash to repair car even though more than what they have determined car to be worth) leaving me with a car that I have no hope in hell of getting good money for when I come to sell it on, leaving me out of pocket. The only way around this I can see is if I can prove to the insurers and the engineer that the vehicle is worth more than the book price, i.e. worth more than the 50 % of the repair cost, due to enthusiast network / demand and premium prices paid for good corrado g60's in today's marketplace. I seem to remember other corrado owners having to do this when involved in shunts etc ? The only reason I went to this 3rd-party, non-fault claims recovery service to sort out the situation was on the recommendation of the bodyshop repairing the car, who said my NCB, premium and excess would not be affected as wouldn't be claiming through my own insurance but the other liable parties. If I had just done a claim through my own insurance company they would have had no problem repairing the car as would have gone on my agreed value and not book price, leaving my car no problem to get repaired and no possibility of write-off etc. I don't want to have to buy the car back (why should I have to pay out money at all ?) and then have to break her up to recoup some of the money I will have lost. I am pretty depressed about this whole situation. Here I have spent the best part of two years building up this car using the best parts etc, travelling down south to pick her up originally, spending £1000's on her etc. only for some w4nker to damage her, start a claim then find it's a pretty sure thing she will be written of by his insurers, through absolutely no fault of my own. I am heartbroken at the moment and any advice on what to do, who to contact etc. would be most appreciated as I don't want to let this one go. Everytime I think about it it makes me feel sick to my stomach and unhappy. I am stuck in a horrible situation, it would appear at the mercy of assesors and insurance companies that just don't give a toss about innocent people or their possesions. Cheers

Just to let you know, Fat Wheels no longer exist and are are not trading, HTH

I am so sick and tired of all the stress I have been through over the last two years with or involving this car that I am really wondering whether it is all worth it at all..............

And no, as far as I am aware the really nice liverpudlian gentleman who rolled his Vauxhall Cavalier coupe into all my familes vehicles and my work's car, is still freely walking the streets. But then I couldn't say for sure, seeing as Grampian Police's finest boys in blue haven't even bothered to call me since last Thursday evening......

Roddy, at the moment I don't even know IF my car will be getting fixed or not, engineer from non-fault third-party company has to come out and inspect the vehicle. THEN they will send report to the claims company who will then forward report to his insurers. THEY will then decide whether or not to repair the car, so nothing is set in stone as to whether car will be getting repaired AT ALL, as yet. So as well as being in total limbo and at the mercy of insurance companies etc. I get this Kia for a courtesy car, which was not what was agreed. Yes I have transport and granted it's better than having to walk everywhere, but no, it's not what I was promised and I have every right to be annoyed. So forgive me if I'm a little peeved at the situation....

I know what was meant man, I just think it's pretty disgusting that companies like these promise to sort you out a decent car and then deliver you the cheapest, nastiest piece of automotive cr4p they can get away with giving you....after 6 days of promising you said similar replacement car every day and not returing phone calls etc. So find it hard to see the funny side TBH, Cheers

Sorry but I don't think it's very funny mate, especially having been without a car for nearly a week....at least I am used to Micra's and they actually handle reasonably well, this is worse than a Micra being South Korean and has absolutely nothing good about it at all, end of story.....

Well that's just great, having waited almost 6 days now for my courtesy car, snd having been promised as close to my type of vehicle as possible (1992 Corrado G60) I have just been delivered an 06 plate Kia Cerato 1.4LX 5DR. It is a crock of s***. It is horrible to drive, look at, handles like a bag of flour etc and I'm not exactly happy about it, never expected the third-party non-fault claims company to find me another Corrado or anything, but I was promised a 2-door coupe originally with minimum same engine size (1.8 like the corrado), and maybe it's just me but somehow don't think the Kia I have been given quite measures up to this.....and looks as though am going to be stuck with it for next month or so ! Arrrrrrggggh ! Here she is in all her glory.....

tell you what spike16vgte, this is why I don't like Calibra's, read the thread: http://www.the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewtopic.php?t=42876 aside from the fact it's a bl00dy Cavalier coupe.......and no standard Calibra Turbo 4x4 is ever going to worry my G60 thanks !

And Renault Clio / 19 16V alloys fitted to that G60 as well, love the Nugget Yellows ! Exhausts are okish but could be nicer tailpipes etc

I HATE VAUXHALL CALIBRA'S, but then there is a reason for that.....

Yes craigowl, it's true, EVERY single scouser I have met up here in NE of Scotland, Has some connection, either direct or otherwise with the particular "trade" that you are referring to. Phil K, luckily I have a spare new standard number plate panel nested away somewhere, but it was a unique special order no. plate panel that was on car at the time so won't get that replaced under insurance, will have to be re-imported and paid for off own back. And my special order no. plate is trashed as well, so it needs replaced as well. I already have the guys insurance company name, policy number as well as his name, address, postcode, D of B and phone numbers (strangely enough, the police gave me all these details after they found letters / official documents in the car). After all this is over and car sorted, it has been suggested that I but obviously and preferably someone else, pays him a visit to "clear the air"so to speak............

Righto, just home from work after long, hard, tiring and emotional day. Been on on phone to my insurers who started to process a claim. Then went to speak to my man at the bodyshop who suggested instead of pursuing claim through own insurance company and have to pay substantial excess etc, affect premium and no claims, I should employ the services of a non-fault, third-party loss recovery agency. My insurers were only going to give me a Corsa or Astra hire-car for 2 weeks, this service guarantee's a similar car, i.e. 2-door coupe, for at least a month or until car is repaired. They will pursue the other party's / offender's insurance company for all losses, incidently, my whole family is using them now for this claim. His insurers are going to love him..... As it stands, my car was insured fully-comp with an agreed value of £6500 with ALL mods declared prior to taking out policy, so there is no issue there. Also, have got some estimates for damage, which don't make for pleasant reading.... Sprinter van £1000 MK4 Golf £300 Megane £3500-£4000 (needs new panels - bumper, wind, door, new brakes, complete front suspension, CV joints / driveshafts - as both snapped with impact, wishbone etc. chassis damage needs pulling etc.) Corrado (this is the REALLY painful bit) (all parts plus VAT) Tailgate £595 Number-plate panel and licence plate frame £61.77 Rear panel £302.60 Tail-light mounts (both sides) £251.16 (for both) Reinforced panel (both sides) £167.56 Rear bumper £421.34 Boot floor panel £250.00 Total (ex. VAT) = £2049.43 (inc. VAT) = £2408.09 Guestimate on labour for 30 hours @ £30+VAT = £1057 Materials = £250 Grand total to repair corrado = approx. £3700...................... Oh yeah, and I have already identified the driver / offender from photo-fits of the PNC that the police brought round to show me there and then when I called them, got him picked out right first time 100

Any advice on what to do bout insurance when reporting it then as been told they will try to take car away and get it written off ?

Car wasn't stolen, male driver has been identified but not apprehended as yet. Yeah, police said prob drunk or on drugs or drugs in car. Interstingly, the very same car and driver was stopped earlier this morning in the town around 00.50am for random stop-and-search. He is very well known to police and they are confident there is more than enough evidence for him to be prosecuted when and if they get hold of him. And TBH not really the way I wanted my car to be introduced to the forum after 2 years of working on it....

Well, where do I start ? Was woken at 4.38 am by almighty crash and bang, looks outside my window to see a Vauxhall Calibra on it's roof resting against my parents van, and a male struggling to get free from drivers seat. Also parked outside were my corrado, my works Renault Megane and my sisters MK4 Golf. Got dressed and ran outside to see male run running away from scene, shouted at him and gave chase but lost him. Called police then examined scene in bit more details to find he's lost control off a roundabout then clipped sis's MK4 hit megane square in O/S front corner, slamming it off the rear of my corrado and bouncing back in his calibra rolling it across road into side of parents van. Reckon on £2000-£3000 damage to megane, hit it hard enough to snap driveshafts etc. £1000 to parents Merc Sprinter van and £300 to sister's MK4. Even worse, without going into potential chassis damage i.e. not visible / under panels, I'm going to need new tailgate, complete new rear panel, new rear bumper, number plate, plate frame and whatever potential damage underneath (boot floor ??). Reckon on £1500-£2000 there anyways plus more dep. on damage underneath. Police arrived and searched the area but nothing. However he was obviously injured as there was blood evident within vehicle and on road. Also found 2 mobile phones, still working and the police recovered this to55ers documents, i.e. insurance, MOT etc. They were concerned he had made off from scence as if he was hiding something and they have removed the calibra to be fully forensically examined. But I now have this guys phone number, name, address etc. Just wondering if I should do anything with them ? Police say don't report to insurance company until we apprehend individual. Cos surprisingly enough he has string previous convictions. So they asked if I could describe him and if I could identify him again from line-up / mugshots. Then some more officers arrived with photo's and I picked him out clear as day with 100 per-cent confidence from 16 photo's, no probs. So now I guess we now wait and see if police manage to catch guy and get him charged with leaving scence of accident, failure to report accident, careless driving, criminal damage etc. Here are some pics, I am totally gutted and mad right now......car on road less than a week and this happens. Have a look at the pics

Or just buy one from G-Werks that's been rebuilt and ported already :-)

Just a wee word of advice, which I'm sure Darren at G-Werks will back me up on, whatever you do though...don't use a foam (e.g Pipercross or RamAir) filter on the induction pipe as the charger pulls in so much air with such force that tiny particles of foam are pulled in as well (as well as proving not to be as effective as gauze / cotton or papert element at filtering the air) and mixed with oil vapour forms an effective grinding paste that wears your charger quickly and prematurely, and ya really don't weant it to go bang ! Cheers and HTH