Insurance write off question

[wazza 0]

Just over 3 weeks ago now my partner had a 7.5tonne truck run into the back of her Seat Ibiza. Thankfully she was given the ok after a trip to A&E and has only suffered from whiplash. The car however didn't fare so well and everyone that has seen it considered it to be a write off.

 

We went via our insurance to a claims management company who haven't been particularly pro-active in sorting things out with the other insurance company and 3 weeks later we're still waiting to see their report of the damage to the car.

 

In the mean time we thought we'd cover ourselves for the worst case and went and looked at replacement cars and ended up putting a deposit on another car, risky i know, but we found a good deal and i considered it worth the risk of loosing the deposit if our car was repairable.

 

From talking with the 3rd parties insurance directly (my partner got fed up of chasing the accident management company) they seem to think that the car is repairable but i just can't see how that is possible. We've had a hire car for 3 weeks now and we'll have it at a guess for at least another 3 weeks if the car is to be repaired. The car is valued at approx £10k and i can't see how the repairs could be carried out within budget when we have been told that generally they'll consider it a write off if the value of repairs etc exceed 75% of the value of the car.

 

We do want out old car back, but I can't see how this can be economically repaired when considering the damage it sustained and we don't like the thought of having it back after it had been damaged so badly.

 

Has anyone had any previous experience of this? Any advise would be welcome!

 

Thanks.

[dr_mat 0]

Two rear quarters, plus a new rear hatch. If the chassis and floorpan are still straight the rest is just bolt on/bolt off. Seriously, it's possible.

[Jon_vr6 1]

i always thought you can refuse to have the car repaired. After a smash like that i wouldnt want it back

[Human Joist 10]

Yeah. In my job I have seen a lot worse make it back on to the road. The two main problems are 1) where the work is carried out. I had a mint S3. That went to nationwide crash repair centre and they ****ed the job up and ended having to respray the entire car to get it right. By the time they had brought it in and out for months I did not want it back so sold it. and 2) linked to the first part if they have not done a good job it can rust through after a few years and cause problems. This is the problem my neighbour is having at the momen with his 4 year old passat. So while it IS repairable just make sure the work is done at a good workshop that they choose so if there are any problems you can take it back as if it's a garage you choose your on your own. Also go over it with a fine tooth comb when it comes back to make sure it straight. As if a few years later you notice you have rust because of an error you will be hard pressed to take it back.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Human Joist

[wazza 0]

Thanks for the advice guys. Does anyone know if you can put up much of an arguement against having it repaired?

 

The more we think about it the less we want to have it back, it'll never be the same car for a start and i was worrying about how the repairs will fair over time as we were intending on keeping this car for quite some time.

 

By the way, it looks like the floorpan has been bent also - the amount the bumper has been folded in is incredible - there's nothing left of the boot! I'm also concerned about how they'd go about replacing the rear quarters - both would need replacing as although not badly damagedm the drivers side door is also slightly out of alignment with the rear quarter. Can these panels just be cut out, and if so, surely the replacements will never fit quite as well and the car will pretty much need a full respray won't it? I can't figure out where each panel extends to but i'd thought that the rear quarter was all one section with the roof?

[Human Joist 10]

You can get part and full quarter repair panels. However new cars like yours they would just remove the entire quarter along the weld and out a new one in. It's all down to hours now. They will know exactly how long in hours t takes to replace a quarter etc to work out the cost but if the floor pans gone and it needs jigging its just more money. If you don't want it back just speak to the insurance company to see what they can do. After all it's not your fault

Edited June 15, 2012 by Human Joist

[dr_mat 0]

The boot floor pan is usually replacable. It's part of the car's impact absorption zones, so it's designed to crumple and be replaced if necessary.

The big issue for yourself is that psychologically it'll not be the same.. In principle, if repaired correctly the car *will* be as good as new and if you can get over the irrational but understandable feeling about the car you'll forget the repairs ever happened and quite happily drive it for a good few years more.

The issue is you're running a risk of the repairs being poor quality - that you can't ever get over. Does my head in that car repairs like this never have long enough warranty periods to be any use. If someone does serious body work on a car, they need to warranty it for five years so you can be sure it's not just going to go porous..

[seanl82 23]

Hope you get it sorted soon mate. Is there any dispute as to who's at fault? Seems an awful long time to sort it all out. I had an accident in my C (I say me, I was just sat at the lights!), on the Wed 6th. Assessor came out on Fri 8th, and insurance informed me on Mon 11th it was a cat B write-off and made an offer which I accepted. I thought mine was taking a little time and they didn't seem to be very proactive, and I'm insured with Adrian Flux. Again I say I'm insured with them, but for everything (claim, hire car, personal injury, engineers report) have all been palmed off to other companies who I've had to call myself. Just keep badgering them, and tell them your not confident the car is safe to be repaired, and it would cause psychological and anxiety problems for you and the missus if you had to drive it again.

[wazza 0]

Thanks guys. The warranty for the repairs is my biggest issue. The car is only 2 years old, will have 10 years left on the Seat paint warranty so I'm going to be insisting on a 10 year guarantee for the repairs as the case law states that the car is to be returned to the pre-crash condition.

 

By the way there is no dispute to fault however the insurance is still taking way too long! Three weeks before they got round to assessing the car and we're supposed to be hearing from them today what the results of that are but no news yet, despite there being hire car charges being accrued every day!

[wazza 0]

Well, we don't need to worry any more. The car has been declared a Cat B write-off - estimated repairs totalling over £11k including a new shell!

 

So, just need to wait for the cheque and gap insurance now (which was worth getting in this instance) and we'll soon be in our new MK6 Golf :-)

 

Thanks for the advice guys.

[Jon_vr6 1]

Good to hear you got what you wanted fella