Insurance Total Loss - Any Advice Appreciated

[PaulV 0]

Hi All

 

So I had a non-fault smash last week in my pride and joy (Dragon Green VR6) :( GRRR

Net result is that the car has been deemed a Cat C.

The insurance have offered me £2k (-10% to buy it back = £1800).

Next steps for me are to acquire a few parts (bumper, wing, slam panel, headlight, grille) and get the paint work done and get her fixed and back on the road (probably wiping out the payment, TBC).

 

I intend to run the car for a while yet so am not going to get too upset about the affect of the Cat C label on resale value.

 

My initial questions are:

Will my insurance will increase as a result of the car being a Cat C?

Will I need to pay for an engineers report post repair to prove she's roadworthy again? (how much?)

Any thoughts or advice appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Paul

[seanl82 23]

Your insurance shouldn't go up because its a cat c, but as we all know, these insurance companies are a fickle bunch. You will see a rise due to the accident regardless of whether you were at fault or not though. You will need a VIC check from VOSa too. The biggest outlay on what you're suggesting is the paint, so if you can get someone you know or someone to do it cheap you should be ok.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Are they giving you £1800 as a payout, or they want £1800 from you to buy it as salvage?

 

As above, your premium will go up somewhere along the line but it can be offset by shopping around for a cheaper deal.

[PaulV 0]

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

VIC check seems to be relatively painless at £41.

 

They are valuing the car at £2k.

I said I want to keep it and repair myself.

They said I can buy it back from them for £200 which leaves me with a broken car and £1.8k to spend.

[Dox 23]

You can wait weeks for a VIC appointment depending on your location and slots available, save all receipts for items you buy to repair it too. You'll most likely need to re MOT the car afterwards too as the cat C marked invalidates the original MOT more often than not.

[GlosterOx 0]

Good S/H parts of the items on your list shouldn't be more than £150 > £200 so I'd have thought you should be quids in even after getting it painted and retested etc?

 

Ian.

[PaulV 0]

I will try and get a VIC booked in advance in that case Dox, thanks.

Yes I was thinking IRO £200 for the parts total, so perhaps I am being pessimistic on the paint and labour side.

Just thinking worst case then I can only be pleasantly surprised!

[Dox 23]

Take pics of the before damage and the build up too, if you ever come to sell the car you can show exactly what damage resulted in the cat C marker on the V5 because to most people cat C = write off = "must have been on its roof" assumption when its actually an uneconomical repair if using new OE parts and paint to original spec

EDIT

You don't need the car painted and finished for the VIC, just road legal - in a condition to pass the mot on that day, dented / or wrong colour panels are OK, but lights etc must be good working order

Edited November 6, 2013 by Dox

[martinb 0]

A single non fault claim should not make much difference, as long as its settled at the time of your next quote / renewal (outstanding is still classed as fault - guilty until proven innocent).

 

Check with the insurer at the start of any call - some take Cat C/D cars with any problems, others wont cover them at all.

 

Most companies that do will require a VIC check and fresh MOT. Also bear in mind any future insurance payout would be less.

[PaulV 0]

Thanks for all the advice guys.