fridayUK

Thanks guys. I was thinking about contacting my own insurance company to enquire about legal aid so I’ll definitely get onto that tomorrow. And yep, they’ve been forking out for a fully specced Lexus 4x4 since the afternoon of the accident which I imagine has already cost them a fair bit!

So sorry for not replying to this sooner. As expected the stress triggered my Crohn’s and I’ve been out of action for a bit trying to get things under control. First off, a genuine thank you to everyone who took the time to reply. Unfortunately things aren’t looking good. Just before my health took a turn I spoke to the other driver’s insurance company and got put through to their repair department. I wanted to sound them out on their position re: repairs vs write-off so I told them that the work would likely be extensive and expensive, that it would involve a chassis replacement and that I didn’t want the car written -off, only repaired. The reply, almost word for word was, “Don’t worry sir, it’ll be repaired, that’s what we’re here for”. However, I didn’t receive another call from them (one had been scheduled) and so today I chased them up. The agent I spoke to told me in no uncertain terms that the car is a total loss, that I have no legal right to get it repaired to the state it was in before the accident and that they have every right to declare it a write off if they deem it uneconomical to repair. After disputing this he contacted the repair team and apparently no note was made of my previous call. I was then told that the claim could be sent to the engineering department for a second opinion but that in all likelihood it would still be written off. I’m now currently in limbo waiting for a call to see what the upshot of this second assessment is. I’ve tried reading around the subject and apparently I might be able to dispute the final assessment and request I keep the car and whatever settlement figure they give me minus the salvage value but until I speak to them further it’s all hypothetical. Bracing for the worst to be honest but again, thanks to everyone for the replies and support. It’s definitely not how I saw my time with this car ending.

I recently came back to the site and posted about a non-fault accident we had in our 2008 110 (link copied in below - I’m using a new log-in as the info and associated email for my old “friday” one have been completely lost in The mists of time and one fairly major HD failure!) but yesterday we had some bad news: after stripping the car down, it’s apparent that the ladder chassis is bent. The repairer told me that Land Rover doesn’t advise it to be repaired only replaced and that, due to the age of the car, the insurer will likely want to write it off. I’ve spent the last 30 years slowly upgrading my cars - keeping them as well as possible and working on them as much as I could myself when my health allowed - with the idea of trying to trade up in some way each time (it’s been a long old process. I’m disabled and not able to work a lot of the time). A Defender was always one of my goals (I fell in love with them when I was a lad) and this car was supposed to be the final link in the chain to either a better specced and younger 110, or possibly even an ex-ambulance that I would get kitted out for travelling in with my family (having previously traded up from a 2.5l and then a TD5 90). To say I’m gutted at the news is an understatement. I’ve spent today completely dumbstruck to be honest and dreading the phone call from his insurance company. I’ve been in a few accidents over the years but only really small stuff, never anything this big where the car looks like it could end up written off so I really just wanted to ask for everyone’s advice on what happens next really: what to expect and what my options could be. I bought the car for £16,500 (which amounted to just under £18,500 after the deposit and finance on the remainder - which I finished paying off last year) but I’m guessing the insurers are going to offer a considerably lower amount if they do decide it’s a write-off. The garage, “Listers Bodywork and Repair” in Droitwich (which was recommended to me by MM4x4 who another member on here kindly told me about) said that most garages wouldn’t touch it now and that it would only be a project for a hobbyist. Even so, they’ve still tendered their full assessment, photos and cost to fix with the other drivers insurance company, so I’m now just waiting for that call. Am I right in thinking that even if it somehow did get fixed, it would always be noted down as an accident write-off? If that’s the case I imagine that would seriously effect the resale value. At the risk of this sounding like some terrible, cringe-worthy “Britain’s Got Talent” sob-story, the whole accident and the subsequent worry over the insurance has already taken a huge toll on my Crohn’s (my wife has thankfully stepped in to help out where she can). I’m gutted that a car I loved could be potentially scrapped and that the years I’ve spent slowly chipping away to get something special could now suffer a massive blow (we were never exactly flush to begin with but, like everyone, the pandemic has run us completely to the edge financially) but also worried I’m going to make some stupid error and compound the issue all the more. I’m even worrying about stuff like when the use of the hire car will end as we need to get our 6 year old to school - just one of the many questions that seem to form a queue in my head both during the day and when I “try” to go to sleep at night (seeming to fail on that a lot at the moment!). Apologies for the ramble. I’ll be honest, I’ve been dreading writing this post and I’ve been finding seemingly increasing ways to put it off. Writing it all down like this seems to make it all the more real (you’ll notice the time of posting - another fail on the sleep front! 😕). If anyone does have any advice, even if it’s just a little, it really would be very much appreciated. Thanks all, Leigh.

Thanks guys. Turns out Liveridge's new business isn't trading due to coronavirus anyway so now I'm definitely on the hunt for someone to put her right.

Hi all. Used to be on here but my account seems to have gone the way of all things so decided to sign up again. Got a question regarding our current Defender (my first Puma engine after previously owning a 2.5l diesel, then a TD5). My wife was recently involved in an RTA whilst driving my 110: as she was indicating off an island a car jumped the gun and smashed into the passenger side quarter. It was drivable at first but the officer who drove it out of the carriageway was only able to get it to the side of the road before all drive to the wheels stopped (I thought that the bodywork and under carriage that had bent onto the front wheel was stopping movement but I winched it all clear when the tow truck arrived and still no joy. You'll notice a nice traffic warden even left me a little something to come back to which we're also having to contest). The other driver declared 100% liability at the scene to us and the police (quite luckily an officer was passing at the time!) and at the moment the repair work is going through his insurers. I live in Solihull and have used Liveridge for my last two cars so I quoted their new business, Astwood 4x4, as my "preferred garage". Unfortunately it now appears that they're closed due to Coronovirus. Could anyone recommend a good LR specialist, ideally in the South Birmingham area? If there's one a bit further afield I wouldn't rule them out, only the insurer's are pushing for something local-ish and, being disabled myself, a shorter journey would be good as I imagine they'll be a bit of back and forth. To say I'm gutted is something of an understatement but I'm hoping to try and make lemonade out of these particular lemons and maybe take the opportunity to upgrade some parts whilst it's in. Cheers, Leigh.