insurence write off help

[mrtash]

Hi,

Unfortunately a lady ran into the rear end of my landrover disco 2 last friday, the garage have just told me there is £2,000 worht of damage to my vehicle and they have faxed the photo's etc to the insrence company, given the age of the vehicle 1993 L Reg i would say it is unlikely they will agree to pay the garage and will write the vehicle off, I thought the damage to the rear end was not that bad, the vehicle still drives a treat, it needs the drivers side quarter panel straightening out, bumber to be straightened out and the small panel beteween the the rear door and damaged quarter panel replaceing. My estimate is the vehicle to be worth about £1,000 . My quaetion is never being in this possition, will I get the chance to buy the vehicle back.

Thanks

[disco_al]

ir really depends on your insurance policy/company. some will let you have salvage rights, some won't, whichever way it goes it will be recorded as a write off and require a VIC check and new MOT once repaired. TBH if the rear quarter is buckled, then expect some more underlying damage when you start stripping trim apart. It may be worth accepting the insurance payout and getting another one

If you can get slavage rights, then you may not get any payout from the insurance company.

[mrtash]

so if i decide to take a lower offer and retain the vehicle, i must have a new mot carried out, even though the current mot does not expire untill July 2010. So the insrence company will in effect cancell the existing Mot if I take the vehicle back? I have no doubt i will be offered less than the £1,000 i paid 2 month ago. Seems well unfair.

[disco_al]

Seems well unfair

That's insurance companies for you i'm afraid. AFAIK once written off, then MOT becomes invalid, especially if it is a recorded write off.

May well be worth searching around the 'net for info on insurance write off classifications, and what they involve.

[mrtash]

the woman who hit my disco has admitted liability so my insurence comapny are claiming from hers, if the i purchased the vehicle for 1,000 what do you think i will get back,

[Lara]

Generally you will get back from the insurance company the "book" value for your vehicle in your condition before the crash.

"However" you do not "Have" to accept the offer, you are actually insured for replacement and that means that they strictly speaking have to supply you with a vehicle of the same condition, colour, year etc if you insist on this. And you do not have to find it! that is also strictly speaking, "their liability" (they do not like you doing this and will squeal like little piggies if you insist and deny it etc, but it is true! and it is a good bargaining / beating stick)

Whether you or her are in the wrong, it is "your" insurance that pays, they claim it back from the other insurer at a later date so they will still try hard to pay as little as poss.

If you like you can try to negotiate it not to be written off and settle for a lower payment but you are probably going to pay more for the repair!

Good luck.

Lara

[GBMUD]

it will be recorded as a write off and require a VIC check and new MOT once repaired.

That is not my experience. Sandbag's car was written off a few years ago and we were allowed to keep the salvage for free. Since the car was almost undamaged I opted for repairing it and the insurer said they would be happy to reinsure it as long as it passed an MOT. It did, they did and all was, and is, well. No need of VIC.

An insurance company cannot 'cancel' an MOT, it is at their discretion whether they require a new one before extending cover.

Beware, the first offer from the insurance company will be low in the hope that you are desperate enough for a new car to just take it. Hold out for an offer that will buy you just as good a car from a dealer.

It costs an insurer to collect, store and sell salvage, on this basis they may allow you to keep it or have it cheap - I would not think it is worth more than £100-£200 to them as there are lots around and no shortage of parts. It will cost them that for the transporter alone.

Chris

[Aragorn]

It depends what category they write it off.

If its D it will just need a new MOT and off you go.

If its C it will need a VIC test and an MOT, and it will be marked as such on the V5.

If its B (unlikely, but some insurers can be c*nts) you cant put it back on the road and its spares only

A means streight to the crusher.

The insurer cant cancel an MOT, but the process of writing the vehicle off means the vehicle becomes their property, and you effectively buy it back from them. In doing that they will usually ask for the MOT certificate to be surrendered to them.

[Lando]

A similar thing happened to me so you have my condolences. But, after all of the hassle, I actually came out of the whole thing in credit!

First, CHECK THE CHASSIS IS SOUND. If it's not, you're done.

If it is though, this could work out quite well.

The valuation of my Landy, agreed with the insurance company, was £3000. They worked out the cost of the repairs at £2300, decided this was an uneconomical repair and wrote it off. I asked for the salvage and was given the Landy (which they valued at £700!) and the £2300. I was able to find secondhand panels, a bumper and a few other bits, get the work done and a partial respray for £1500, so poketed £800!

You do need to get a new MOT and you need to register the vehicle as off the road (with a SORN certificate) while the work is being done. Obviously, there was a lot of hassle involved but remember that insurance companies cost out these things at top dollar, which isn't how it works in the real world.

Anyway, good luck mate. Don't give up hope!

[mrtash]

I am really greatfull for all the advice from everybody, I am now going to wait and see what the isurence company say, i never gave any thought that they will be paying storage etc, I am going to hold out for what i paid for my landy and like one poster has said i need to replace it. I have only had it 3 months it has ten month mot left on it and is taxed for 5 months, I know i will get the tax back, i do want another landy because i am partcially disabled.

Pete

[steve_d]

If possible keep the vehicle at home. That way they can't just ship it off to the salvager without you knowing or getting a chance to negotiate buying it from them.

After my son crashed his pug 306 we bought the wreck and I put some second hand panels on it. It is now my daily driver and we are both quids in. It did not need a VIC only an MOT for the insurance companies benefit.

As has been said you need to convince yourself there is no significant damage hidden away somewhere. Make sure the shut lines are correct on all doors and that they all operate correctly.

Steve

[plasticbadger]

I've had it twice now where the insurance company has paid out in full for the right off and then let me retain the salvage for free without recording it at all, i.e. nothing on the vehicle history, keep you MOT etc. Simples. Seems to be a common way forward where the vehicle is driveable and not worth the cost of the insurer collecting it (as your Disco may be).

One of those was my wife's Volvo which was rear-ended and had damage to the boot floor, rear lights, and rear bumper. We got £400 from the insurance company (the car cost us £270) and then we drove around as-was for 2 more years.

The other was my Granada which had a major side impact, stoving in everything, B post, 2 doors, C post, rear wing, subframe, suspension, everything. They paid me £250 for that one, again car bought for £100. I sold it to a guy for 'spares' and he promptly pressed some bits roughly back into shape, fitted two replacement doors and a complete rear subframe and carried on using it. I was suprised by this one, as the damage was really scary!

[mrtash]

i paid £1050 for the landy and the garage who the insurence company requested the vehicle to goto have quoted £2,250 for damage to be repaired, i am now waiting to see what they offer me for the vehcile, as i said earlier the damage appears to be quite light but as some others have said i don't know if the impact has done anything i cannot see. The insurence team arranged for it to be collected last friday and i rang the garage yesterday who told me the extent of the quotation for repair. I would think my insurence comapny will be talking to hers. I have some photos of the damage on my hpne i will upload them for you to look at. Man i am the unluckiest mo fo around.

pete