Help - my car has had a 'Cat S' marker applied incorrectly!
Discussion
Selling my car at the minute and someone's contacted me to say why I haven't declared the 'Cat S' that's applied to it. Said I knew nothing about it and would check.
I found the original car check I undertook before buying it - which was all clear - however I've just paid for another check and it's come back that:
I found the original car check I undertook before buying it - which was all clear - however I've just paid for another check and it's come back that:
Vehicle Check said:
Insurance write-off recorded
This vehicle has been written off by an insurance company on 2 Nov 2022
Status is: CAT S Structural damage, can be repaired
The problem is, this was during our ownership and so I know it's not been involved in any accidents or issues. Googling doesn't seem to bring up any options on how I progress this. Currently on hold with my insurer to see if they can do anything, whilst frantically searching for photos around that time to see if I can prove it was ok!This vehicle has been written off by an insurance company on 2 Nov 2022
Status is: CAT S Structural damage, can be repaired
davek_964 said:
Do you have a private plate on the car? Maybe a car that used to wear that plate was declared CAT S?
Good shout. I don't have a private plate but there was a plate change 2 weeks prior to me buying it (Aug '22). It sounds like that may never have made it's way through to whatever systems it needed to - although that's nearly 3 months between the plate change and the write off?Notshortnottall said:
davek_964 said:
Do you have a private plate on the car? Maybe a car that used to wear that plate was declared CAT S?
Good shout. I don't have a private plate but there was a plate change 2 weeks prior to me buying it (Aug '22). It sounds like that may never have made it's way through to whatever systems it needed to - although that's nearly 3 months between the plate change and the write off?Quite a while ago, I owned two cars of the same model - a 1989 one and a 2002 one. It was about 15 years ago, so the 2002 car was only about 7 years old. I transferred the private plate from the 1989 car to the 2002 car - and notified my insurers of the plate change on the day I did it.
By chance - the next day, I had an accident in the 2002 car - with the newly transferred private plate.
Insurance company sent an assessor out a week later - who kept making odd statements like "for cars of this age, it's best to have agreed value". Eventually, I realised that he was talking about the 1989 car - not the 2002 car that had been in the accident (and he somehow hadn't noticed the difference when inspecting the damage). He made a note on his form.
When the car went to the bodyshop for repair a few weeks later - I got phone calls from the bodyshop on more than one occasion because the insurance company was refusing to authorise payment for parts - saying that they were inflating the prices. Again - it was because they were still behaving as if the registration was for a 1989 car, not a 2002 car.
What was really bizarre was that they had never even insured the 1989 car - but they seemed to be looking at some generic database for the registration and which car it matched rather than their actual records.
I suspect that's what has happened to your car, but not sure how you solve it.
I'd suggest you need the VIN of the car the insurer 'wrote off'.
Also check your car has the same VIN as on the V5.
It seems quite possible the insurer tagged a car as Cat S, and it was repaired and sold before the Cat S was on the database.
Equally possible a car with a private plate was written off, the private plate transferred to another car, then transferred again when that car was sold.
Or it's just a plain old mistake?
Assessors of wrecked cars tend to look at the VIN.
Also check your car has the same VIN as on the V5.
It seems quite possible the insurer tagged a car as Cat S, and it was repaired and sold before the Cat S was on the database.
Equally possible a car with a private plate was written off, the private plate transferred to another car, then transferred again when that car was sold.
Or it's just a plain old mistake?
Assessors of wrecked cars tend to look at the VIN.
VIN is the same on car and logbook.
Tried to get hold of MID but their contact number asks you to email and then hangs up. I've submitted a SAR (Subject Access Request) to CUE (Claims and Underwriting Exchange) and MIAFTR (Motor Insurers Anti-Fraud and Theft Register) - however, there's a big notice on their site to say that due to demand this could take up to a month to give me the details.
At this point, I think I just need to find out which insurer applied the category (but I can't seem to get hold of that without a massive delay)?
Tried to get hold of MID but their contact number asks you to email and then hangs up. I've submitted a SAR (Subject Access Request) to CUE (Claims and Underwriting Exchange) and MIAFTR (Motor Insurers Anti-Fraud and Theft Register) - however, there's a big notice on their site to say that due to demand this could take up to a month to give me the details.
At this point, I think I just need to find out which insurer applied the category (but I can't seem to get hold of that without a massive delay)?
Sounds like someone at the insurer being slow to update it, closed off a claim late in the day after it had changed into your hands.
Have a look on vcheck, the £2.99 one will give you photos if it’s ever been in a salvage / auction location.
Some time ago, a friend of a friend bought a nearly car from salvage non categorised, spent £10,000 repairing it , only for the insurer to then place a Cat B on it so couldn’t be driven. They paid him every penny of the car cost and repair costs. He got very lucky.
Have a look on vcheck, the £2.99 one will give you photos if it’s ever been in a salvage / auction location.
Some time ago, a friend of a friend bought a nearly car from salvage non categorised, spent £10,000 repairing it , only for the insurer to then place a Cat B on it so couldn’t be driven. They paid him every penny of the car cost and repair costs. He got very lucky.
Notshortnottall said:
Being bounced around a lot of organisations and companies trying to get to the bottom of this. Car is currently SORN and on my driveway but I've found that Autotrader may be able to help.
Any advice on who to contact over this would be much appreciated!
Have you done the check I recommended above? There might be a trail there.Any advice on who to contact over this would be much appreciated!
https://www.vcheck.uk
joropug said:
Yeah I recommend v checkIt gives you both the date written off and the date entered in the register which might shed some light on it.
I have seen many cases of these being over a year apart, I once saw one recorded about 7 years later.
UPDATE: sorted!
With many thanks (and props!) to the Autotrader service, who have liaised directly with the insurers concerned and who have confirmed it has been entirely removed from the car now. It was linked with previous private registrations that had been on the vehicle.
Fresh vehicle check has confirmed it's gone! Sterling service!
With many thanks (and props!) to the Autotrader service, who have liaised directly with the insurers concerned and who have confirmed it has been entirely removed from the car now. It was linked with previous private registrations that had been on the vehicle.
Fresh vehicle check has confirmed it's gone! Sterling service!
Notshortnottall said:
UPDATE: sorted!
With many thanks (and props!) to the Autotrader service, who have liaised directly with the insurers concerned and who have confirmed it has been entirely removed from the car now. It was linked with previous private registrations that had been on the vehicle.
Fresh vehicle check has confirmed it's gone! Sterling service!
Hurrah! With many thanks (and props!) to the Autotrader service, who have liaised directly with the insurers concerned and who have confirmed it has been entirely removed from the car now. It was linked with previous private registrations that had been on the vehicle.
Fresh vehicle check has confirmed it's gone! Sterling service!
That seems like a suspiciously quick turn around to me.
Where did the original information that it has been written off come from? Autotrader or somewhere else.
It sounds to me more likely autotrader fixed their error, or if it genuinely came out the MIAFTR database it might not have been as swiftly resolved as they have led you to believe.
Where did the original information that it has been written off come from? Autotrader or somewhere else.
It sounds to me more likely autotrader fixed their error, or if it genuinely came out the MIAFTR database it might not have been as swiftly resolved as they have led you to believe.
Not sure where it originally came from as it was a potential buyer that showed me it but subsequent check with "carcheck" (I think it was called) showed the category too.
Either way, I'm happy as it now seems to have gone (although admittedly in hindsight I'm very surprised how quickly its resolved - bit maybe thats more representative of the speed of service I've come expect for stuff like this?).
Either way, I'm happy as it now seems to have gone (although admittedly in hindsight I'm very surprised how quickly its resolved - bit maybe thats more representative of the speed of service I've come expect for stuff like this?).
Well done on getting it sorted,
I had my 996 Turbo show up as a cat D 12 years ago when i came to sell it, id hpid it upon purchase (2019) and again just before sale (2023) all clear.
Guy who bought it off me asked for money back 6 months later is was a cat D, i showed him HPI paperwork, and again HPI`d it, all clear.
It turns out on Autotrader site it was showing as Cat D, no private plate involved
I had my 996 Turbo show up as a cat D 12 years ago when i came to sell it, id hpid it upon purchase (2019) and again just before sale (2023) all clear.
Guy who bought it off me asked for money back 6 months later is was a cat D, i showed him HPI paperwork, and again HPI`d it, all clear.
It turns out on Autotrader site it was showing as Cat D, no private plate involved
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