Surprise, car write off, crap settlement figure!

[deltashad]

Really annoyed.

After a month of doing nothing my insurance company decided to write off my car.
Their opinion of a settlement figure is way below what its worth. I don't get the option to buy it back from them.

So what do I do next? Never been in this position before...

[deltashad]

I was very fortunate to buy the car in July last year for 15,500ukp. It was a the time well below market value as the seller needed a quick sale for a house deposit. (don't have a pound sign on my keyboard).

20,000mls, Elise S (toyota) with tan leather and metalic titanium colour. Very nice combination. The car was immaculate with FLSH.
I had the accident in December, the mileage is now 25,000.

The nearest comparison I can find is a 2008 car, 24,000 miles, from a garage with a strange choice of interior on PH classifieds.
(18,450)

They offered me 14,350.

If anything it looks like values have risen.

[deltashad]

Just off the phone to the insurers, they now say the car is borderline repairable and are going to re-evaluate.

Fingers crossed it's repairable as I'm pretty sure there's no way I will find another like it for the money!!!

(and toes)

[deltashad]

Thanks for the brilliant advice everyone. This really is an area unfamiliar to me and also quite heart breaking, especially for my gf, who the car was bought for, (she wont answer my calls!!)

[deltashad]

I'm not sure what the insurance company is for the Elise it's under her policy (Gosh, shock horror!!)

The problem i'm now finding is the lack of cars which on the market anywhere near as nice for a reasonable price. I've not been looking at the market until today. It's not good.

[deltashad]

I called the insurance company today, '1st choice'.
They had no idea what was happening with the car so kept me on the 0800 line for what seemed like eternity and called the assessors.

I was given the same story. Due to the car having 'extras' it doesn't look like it will be a write off. They haven't decided yet. I should find out by Wednesday. If they don't call me then I shall harass them on Thursday.
Looks like I'm going to have to be on their backs or nothing is going to happen.
That's over six weeks past...

[deltashad]

I didn't want to go this way but the next step is to ask for a hire car.
Taking it out of their recommended repairer and into the lotus approved one (on the instructions of lotus service manager), took away my rights for a rental.
I'm not sure where I stand on this one but my girlfriend is running my Mercedes and the fuel costs are killing her.
I asked to buy it back from them if deemed written off but am told it's against their policy. I would happily buy it from them and have it repaired.

Informing them it had leather seats seems to have swayed them a little, although I honestly can't see how this would increase the value of a lightweight sports car.

[deltashad]

so called said:

I havn't looked at the market for yours but there cant be that many for sale.
Hope you get it sorted.

I'm shocked at how long they are taking.

This is the biggest problem now. The lack of anything decent on the market which interests me for the right price.

It's partly my fault for the time it's taken to do nothing. I had no choice to remove the car from the recommended repairer, I'd spoken to a few people about their quality of work, the reports were pretty dreadful to say the least, and this was with standard white goods cars.
I doubt if they had much, if any experience with the preparation and work which goes into painting a fibreglass car.
It was too big a gamble leaving it in there. The Lotus approved workshop has probably escalated the repair bill, which I expected, but at least I'll have peace of mind that the paintwork won't go off in a years time. I just never expected it to be so close to written off. The damage isn't that bad!
Anyhow, the messing about with this cost me about five days.
Then we were precariously close to the festive season. This really put things on hold. It's now the end of January!

[deltashad]

I contacted the insurance company this morning.
Car is repairable!!! They knew yesterday morning but failed to inform me.

After speaking with the coachworks, they informed me both themselves and Lotus had advised the car is no where near written off.
1st Choice offered us 14,350 settlement figure.
Car repairs estimation was less than I had been told, (7,200ukp before tax).
Lotus valued the car at 17,000. (also said that it would be near impossible to get another with similar spec/mileage/age).
The assessors report valued the car at 16,500-17,000ukp.

A far cry from what they told me the car had been valued at.

I'll be looking elsewhere in the future for insurance.

Surely there must be sort of guidelines regarding telling the truth in these matters. It would have been a massive inconvenience to us if the car had been written off, also a waste of a nice little specialist car.


Never mind, 4-6 weeks and she'll be back!!!

[deltashad]

Just a warning to those of you who think about owning an Elise.

Thats now three months since the accident. Just received an email from Lotus. It will be another 3 to 4 months before thecar can be repaired due to lack of parts.

10-11 weeks until the clam will be ready. In all I'm looking at 6 to 7 months from the start to the end repair.

[deltashad]

Simond S said:

cant you get a second hand clam?

I'm just off the phone to the coachworks, they say that if I sign a disclaimer they can fit a second hand clam.
They dont recommend a reproduction one. I wouldn't want one anyway.

Right off to search everywhere.....

[deltashad]

Thought I would update the thread. I received the car back from the coachwork company (recommended by Lotus) a week ago.
That was about 10 months in the garage.
I was on a schedule to collect the car and drive it to Romania where I work.
Previously there was bubbling on the doors, which I had asked to be repaired when the car was sprayed, this has not been done, two of the wheels were damaged. They are still damaged. There are a few small scratches that weren't there before, I asked for an upgrade radiator and new resistor pack for my heater, this could have been done but they left it too late and in the end I just said put the car together and give it back to me. The roof/hood has mildew and jet wash marks on it. Vibrations through the steering wheel (not nice on the autobahn).

So, I had a time limit and the car is far from what I expected. Especially after the amount of time its been in the yard, in a corner, ignored. The car is in Romania now after a great road trip. I'll get all the work needing done here, it will be cheap and I can trust the Romanians to do a decent job.

So, I went for what I thought was the sensible option, did not write the car off and fought to keep it, Took it out of the insurance companies recommended repairer to Lotus recommended shop, negating my rights to a rental car. Stupid, stupid decision, I've wasted a lot of money visiting the uk to see my family renting cars, the Lotus was returned in worse condition than pre-accident.

I'm glad the car wasn't written off, I love them and they're brilliant to drive, but had there been a rental car involved I think the insurance company would have pushed harder to have the car repairs done in a timely manner. There were problems locating a clam but this could have been got around if anyone had any interest getting it back on the road. Much of the faults which are still there could have been addressed much earlier within the ten months.

I was told originally the car would be repaired for February.