My car's been written off and i have a question
Discussion
Hi all
Well the story goes like this...
I got rear ended whilst stationary in a line of traffic 6 weeks ago and the same day my insurance took my car away and gave me a courtesy car to tide me over whilst they saw if they would be fixing my car.
Well today i got an email through stating that they were going to give me a very much over valued price for my mgzt as it would be uneconomical to repair and that the salvage value would be £222 and there would be an option to have the mgzt back or sell it to the company for this amount.
My question is where would i stand when/if i get the mg back as in could it be used on the road again or is it a dismantle only job as it's been paid out on ?
Thank you
Kavanagh
Well the story goes like this...
I got rear ended whilst stationary in a line of traffic 6 weeks ago and the same day my insurance took my car away and gave me a courtesy car to tide me over whilst they saw if they would be fixing my car.
Well today i got an email through stating that they were going to give me a very much over valued price for my mgzt as it would be uneconomical to repair and that the salvage value would be £222 and there would be an option to have the mgzt back or sell it to the company for this amount.
My question is where would i stand when/if i get the mg back as in could it be used on the road again or is it a dismantle only job as it's been paid out on ?
Thank you
Kavanagh
I understand the situation to be as RJP01 states. If it's a cat D or C it can be repaired. On an older car cat D can be really simple thing as parts and labour are so expensive and cars are so cheap.
If it's cat D you can probably repair it far cheaper using secondhand parts (insurance companies won't normally do this) so occasionally it can work out well.
I pulled out the dent in the back of my old Cavalier by tying it to a tree and driving away! MOTed and ran it for a couple of years after. Similarly my brother's Talbot Solara was fixed for about £20: fibre repair to bumper, straightened irons, dent pushed out and a secondhand rear lamp fitted. In both cases the cars had only been very slightly damaged but insurers would only ever consider complete new bits making them uneconomical.
On the other hand if you've got a decent valuation you might just be better taking the money and letting them keep the car...
If it's cat D you can probably repair it far cheaper using secondhand parts (insurance companies won't normally do this) so occasionally it can work out well.
I pulled out the dent in the back of my old Cavalier by tying it to a tree and driving away! MOTed and ran it for a couple of years after. Similarly my brother's Talbot Solara was fixed for about £20: fibre repair to bumper, straightened irons, dent pushed out and a secondhand rear lamp fitted. In both cases the cars had only been very slightly damaged but insurers would only ever consider complete new bits making them uneconomical.
On the other hand if you've got a decent valuation you might just be better taking the money and letting them keep the car...
Unless the valuation is alot lower then what the car is really worth, I wouldn't bother getting it repaired. Cars sold as Cat C/D repaired will put off many potential buyers and you have to sell the car for pretty much half of what its worth (especially for older cars like your MG) if you want to get it shifted when it comes time to sell.
But if it's a good car and the repair is really simple/cheap i.e. DIY and secondhand parts then £222 might mean a few years of cheap motoring.
I don't know the rules for returning a cat D to the road these days. Does it need a new MOT, an extra inspection or is it sufficient just to ensure it's safe? There are no laws stating all the panels have to be the same colour or anything...
I don't know the rules for returning a cat D to the road these days. Does it need a new MOT, an extra inspection or is it sufficient just to ensure it's safe? There are no laws stating all the panels have to be the same colour or anything...
NadiR said:
Unless the valuation is alot lower then what the car is really worth, I wouldn't bother getting it repaired. Cars sold as Cat C/D repaired will put off many potential buyers and you have to sell the car for pretty much half of what its worth (especially for older cars like your MG) if you want to get it shifted when it comes time to sell.
Saying that if he buys it back and during the repair process photographs every detail to prove it is a top notch repair job then when selling to someone such as a car enthusiast, who are generally the people who buy MG ZT...hang on MG ZT, I sort of just saw MG and thought MGB, the ZT is a slightly faster rover 75, unless it is the ZT 400 with the mustang engine I wouldn't bother unless you really like the car.
Hi all
It is only the 1.8 normally aspirated 2003 mgzt saloon in the good old british racing green.
The damage is a rear bumper that snapped in two,smashed light glass [Still works] and the rear right side panel has a dink.
The car itself has 80k on the clock with mot till late this year and tax still running on it and still drives as it should but it is not pretty at the back end but was told by a lovely wpc that it was still legal to use as was but now with the insurance now writing it off i don't know where i stand still because they have yet to tell me what cat they've placed it on.
If i find a photo of the old girl i'll chuck one up.
I paid £900 for it and they've valued it at £2400!
Who the hell are doing these valuations ?
Cheers people
Kavanagh
It is only the 1.8 normally aspirated 2003 mgzt saloon in the good old british racing green.
The damage is a rear bumper that snapped in two,smashed light glass [Still works] and the rear right side panel has a dink.
The car itself has 80k on the clock with mot till late this year and tax still running on it and still drives as it should but it is not pretty at the back end but was told by a lovely wpc that it was still legal to use as was but now with the insurance now writing it off i don't know where i stand still because they have yet to tell me what cat they've placed it on.
If i find a photo of the old girl i'll chuck one up.
I paid £900 for it and they've valued it at £2400!
Who the hell are doing these valuations ?
Cheers people
Kavanagh
kavanagh said:
Hi all
It is only the 1.8 normally aspirated 2003 mgzt saloon in the good old british racing green.
The damage is a rear bumper that snapped in two,smashed light glass [Still works] and the rear right side panel has a dink.
The car itself has 80k on the clock with mot till late this year and tax still running on it and still drives as it should but it is not pretty at the back end but was told by a lovely wpc that it was still legal to use as was but now with the insurance now writing it off i don't know where i stand still because they have yet to tell me what cat they've placed it on.
If i find a photo of the old girl i'll chuck one up.
I paid £900 for it and they've valued it at £2400!
Who the hell are doing these valuations ?
Cheers people
Kavanagh
I'd take the £2400 and run!It is only the 1.8 normally aspirated 2003 mgzt saloon in the good old british racing green.
The damage is a rear bumper that snapped in two,smashed light glass [Still works] and the rear right side panel has a dink.
The car itself has 80k on the clock with mot till late this year and tax still running on it and still drives as it should but it is not pretty at the back end but was told by a lovely wpc that it was still legal to use as was but now with the insurance now writing it off i don't know where i stand still because they have yet to tell me what cat they've placed it on.
If i find a photo of the old girl i'll chuck one up.
I paid £900 for it and they've valued it at £2400!
Who the hell are doing these valuations ?
Cheers people
Kavanagh
No of course not.
I nearly fell of my seat when i read the email.
The problem we have that we have ordered a new vehicle [Motability scheme due to disabled son] of which will be delivered in march and i was just asking if i could still use the mgzt to save tracking down another vehicle as a stop gap.
I nearly fell of my seat when i read the email.
The problem we have that we have ordered a new vehicle [Motability scheme due to disabled son] of which will be delivered in march and i was just asking if i could still use the mgzt to save tracking down another vehicle as a stop gap.
so called said:
Are you complaining ?
So they are offering you 2400 and they keep the wreck or 2400-222 and you get the wreck, correct?
If the "dink" is not too bad I'd take the wreck and £2178.
Repair it with s/hand parts bumper say 50 and lamp 25. Even if the "dink" needs a bit of filling and painting, perhaps £200, you've got the car back on the road and £1700+ in your pocket.
They are probably estimating a new rear panel fitted and painted, new bumper, new lamp, etc.
If the "dink" is not too bad I'd take the wreck and £2178.
Repair it with s/hand parts bumper say 50 and lamp 25. Even if the "dink" needs a bit of filling and painting, perhaps £200, you've got the car back on the road and £1700+ in your pocket.
They are probably estimating a new rear panel fitted and painted, new bumper, new lamp, etc.
Jagmanv12 said:
So they are offering you 2400 and they keep the wreck or 2400-222 and you get the wreck, correct?
If the "dink" is not too bad I'd take the wreck and £2178.
Repair it with s/hand parts bumper say 50 and lamp 25. Even if the "dink" needs a bit of filling and painting, perhaps £200, you've got the car back on the road and £1700+ in your pocket.
They are probably estimating a new rear panel fitted and painted, new bumper, new lamp, etc.
What jagman said - the write off decision is based on new parts. Cat C only needs a vehicle identity check to stay on the road. Roadworthiness wont be checked until the next MOT and is not part of the VIC.If the "dink" is not too bad I'd take the wreck and £2178.
Repair it with s/hand parts bumper say 50 and lamp 25. Even if the "dink" needs a bit of filling and painting, perhaps £200, you've got the car back on the road and £1700+ in your pocket.
They are probably estimating a new rear panel fitted and painted, new bumper, new lamp, etc.
Just be sure that in patching it up you dont spend more than it is worth to you or the market value of a Cat C registered car and you will be quids in.
Theres a lot of crap spouted about Cat C/D's on here and the reality is that they have only been assessed as beyond economic repair based on a topline estimate by the loss adjuster. That estimate includes the cost of the replacement vehicle you are entitled too whilst yours is off the road. If liability is under no debate they have to add the cost of the hire car whilst yours is unusable to their loss. If the car takes a month to fix or waiting to be fixed this influences the decision to write off. Reality is that there is little that cannot be repaired properly on a Cat C/D.
randlemarcus said:
Seems the clever thing to do is to get the car back, bodge it, and then flog it in March, when the Motability car arrives.
That's what I'd do. Get a second hand bumper and lights for around 50 to 100 to make it relatively tidy, the lights will be essential. Depending on how bad the dink is I probably wouldn't even bother repairing it but a local independent might do it for a couple of hundred.Then when the new car comes sell it and be completely honest about what you've done. It will be worth more than the £300 or so you've paid just for parts.
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