Insurance question: are you still insured after buy back

[Jack_and_MLE]

Hi All

I've had a meeting with a deer a few week ago.
The insurance wants to write off the car and I don't want to.
The car is 4 years old.
Citroen C5 with the 2.2 HDI engine fully loaded, and there is none currently for sale in the UK

I know why, the insurance's body shop wants to replace the front end of the car, near side allow etc.

It looks like i will be buying the car back from the insurance.

Question is: do I need to take a new insurance after the claim is settled?

Thank you for your answer

Jack

[shakotan]

Jack_and_MLE said:

Hi All

I've had a meeting with a deer a few week ago.
The insurance wants to write off the car and I don't want to.
The car is 4 years old.
Citroen C5 with the 2.2 HDI engine fully loaded, and there is none currently for sale in the UK

I know why, the insurance's body shop wants to replace the front end of the car, near side allow etc.

It looks like i will be buying the car back from the insurance.

Question is: do I need to take a new insurance after the claim is settled?

Thank you for your answer

Jack

Your policy is still valid until the expiry date.

[Drumroll]

AFAIK Yes

[BMWBen]

My policy ends on a total loss situation - and I expect that that's standard.

[thescamper]

Jack_and_MLE said:

Hi All

I've had a meeting with a deer a few week ago.
The insurance wants to write off the car and I don't want to.
The car is 4 years old.
Citroen C5 with the 2.2 HDI engine fully loaded, and there is none currently for sale in the UK

I know why, the insurance's body shop wants to replace the front end of the car, near side allow etc.

It looks like i will be buying the car back from the insurance.

Question is: do I need to take a new insurance after the claim is settled?

Thank you for your answer

Jack

You'd be best off speaking to your insurance company. My policy carried on after a total loss.

[mcflurry]

Why would you want to buy it back, if the costs of repairing outweigh the car's value?

It's not as though you could get away with a replacement bumper from a scrappy and some duct tape.

[tigger1]

mcflurry said:

Why would you want to buy it back, if the costs of repairing outweigh the car's value?

It's not as though you could get away with a replacement bumper from a scrappy and some duct tape.

I'm not sure you understand "uneconomical to repair"!

It doesn't mean the repairs cost more than the car's worth - it generally means the insurers believe the repairs will cost more than X% (depends on the insurer and the age of the car etc) of the car's value.

Also, what's wrong with a replacement bumper from a scrappy being correctly fitted? (Not with tape!)

[TooMany2cvs]

mcflurry said:

Why would you want to buy it back, if the costs of repairing outweigh the car's value?

It's not as though you could get away with a replacement bumper from a scrappy and some duct tape.

You can fit a used replacement bumper/wing/headlight properly, rather than just taping 'em on.

[speedking31]

mcflurry said:

Why would you want to buy it back, if the costs of repairing outweigh the car's value?

Jack_and_MLE said:

Citroen C5 with the 2.2 HDI engine fully loaded, and there is none currently for sale in the UK

[jondude]

Wasn't there (still is?) the case that insurers were writing off cars because it was unecomical for them, not the value.

Example being the original bumper is out of stock and could take a month or more to arrive, insured has the right to a car hire while waiting.....so they write it off to save themselves stress and cost.

The OP needs to remember though they will mark it as a Cat C or D whatever it is and this automatically lowers its resale value.

On the policy, I'd check with them. I'd think they would cancel as again, they will not refund all the premium remaining and ask an admin charge for the cheque.

And maybe - I am not sure - the car will need to be MOTd again after repair, pluse new V5?

[SonicShadow]

tigger1 said:

I'm not sure you understand "uneconomical to repair"!

It doesn't mean the repairs cost more than the car's worth - it generally means the insurers believe the repairs will cost more than X% (depends on the insurer and the age of the car etc) of the car's value.

Also, what's wrong with a replacement bumper from a scrappy being correctly fitted? (Not with tape!)

Yep. Add in the cost of a courtesy car, admin cost etc and it doesn't take a lot to write off a car that's 'only' worth a few grand.

[mr rusty]

Jack_and_MLE said:

Citroen C5 with the 2.2 HDI engine fully loaded,

I know why you want to keep it - very underated car - comfortable and brilliant for long distances. My C5 estate has just clicked 100K trouble free, - latest in 11 citroens in a row - all to all intents trouble free (but I do have a good main dealer)

[TooMany2cvs]

jondude said:

The OP needs to remember though they will mark it as a Cat C or D whatever it is and this automatically lowers its resale value.

It's a nearly-decade-old C5. What resale value?

[alangla]

BMWBen said:

My policy ends on a total loss situation - and I expect that that's standard.

This is my understanding as well, but the correct answer is, as always, to check your policy documents very closely.

On the issue of MoT/re-insuring etc - your MoT will still be valid, but many insurance companies will insist on a fresh MoT before covering a car that has been written off. That's their business decision, nothing set in legislation.

As ever, you are responsible for ensuring that the car is insured and roadworthy whenever it's on the road - even with the old, valid MoT (or even a new one) you could still be done for a Construction & Use offence if the repairs aren't carried out correctly.

In saying that (and having put an aging, written off Citroen back on the road for similar reasons to the OP & after a similar wildlife collision), if you reckon the repairs are doable for a reasonable cost & will put the car back into roadworthy condition, then go for it, the paperwork isn't that bad and you don't need a VIC any more.

[SonicShadow]

Indeed. If you want to keep it then chances are you've got no intention of selling it.

Besides, the buyback value on something like this will be fk all anyway. I paid about £50 to buy back my old MR2 on a ~£2k payout. Sold ~£600 worth of bits and then PXed what was left against some work on the replacement.

[shakotan]

SonicShadow said:

tigger1 said:

I'm not sure you understand "uneconomical to repair"!

It doesn't mean the repairs cost more than the car's worth - it generally means the insurers believe the repairs will cost more than X% (depends on the insurer and the age of the car etc) of the car's value.

Also, what's wrong with a replacement bumper from a scrappy being correctly fitted? (Not with tape!)

Yep. Add in the cost of a courtesy car, admin cost etc and it doesn't take a lot to write off a car that's 'only' worth a few grand.

My Panda 100HP was a Cat C write-off after the p/o drove over a large rock in the road, bending the Cat mounting flange and snapping off an O2 sensor. It also caught the lip of the engine stabiliser bracket on the subframe, popping two of the six spot welds. The Insurance company wrote it off citing uneconomical repair because they wanted to replace the whole subframe.

I bought it as a buyback and replaced the Cat and O2 sensor. Haven't bothered about the bracket apart from hammering the bend out of the lip.

[SonicShadow]

shakotan said:

My Panda 100HP was a Cat C write-off after the p/o drove over a large rock in the road, bending the Cat mounting flange and snapping off an O2 sensor. It also caught the lip of the engine stabiliser bracket on the subframe, popping two of the six spot welds. The Insurance company wrote it off citing uneconomical repair because they wanted to replace the whole subframe.

I bought it as a buyback and replaced the Cat and O2 sensor. Haven't bothered about the bracket apart from hammering the bend out of the lip.

I'm not surprised if the subframe was damaged. Most places wouldn't want to repair it if replacements are available. A proper 'as new' repair is expensive.

[shakotan]

SonicShadow said:

shakotan said:

My Panda 100HP was a Cat C write-off after the p/o drove over a large rock in the road, bending the Cat mounting flange and snapping off an O2 sensor. It also caught the lip of the engine stabiliser bracket on the subframe, popping two of the six spot welds. The Insurance company wrote it off citing uneconomical repair because they wanted to replace the whole subframe.

I bought it as a buyback and replaced the Cat and O2 sensor. Haven't bothered about the bracket apart from hammering the bend out of the lip.

I'm not surprised if the subframe was damaged. Most places wouldn't want to repair it if replacements are available. A proper 'as new' repair is expensive.

Yes, absolutely. I was just highlighting the difference between the economical write-off via the Insurance to an acceptable level of home repair.

[Jack_and_MLE]

Hello

Thanks for your the input

The car is less than 4 years old.
There is 2 main issue, they are under valueing my car, and they want to restore the car as it left the show room, to the point where they want to replace one alloy and tyre, the air conditioning condenser etc.
It seems they cannot understand the concept of some one using there car and wanting to have restored prior to the accident.
And I have told them about the items which do not need to be replaced.

I can have the car repaired for about £2k less than the cost quoted by there body shop.

The only car which could replace my C5 with the same blend of comfort speed, economy is a Jag XF estate.

I'll give them a call tomorrow and listen to what they have to say.

Jack

[kiethton]

I had this last year, was with elephant

I bought the car back following a Cat C accident last year. They would only continue the policy (mid-term) after I'd had the car re-MOT'ed