Will my car be written off/Cat D - advice

[AmberClabburn]

Hey guys
I had a nasty bump in the multi-storey the other day and I'm absolutely devastated with how my car now looks.

I've been quoted about 2k for fixtures (although one garage said 600?!) so I was thinking about insurance my excess will be 450. The rest of the car is in perfect condition and I'd hate to see it go! It's worth 6k according to auto trader

Do you think it will be written off because of the damage? There's no structural damage just cosmetic.

Thanks so much for your help
Amber

Edited by AmberClabburn on Monday 2nd October 11:37

[AmberClabburn]

Hey guys
I had a nasty bump in the multi-storey the other day and I'm absolutely devastated with how my car now looks.

I've been quoted about 2k for fixtures (although one garage said 600?!) so I was thinking about insurance my excess will be 450. The rest of the car is in perfect condition and I'd hate to see it go!

Do you think it will be written off because of the damage? There's no structural damage just cosmetic.

Thanks so much for your help
Amber

Edited by AmberClabburn on Monday 2nd October 11:41

[kiethton]

Impossible to say whether it'll be written off without details of what car it is, what spec it is and the mileage on the car (to try and work out a pre-accident value).

[AmberClabburn]

Hi it's a Vauxhall corsa se 1.4 2013 plate only done 16k miles

[SantaBarbara]

How old is the car?

[AmberClabburn]

2013

[kiethton]

a 2013 corsa 1.4 is ~£5k on autotrader, assuming a £2k repair (likely a lot less in an insurance co approved bodyshop) the car won't be written off for that

[thebraketester]

Location?

[AmberClabburn]

Based in north herts

[HustleRussell]

That won't be written off unless there is hidden damage underneath or to the rear suspension.

Does the car still drive the same way it did before?

The garage which quoted £600 would be repairing and filling the panel before respraying whereas those quoting ~£2k will be replacing the panel I presume.

[dhutch]

How old are you, insurance premium?

I would be tempted to pay £600 for it to be filled and repainted and keep your no claims, but that's me.


Daniel

[HustleRussell]

dhutch makes a good point, the car being solid white is one less thing to go wrong too. There's nothing inherently wrong with a good panel beater pulling that out and filing it, in fact it's arguably the better option as it's less invasive than removing the entire panel and fitting a new one.

[AmberClabburn]

I've only been driving for 1 month, first car and I'm 25 thanks!

[kiethton]

AmberClabburn said:

I've only been driving for 1 month, first car and I'm 25 thanks!

I'd just pay the £600 to fix then, either that or live with the damage.

The increase in subsequent year insurance premiums is going to be a lot more expensive then £150

[AmberClabburn]

I'm going to claim it on insurance I think as for £600 they won't do a. Good job. Just hoping that they won't right it off!

[kiethton]

They wont write it off, also remember that the insurance job will be the very cheapest job that they can possibly get away with.....

Don't vouch on it being any good - also remember that pulling that panel out (if done in a skilled way) will be a far better repair than fitting a whole new one, cheaper too!

[dhutch]

As said, it's flat white which is about the easiest colour to match, certainly much easier than anything metallic.

And £600 is more than enough for them to do a good job at it, that's not a cheap price, it's the right price for filling and painting that dent.

Especially if your a new driver it save a heap of cash next time round.

Daniel

[CharlesElliott]

If/when you claim on insurance, not only will you have to pay the excess, but you will pay an increased premium for a few years to come. Honestly, if you'd destroyed the car then it is worth claiming, but for cosmetic damage only, get it cosmetically repaired yourself.

[Winky151]

I'd post in your area thread for recommendations on bodyshops & go a get a quote yourself a quote before deciding to go down the insurance route.

[Little Pete]

A good panel beater would repair that using a minimum amount of body filler. Go for the repair, just get some recommendations first.