Car up in smoke, what next?

[24lemons]

Ive just spoken to my mum who's Audi A3 has just been written off by fire. They had a knock at the door because someone saw smoke coming out of it and the end result is a partially gutted interior. The fire brigade say its almost certainly an electrical fire deep down in the dashboard somewhere.

What's the likely outcome regarding insurance? will they get market value for it? I suppose it depends on the individual policy but if anyone here has had a similar experience, what has the outcome been?

The car is a 2005 A3 1.6, I think it cost around £10k about 3 years ago if that's of any help.

[Crafty_]

Probably a write off.
Will they get market value ? down to them really. If the insurers make an offer you are not obliged to accept it.
Collect up all of the servicing invoices/bills etc, along with adverts of comparable models.
The aim is to make the insured vehicle appear the best example of that model on the market, therefore they need top whack on the pay out to replace it.

[24lemons]

Crafty_ said:

Probably a write off.
Will they get market value ? down to them really. If the insurers make an offer you are not obliged to accept it.
Collect up all of the servicing invoices/bills etc, along with adverts of comparable models.
The aim is to make the insured vehicle appear the best example of that model on the market, therefore they need top whack on the pay out to replace it.

Thanks for that, The interior is knackered so definitely a write off. Parents have actually spent the afternoon looking for a replacement and have already put a deposit on one at the local Audi dealer! I'll pass on your advice regarding how to get the best insurance payout.

[J4CKO]

So it self imolated and they went and bought another, I would be asking questions as to how a relatively new car can catch fire for no apparent reason, again, the german manufacturers get slavish devotion whatever the products do, they are good, granted but I would want to know as next time, it might not be empty.

[Futuramic]

J4CKO said:

So it self imolated and they went and bought another, I would be asking questions as to how a relatively new car can catch fire for no apparent reason, again, the german manufacturers get slavish devotion whatever the products do, they are good, granted but I would want to know as next time, it might not be empty.

I see the basis for that point but can't really agree. Just because one caught fire doesn't mean the Audi A3 is an inherently bad or unsafe car. As far as I am aware they don't have a particular reputation for spontaneous combustion.

The cause of the fire is likely to be electrical, though the exact source will probably never be located. I investigated a few when in the police and if the fire is bad, as in more than smouldering wires, then the actual source is likely to be totally destroyed. For example if it started in the fuse box the whole thing would rapidly be reduced to a bioform blob.

It could have been worn insulation or a faulty relay or a dud fuse or practically anything. The only odd factor is that the car was switched off, so perhaps something didn't shut down properly. It would be unlikely that the clock would catch fire!

Ultimately it does happen. A new-ish Mercedes convertible burned to the ground in front of me once. It was round the corner from the police station and we were called out as soon as the flames were spied (it was a quiet night). There was no foul play, the thing just caught fire. Where there are batteries and wiring there are sparks. Stick in a bumper serving of flammable matter and you have fire.

It's not that common, by any means, but I don't think we should be blaming Audi for a freak accident.

[6fire]

I had a motorbike catch fire years ago. Not only did the insurance co pay out more than market value, they paid out more than I'd insured it for!

Result - especially as it was a bag of ste that had been abused and was not far off lunching it's engine.

So, in my experience insurers are pretty fair when it comes to vehicle fires!