Car about to be written off but can be repaired
Discussion
I'll try to keep the story short but will be grateful for an advice.
My Toyota Yaris Auto 2015 was hit by someone speeding downhill and front driver side corner is smashed up to the door. The engine works, the car rolls and there is no obvious damage to the transmission or suspension but the car is off road.
The insurance company garage looked at my pictures and decided it would not be economical to repair, though no estimate of repair costs was provided.
Assuming there is no hidden damage - it's bodywork and electrics only (no re-spraying of the panels that are intact).
I compiled a minimalistic list of the work to do:
1) Front bumper replacement (may be repaired but let's consider the worst case)
2) Driver side headlight replacement
3) Bonnet replacement
4) Driver side wing replacement
5) Windscreen replacement
6) Driver side wing mirror replacement
7) Snapped cable repair or replacement (I believe this now causes the engine to beat when transmission is engaged).
While I can get an idea of parts cost, I find it hard to estimate labour and any auxiliary materials and adjustments. Will appreciate if someone experienced can guide me towards the price range of getting the car back on the road.
I had a look at the new cars but decided it may be worth to repair mine. I don't know yet how much the insurance company values the car and if they agree to repair in a cheap garage as I have to wait for their engineer to call me and discuss the options - Claims department knows nothing.
Another question: is it safe to start the repairs before the settlement is agreed with the insurance company ( it may be a long wait for them)?
My Toyota Yaris Auto 2015 was hit by someone speeding downhill and front driver side corner is smashed up to the door. The engine works, the car rolls and there is no obvious damage to the transmission or suspension but the car is off road.
The insurance company garage looked at my pictures and decided it would not be economical to repair, though no estimate of repair costs was provided.
Assuming there is no hidden damage - it's bodywork and electrics only (no re-spraying of the panels that are intact).
I compiled a minimalistic list of the work to do:
1) Front bumper replacement (may be repaired but let's consider the worst case)
2) Driver side headlight replacement
3) Bonnet replacement
4) Driver side wing replacement
5) Windscreen replacement
6) Driver side wing mirror replacement
7) Snapped cable repair or replacement (I believe this now causes the engine to beat when transmission is engaged).
While I can get an idea of parts cost, I find it hard to estimate labour and any auxiliary materials and adjustments. Will appreciate if someone experienced can guide me towards the price range of getting the car back on the road.
I had a look at the new cars but decided it may be worth to repair mine. I don't know yet how much the insurance company values the car and if they agree to repair in a cheap garage as I have to wait for their engineer to call me and discuss the options - Claims department knows nothing.
Another question: is it safe to start the repairs before the settlement is agreed with the insurance company ( it may be a long wait for them)?
If they have deemed it an uneconomical repair, which is understandable given the value of the car vs the potential repair costs plus associated charge... and they have not offered you a cash in lieu settlement / advised the car is yours to keep then I would do nothing at the moment and await their instructions or contact them to advise you wish to retain the salvage, if granted they will deem the car as a Cat N or S total loss and "sell" the salvage back to you. If indeed they agree to that.
Once that's complete, you can do what you want with it however nobody on the internet will be able to tell how much it'll cost you to repair and I would strongly suggest you get it assessed first as there may be more damage than you can see, possibly even damage to the chassis leg or A-pillar so I would tread very carefully. Follow the process, liaise with your insurers and once the car is "yours" then get it assessed and an estimate from your repairer of choice - you may quite quickly discover that the repair costs are more than you're willing to spend.
If the car is undrivable, which I assume it is, has your own insurers provided a replacement / have you got your claims team working for you to keep you mobile until resolved... and by that I mean up to the point where the damaged car is handed back to you, from which point... you're on your own so bear that in mind if you opt to get it repaired, ie the insurers won't provide a replacement car to keep you mobile for the duration.
I think, given your account of the damage and the fact you can't address the work yourself (ie, you need paid labour) I'd be inclined to accept a pay out then get something else... might be a lot less hassle in the long run.
Once that's complete, you can do what you want with it however nobody on the internet will be able to tell how much it'll cost you to repair and I would strongly suggest you get it assessed first as there may be more damage than you can see, possibly even damage to the chassis leg or A-pillar so I would tread very carefully. Follow the process, liaise with your insurers and once the car is "yours" then get it assessed and an estimate from your repairer of choice - you may quite quickly discover that the repair costs are more than you're willing to spend.
If the car is undrivable, which I assume it is, has your own insurers provided a replacement / have you got your claims team working for you to keep you mobile until resolved... and by that I mean up to the point where the damaged car is handed back to you, from which point... you're on your own so bear that in mind if you opt to get it repaired, ie the insurers won't provide a replacement car to keep you mobile for the duration.
I think, given your account of the damage and the fact you can't address the work yourself (ie, you need paid labour) I'd be inclined to accept a pay out then get something else... might be a lot less hassle in the long run.
Edited by Davie on Tuesday 7th January 17:20
Edited by Davie on Tuesday 7th January 17:21
Thank you. The insurance company referred me to the accident management company for a replacement car. They offered contract hire (as courtesy car is provided by the garage and mine is not with them) on a vague promise to recover the costs from the insurance. I did not want to risk the costs coming back to me if the other party denies liability, therefore we are sharing a 20 year old car.
For the car to be assessed it needs to be towed to the garage (and back if we don't agree on price). For this reason I'm trying to estimate the lowest cost of repairs, which in my view is around £3K, but if it is much higher - the best option will be to sell it to the insurance company. Waiting for the insurance company to come back with valuation will take time even if their offer is fair, and I could have the car repaired by then.
I looked up mobile damage assessors in my area (NW London), but could not find any. There were some experienced people on this forum (from the other posts), so I decided to share my dilemma.
For the car to be assessed it needs to be towed to the garage (and back if we don't agree on price). For this reason I'm trying to estimate the lowest cost of repairs, which in my view is around £3K, but if it is much higher - the best option will be to sell it to the insurance company. Waiting for the insurance company to come back with valuation will take time even if their offer is fair, and I could have the car repaired by then.
I looked up mobile damage assessors in my area (NW London), but could not find any. There were some experienced people on this forum (from the other posts), so I decided to share my dilemma.
If it needs a new windscreen, either the bonnet has been shoved against it or the a lower part of the A pillar has been moved. If it’s the latter, a proper repair is needed and is definitely not cheap.
Any fix of a CAT S / N etc will probably bump up your premiums by virtue of a lot of insurers declining cover. Let it go and take the money.
Any fix of a CAT S / N etc will probably bump up your premiums by virtue of a lot of insurers declining cover. Let it go and take the money.
Error_404_Username_not_found said:
If I'm not missing something fundamental you seem to be considering spending £3K or so resurrecting a ten year old Yaris.
I'm a little puzzled TBH.
This. You can pick them up for £7-10k depending on mileage for same year and gearbox. Get the insurance to payout. I'm a little puzzled TBH.
Were you asked to take photos of the damage using an app / link sent to you ?
If so these will have been used by the repair estimator at the insurance (accident management co) approved repair centre to estimate the repair costs. If the total estimated cost is likely to be more than 60% of the Cap value, the insurance co will choose to write it off.
It is NOT in the interest of the estimator to over egg the repair costs (as this means they will not get the repair work), they make nothing if the car is written off.
It could be the case they took a look at the bumper, headlight and wing damage and came to the conclusion the crash bar/ structure behind the bumper was also damaged (especially as something caused the windscreen to crack). Has you car got "Toyota Safety Sense" ADAS system, if so this might all need repairing and recalibrating.
If it was me, I'd see if can take the bumper and wing off, and see what (if any) damage is behind it, also work out what caused the screen to crack. If you still confident it is an easy fix, get it shipped to the insurance repair centre to do a hands on estimation.
If so these will have been used by the repair estimator at the insurance (accident management co) approved repair centre to estimate the repair costs. If the total estimated cost is likely to be more than 60% of the Cap value, the insurance co will choose to write it off.
It is NOT in the interest of the estimator to over egg the repair costs (as this means they will not get the repair work), they make nothing if the car is written off.
It could be the case they took a look at the bumper, headlight and wing damage and came to the conclusion the crash bar/ structure behind the bumper was also damaged (especially as something caused the windscreen to crack). Has you car got "Toyota Safety Sense" ADAS system, if so this might all need repairing and recalibrating.
If it was me, I'd see if can take the bumper and wing off, and see what (if any) damage is behind it, also work out what caused the screen to crack. If you still confident it is an easy fix, get it shipped to the insurance repair centre to do a hands on estimation.
ferret50 said:
You say the windscreen is broken?
This suggests to me that the A pillar on the driver's side is bent, difficult and costly.
But a few images would help the PH'ers who work in body repair to offer their opinion.
My first thought too.This suggests to me that the A pillar on the driver's side is bent, difficult and costly.
But a few images would help the PH'ers who work in body repair to offer their opinion.
Even if its not bent, car probably needs to go on a jig to be checked it would add a fair bit of cost.
To address all responses (and thanks to everyone for their opinion). I don't see the options of attaching pictures (though I can upload on Imgur and post the link), but they were used by the insurance company garage and by the garages that provided estimates. The windscreen has cracks in the lower corner, but the door seems to be intact, so a pillar may not be damaged.
The car is very low mileage, good condition, no known faults previously. I'm used to its size and behaviour. It starts with a traditional key with immobilizer, not remote fobs. The valuation can be anywhere between £5K to £8K, so I will need to add a lot to buy a newer car that will be repaired by the insurance for a number of years if anything happens.
The car is very low mileage, good condition, no known faults previously. I'm used to its size and behaviour. It starts with a traditional key with immobilizer, not remote fobs. The valuation can be anywhere between £5K to £8K, so I will need to add a lot to buy a newer car that will be repaired by the insurance for a number of years if anything happens.
I have never come across "Toyota Safety Sense" in my car manual, so it is unlikely to have it. Airbags did not deploy. I do not wish to leave the car in the insurance garage as this will give them leverage.
How costly may be a minor damage to a pillar? There does not seem to be damage under the bumper as the other car actually shaved the corner off by its side.
How costly may be a minor damage to a pillar? There does not seem to be damage under the bumper as the other car actually shaved the corner off by its side.
You have submitted photos to your own insurer who have decided that the damage they see compared to their valuation of the car puts it beyond economical repair.
If you disagree you will need to take the car to a body repair shop for them to examine & assess.
Then & only then will you have a full accurate idea as to the full extent of what's required as much of it will only be visible on a physical inspection.
You aren't going to get any guesstimates as to the extent of the damage, repairs needed & cost involved from an internet forum.
If you disagree you will need to take the car to a body repair shop for them to examine & assess.
Then & only then will you have a full accurate idea as to the full extent of what's required as much of it will only be visible on a physical inspection.
You aren't going to get any guesstimates as to the extent of the damage, repairs needed & cost involved from an internet forum.
I understand that no one on the forum can assess the damage, hence I was looking for a rough estimate of the work that I listed (which will definitely be required). If this by itself is too high - I will turn my attention to other cars rather than discussing repairs. Ideally, I'd like to have an idea of the worst case cost, but this requires too many assumptions, so I've asked about the best case scenario.
I called the garage we used in the last years (which is just slightly cheaper than the Toyota dealer) and they need to physically inspect the car, which means £70-80 recovery each way and they are not likely to produce a written report. Also, I don't know what category the insurance company will assign until I hear from their engineer (who only saw the pictures).
Do mobile assessors exist at all?
I called the garage we used in the last years (which is just slightly cheaper than the Toyota dealer) and they need to physically inspect the car, which means £70-80 recovery each way and they are not likely to produce a written report. Also, I don't know what category the insurance company will assign until I hear from their engineer (who only saw the pictures).
Do mobile assessors exist at all?
If you're of the opinion it may be a relatively easy repair, have you considered pushing the insurers to do that instead of total loss? May fall on deaf ears bug if they're willing to listen, perhaps something worth exploring.
Absolutely nobody on here, regardless of their professional, skill or experience will be able to advise how much this will sell cost you, especially without any images though images can hide a multitude of sins.
Appreciate you're probably looking for a definitive answer, but I fear that may not even come from an approved estimator as a lot of quotes of this nature contain the caveat that it's based on them not finding any more issues as they start stripping the car down.
Hence why many insurers will also take this stance and total loss, write a cheque and wash their hands of it as it could potentially snowball. For your average shunt with a relatively cheap / common car, where it's fairly obvious that even a basic repair will be not economically viable then the cars are rarely assessed in person so a full estimate won't exist.
Absolutely nobody on here, regardless of their professional, skill or experience will be able to advise how much this will sell cost you, especially without any images though images can hide a multitude of sins.
Appreciate you're probably looking for a definitive answer, but I fear that may not even come from an approved estimator as a lot of quotes of this nature contain the caveat that it's based on them not finding any more issues as they start stripping the car down.
Hence why many insurers will also take this stance and total loss, write a cheque and wash their hands of it as it could potentially snowball. For your average shunt with a relatively cheap / common car, where it's fairly obvious that even a basic repair will be not economically viable then the cars are rarely assessed in person so a full estimate won't exist.
My car had a tap in the rear at a set of traffic lights in May 2023. Only damage was scuffs and small cracks to the rear bumper cover - the parking sensors still worked!
The insurer of the other car recommended a couple of local repairers so I took it to one of them. Next thing I knew it was a Cat N and a week or two later the insurer made me a settlement offer. I had to ask them for a copy of the estimate which had been padded out to include blending paint into the rear wings and boot-lid so it was over £2K to fit a part BMW could supply for £650 in primer.
I disputed the valuation and got a bit more out of them but they insisted the Cat N was non-negotiable. Luckily as it still drove fine it never left my custody, and they deducted exactly 22% from the valuation for me to keep it - presumably the percentage they get from their salvage contractor.
Anyway if looks like they seem to rely heavily on their nominated repairers assessments and don't get cars inspected by engineers.
I wouldn't consider starting work until you've at least reached an agreement to keep the car. That's assuming you want to as it sounds like yours might even have structural damage which will make repairs more involved and costly, as well as so probably becoming a Cat S.
However it works out I hope you get a good outcome.
The insurer of the other car recommended a couple of local repairers so I took it to one of them. Next thing I knew it was a Cat N and a week or two later the insurer made me a settlement offer. I had to ask them for a copy of the estimate which had been padded out to include blending paint into the rear wings and boot-lid so it was over £2K to fit a part BMW could supply for £650 in primer.
I disputed the valuation and got a bit more out of them but they insisted the Cat N was non-negotiable. Luckily as it still drove fine it never left my custody, and they deducted exactly 22% from the valuation for me to keep it - presumably the percentage they get from their salvage contractor.
Anyway if looks like they seem to rely heavily on their nominated repairers assessments and don't get cars inspected by engineers.
I wouldn't consider starting work until you've at least reached an agreement to keep the car. That's assuming you want to as it sounds like yours might even have structural damage which will make repairs more involved and costly, as well as so probably becoming a Cat S.
However it works out I hope you get a good outcome.
ecsrobin said:
Error_404_Username_not_found said:
If I'm not missing something fundamental you seem to be considering spending £3K or so resurrecting a ten year old Yaris.
I'm a little puzzled TBH.
This. You can pick them up for £7-10k depending on mileage for same year and gearbox. Get the insurance to payout. I'm a little puzzled TBH.
you don't need to add more to upgrade to a newer car - if yours is good condition and low mileage, argue your case for a fair valuation, take the payout, then buy the exact same car again if you like it.
The more I think about it - the more I tend to agree that repairing the car will be a hassle and any future repairs will not be covered by the insurance. What I liked in Yaris was reliability and simplicity, which I may not find in newer cars full of electronics.
I consider a larger hatchback (automatic) and my list includes Toyota Corolla and RAV4, Mercedes GLA, 5 door Mini and (maybe) Volvo XC40. Any opinions?
I consider a larger hatchback (automatic) and my list includes Toyota Corolla and RAV4, Mercedes GLA, 5 door Mini and (maybe) Volvo XC40. Any opinions?
allondon2 said:
The more I think about it - the more I tend to agree that repairing the car will be a hassle and any future repairs will not be covered by the insurance. What I liked in Yaris was reliability and simplicity, which I may not find in newer cars full of electronics.
I consider a larger hatchback (automatic) and my list includes Toyota Corolla and RAV4, Mercedes GLA, 5 door Mini and (maybe) Volvo XC40. Any opinions?
As Brillomaster correctly said, why do you need to change to something newer and more complicated? Granted yes, finding the exact same model in the exact same condition may be a challenge and it'll possibly need some work to bring up to scratch / make it yours but it's an option - though again you could argue that the time, hassle, cost of sourcing a replacement is something you could do without but then again repairing your own car won't be without time, hassle and cost too. This is when you start feeling slightly aggrieved that insurers offer the least they can that barely covers that car, never mind all the added extra hassle on top... hence, make sure you dig your heels in and get a fair payout as and when the time comes. I consider a larger hatchback (automatic) and my list includes Toyota Corolla and RAV4, Mercedes GLA, 5 door Mini and (maybe) Volvo XC40. Any opinions?
Moving forwards, but the car you like and that suits your needs and budget - no car is 100% reliable and anything "complex" comes with potential to go wrong so perhaps something never, but under warranty would be better. With cars it's down to luck really, you'll been unlucky that you've found yourself in this situation with many unanswered questions, so yes... it is a very frustrating process.
allondon2 said:
The more I think about it - the more I tend to agree that repairing the car will be a hassle and any future repairs will not be covered by the insurance. What I liked in Yaris was reliability and simplicity, which I may not find in newer cars full of electronics.
I consider a larger hatchback (automatic) and my list includes Toyota Corolla and RAV4, Mercedes GLA, 5 door Mini and (maybe) Volvo XC40. Any opinions?
Buy another Yaris of a similar age. Newer cars aren't unreliable either - yes theres more tech but theres more tech in your TV, phone, toaster, oven, microwave etc.I consider a larger hatchback (automatic) and my list includes Toyota Corolla and RAV4, Mercedes GLA, 5 door Mini and (maybe) Volvo XC40. Any opinions?
Insurance companies etc wil look at the cost of buying new parts, getting them repainted etc which will drive the price up. As an example my mum recently had a hit & run in a car park which left her 5 door Clio needing 2 new doors and some paint - insurance reckoned it was touch and go whether they'd write it off and that was a 4 or 5 year old car. In the end new doors were fitted and sprayed but I think the cost was something like 3 grand...
allondon2 said:
The more I think about it - the more I tend to agree that repairing the car will be a hassle and any future repairs will not be covered by the insurance. What I liked in Yaris was reliability and simplicity, which I may not find in newer cars full of electronics.
I consider a larger hatchback (automatic) and my list includes Toyota Corolla and RAV4, Mercedes GLA, 5 door Mini and (maybe) Volvo XC40. Any opinions?
If you like your Yaris, why not another non-broken one?I consider a larger hatchback (automatic) and my list includes Toyota Corolla and RAV4, Mercedes GLA, 5 door Mini and (maybe) Volvo XC40. Any opinions?
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff