300 Tdi 90 deemed a total loss? HELP!
Discussion
New territory for me, I had my 300Tdi 90 stolen but recovered........ http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Was taken from my workplace, driven hard for 30miles around some fields until the fuel ran out and dumped. Off-road joy-riding in a 90 if you like!
I recovered the vehicle and after a good clean I took the vehicle to a local LR specialist to assess the damage and for a quote. Full repairs came in at £4k - new diff, steering rods? and various other bits that all added up. Submitted this to the insurers who have since inspected the vehicle and value it at £5k. They now tell me they can get 34percent of the value if scrapped (£1700) and therefore its uneconomical to repair and a total loss.
I disagree with the value given its a two owner, 70k miles vehicle but the inspector chap told me he could not justify a value over £5k based on his research! He will submit his report to the insurer has noted that I have rejected an offer of £5k.
What is my best course of action now? I want the vehicle repaired not a cheque for £5k.
For information my excess is £50.00 and the vehicle will be Cat D if repaired. Inspector/loss adjuster said the quote was very fair. I'm really disappointed as this 90 was purchased new from a chap living 100m from me. He sold it to another neighbour after 15 years who kept it for 5 years before selling to me. I know all its history, the chassis is solid and I have spent £1k under my ownership replacing rear door, crossmember and other parts to make it a keeper.
It would be so sad to see this scrapped, all the damage is mechanical, with no damage to panel or paint.
Should I fight to get this back on the road or just accept it's a total loss and accept a cheque? Obviously I value it a bit more than £5k given known history.
Was taken from my workplace, driven hard for 30miles around some fields until the fuel ran out and dumped. Off-road joy-riding in a 90 if you like!
I recovered the vehicle and after a good clean I took the vehicle to a local LR specialist to assess the damage and for a quote. Full repairs came in at £4k - new diff, steering rods? and various other bits that all added up. Submitted this to the insurers who have since inspected the vehicle and value it at £5k. They now tell me they can get 34percent of the value if scrapped (£1700) and therefore its uneconomical to repair and a total loss.
I disagree with the value given its a two owner, 70k miles vehicle but the inspector chap told me he could not justify a value over £5k based on his research! He will submit his report to the insurer has noted that I have rejected an offer of £5k.
What is my best course of action now? I want the vehicle repaired not a cheque for £5k.
For information my excess is £50.00 and the vehicle will be Cat D if repaired. Inspector/loss adjuster said the quote was very fair. I'm really disappointed as this 90 was purchased new from a chap living 100m from me. He sold it to another neighbour after 15 years who kept it for 5 years before selling to me. I know all its history, the chassis is solid and I have spent £1k under my ownership replacing rear door, crossmember and other parts to make it a keeper.
It would be so sad to see this scrapped, all the damage is mechanical, with no damage to panel or paint.
Should I fight to get this back on the road or just accept it's a total loss and accept a cheque? Obviously I value it a bit more than £5k given known history.
Thanks guys.
Firstly I am crap with spanners and if honest would be happier to pay some-one skilled and with good LR knowledge to do the work.
It's so hard to put a value on it, very little to compare against given 70k miles on a 20yr old 90. True value is a matter of opinion and not fact like, say, a 2011 Ford Focus.
If I take the £5k buy it back for £2k and give the garage £3k to get it back on the road I am left with a Cat D 300Tdi with no history - the log-book and recorded history was in the vehicle at time of theft and has been thrown/lost/stolen by the perps.
If i buy it back for £2k could I break it down and make some money?
Just feel if I go to all the hassle of getting it back on the road the vehicle will be forever tainted in my eyes. Thinking out loud really.
Firstly I am crap with spanners and if honest would be happier to pay some-one skilled and with good LR knowledge to do the work.
It's so hard to put a value on it, very little to compare against given 70k miles on a 20yr old 90. True value is a matter of opinion and not fact like, say, a 2011 Ford Focus.
If I take the £5k buy it back for £2k and give the garage £3k to get it back on the road I am left with a Cat D 300Tdi with no history - the log-book and recorded history was in the vehicle at time of theft and has been thrown/lost/stolen by the perps.
If i buy it back for £2k could I break it down and make some money?
Just feel if I go to all the hassle of getting it back on the road the vehicle will be forever tainted in my eyes. Thinking out loud really.
Edited by astroarcadia on Saturday 1st March 12:59
If you intend to keep it long term, what difference does it make if its got a Cat D recorded?
I had a Scimitar stolen which was recovered undamaged several days later. OK so nothing needed repairing but it had no effect on the way I looked at it. I just fitted a security system.
If the bodywork was damaged/chassis bent etc then that's a different matter, bit if its just bolt on bits then there isn't a problem. If the vehicle was fine before then wouldn't it be better to get it repaired than buy another one with the problems that can bring?
You could argue the value using my suggestion - which I did successfully some years ago, took 9 months & had the Ombudsman involved - and may get the offer increased but there are a lot of realistically priced vehicles currently on Autotrader for around what they're offering you so I don't know how much success you would have.
I had a Scimitar stolen which was recovered undamaged several days later. OK so nothing needed repairing but it had no effect on the way I looked at it. I just fitted a security system.
If the bodywork was damaged/chassis bent etc then that's a different matter, bit if its just bolt on bits then there isn't a problem. If the vehicle was fine before then wouldn't it be better to get it repaired than buy another one with the problems that can bring?
You could argue the value using my suggestion - which I did successfully some years ago, took 9 months & had the Ombudsman involved - and may get the offer increased but there are a lot of realistically priced vehicles currently on Autotrader for around what they're offering you so I don't know how much success you would have.
Edited by paintman on Saturday 1st March 14:04
I think I would be asking them for 4K and keep the car, you can do a lot of repairs for four grand but having not seen all the damage it's difficult to guess.
I have been servicing and repairing L/Rovers for almost 40 years and you would be surprised at what can be done for little money.
Have you any photos of the damage to give us a better idea of what needs doing.
Would always be happy to quote you on repairs.
Looking at current prices I would value yours around the 6-7K mark going on the photos in the other thread.
I have been servicing and repairing L/Rovers for almost 40 years and you would be surprised at what can be done for little money.
Have you any photos of the damage to give us a better idea of what needs doing.
Would always be happy to quote you on repairs.
Looking at current prices I would value yours around the 6-7K mark going on the photos in the other thread.
You need to get as many comparison vehicles as possible, both in better and worse condition and screen shot them and put your arguments re values next to them. Send them to the loss adjuster / inspecting engineer.
Show that your vehicle was not the "norm" and that to replace it will cost you more than what they are offering.
Give them evidence of money you have spent on it? If the receipts are lost, ring the garages and ask for duplicates.
Their valuation of £1700 for salvage is way way under as the car would be purchased and sold as parts or repaired for more than that. You only need to look at Autosalvage or Copart to see that.
Good luck
Show that your vehicle was not the "norm" and that to replace it will cost you more than what they are offering.
Give them evidence of money you have spent on it? If the receipts are lost, ring the garages and ask for duplicates.
Their valuation of £1700 for salvage is way way under as the car would be purchased and sold as parts or repaired for more than that. You only need to look at Autosalvage or Copart to see that.
Good luck
I had a similar situation. A mong in a dodge ram <ahem> rammed me in the rear. The clown had a front mounted tow ball which put a neat split in my rear crossmember. He also pushed the spare wheel, which in turn folded the rear door in two, smashing the rear window and pushing the 2.4m length of timber I had inside into the windscreen, breaking that too. This required a (LR approved) body off rear crossmember replacement, new door/glass, new windscreen and new tow bar/bracket/electrics plus paint and sundries.
Ins co's recommended claims management charlatans gave me a like for like replacement (mini c
ryman :rolleyes) and took my Landy away to their approved repairers. After tooling around in the (quite frankly, appalling (<25mpg), diseasel) mini for a couple of weeks I was told the Landy was an uneconomic repair so written off.
The figures were: £3700 repair, vehicle valued at £4200. At the time my 1995 90 300TDI CSW was in very good condition and probably worth around £7k. On the very day that the ins company's assessor cretin told me what he'd valued it at after "doing some research" - he said he'd checked Glass's/Black Book/adverts - there wasn't another equivalent vehicle to be had in Autotrader/E&M/Pistonheads/Landy Mags/local dealers for less than £6995, but plenty over that.
I dug my heels in, told the CM Co I wasn't having any of their nonsense, pointed out that their assessor was a window-licker who couldn't find his butt cheeks with both hands and a map, and referred the case back to my insurance company. They listened to my reasoning and sent their own assessor out. He couldn't understand where the original assessor's valuation came from, valued the vehicle at £6800 and authorised the repair. My own view was that the original assessor was a lazy lying turd who hid behind the car valuation guides. There was a lot of humming and hawing when I later pointed out to him that none of the price guides list Defenders as they are valued on condition, not age/mileage. Nevertheless, to save face, he wouldn't budge on his valuation.
The whole sorry fiasco ended up costing the dodge rammer's insurance company well over twice what it should have cost!! Silly tts.
OP: fight it! Gather evidence of Defender values, point out that they're valued on condition, not just by looking up age/mileage in "the book" and basically call their bluff.
Paul
ETA, don't go down the route of take the money/buy it back/repair it. You might not be out of pocket, but why risk it? My own insurance company grudgingly admitted that a cat c/d writeoff might add a small amount to next year's premium! Make sure your insurers are in no doubt you'll go to the insurance ombudsman if they don't value your vehicle properly.
Ins co's recommended claims management charlatans gave me a like for like replacement (mini c
ryman :rolleyes) and took my Landy away to their approved repairers. After tooling around in the (quite frankly, appalling (<25mpg), diseasel) mini for a couple of weeks I was told the Landy was an uneconomic repair so written off. The figures were: £3700 repair, vehicle valued at £4200. At the time my 1995 90 300TDI CSW was in very good condition and probably worth around £7k. On the very day that the ins company's assessor cretin told me what he'd valued it at after "doing some research" - he said he'd checked Glass's/Black Book/adverts - there wasn't another equivalent vehicle to be had in Autotrader/E&M/Pistonheads/Landy Mags/local dealers for less than £6995, but plenty over that.
I dug my heels in, told the CM Co I wasn't having any of their nonsense, pointed out that their assessor was a window-licker who couldn't find his butt cheeks with both hands and a map, and referred the case back to my insurance company. They listened to my reasoning and sent their own assessor out. He couldn't understand where the original assessor's valuation came from, valued the vehicle at £6800 and authorised the repair. My own view was that the original assessor was a lazy lying turd who hid behind the car valuation guides. There was a lot of humming and hawing when I later pointed out to him that none of the price guides list Defenders as they are valued on condition, not age/mileage. Nevertheless, to save face, he wouldn't budge on his valuation.
The whole sorry fiasco ended up costing the dodge rammer's insurance company well over twice what it should have cost!! Silly t
ts.OP: fight it! Gather evidence of Defender values, point out that they're valued on condition, not just by looking up age/mileage in "the book" and basically call their bluff.
Paul
ETA, don't go down the route of take the money/buy it back/repair it. You might not be out of pocket, but why risk it? My own insurance company grudgingly admitted that a cat c/d writeoff might add a small amount to next year's premium! Make sure your insurers are in no doubt you'll go to the insurance ombudsman if they don't value your vehicle properly.
Edited by cmsapms on Monday 3rd March 14:43
You have my sympathy for having your truck stolen,
When I first read your post I thought if it were me I'd take the money and buy back the truck because I love MY truck and would move heaven and earth to repair it and keep it.
However, in later posts you've both stated you are no good with spanners and asked about its value if you broke it so the truck clearly holds little sentimental value.
So I'd say get what money you can, fight their valuation if necessary, and walk away.
When I first read your post I thought if it were me I'd take the money and buy back the truck because I love MY truck and would move heaven and earth to repair it and keep it.
However, in later posts you've both stated you are no good with spanners and asked about its value if you broke it so the truck clearly holds little sentimental value.
So I'd say get what money you can, fight their valuation if necessary, and walk away.
Insurer has upped offer to £6k write-off or £4k and I keep the truck.
Reluctant to spend £4k making the vehicle road worthy and be left with a Cat D with no history (log-book lost at point of theft). I know the history of the vehicle but makes it impossible to sell should the need arise.
In hard cash terms the £6k being offered is the highest return I will ever achieve on this vehicle. If I take the £4k and repair it I accpet that I will keep this vehicle forever.
I know I said previously it was a keeper but I had piece of mind in knowing it was an asset I could cash in if the need arose.
Thinking about taking the £6k and scratching the 90 itch again in a few years for the third time.
Reluctant to spend £4k making the vehicle road worthy and be left with a Cat D with no history (log-book lost at point of theft). I know the history of the vehicle but makes it impossible to sell should the need arise.
In hard cash terms the £6k being offered is the highest return I will ever achieve on this vehicle. If I take the £4k and repair it I accpet that I will keep this vehicle forever.
I know I said previously it was a keeper but I had piece of mind in knowing it was an asset I could cash in if the need arose.
Thinking about taking the £6k and scratching the 90 itch again in a few years for the third time.
Having not seen the vehicle for a few weeks now I am adjusting well to life without it! If I visit her at the garage I will no doubt fall in love again.
On the flip-side I have started an extension at home so could do with the extra cash.
I guess this situation encapsulates perfectly the conundrum of Defender ownership:
My heart says yes- keep it at any cost.
My head says no- take the money and walk!
On the flip-side I have started an extension at home so could do with the extra cash.
I guess this situation encapsulates perfectly the conundrum of Defender ownership:
My heart says yes- keep it at any cost.
My head says no- take the money and walk!
It's a shame as these are like big mecano kits!
You could even have bought a 300tdi discovery with terminal rust for less than £1000 and transferred the mechanical parts over!
I'm not sure how the service history on a defender matters! As long as you can prove that it is what it is supposed to be!
You could even have bought a 300tdi discovery with terminal rust for less than £1000 and transferred the mechanical parts over!
I'm not sure how the service history on a defender matters! As long as you can prove that it is what it is supposed to be!
Here she is up for sale at Copart....
http://www.copart.co.uk/c2/homeSearch.html?_eventI...
Estimated repair cost for a good home mechanic is near £3k.
http://www.copart.co.uk/c2/homeSearch.html?_eventI...
Estimated repair cost for a good home mechanic is near £3k.
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