An insurance write-off quandry - HELP!!

[eltax91]

Hi guys. I need the collective knowledge of the PH experience and some advice. I crashed my daily last week, a 171k, mechanically tip-top MK1 Octavia TDi. This car I have run for 90k+ over the last 3 years. It has been solid as a rock.

The total damage quote came to £2080. The car is worth, IMHO about £1500 tops. So, the insurance company called today and declared they have made the vehicle a total loss, and it is a Category C due to the repairs comming to more than the value. This means it requires a VIC check - no bother. The figures are as follows, this is before negotiation and my excess of £250 has been subtracted before writing values.

• £1000 straight cash
• £675 + the car returned.

Now, my current personal situation is that I have money standing by waiting for a replacement, it is a "contingency" as I must have a reliable car for work. My toy car ('Fender 90) is costing roughly double in fule, at £22 per day soon mounts up! If I took the car back, repairs would cost me about £300, doing most of work myself.

My problem is I wan't to find a reliable and well-looked after replacement, so realistically if I opt to repair it I will run it until the MOT in September, take my time over choosing it's replacement and find the right car, then strip the Skoda to bits, selling engine/ box and ancilleries that are worth a bit, plus keeping some bits for my wife's A3 (2 brand new tyres, cruise stalk etc)

If I go the route of taking the cash, I'd either have to run the landy until I find a replacement, buy a more economical throwaway stop-gap and sell when I find a replacement, or rush the replacement plan and risk getting a lemon and buying a heap of trouble.

So, I have 3 questions really:-

• Does my current policy still run if I keep the car, or will it expire no matter which option I take?
• How will it affect my premium at the next renewal (6 pts, 1 non fault and 1 fault claim, paid £450 last year) - appreciate it's open ended, but does CAT C car seriously increase insurance?
• What would you do in my shoes

[Use Psychology]

write to the insurance company documenting why they should pay you more money for your car - you have said youself the worth of the vehicle - well in excess of £1000, don't accept their insulting offer.

[hornetrider]

In your shoes, I would try and negotiate them up from a grand giving exam[ples of similar cars in budget, whilst providing evidence of how good yours was. Then I would take the money and buy something else.

[Kevin VRs]

The offer you have been made is an offer, there will be room for some negotiation. I would probably try to get them to increase the cash offer and then take that.

[anonymous-user]

Just to give you an idea of ball park increases from negotiating i just had my vr6 corrado written off (not my fault), got them up from £2100 to £3200 juts by sending through a few current adverts to demonstrate its true value

[djt100]

Don't accept the first offer, I got almost double on my first offer form the insurance co.

My thread here, may be of some help

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[s31tof]

When they deemed my vehicle a write off- what helped me towards them increasing there offer was having several folders worth of invoices for parts I recently had fitted to my car. I had brakes/tyres/service etc all in the last few months of the accident which would only have increased the value if it was sold. So if you have anything similar... let them know about it and maybe send in evidence because they want to give you the smallest amount possible!

Also.... I'd get the cash and buy something else...not get left with a write-off.

[edo]

hornetrider said:

In your shoes, I would try and negotiate them up from a grand giving exam[ples of similar cars in budget, whilst providing evidence of how good yours was. Then I would take the money and buy something else.

this.

[5lab]

whats actually damaged on the car?

if you're happy running it until mot time, it might sale through and you can continue using it after? or get some panels off a scrappy and fix it yourself for cheap? I repaired my dad's written off volvo 440 with some new panels, new headlight and a crowbar, and it sailed through 4 further MOTs before finally dying of a hg failure

[eltax91]

5lab said:

whats actually damaged on the car?

if you're happy running it until mot time, it might sale through and you can continue using it after? or get some panels off a scrappy and fix it yourself for cheap? I repaired my dad's written off volvo 440 with some new panels, new headlight and a crowbar, and it sailed through 4 further MOTs before finally dying of a hg failure

The 300 I factored to fix is to replace bent slam panel, bumper iron and new headlights. Bonnet would be straightened to best fit....

[TallPaul]

You dont need a VIC test on your own car.

[Petrolhead_Rich]

eltax91 said:

• How will it affect my premium at the next renewal (6 pts, 1 non fault and 1 fault claim, paid £450 last year) - appreciate it's open ended, but does CAT C car seriously increase insurance?

You have to tell them about a CAT C?? Better phone my insurance company then?!

ETA - just phoned my insurance company who put a marker on the policy that the car has been previously a Cat C write off and checked my MOT is valid, no extra charge, they just need to note it on the policy!

TallPaul said:

You dont need a VIC test on your own car.

Yes you do if you want to tax it or drive it on the road legally again!!!

The Insurance Co will destroy the V5, then sell it as salvage, it's reg no will be marked as salvage car not to be driven on road!

Edited by Petrolhead_Rich on Monday 6th June 20:46

[TallPaul]

Petrolhead_Rich said:

Yes you do if you want to tax it or drive it on the road legally again!!!

The Insurance Co will destroy the V5, then sell it as salvage, it's reg no will be marked as salvage car not to be driven on road!

Not if you owned it before the accident and you are re-registering it after retainig salvage.
What does "marked as salvage car not to be driven on road" mean?

[Petrolhead_Rich]

TallPaul said:

Not if you owned it before the accident and you are re-registering it after retainig salvage.
What does "marked as salvage car not to be driven on road" mean?

the vehicle gets marked as being a write off and cannot be taxed MOT'd etc without first completing a VIC check, and that can't be done until it has passed an MOT, so the vehicle would be marked as having no keeper, no MOT, no TAX, generally known as no docs, i.e. cannot be driven on the road!

Or that was my understanding....

[TallPaul]

That applies to anyone except the pre-accident owner. The VIC test only establishes a vehicles identity (to try and safeguard against "ringing"), if you retain the salvage and re-register the vehicle, you dont actually need a VIC test. The next owner, should you ever sell the vehicle, may need to get one, I've never been down that route myself!

[Mr POD]

Kevin VRs said:

The offer you have been made is an offer, there will be room for some negotiation. I would probably try to get them to increase the cash offer and then take that.

My 3 write offs went like this

Mk3 astra worth £1750, offered £1100, negotiated back to £1675
Mk3 astra worth £1450, offered £600, negotiated to £1400
Mk3 astra worth £600, offered £900, took the money as quick as possible.

There's a pattern and I'd just like to say, no more shastras for me.

[eltax91]

Well, after a very aggressive negotiation with the insurer, and a rather snotty loss adjuster having been put back in his place, I managed to negotiate to £1500 (before excess) + return of the Tax disc

[edo]

Result, well done. That should be plenty to replace with something as good if not better.

[hornetrider]

Nicely done!

[Petrolhead_Rich]

I stand corrected then!!!

Mr POD said:

My 3 write offs went like this

Mk3 astra worth £1750, offered £1100, negotiated back to £1675
Mk3 astra worth £1450, offered £600, negotiated to £1400
Mk3 astra worth £600, offered £900, took the money as quick as possible.

There's a pattern and I'd just like to say, no more shastras for me.

for getting rid of so many VX Ashtrays