Insurance Seem Happy to Payout for Write-Off
Discussion
Scenario: guy took his car to his insurance 'recommended' glass supplier to have his heated rear window replaced; car: Toyota Starlet 1996. The rec supplier decline and send him away after the guy's insurance company deemed that the cost of replacing the glass was more than the car is worth (the figure I'm told is £1400 to replace the glass).
Scratching his head, the guy obviously doesn't want his car written off on the count of a broken back window, so he contacts a local independent firm close to where he lives (Merseyside). They quote him considerably less than half the £1400 that was talked about between insco and their preferred supplier. Guy is - as anyone would be - delighted with the quote and contacts his insurer who then say they will only pay £125.00 to the independent firm as they are not on their 'approved for direct billing' list.
I'm trying to get my head around this situation: the insco are prepared to payout the market value of a car rather than pay a lesser amount to have the broken part (in this a window) replaced?
Toyota Starlet must be worth between £500-800, against the replacement glass - supplied and fitted for less than £400.
Scratching his head, the guy obviously doesn't want his car written off on the count of a broken back window, so he contacts a local independent firm close to where he lives (Merseyside). They quote him considerably less than half the £1400 that was talked about between insco and their preferred supplier. Guy is - as anyone would be - delighted with the quote and contacts his insurer who then say they will only pay £125.00 to the independent firm as they are not on their 'approved for direct billing' list.
I'm trying to get my head around this situation: the insco are prepared to payout the market value of a car rather than pay a lesser amount to have the broken part (in this a window) replaced?
Toyota Starlet must be worth between £500-800, against the replacement glass - supplied and fitted for less than £400.
Who knows how they apply logic.
They argued over the write off value of my car, the amount in argument was less than the cost of the hire car that was being paid for whilst they argued.
A mate had a 535d Sport for 5 months whilst they argued over the value of a £12K car and then waited for the parts to repair it.
They argued over the write off value of my car, the amount in argument was less than the cost of the hire car that was being paid for whilst they argued.
A mate had a 535d Sport for 5 months whilst they argued over the value of a £12K car and then waited for the parts to repair it.
How much is your "no claims" up to?
Will it be cheaper for you to repair it out of your own pocket than to lose the no claims?
Do they know this, and know the statistical odds of you not having the car written off versus how much they pay out if you're bloody minded about it?
It will all be based on the law of averages. They have fancy ways of working these things out, and years of past data to work with.
However, don't bother trying to second guess them. You have 4 options that I can think of:
Pay the £400 out of your own pocket.
Pay £275 out of your own pocket and take their £125, but potentially have a claim on your record.
Take their £1400, buy something else and lose your no claims.
Get a whole new back door from a scrappy, and work out how to fit it in replacement.
Good luck!
Will it be cheaper for you to repair it out of your own pocket than to lose the no claims?
Do they know this, and know the statistical odds of you not having the car written off versus how much they pay out if you're bloody minded about it?
It will all be based on the law of averages. They have fancy ways of working these things out, and years of past data to work with.
However, don't bother trying to second guess them. You have 4 options that I can think of:
Pay the £400 out of your own pocket.
Pay £275 out of your own pocket and take their £125, but potentially have a claim on your record.
Take their £1400, buy something else and lose your no claims.
Get a whole new back door from a scrappy, and work out how to fit it in replacement.
Good luck!
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