Accident (non fault) advice?

[coneybiller]

Glad you got somewhere,

The problem with older mercs which we all know depreciate like hell, if you are in any hit like you had it will be a write off since ins. companies (read you policy) use genuine parts. as we know merc parts are not cheap. so the car is a write off. Cost of repair is more than the value.

I skidded on ice in my w220 years ago, front bumber, both front wings, an alloy, a tyre, a headlamp and some suspension parts.

The car was 12 years old, owned from new with 48k on the clock, ins. co wrote it off for peanuts (but thats about the value), its a hard swallow, and thats where you need to leave the emotion behind.

After some man maths. I got the car from them, sourced the parts myself from breakers and MB (using thier adjuster breakdown of whats needed). my MB indy put it all back together and in the end I was actually a few K in pocket. We even realised some of the parts that the adjuster had accounted for were not needed (2 airmatic struts - I still have the bleeders sat in my garage brand new).

So goes to show!

Yea, I'm happy with the result in all honesty, 1) Because its closer to what I paid for the car and 2) I feel like I've won a battle with the insurance company (for some reason).
With the money, I'm half tempted to put an aftermarket E55AMG kit on it and some genuine AMG alloys (if I can find some), so that I'm happy with it once again. The main reason being, that I cant seem to find another like for like rear bumper in the same colour as mine. So long as it looks like a factory AMG kit once fitted, I'll be more than happy!

 

[markjay]

Well just as an update, I phoned them yesterday and asked for an email so that I can provide proof to support my appeal. I then scoured the web and found 3 different examples of cars from private sellers that were all worth more than they were offering (that took a while to find, as most are traders!). I also added a letter of complaint to the email and expressed my concerns and frustrations on the whole process.

Today I've received a phone call and they have upped the valuation of the car from £2800 to £3175 and said that is the absolute maximum they are willing to go with the valuation. I've accepted this and will await the cheque in the post. It's not quite what I was hoping for, but as it was pointed out to be by members here, they were never going to offer what I had paid in the first place! I'm relatively happy with new valuation, as I feel its adequate and represents enough money for me to fix it up and move on.

Thanks for the advice, I'm not sure I would have thought of actually sending them adverts of cars for sale. I think it proved affective in tis situation!

Regards

Ben

Edit:
I forgot to ask them if i require an inspection before being able to use the car again, however, a quick google search reveals that a Cat N car does not require a new MoT. My insurance is unaffected as I have not claimed on my own policy, so therefore, my car is above board and fully road legal

Result!

 

[mioba]

Look for cars being broken on ebay and be patient. You can still drive the car right.
That said bumpers are often not avaialable - as the name applies, they are the first thing that gets bumped.
Even one in the same colour may well need blending - if you are after it looking perfect.

If you do put the kit on and amg wheels - you wil need to inform your .....you guessed it - ins. co

 

[coneybiller]

Look for cars being broken on ebay and be patient. You can still drive the car right.
That said bumpers are often not avaialable - as the name applies, they are the first thing that gets bumped.
Even one in the same colour may well need blending - if you are after it looking perfect.

If you do put the kit on and amg wheels - you wil need to inform your .....you guessed it - ins.

Oh yes, I would definitely inform my insurance! After the debacle I’ve been through, I’d be a fool not to!