E320CDI Great Car Cat N payout offered for cosmetic damage

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Stocho

Active Member
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Jul 4, 2009
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414
Hi All,

Have a car that I really love E320CDI, grey colour, cream leather (not black that I find a bit depressing) cooled seats, heated seats, memory seats, folding back seats, panoramic roof, full command.

Another driver scratched pretty much of the driver side when parking. The scratch is long but is not really too bad. Car passed MOTs with that damage with no mention. No question of the possibility of any structural damage.

Yet insurer (other party's who is at fault) is saying it is Cat N and offers £4,600 if I surrender the car and £3,400 if I do not.

£3,400 sounds like a lot for that damage - surely would pay for respray of the whole car. But then would I pay through the nose for insurance for the next five years (I was hoping to keep the car for) if it becomes Cat N?

If it did not have all those extras would have just surrendered it for £4,600 .... but given all the extras it has surrendering it for £4,600 does not appear attractive.

I was thinking about trying to argue against CatN by saying that I will accept £2k in lieu of repairs (so that it is less than 50% of the amount they valued it at to avoid CatN). But does anyone have any ideas by how much premiums increase if it is CatN? Perhaps I should just accept the £3,400 offered?

Or may be it is possible to buy a replacement for £4,600 with all the extras ?
 
Hi All,

Have a car that I really love E320CDI, grey colour, cream leather (not black that I find a bit depressing) cooled seats, heated seats, memory seats, folding back seats, panoramic roof, full command.

Another driver scratched pretty much of the driver side when parking. The scratch is long but is not really too bad. Car passed MOTs with that damage with no mention. No question of the possibility of any structural damage.

Yet insurer (other party's who is at fault) is saying it is Cat N and offers £4,600 if I surrender the car and £3,400 if I do not.

£3,400 sounds like a lot for that damage - surely would pay for respray of the whole car. But then would I pay through the nose for insurance for the next five years (I was hoping to keep the car for) if it becomes Cat N?

If it did not have all those extras would have just surrendered it for £4,600 .... but given all the extras it has surrendering it for £4,600 does not appear attractive.

I was thinking about trying to argue against CatN by saying that I will accept £2k in lieu of repairs (so that it is less than 50% of the amount they valued it at to avoid CatN). But does anyone have any ideas by how much premiums increase if it is CatN? Perhaps I should just accept the £3,400 offered?

Or may be it is possible to buy a replacement for £4,600 with all the extras ?
Recent discussion on the PH forum
 
Assuming that it’s a W211 £4600 sounds like a great pay-out for a 320CDI
 
Premiums won't rise for a Cat N, but the payout for a total loss will be less (circa 20%).

If you like the car, I'd keep it.
 
Assuming that it’s a W211 £4600 sounds like a great pay-out for a 320CDI
57 E320CDI W211 Unlike even some 56 facelift W211s it is definitely not a rust bucket as in one place has a scratch down to bear metal and not a speckle of rust in 5years+. ULEZ Exempt. Grey color, cream leather cooled seats, heated seats, memory seats, folding back seats, panoramic roof, full command, parktronics.

If it did not have all the extras and things I like as per above I might have agreed that £4600 is fair, though not necessarily great.

Having briefly looked on Autotrader I can not find a replacement with even half the extras at any price. Was planning to keep for another 5 years.
 
57 E320CDI W211 Unlike even some 56 facelift W211s it is definitely not a rust bucket as in one place has a scratch down to bear metal and not a speckle of rust in 5years+. ULEZ Exempt. Grey color, cream leather cooled seats, heated seats, memory seats, folding back seats, panoramic roof, full command, parktronics.

If it did not have all the extras and things I like as per above I might have agreed that £4600 is fair, though not necessarily great.

Having briefly looked on Autotrader I can not find a replacement with even half the extras at any price. Was planning to keep for another 5 years.
In that case then I would take the £3600 offered as the pay out to CAT N it, the bodywork will be cheap to repair (assuming it’s just a respray)…If you keep it 5 years the value difference at sale time should be negligible - keep photos anyway to show the next buyer…
 
In that case then I would take the £3600 offered as the pay out to CAT N it, the bodywork will be cheap to repair (assuming it’s just a respray)…If you keep it 5 years the value difference at sale time should be negligible - keep photos anyway to show the next buyer…

I do not intend to sell it - intend to run it for as long as it is economical to run which I hope will be another 5 years.

So the only concern is how much extra insurance as some people say zero effect and no need to even disclose as comparison sites do not ask the question and there there are things such as this:


"You can insure write-off cars that are in categories N and S, if they’re properly repaired. When you compare car insurance through us, we won’t ask you the history of your vehicle. But when you get a quote, you should speak to your insurer and let them know that your vehicle was previously a write-off."

The insurer in question is not my insurer but the other paty's so I am not really claiming insurance but demanding payout for damage in negligence. So thinking of phoning to say that will accept the cash offered (or even less) as long as it is a payment in lieu of repair rather than cat N total loss pay off.
 
I do not intend to sell it - intend to run it for as long as it is economical to run which I hope will be another 5 years.

So the only concern is how much extra insurance as some people say zero effect and no need to even disclose as comparison sites do not ask the question and there there are things such as this:


"You can insure write-off cars that are in categories N and S, if they’re properly repaired. When you compare car insurance through us, we won’t ask you the history of your vehicle. But when you get a quote, you should speak to your insurer and let them know that your vehicle was previously a write-off."

The insurer in question is not my insurer but the other paty's so I am not really claiming insurance but demanding payout for damage in negligence. So thinking of phoning to say that will accept the cash offered (or even less) as long as it is a payment in lieu of repair rather than cat N total loss pay off.
I don’t think insuring a Cat N car is an issue. There used to be a forum member on here who switched cars a lot and he said insurers never cared. What you could do is ring a few insurance companies as a new customer & ask the question??? (If they don’t agree to pay out as payment in lieu of repair)
 
Assuming you wont suffer renewal penalties, aside from some minimal loading even after a no fault claim, keep it.

The 211 takes a lot of beating.
We are going through a motoring revolution over the next few years ICE cars are being attacked. So paying for newer motors is some what questionable.
The less said about ULEZ exemption the better, too many would get jealous.
 
Well if I was you I would keep the car take the money and get it repaired,getting future insurance will not be anymore expensive for a cat N some insurance companies ask is it a cat N some do not,the only difference is that if you have to declare it a Cat N then if you had another accident the pay out woud reflect that the car is worth lees than a non Cat N.
 
57 E320CDI W211 Unlike even some 56 facelift W211s it is definitely not a rust bucket as in one place has a scratch down to bear metal and not a speckle of rust in 5years+. ULEZ Exempt. Grey color, cream leather cooled seats, heated seats, memory seats, folding back seats, panoramic roof, full command, parktronics.

If it did not have all the extras and things I like as per above I might have agreed that £4600 is fair, though not necessarily great.

Having briefly looked on Autotrader I can not find a replacement with even half the extras at any price. Was planning to keep for another 5 years.

I'd keep it. As you say, it's a great spec and an unusual one. Hard to find another just like that.
 
If you do decide to sell it, I'll be interested.. ;)
 
To put this in perspective, Admiral offered me a whopping £1200 for my e320 cdi sport after buy back @£280 and cat N (small engine fire fried all the electrics) Some service history but 200k on the clock. Apparently, that's the Glass' guide market value and they pay that, not replacement value.
£3400 sounds pretty good!
 
Hi My son buys them a lot asked him you only have to declare it if your asked by insurance cat N because of the car it would cost more to repaint it because they have a standard they go by it used to be beyond economical repair now just cat N. keep it accept the money and shop around you will find someone cheaper to fix it if you take pic`s then if you ever get asked they look at pics see its only paint and go yep no problem
 
Take the money, keep the car, have it repaired and spend the balance, don't worry about the insurance. Simples...
 

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