non fault claim - write off? - please help

[dtr]

I need some help deciding the best course of action.

I have one of the most unlucky A170 CDI Y2000 on this planet.

A few days ago I had non-fault accident, when the other car damaged my right passenger door, and did some minor damage to the rear wing and alloys. The frame is fine, so the common sense tells me this would be at most new passenger door (or simple repair of the metal panel) and touch up / polishing of the rest.

I spoke to the third party's insurance and they arranged their garage to inspect the damage tomorrow and repair if economic to do so. I wonder if they can inflate the costs so much and just write it off, and pay me peanuts for compensation? Their own rental was no good since they "don't accept EU licence". I have to get car hire through my own insurance (tesco with legal cover), and that will cost tp insurance over £120 a day

. Should I confirm the booking or not?

Can I contest write-off if it happens and take it else where?
Could I force Direct Line to use my own selected garage and pay me for repairs directly?

What would you do?

This is the damage

 

[Howard]

Get a quote from a local bodyshop and tell the insurers you want a 'contract repair'

Where are you based ?

Suspect that they will want to write it off based on the cost of a new door / doorskin plus painting.

 

[Dieselman]

It needs a new door, you can see it's slightly bowing out higher up near the handle.

£700 for a door, £200 for the arch repair, £500 painting and bits.

 

[Howard]

Too much. That will mean the end of it.

 

[neilrr]

If you want to keep it tell the other party's insurance co. you'll take a payment in lieu of repair & rental expense & then drive it until you find a junkyard door in that colour.

 

[dtr]

If you want to keep it tell the other party's insurance co. you'll take a payment in lieu of repair & rental expense & then drive it until you find a junkyard door in that colour.

Does it mean it will become a Cat D or not? Cat D would mean a loss of resale value, wouldn't it?

I do need the door, as pointed out above. I could find replacement at dronsfield for £50, but in a different colour. I guess I'd have to wait. What could be done to retain the original VIN on the glass, and preserve the remote locking integrity? The wing is just a scrape, so maybe not too expensive, and the alloys need simple polishing...

I am not sure if it would have any damage to the suspension due to the side impact? I think it does need new shock absorbers regardless. £60 a pair on ebay for Monroe ones... Apart from that it drives just fine. Oh, and there is some diesel smell if I put air conditioning on and close the windows. Not sure if that could be accident related - seems to come from the bonnet.

Maybe write-off wouldn't be such a bad thing after all if I could get close to £3k for it. I recently paid £1.85k for it, and then gearbox + flywheel (both inc 12 months warranty) for £1.05k with a chance to sue the dealer in court.

Please let me know your thoughts. I'll probably delay the check up by a few days, since I had "some other urgent arrangements".

 

[dinoy]

hi

what u need is to agree with the insurer a cash settlement and u privately repair the car as it would not enter the register, and as was said before find door same colour other colour and get painted. probably the arch is repairable with the punch and pull system. the cost should be around £500 all in privately. ask fot 1k compensation all in and pocket the difference looking at the damage even the door can be pulled out with the punch pull all u need probably 2nd hand is the black strip

if u need further help call me 07958 216162

 

[Howard]

Even if you found a door in the right colour ( there are some purple ones on Ebay at the moment ) you would need it painting , it won't match.

The smell under the bonnet won't be accident related , it will be the fuel lines leaking where they join the engine , easily fixed with some jubilee clips , i did ours. Takes ten minutes.

Doubt there will be any suspension damage from that little knock.

You won't get £3k for an 11 year old A class i'm afraid. Maybe £2k if it was immaculate before the crash.

As i asked before , where are you based ?

 

[horgantrevor]

if it was me a scrapyard door 70 quid
repaint door and fix arch 150 quid or so

job done

they do leak near engine as above so fit new clip

 

[horgantrevor]

i have a door but im in ireland their are a lot of them in scrap yards with ecu prob


and car that people think head gone from gunk on oil cap but thats the breader pipe

 

[Howard]

I agree Trevor.

So many scrapped A classes around that can be fixed for next to nothing. A real shame.

 

[dtr]

As i asked before , where are you based ?

I am based in Bristol, but did all gearbox repairs in Birmingham and would have to come back for inspection shortly. I hope that helps.

I will get 3 estimates today from local garages and then try to force Direct Line for a cash settlement. I hope they would agree to this. For what it is I don't mind driving it with the dented door, except it doesn't give good impression about me to the other people.

I hope I am not doing another bad mistake by trying to hang on to A class. I like it for the size (easy to park) and height. A potential different replacement could be Focus C-Max 1.6d or Nissan Almera Tino 2.2d . B class is well out of reach.

 

[Howard]

I like the little A class too.

Nick has a secondhand door , he is based in Hazlemere , nr Guildford , he could probably get it painted for you as there is a paintshop next door.

Drop him a line at [email protected].

 

[timskemp]

non fault, so get it to a bodyshop of your choice, get a quote, pass it to the third party insurer, and if they quibble pass it to a legal firm of your choice.

The car is in a condition where it is reasonable to repair it, so go for it. It's not going to be that expensive.

[pauses for a moment for the cries of "economic repair" and stuff]

The third party's insurer cannot write off your car just because it'll cost a few quid more than they think it's worth to fix it.

 

[nick mercedes]

I need some help deciding the best course of action.

Best course of action if you'd like your car to live on is to get an estimate from a bodyshop who are willing to do a contract repair.

You'll then need to speak yourself to the engineer when he inspects your car and stress your wish that your car is repaired rather than written off.

Despite what you may read an insurance company can write your car off, and it will be gone, however by getting some realistic repair estimates and talking to the engineer when he inspects your car you should have no problems getting your car repaired if that's what you'd prefer.

At most that is £500 worth of damage, if you stuggle to find a helpful bodyshop drop me an email at the address in Howards post and I'll give you some contact details of helpful bodyshops.

Today this W203 arrived for a contract repair, the engineer admitted that had the owner not asked for a contract repair it would have been written off.

DSCF1989 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[timskemp]

Despite what you may read it is within reason to expect restitution from the party at fault for your material loss, and their insurance company should indemnify them against the cost of such restitution. So if your car can be repaired for a reasonable cost bearing in mind it may be harder to replace than repair then you are within your reasonable mind to have it reasonably repaired by a reasonable repairer.

 

[Dryce]

What would you do?

If it's a clear cut no-fault then I'd allow the other insurer a few hours to start talking sense and if I was unhappy with their response in anyway then I'd contact an accident management company.

The stuff about hire cars and foreign licences is just so much bull. Chances are they have a deal with an regular rental company - or can make such a deal. And regular rental companies have very little problem handling customers with foreign licences.

 

[nick mercedes]

If it's a clear cut no-fault then I'd allow the other insurer a few hours to start talking sense and if I was unhappy with their response in anyway then I'd contact an accident management company.

Which will see it getting written off instantly.

I thought OP wanted it to go again?

 

[Dryce]

Which will see it getting written off instantly.

I'd refer you back to the thread from hell. Your position is presumably unchanged and you no doubt still think you were right.

I don't think you were.

And I don't think that as things stand you could change my position (and to be fair I suspect you would remain unconvinced by my position).

So I suspect that the only agreement on the subject is that we disagree.

 

[nick mercedes]

I'd refer you back to the thread from hell. Your position is presumably unchanged and you no doubt still think you were right.

I don't think you were.

How do you explain all the written off cars then?

Honestly, if an insurance company decide that your car is an uneconomic repair they *will* write it off.

However if OP could ignore the usual forum "advice" which tends to be shout, threten physical harm or sue any person or organisation which happens to have upset someone, and simply talks to the engineer and presents an alternative outcome, then I can see no reason why his car won't live on.