Pot hole damage/insurance write off

[mac1997]

A bit long winded this one.
During a Road trip to the Isle of Skye I had the misfortune is swerving to miss an oncoming driver and hit a large pothole. After about a mile the white ABC warning light came on and I pulled over immediately. I checked the car and could see that the drivers side front wing was almost (5m away) touching the front tyre). Later I also discovered that the bottom front skirt and mesh grill were damaged.
Annoyed but thinking I could get it recovered with my bank accounts breakdown recovery, unfortunately it doesn’t cover Recovery to home 600 miles away, bloody big schoolboy error on my part.
The garage that recovered the car said the reason for the low wing is a bracket has broken, they said a very small job, the independent garage I use said something about as upper and lower sensor that Alarms’s when the suspension is to high or low. I tried raising the car by pressing the “raise button” but the car raised on the left hand side but not the right.
My Insurer ‘Halifax’ without seeing the car have informed me they have we it then the car off subject to them collecting it and getting it inspected.
I could get it recovered to London for £650 to have an inspection of the damage by an approved repairer (Balgores, Harold Hill, Essex).
The firm they use for collection are called something like Copro and apparently they are a salvage company and I’ve been informed that they are not very careful with recovery.
I really don’t want to lose the car as I reall enjoy owning it, my questions are,
1. Does the apparent damage seem minimal for the car to be written off.
2. What are the insurance implications going forward if I was to accept the write off and buy the car back.
Thanks for reading all this
Mac

 

[oldguy57]

It's impossible to say definitely without a detailed inspection , but Insurers have their own view as to what is economical to repair. Remember that the car is your property until the claim is settled though. Any further damage caused by the recovery company is their responsibility.
Reading between the lines I'm guessing that a low write off offer will follow so now is the time to gather evidence on values of 500's and decide what you are prepared to accept.

 

[mac1997]

It's impossible to say definitely without a detailed inspection , but Insurers have their own view as to what is economical to repair. Remember that the car is your property until the claim is settled though. Any further damage caused by the recovery company is their responsibility.
Reading between the lines I'm guessing that a low write off offer will follow so now is the time to gather evidence on values of 500's and decide what you are prepared to accept.

They have offered £13500 but I would reall like to keep the car as it’s the last ‘Phase 2’ R230 registered March 09 and I really enjoy driving it and the look.

 

[markjay]

You are probably referring to Copart:

https://www.copart.co.uk/

(Almost all insurers use them, it is meant to reduce theft and fraud and it is supposed to be saving the insurance industry a lot of money overall).

 

[DSM10000]

They have offered £13500 but I would reall like to keep the car as it’s the last ‘Phase 2’ R230 registered March 09 and I really enjoy driving it and the look.

What was the buy back valuation?

 

[mac1997]

What was the buy back valuation?

Not been given that yet

 

[mac1997]

You are probably referring to Copart:

https://www.copart.co.uk/

(Almost all insurers use them, it is meant to reduce theft and fraud and it is supposed to be saving the insurance industry a lot of money overall).

Thanks for the info, feel better about Copart
Regards
Mac

 

[Mr E]

My son transports vehicles for Copart (and others) as part of his business - vehicles like yours going into them are treated with exactly the same care as a new vehicle he'd deliver to a customer. Photos, damage sheet, etc.

When the salvage vehicles go out to breakers.... well, that's a different matter!

 

[ChrisEdu]

For reference, my insurer stated a 47% buy back for Mercedes.

 

[mac1997]

For reference, my insurer stated a 47% buy back for Mercedes.

ChrisEdu, thanks very much for the info, gives me an Idea to think about.
Do you have any idea of the implications of insuring a vehicle that has been written off in future years?
Regards
Mac

 

[mac1997]

My son transports vehicles for Copart (and others) as part of his business - vehicles like yours going into them are treated with exactly the same care as a new vehicle he'd deliver to a customer. Photos, damage sheet, etc.

When the salvage vehicles go out to breakers.... well, that's a different matter!

Mr E, Thanks very reassuring
Regards
Mac

 

[DSM10000]

ChrisEdu, thanks very much for the info, gives me an Idea to think about.
Do you have any idea of the implications of insuring a vehicle that has been written off in future years?
Regards
Mac

What implications are you imagining?

You insure it as usual but it obviously will have a lower payout value if you claim against it in future.

 

[markjay]

What implications are you imagining?

You insure it as usual but it obviously will have a lower payout value if you claim against it in future.

I remember reading that some insurers refuse to provide Fully-Comprehensive policy to a vehicle that has been written off, only Third Party, Fire & Theft cover. So the vehicle will be legal to be driven on public roads, but in the event of an at-fault accident, damage to the OP's vehicle won't be covered. However, I am not sure if this applies to all insurers - some might still be happy to provide a Fully-Comprehensive policy, I don't know.

 

[ChrisEdu]

ChrisEdu, thanks very much for the info, gives me an Idea to think about.
Do you have any idea of the implications of insuring a vehicle that has been written off in future years?
Regards
Mac

I don't think the implications for insurance are a particular issue. However, there are multiple hoops to jump through to put a write-off back on the road, plus, obviously, it would affect any future resale value.

 

[mac1997]

What implications are you imagining?

You insure it as usual but it obviously will have a lower payout value if you claim against it in future.

Thanks for the reply DSM10000,
I was imagining extra insurance cost JUST because it had been a write off i.e CAT C,D,E
Regards
Mac

 

[DSM10000]

Thanks for the reply DSM10000,
I was imagining extra insurance cost JUST because it had been a write off i.e CAT C,D,E
Regards
Mac

Just ask your insurance company for a quote or look on a comparison site

 

[DSM10000]

I don't think the implications for insurance are a particular issue. However, there are multiple hoops to jump through to put a write-off back on the road, plus, obviously, it would affect any future resale value.

That's not entirely true.

A Category N can be repaired and used without the need for any inspection.

A Category S vehicle will need an inspection by an accredited vehicle engineer.

 

[mac1997]

I don't think the implications for insurance are a particular issue. However, there are multiple hoops to jump through to put a write-off back on the road, plus, obviously, it would affect any future resale value.

ChrisEdu,
Do you know what hoops you have to jump through as i'm weighing up whether to do the repairs

That's not entirely true.

A Category N can be repaired and used without the need for any inspection.

A Category S vehicle will need an inspection by an accredited vehicle engineer.

ChrisEdu,
Thanks for the info.
What are the cost for a Category S and also are these the only Category’s?
Regards
Mac

 

[ChrisEdu]

ChrisEdu,
Do you know what hoops you have to jump through as i'm weighing up whether to do the repairs

ChrisEdu,
Thanks for the info.
What are the cost for a Category S and also are these the only Category’s?
Regards
Mac

I believe that when a car is written off, it has to be inspected by a VOSA(?) inspector to be certified as being in roadworthy condition - something a MOT on steroids. Whether that's the case for a Cat N, I don't know.
I had considered it following my recent incident, but ultimately decided that all things considered, it was easier, and more cost effective, to just take the settlement and move on.
I can fully understand that you might well feel emotionally attached to the vehicle, I think that's only natural for some of us, but at the end of the day a degree of detached thinking is necessary to avoid emotions blurring logical thinking.
Cat S = structural and uneconomical to repair.
Cat N = not structural but uneconomical to repair.
These are the 'lesser' categories, where a car is still in a condition where it is salvageable without necessarily being unsafe.
Essentially, once a car is declared to be written off, it is no longer considered to be registered for use on the road, so has to go through the registration process again.

 

[DSM10000]

I believe that when a car is written off, it has to be inspected by a VOSA(?) inspector to be certified as being in roadworthy condition - something a MOT on steroids. Whether that's the case for a Cat N, I don't know.
I had considered it following my recent incident, but ultimately decided that all things considered, it was easier, and more cost effective, to just take the settlement and move on.
I can fully understand that you might well feel emotionally attached to the vehicle, I think that's only natural for some of us, but at the end of the day a degree of detached thinking is necessary to avoid emotions blurring logical thinking.
Cat S = structural and uneconomical to repair.
Cat N = not structural but uneconomical to repair.
These are the 'lesser' categories, where a car is still in a condition where it is salvageable without necessarily being unsafe.
Essentially, once a car is declared to be written off, it is no longer considered to be registered for use on the road, so has to go through the registration process again.

As said, Cat N does not need an inspection.

The term "write off" I is rather misleading.

It is really just uneconomical to repair to the standard that the insurance company would need to meet. That doesn't mean that the vehicle cannot be repaired safely and to a high standard by other means such as reclaimed parts and using smaller repair facilities with lower costs.