They want to write my R off.

**siamblue** · Sunday 21st November 2010, 22:56

I hvae been away for the last 10 days, got back recently and opened the mail, 2 letters from the insurance company stating the car is worth £2050 and something about £250 left over so they are going to write it off,
Can't believe it to be honest just for a headlight, indicator and a front bumper which equates to £1800 worth of damage,

No happy at all,

Does anyone know if i can buy the car back if they do write it off?

Gary

**t5_monkey** · Sunday 21st November 2010, 23:26

I think you can... would make it a Cat D if I'm not mistaken?

a lot of people have spoken positively of 'accident management companies' in these situations - might be something worth looking into so they could manage the claim?

**The Flying Moose** · Sunday 21st November 2010, 23:42

How the hell does a headlight indicator and front bumper equate to £1800???

I think they mean the car is worth £2050 and with £1800 of damage to repair there would be only £250 value of the car. Alot of these companies work on if the claim exceeds between 40% and 60% of te cars value it is automatically a insurance write off.

**Dangerous Dave** · Monday 22nd November 2010, 00:10

I'm assuming you had an accident recently then?

**SAMXPJ** · Monday 22nd November 2010, 03:08

Hi Gary, you have no legal obligation to accept that offer, you can fight the claim yourself or use an independent insurance assesor at no cost to yourself. Just phone and explain your intention followed by a letter, you will start to see a difference in their manner as it will cost them more money!

**gmain1967** · Monday 22nd November 2010, 06:14

Originally Posted by siamblue

I hvae been away for the last 10 days, got back recently and opened the mail, 2 letters from the insurance company stating the car is worth £2050 and something about £250 left over so they are going to write it off,
Can't believe it to be honest just for a headlight, indicator and a front bumper which equates to £1800 worth of damage,

No happy at all,

Does anyone know if i can buy the car back if they do write it off?

Gary

If that is genuinely what they are offering and that is the limit of the damage, buy it back. It's cosmetic, so long as nothing structural has been twisted or bent and as such, the car would be easy to repair. After that, the car can be inspected that the repairs are good and "as new" and I believe you can get the "Cat D" status removed once again.

Depends on what the "buy it back price" actually is. Strange how sometimes the value of the car seems to go up as it sits, once they know you want it back.... Get a price as to what the insurance company think it is worth as it sits, before you ask/agree to buy it back.

All the best

**Tomcat** · Monday 22nd November 2010, 07:02

Once the car's been written off that's it...you can't get it removed, you can however just repair the car and put it back on the road. I wrote off one of my T5's a while back, I bought it back for about £200 and then kept the rest of the insurance pay out, the car was fixed and then sold on..

**y2blade** · Monday 22nd November 2010, 07:36

**** news mate
you will be able to buy it back of them, it will be either a Cat C or D depending on what your insurance co say
you will need a new MOT before it will be allowed on the road

plus you have to re-insure it all over again as your current policy ends if the vehicle is written off

some insurance companies won't touch Cat C or D though

also I don't know how much the insurance goes up for the vehicle once it is a Cat C/D though..but I have read that it does....sorry

good luck

**BruceT** · Monday 22nd November 2010, 07:39

You can drag out the 'my car is worth more' but you must produce evidence of vehicles with similar milage, age, specification and condition from sites such as Autotrader.

My companies Total Loss procedure allows you to cash the first cheque as an interim payment, unsure if other firms have adopted this method.

Insurance companies will use genuine Volvo parts, thus the high parts cost.

You could ask about a cash in lieu payment where payout a little less, but you keep the vehicle yourself and repair how you wish. I believe you would need a DVLA VIC check though before it could be MOT'd.

I'm assuming they have declared it a cat c, in which you could accept their offer but still retain the vehicle. The insurance company would deduct a salvage value from this figure though. If you then repaired you would still need a VIC done on the vehicle before the MOT could be issued.

You are best speaking to the insurance company and asking what your options are, as most are obliged now to give the best information help you make the right decision due to the FSA guidelines.

**Flatout Phil** · Monday 22nd November 2010, 08:56

The reason it costs so much is that garages have a fixed-price tarrif for insurance companies (ie, they stiff them - cause they know the insurance will stiff us). They have to factor in the cost of a hire car etc.

If I was you, I would buy the car back, and find an amenable bodyshop and get the job done yourself. Quick, a bit of a pain, but you retain control.

Accident management can be good, but I suspect they are one of the main reasons why claims are so expensive. The old compensation culture thing. Mind you, that is how my R was fixed after it was dented whilst parked up.

My old BMW 520 was rear ended (car worth £700) - the insurance company (it was fifteen years ago) paid me the value of the car and gave me the car back! Those were the days

**SKIDMARKS** · Monday 22nd November 2010, 09:41

My son is an vehicle assessor for a body shop and mostly all their work is for ins companies. These companies do not need to use genuine parts and the labour charge is determined on how busy the body shop wants to be.
That is...they charge the ins company £27 hour labour, but they are flat out and been trading since 1960.
I know the ins companies take the damage costs very close to the car value these days, where it used to be 50% and a write off. They had a Rover in the other day with it's roof been 'snipped' off but was worth more after the accident cos someone found some coins in it

You can use a third party company to pursue it for you. They can certainly work wonders.

**Alan M** · Monday 22nd November 2010, 18:56

Tell you what Gary, write it off then I'll buy it back

well give you the money

.

**siamblue** · Tuesday 23rd November 2010, 15:42

Been told i can buy it back for 20% of the value of the car, so i could get a check for nearly £1400 and keep the car, tbh i am not quite sure what i could replace her with, been looking at the VR4 Galants/Legnums again, but even they commmand high prices for a manual version with servicing every 4.5k,

Gary

**Al115** · Tuesday 23rd November 2010, 15:47

Do it!

**p fandango** · Tuesday 23rd November 2010, 15:51

Originally Posted by siamblue

been looking at the VR4 Galants/Legnums again, but even they commmand high prices for a manual version with servicing every 4.5k

my bro used to have a VR4 (rare manual). It had a few mods & ran a 13.8@pod, i borrowed it for a week but glad to get back in BT (AWD spoilt all the fun lol)

**y2blade** · Tuesday 23rd November 2010, 16:18

Originally Posted by siamblue

Been told i can buy it back for 20% of the value of the car, so i could get a check for nearly £1400 and keep the car, tbh i am not quite sure what i could replace her with, been looking at the VR4 Galants/Legnums again, but even they commmand high prices for a manual version with servicing every 4.5k,

Gary

out of interest
did you get a quote for a Cat C or D car ?

**siamblue** · Tuesday 23rd November 2010, 18:55

It was a for a loss but not as a class, so like a mutual agreement.

Gary

**Alan M** · Tuesday 23rd November 2010, 19:25

Keep it Gary. And IF you don't I want the car for parts lol!!

**gmain1967** · Tuesday 23rd November 2010, 19:28

Originally Posted by p fandango

my bro used to have a VR4 (rare manual). It had a few mods & ran a 13.8@pod, i borrowed it for a week but glad to get back in BT (AWD spoilt all the fun lol)

AWD with enough power is just like a less powerful rear wheel drive - at least it is with an Impreza....! 4 wheel drifts are soooo easy, wet ir dry - lol!!!

**p fandango** · Tuesday 23rd November 2010, 19:35

Originally Posted by gmain1967

AWD with enough power is just like a less powerful rear wheel drive - at least it is with an Impreza....! 4 wheel drifts are soooo easy, wet ir dry - lol!!!

my bro could drift it quite well, but the problem was because of the grip the only way you could get it started was go stupidly fast into the car then power it round. I never pushed it hard enough to get near its limit of traction, speed would of been that high if it went wrong it was going to hurt (& wouldn't be the first time i've crashed his car lol)

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