| Motoring Discussion > Diary of an Insurance Claim | Miscellaneous |
| Thread Author: BobbyG | Replies: 90 |
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New Wed 12 Dec 12 23:02
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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As mentioned in another thread, a lorry slid on black ice into my wife's parked car and pushed it down a hill until a lamp post stopped both vehicles. My wife was not in the car at the time, having parked it just 5 or so minutes previously. I thought it would be interesting to keep a diary of events as to how this unfolded, especially as this is the first time we have ever had to claim on car insurance. Its also handy to be able to refer to if required at a later date. I will try and keep it as factual as possible and be non judgemental but when it comes to ambulance chasers I don't have much patience! 7 Dec 2012 07:25 Lorry slides on black ice, down a hill and takes my wife's car with it. After exchanging details etc, phone and report the accident to our insurer, Admiral. Pass all the details on to Admiral who then pass me onto their claims company called Albany Assistance Ltd as it looks clear cut that this is 100% the fault of the other driver. Albany take all the details again and arrange for a hire car. As part of this process they insist on speaking to both myself and my wife individually to obtain all our details and to set up a conference call with DVLA to confirm licence details. This takes the best part of 40 minutes all in. 7 Dec 10:56 Albany then send us an email with pdfs attached for the terms and conditions that we need to complete an online declaration to say that we are happy with these. 7 Dec 12:36 Albany confirm that that they have received my online confirmation. 7 Dec 15:00 The recovery truck arrives at our house to collect the damaged car even though we clearly stated that the car was still where the accident happened as it was stuck and undriveable. 7 Dec 15:30 Recovery driver phones to advise us that there is no such address that we have given him (even though there is and he subsequently finds it) 7 Dec 16:00 Courtesy car is delivered, a 5 door Corsa 7 Dec 16:15 I receive a call on my mobile from Lyons Davidsons solicitors. I explain there are no injuries, there was no one in the car at the time. They sound disappointed. They want to speak to my wife. I tell them to phone her on her mobile number. 8 Dec 11:00 Solicitors phone the house but get no answer. 10 Dec 10:55 Solicitors phone my mobile and leave a message for my wife. 11 Dec 09:30 I visit bodyshop to see car which is up on lift. Bodyshop man advises that they had sent their report off yesterday with a whole load of accompanying photos. In his opinion he thinks the car will be written off as a. 9 year old car b. So much panel damage that once these are replaced, the car will effectively need a full respray c. There is evidence of suspension damage and the rear wheel has been twisted into the bodywork when it hit the lamp post. Man is very nice , general chat suggests he has personal experience with my wife's work (a hospice) and advises me that he will contact me if he hears anything back, will ensure the car goes nowhere until I have confirmed re plate transfer and if car is confirmed a write off, if I want to swap any tyres then I can do so (wife's car has all seasons on front which have only done about 5k miles). 11 Dec 14:00 Claim assistance company for the lorry insurance phone my wife's work to speak to her. I call them back and they are phoning to see if we had instigated repairs yet and I advise we have. 12 Dec Receive letter from Admiral confirming that they have passed our details onto Lyons Davidsons solicitors who will deal with any claims on our behalf. Their documentation advises that Lyons Davidsons will pay Admiral up to £900 as a referral fee. All documentation enclosed is heavily weighted towards claiming for injuries etc etc. Receive letter from Albany Assistance advising of the name and address of the repairer that the car has been taken to. They also enclose a Vehicle Repair Finance Agreement and a Credit Protection Policy from Helphire which we need to complete and return. Now, as part of my job I need to be able to read Property Leases and understand them so I don't think I am totally thick but I have had to read these agreements a few times before I can understand what they are about. If my understanding is correct I have: Vehicle Repair Finance Agreement - "When your vehicle has been damaged in an accident which is not your fault this agreement allows you to delay paying for repairs while the Third Party's insurer is pursued for payment. You will enter into a repair contract with a Bodyshop and will be responsible for its charges in the usual way, but We will finance those charges for you, allowing you credit for a period of up to 49 weeks while we pursue the Third Party on your behalf for payment." so in other words, we will not attempt any repairs until the third party do so but in the meantime we will run up a bill for your hire car and associated costs. Now if my car was repairable I would be pretty hacked off as I would have assumed Admiral would have instructed the repairs and then separately claimed off the other driver. But it would appear that they will just sit and wait until the other party instigate repairs. But no mention of what happens when car is written off which is the likely outcome in this case. Credit Protection Policy - "this provides cover to indemnify you against vehicle hire and repair charges to your vehicle............" Receive Letter from Lyons Davidsons solicitors. Their covering letter advises that as required by Law Society of Scotland, they need proof of id from us. This is before they then go on to advise me to complete the attached 23 page form / questionnaire all about the accident and also enclosing lots of literature explaining all the things that can be claimed for if anyone has received an injury, right down to if you normally do your own DIY and can't then you can employ someone to do it for you and claim it back.! So I don't actually know whether I am obliged to complete all this paperwork if there is no injury! As things stand, I see my claim as being a. The repair or write off value of the car as and when that is decided b. The excess if I am asked to pay this or have it deducted from my premium c. The hire car charges d. The potential cost of putting the number plate on retention with the DVLA. I will email them for clarification. I may be very naive and I know I am inexperienced with this sort of thing, but when I had comprehensive insurance and a clear no blame accident, I always thought this meant that my insurance company would deal with everything in a timeous fashion and I paid them my premiums to do this. I did not realise that what they actually do is just pass all my details onto other companies who pay them for the privilege, and then all the paperwork is landed back in my lap to deal with. I don't know if all Ins companies act this way now or this is where you get the service your premium bought? Anyway will keep this updated with developments for both my own record, and for anyone who is interested! |
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New Wed 12 Dec 12 23:29
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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They rely on being able to push you around as they choose and deal with a customer who at best is passive and at worst will get angry about irrelevant stuff. The most significant issue with insurance is the 20,000,000 experts in the UK who have at least 2 opinions each. Virtually none of whom know what they are talking about, and a fair number actually work for or within the insurance industry somewhere. Nothing has happened so far which has not been totally predictable. And its going to get more frustrating yet. But don't worry, your insurance premium next year will subsidise everybody's losses. Last edited by: No FM2R on Wed 12 Dec 12 at 23:30
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 00:01
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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No FM2R I am assuming that if it is a write off, at some point the other insurers will come back to me with a value and I guess there will then be some toing and froing over values, proof of these values etc. All the while I will continue to have the hire car that they are paying until I agree a value? Does this mean they will be more inclined to make me a good offer quickly? Although on the Helphire terms and conditions must refer all correspondence, offers etc to them and I must authorise helphire to keep any monies, even if they are payable to me!! |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 00:31
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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That depends... The process theoretically is this... You are comprehensive with £100xs Your insurer pays you car value -£100 You pursue other driver for £100 Your insurer pursues other insurer for car value -£100 You are not comprehensive You pursue other driver for car value He claims from his insurance Other insurer pays you. However, rampant third party "Loss Recovery" company sees an opportunity. They can make money one of two ways; 1) take a percentage of the largest claim possible. 2) charge loads and loads of hours and expenses to the claim Therefore the LR Co pays your insurer £900 for the privilege of getting the lead They take on your uninsured losses as well to keep you interested They then specialise in charging the other insurer as much as possible, but staying just this side of the cost of a court case. If you can be bothered, and you can read & write, there is no more efficient way then claiming for your car from your own insurer and then your uninsured losses (typically XS + car hire) from the other guy. The two disadvantages of that being that you may well have to pay for your replacement car up front, and second any risk is yours. So....... 1) you have a clearly not fault accident with a respectable other party company vehicle and a seemingly honest company driver. In this case you would do the whole thing yourself and would get your money quickly. 2) The other owner/driver seems dodgy, the accident circumstances aren't clear, you can't afford to lay out your expenses up front In this case then you go with the loss recovery outfit but spend a lot of time getting in their face. Specifically to your question; You are entitled to reasonable replacement transport costs. Strictly that is from the time of the incident until the moment that an acceptable offer is made, plus a little bit of time to do the admin. So, if their first offer is ridiculous and the to-ing and fro-ing results in them increasing it, then you can claim right up until the final valid offer is made and accepted. If their first offer is reasonable, but you still decide to argue and ultimately lose and have to accept their offer, then theoretically you can only claim up until the time of the first offer. In practice, as long as you're not being ridiculous they'll let that bit go and let you claim up until the offer is accepted. In your case my gut reaction would have been to tell them all to pfd off and deal with it myself. But it might be too late now in your case. Leave it with me over night and I'll look at your various notes carefully as soon as I can and try and offer a more meaningful/educated recommendation. Last edited by: VxFan on Sun 16 Dec 12 at 18:05
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 14:31
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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NFM2R Cheers for this - interesting different angles!! With hindsight, I would have contacted the other company, told them I needed a car for them to provide it and then I would deal with them. But I didn't. My premium to Admiral for the year was just under £1k for the 2 cars, so with them getting paid £900 from the legal firm they have done well out of me!! On a separate note I guess my premium will still go up event though its a no blame claim? Wonder if I can claim that back ad infinitum as uninsured losses? |
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New Wed 12 Dec 12 23:31
Diary of an Insurance Claim - rtj70
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Thanks for the post. This makes me think when we renew insurance for my wife in the new year we will stick with MoreThan. Years ago she had two accidents (someone hit her car) that were non fault. Process was: - Drop off (or get collected) the car with the nominated repairer - Get relief car from body shop (covered by MoreThan insurance policy) - Get car back repaired after paying excess to the body shop - Eventually get a check from third party insurer for the excess So the repairs all handled by her insurance. Yes you paid the excess but it all got sorted quickly. It took a little time for the insurers to sort out excess. On a quote for the renewal (we've not got it yet) again I went for the £50 voluntary excess and it was about £7/annum more than the default £350. Maybe handling repairs via your insurer can be easier with some companies? |
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New Wed 12 Dec 12 23:42
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Manatee
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And there you have the the criminal stupidity of the insurance industry exposed. Faced with a no fault claim, an insurer will appoint/introduce a claims manager who will pay them a fee, pad the claim as much as possible, and engineer maximum hire charges. They do this because they are stinging a competitor and because they get a cut. In the end it is on all our insurance premiums. A couple of years back when my car was hit while parked, I contacted the other party's insurer direct. Not surprisingly they couldn't do enough for me - no argument, no forms, no hire or repair indemnities, car picked up and dropped off, loan car provided. Not sure how that would work when it's a write off, it would be interesting to find out. I was with the owner of a local bodyshop a few weeks ago. His own daughter ran into the back of a car at a junction, a Corsa worth about £3000. He contacted the party and offered to do the (minor) repairs, about £600 worth, and lend them a car. They were happy to do this initially but then contacted their insurers. It ended up with a £17,000 IIRC claim against his daughter's insurers, including four whiplash claims. |
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New Wed 12 Dec 12 23:58
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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Whilst in the bodyshop, the guy told me that 2 winters ago his daughter's car got written off in similar circumstances although it was the Council Gritter which slipped down a hill and took out her car and the neigbour's garage! There was a dispute as the driver was a sub contractor to the council using the council vehicle but his daughter had 3 different courtesy cars (due to her reaching mileage limits on them) and claim was finally settled at the end of July!! |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 00:07
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Lygonos
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Your duty in making a civil claim for losses is to minimise these losses. This obviously appears not to apply to the hogs allegedly working on our behalf after a claim is made. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 00:33
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Manatee
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At one time the laws of champerty and maintenance would probably have made these activities illegal. In medieval times people with a grievance, but without influence, would take their cases to well connected people who would pursue their case and take a big share of the proceeds. This was seen as undesirable and the tort of champerty was created, the principle of which was that nobody should benefit unfairly from another's misfortune. 'Maintenance' was IIRC the promoting of litigation by somebody on another's behalf without good cause, or something like that. Maintenance and champerty were basically done away with in the 1960s. Might be a good idea to bring them back now. I think the principle can still apply where the public interest is affected so perhaps Bromptonaut can give somebody influential a nudge at the water cooler. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 13:31
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Bromptonaut
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>> At one time the laws of champerty and maintenance would probably have made these activities >> illegal. And in some common law jurisdictions variations on the concept are making a comeback to deal with claim factories etc. Probably be more useful than headline grabbing over whiplash. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 00:34
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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>>This obviously appears not to apply to the hogs allegedly working on our behalf after a claim is made. The art of staying just south of the likely cost of a court case... |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 08:14
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Falkirk Bairn
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Bobby My note on 7th Dec when you posted re the 3663 lorry Black Ice !! - Falkirk Bairn >>So spent all morning on phone to Admiral and then to Albany assist and now got HelpHire involved as well Would you not have saved time, effort and cost by just claiming from 3663 Lorry Insurer! Credit Hire to me smells of credit costs, delays and high cost car hire Last edited by: Falkirk Bairn on Thu 13 Dec 12 at 08:14
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 10:54
Diary of an Insurance Claim - NortonES2
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| And the effects of all the duplicitous swine in the chain of swine, selling on your details. Uberrimae fidei? Out of the window. Phone calls by chancers in years to come.... |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 12:29
Diary of an Insurance Claim - John H
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>> And the effects of all the duplicitous swine in the chain of swine, selling on >> your details. Uberrimae fidei? Out of the window. Phone calls by chancers in years to >> come.... >> Starts with the swine who allows this chain to start in the first place, i.e. you the customer. Regardless of that, isn't it all a good thing? NuLab's thinking was it is all good if the money circulates in the UK, it keeps loads of people employed in the service sector chasing each other's tails, saves money on benefits, keeps the economy growing, keeps taxes coming in every time there is a VAT transaction and from tax the swines are paying, and all it costs is a small increase in the motorist's insurance premium. The alternative is the everyone claims direct from the third party, and puts all the rest of the swines out of a job. That will cost the UK economy, and who will pay for that in the end? The motorist, of course. Communism is the way to go, brothers. Last edited by: John H on Thu 13 Dec 12 at 12:30
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 12:37
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Fursty Ferret
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| Hmm... my sister wrote off several cars with Admiral / Elephant and described the service as excellent. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 12:42
Diary of an Insurance Claim - John H
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>> Hmm... my sister wrote off several cars with Admiral / Elephant and described the service >> as excellent. >> Were they 100% third party to blame, or deemed to be her own fault? |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 12:54
Diary of an Insurance Claim - sooty123
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| Another one here who had minimal faff when sorting out a claim, although my car wasn't written off. It was Direct Line, once I'd found out the ins company of the other driver. They were helpful and sorted everything, hire car from Europcar no claims companies, injury claim companies or management companies etc getting involved. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 13:16
Diary of an Insurance Claim - TheManWithNoName
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Having read the detail in first post, I wonder why people bother with insurance. ;-) |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 13:39
Diary of an Insurance Claim - NortonES2
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| Don't be silly John H. NuLab? How did you get that little bee going? Service and financial industry was the salvation according to Thatcher. Non-jobs, on the lines of packaged debt derivatives, products of swindlers and frauds, that nearly brought down the whole financial edifice. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 13:41
Diary of an Insurance Claim - CGNorwich
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Except of course its the Service and Financial sector that's keeping our economy going. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 13:53
Diary of an Insurance Claim - NortonES2
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Actually it's not. Manufacturing is larger than finance in terms of value added. Shop-keeping is always with us. But finance and manufacturing are not rivals: they should be complementary. Although whether our industry will contine to use the indigenous banking sector remains to be seen. High risk of failure.
Last edited by: NIL on Thu 13 Dec 12 at 13:56
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 15:22
Diary of an Insurance Claim - John H
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>> Actually it's not. Manufacturing is larger than finance in terms of value added. >> Nortones - I thought you said above that Thatcher had destroyed manufacturing. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 16:03
Diary of an Insurance Claim - NortonES2
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| Not really. Think she saw finance as the future: manufacturing neglected maybe?. But some in her Government wanted to keep mfg. going. Just been rereading the Alan Clark diaries. Matrix Churchill and all that. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 13:55
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Manatee
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>> Except of course its the Service and Financial sector that's keeping our economy going. >> >> In the same way that you can survive by eating your own leg, looking at what Norwich Onion/Aviva has managed to do to one of my pensions it its care since 1991. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 13:57
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Bromptonaut
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>> In the same way that you can survive by eating your own leg, looking at >> what Norwich Onion/Aviva has managed to do to one of my pensions it its care >> since 1991. And their shares a worth less than half what they were 10yrs ago. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 15:18
Diary of an Insurance Claim - John H
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>> Don't be silly John H. NuLab? the claims industry grew and thrived under NuLab. >> and financial industry was the salvation according to Thatcher. Non-jobs, on the lines of packaged >> debt derivatives, products of swindlers and frauds, that nearly brought down the whole financial edifice. >> >> And how true that still is. The swindlers only swindled because the numpty (i.e. not you obviously, but any other naive consumer/employe on here) at the end of the chain was greedy to let them. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 16:07
Diary of an Insurance Claim - NortonES2
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"the claims industry grew and thrived under NuLab." I see what you mean. Yes, I suppose it must have, as you point out. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 16:10
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Bromptonaut
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>> the claims industry grew and thrived under NuLab. @John H A quick follow up to remind myself about Champerty etc suggests that the claims industry is a widespread problem, at least in Common Law jurisdictions. It happened on Labour's watch but what should they have done. Too much in the pockets of capaitalism to want too probably. Can we imagine though the shouts from the then opposition about red tape, restrictions on free enterprise had the 97-2010 govt tried to impose more regulation? Even the stuff being done now with referral fees and third party whiplash examiners (ooohhh matron!) looks more like smoke/mirrors than a real attempt to get to grips with the issues Bobby is seeing. Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Thu 13 Dec 12 at 16:11
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 14:27
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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FB, when I was standing in the car park and ont he phone to Admiral I wasn't sure of how this would all pan out. If Admiral had answered my call and said look, this is a no blame situation, you can either go through us and this will involve x,y or z, or go straight to the other insurer I would probably have thought twice. However what Admiral did was take my details and then advise that they are passing me over to their nominated company to deal with the recovery and car hire. There was no mention of what the toing and froing was going to be and the involvement. I guess I am just not one of these folks that would look on this as an opportunity to make some money out of a bad situation but there are plenty out there who would. One of my colleagues was telling me that her mum wrote off her car and they got a good payout within a few days and I should move insurance company to a decent one like her mums. Which is Admiral ! Difference being, the claim was her fault. I am surprised though that insurance companies do not stress to their policyholders about the benefit of notifying them straight away if they are to blame for an accident as it could ultimately save them money. If the lorry driver's insurer had spoken to me first the chances are I would have went with them. Except, they will probably use an accident management company as well so may well end up with the same scenario, maybe even Helphire again! I am struggling to see in the small print of HelpHire's agreement, who makes the decision on whether a write off value is acceptable. Almost all their paperwork agreement suggests that we basically need to hand everything over to them to deal with on our behalf. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 14:33
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Manatee
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>>Except, they will probably use an accident management company They absolutely wouldn't if their policyholder admitted liability and/or the facts spoke for themselves (as they clearly did). They would have asked you what sort of car you needed and sent somebody round with it, the only formality being insurance would be my guess. The point is that they shaft each other so it's a zero sum game for them, a big cost in extra premiums, and a massive winner for the vultures and false claimants. If the lorry driver had been insured with Admiral too, the loss recoveryu/claims management company wouldn't have got a look in. Last edited by: Manatee on Thu 13 Dec 12 at 14:34
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 14:54
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Slidingpillar
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Last accident I had, I altered the wording on the claim form to make it utterly clear I retained ownership and management of the car. Insurance firm did not bat an eyelid. Twas the vintage car though, I guess they are used to owners being a bit particular. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 15:25
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Zero
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Oh the joys of a company car. 1/ Have accident - write off bus and car. 2/ Phone Leasing company 3/ Door bell rings, answer door, accept keys for hire car. 4/ Fill out Accident management form 5/ Send first letter from bus company to accident management team. 6/ Choose new car. 7/ Go to court, accept points, pay fine. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 15:42
Diary of an Insurance Claim - commerdriver
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That was then, nowadays even they (the same company) use Albany if it's the other driver's fault But... for a minor repair they do it quickly and the one call asking if anyone had been injured accepted the negative reply and went away. Last edited by: commerdriver on Thu 13 Dec 12 at 15:43
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 15:56
Diary of an Insurance Claim - PeterS
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>> Oh the joys of a company car. >> Reminds me of the time many years ago when I had an accident in a company car following a blow-out (at least, I think that's what the accident form said) Not problem, a National Car Rental Astra was provided for me. Unfortunately a few days later on my way home someone ran into me on the A404, writing that car off. Had a very confused chap on the 'phone from National in High Wycombe - "I've had a request to get a car out to you, but our records say you already have one..." |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 15:25
Diary of an Insurance Claim - John H
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>>> I am struggling to see in the small print of HelpHire's agreement, who makes the >> decision on whether a write off value is acceptable. Almost all their paperwork agreement suggests >> that we basically need to hand everything over to them to deal with on our >> behalf. >> Do not sign if you don't know what you are signing. It may still not be too late to go back to making the claim direct from the third party. Last edited by: John H on Thu 13 Dec 12 at 15:25
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New Fri 14 Dec 12 02:12
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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>>who makes the decision on whether a write off value is acceptable Missed this bit. Strictly you decide in negotiations with whichever insurer you are pursuing. Usually when something is not clear, it is muddying the waters around something that would work in your favour were it clear. Bear in mind that the value of your car is initially your insurer's problem if you are comprehensively insured. How much they can or cannot recover from the TP insurer, albeit that is a paper exercise, is not relevant to you. On this basis, the value of your vehicle is thrashed out between you and your insurer. However, if you are not claiming from your insurer, but rather from the TP insurer, then that value should be thrashed out between you and the Third Party Insurer. However, in this case you have a claim assistance company involved. So they will negotiate with the other insurer and relay the offer to you acting as an intermediary. The issue then is that if they tell you an offer is the most they can get from the other insurer and refuse to pursue it further, what can you do? When there are other losses involved such as a rental car which is being paid under a credit agreement then you may be between a rock and a hard place. It is to your advantage that the claims assistance company will usually be realistic on this point since they will want to charge hours so will push pretty hard, but will not want to risk unchargeable hours so will resist pointless struggle. Let us wait to see what they come back with, hopefully it will be a non issue. >>their paperwork agreement suggests that we basically need to hand everything over to them to deal with on our behalf. Yes. And that is one of the most unattractive parts of the deal. |
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New Fri 14 Dec 12 08:25
Diary of an Insurance Claim - John H
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>> who makes the decision on whether a write off value is acceptable >> If it does become an issue, then obviously the Courts would be the final decider, but prior to that there is the Ombudsman. write off value of your car: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/about/helped-me/transcript-scenario2.htm Full guidance: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/motor-valuation.html Snippet from that full guide: .... " .... In most cases, we assess the market value as the retail price which the policyholder would have had to pay for a comparable vehicle at a reputable dealer, immediately before the date of the damage/theft. This may be lower than the price at which the vehicle is advertised, as the dealer may have built in a margin for negotiation. It is likely to be higher than the price payable in a private sale or at an auction, and higher than the trade value (which is the price a dealer would pay before adding its mark-up). We are likely to award the policyholder the full retail value, even if he/she inadvertently under-estimated the value of the vehicle when filling in the proposal form or luckily bought the vehicle for less than it was worth. And we have seen exceptional cases where a vehicle’s value genuinely rose between the date it was bought and the date of the damage/theft. If the policyholder over-estimated the value of the vehicle when filling in the proposal form, or the claim form, that is not relevant to valuing the vehicle for the purpose of the claim. We are still likely to award the actual retail value. Assessing the value of a used vehicle is not an exact science – though we strive to be as consistent as reasonably possible. We take into account all relevant evidence: ...... " etc. |
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New Thu 20 Dec 12 08:53
Diary of an Insurance Claim - IJWS14
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Similarly about 6 years ago SWMBO was involved in a no fau.lt accident. Se spoke to her insurer to report the accident and the following day to say she would not be pursuing a claim. Dealt with the other parties insurer (Churchill) direct throughout apart from the courtesy car (Audi assist who recovered the car put us in touch with a provider who delivered an A3 to her place of work the following day, she had it for three weeks) and Churchill paid the provider for that directly to the provider as well. Car was written off, private plate onto retention (cost paid), taxis before the courtesy car came were paid. Putting Tesco into the loop would only have made things more complicated and delayed the process. Their courtesy car would have been a Corsa for up to 2 weeks. Btw If the repairer believes it will be written off start the retention process now. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 16:00
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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As the joke goes, I wouldn't try to go there from here. Not to be clever, but should you ever be in a similar incident again, you should try to take things a little more slowly. I understand the concern, and the feeling that if one moves fast it will somehow make it all better, but its usually better to take your time. Feel free to tell anybody who calls you to naff off while you think about it. If you are in an accident which was someone else's fault you are legally entitled to recover your money from that person. That is the mainstay of what you are doing., If you have comprehensive cover, your insurer is contractually compelled to replace your vehicle less any agreed excess. Assuming the other guy is insured, then his company is legally compelled to pay his expenses in that incident, i.e. your expenses. Your losses would normally be minimised loss of earnings, additional expenses and the vehicle itself. If there is pain, suffering or injury involved, then you are entitled to compensation. Nobody who calls, writes or tells you anything can change that position. The various organisations who do contact you will be able to offer a number of things; - do the admin for you - write stroppy letters for you - cover the up front costs so you don't have the initial outlay They are inefficient, unqualified and typically uninterested. On the other hand they do have all the right form letters, phone numbers and addresses and despite me disliking them and thinking them useless, they do have a better grasp of the process than the average man in the street. HOWEVER, they are not running the process for YOUR benefit! There is NO advantage to them in quick or small other than, perhaps, customer care reputation. They need to charge as many hours as possible, and to make the claim as complex as possible, and to make the payout as high as possible. So if you do use them, take your time, think things through, don't get brow-beaten and do remember that they need you, not vice versa. To your details specifically................... >> Albany then send us an email with pdfs attached for the terms and conditions that >> we need to complete an online declaration to say that we are happy with these. Since these people will only be pursuing your uninsured losses, and I assume that in this case that's XS & replacement vehicle, then it is to the advantage of them and to your insurer that they deal with it. Not you. In future in an incident of this type, first ring the other insurer. If they offer a replacement vehicle etc. etc. then tell Albany to shove their Tc&Cs and you will deal with your own insurer and the third party insurer directly. If you feel you need or want to deal with then I would understand and challenge anything I didn't like in their Ts&Cs >>if I want to swap any tyres then >> I can do so (wife's car has all seasons on front which have only done >> about 5k miles). Do not do this, since if you do you are changing the value of the vehicle. If you feel you must, then tell your insurer. When you come to negotiate the vehicle value, you can always include the matter of a higher payout including the tyres or some other such agreement. >> if we had instigated repairs yet and I advise we have. I'm not quite sure what that means. But repairs should ONLY be authorised by your insurer. >>They also enclose a Vehicle Repair Finance Agreement and a Credit Protection Policy >> from Helphire which we need to complete and return. Again, next time remember that YOU are the customer and they want you. Use that. >> Their covering letter advises that as required by Law Society of Scotland, I have never dealt with the law of Scotland, if there are differences then I wouldn't be aware of them. >> to complete the attached 23 page form / questionnaire all >> about the accident and also enclosing lots of literature explaining all the things that can >> be claimed for if anyone has received an injury, right down to if you normally >> do your own DIY and can't then you can employ someone to do it for >> you and claim it back.! Its probably accurate, they will inflate everything, but as you say it doesn't really apply to you. >> I am obliged to complete all this paperwork if YOU are the customer here. >> a. The repair or write off value of the car as and when that is >> decided >> b. The excess if I am asked to pay this or have it deducted from >> my premium >> c. The hire car charges >> d. The potential cost of putting the number plate on retention with the DVLA. The number plate is part of the vehicle. You can have its value included in the final payout if you wish, or you can negotiate to remove it. >> I always thought this meant that my insurance company would deal with everything Everything that is part of your insurance policy. Typically uninsured losses are just that, uninsured. However, you have agreed to it being done a different way. Do you want to scan the agreements and send them to me? I can't do much about them, but I can explain them. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 16:10
Diary of an Insurance Claim - R.P.
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| Excellent advice Mark - OK to make a sticky of this ? |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 17:23
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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>>Excellent advice Mark - OK to make a sticky of this ? Thanks for the compliment. I am inexplicably uncomfortable with the idea that something I have written on a recreational website in a defined set of circumstances might be perceived as "official" advice for all insurance claims. If it is read here then people are forced to read it within the context of Bobby's incident which then discourages misunderstanding or reinterpretation. I worry that someone will be misled by what they think I've said because they'll read it out of context and see something in it which I won't have intended. And I most certainly have neither the time nor the will to spend time writing something which will work in all circumstances. I'm sure I'm not clear, but I know what I mean. So no, I prefer it was not made a sticky, but I'm happy for people to point to it so that its read within the context of this thread. Sorry if that sounds like I'm being awkward. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 16:13
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Focusless
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>> As the www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD3cYh5Pp1I |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 16:43
Diary of an Insurance Claim - madf
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My wife had an accident 2 year ago. Her fault: Saga handled it. Excellent. Can't recommend too highly. Not of the above carp. One claim over phone plus form and that was it.. Admiral are obviously a company to avoid at all costs. |
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New Thu 13 Dec 12 16:48
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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Because it was her fault everything she could claim for was covered by her own insurance with no possibility of recovery from a TP. That's why there was none of the above. Admiral are no better or worse than any one else. Last edited by: No FM2R on Thu 13 Dec 12 at 16:48
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New Fri 14 Dec 12 10:45
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Maisie's Dad
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>> My wife had an accident 2 year ago. Her fault: Saga handled it. Excellent. Can't >> recommend too highly. Not all of us can use Saga... |
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New Fri 14 Dec 12 11:59
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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NFM2R Thanks For that offer, got a quiet lunchtime ahead so goingt o sit down and read through cover to cover again. However, have received a phone call from Albany Assistance to confirm that the car is written off. No matter how many times I told the missus this would happen she is absolutely gutted. She loved that car, it represented something that she had alsways wanted from when she was a kid and now its gone! She has been adamant that if it gets written off she wants another Beetle. I wonder if that will still be the case now or whether nothing will ever replace her Benji...... Anyway, I digress, Albany have advised that the detaisl have now been passed back to my own company Admiral to deal with as the car has the personal registration plate. She advised that Admiral should be in contact by Monday at the latest. Not sure if this will mean a more favourable settlement if Admiral are making the decision on the value and then charging the other company for it?? Albany also confirmed that we will be allowed to keep the hire car for 7 days after we receive the settlement cheque which is handy for this time of the year where missus is working and I am off! |
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New Fri 14 Dec 12 12:15
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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Bobby, Another time we can deal with the way it works between insurers. Suffice to say that they will not be claiming from the other insurer since they have an agreement not to pursue each other. Keeping the hire car for 7 days is quite fair. But don't push it to 8, it will not go well if you keep the car over the time. Even if they haven't collected the rental car, I would recommend not driving it after the date. Admiral will probably offer a fair price for the car. The trouble is, particularly in this case, there may be daylight between what they think is fair and what your wife perceives Benji was worth. I'd get straight onto Autotrader and start researching what the vehicle would genuinely have cost to replace. Be honest about Benji as you look. There's no point in remembering the paintwork fondly if it was actually fairly scabby. If there was something about the condition of Benji that would stop you buying it, you still have to consider the value that a car with that fault would have. Get a *fair* idea of what the vehicle is worth. There is no reason to share this figure with the insurer at this point but it makes sense if your head is in the right place ahead of time. I would get an offer with and without the private plate. Then wait for the offer. No point in worrying about an issue that doesn't currently exist. As you have no other expenses beyond excess and rental car, then one would hope that this will be painless. It should be that you will get paid for your car, the rental car will go away, and behind the scenes the other monies will be recovered. The only thing to watch will be your renewal premium. When is your renewal date? |
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New Fri 14 Dec 12 12:47
Diary of an Insurance Claim - John H
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>> The only thing to watch will be your renewal premium. When is your renewal date? >> Ask Admiral to estimate/calculate the impact on your insurance premium for the next 5 years as a direct result of this claim. See 2009 table here for guidance www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/tax-insurance-and-warranties/2009-07/insurers-hiking-premiums-even-for-crash-victims/ Then claim an allowance for this premium increase (if any) from the third party. Last edited by: John H on Fri 14 Dec 12 at 12:49
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New Fri 14 Dec 12 12:57
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Fenlander
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Good advice to get a clear view of values from Autotrader now in case the phone call comes earlier than expected and you have no idea where you need to be with an offer. I think your Beetle was around 10yrs old?? I see there are over 100 that sort of age on Autotrader at the moment so you should be able to form an idea from them. |
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New Fri 14 Dec 12 13:35
Diary of an Insurance Claim - rtj70
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Unless Admiral works differently, don't expect to get the excess payment waived. You will get that back from the third party insurer. You will be expected to pay your insurance excess on the claim (compulsory and voluntary if there are both). I hope they make a fair offer. |
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New Fri 14 Dec 12 14:00
Diary of an Insurance Claim - John H
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recent news items on HJ worth a read: www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/tax-insurance-and-warranties/2012-08/gbp13000-credit-hire-bill-to-repair-a-scratch/ www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/tax-insurance-and-warranties/2012-09/credit-hire-outfits-defend-their-right-to-make-huge-profits-from-insurers/ |
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New Fri 14 Dec 12 14:21
Diary of an Insurance Claim - TeeCee
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The last comment on that first one is worth a read. Any doubts that the entire Accident Management industry is as bent as a three-bob note should be dispelled there. |
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New Fri 14 Dec 12 14:28
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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Yeah have been looking at dealer websites and Autotrader / Gumtree / Ebay and have a rough idea of what I think would be fair. However, hers was a diesel and these are few and far between to get accurate comparisons. Either way it looks like the next one will be a petrol as this is pretty much all thats available within reason. Lower mpg and higher road tax to look forward to!! |
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New Fri 14 Dec 12 14:29
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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| Renewal date is October so a bit to go before need to deal with that! |
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New Fri 14 Dec 12 17:43
Diary of an Insurance Claim - bathtub tom
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| If it's a write off the insurance stops and a new policy's required for the replacement vehicle. |
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New Fri 14 Dec 12 19:00
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Falkirk Bairn
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>> If it's a write off the insurance stops and a new policy's required for the >> replacement vehicle. >> Not necessarily - depends on Ins Co T&Cs. 1) Policy runs with new car added - no problem for BobbyG 2) Policy does not run and is cancelled - BobbyG claims for this from the 3663 Lorry Insurer. Either way BobbyG is watertight |
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New Fri 14 Dec 12 20:03
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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| NFM2R, are you really saying Admiral won't claim from the other insurer? All this stuff they say about premiums going up due to higher claims but they then just foot the bill themselves? |
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New Fri 14 Dec 12 20:43
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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Actually previously then no they almost certainly wouldn't pursue. Knock for knock meant that each insurer accepted their own insured losses irrespective of blame. These have increasingly fallen by the wayside as time moved on and it became apparent that not all insurers were saving/losing similar money in incidents due to different risk or cover profiles. However, some agreements are still in place, who knows specifically which pairs are covered. But they will put little or no effort into pursuing or defending such matters. If its obvious it gets paid, if it is not it doesn't. In either case it should have no impact on you, especially if you have recovered your excess. |
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New Tue 18 Dec 12 23:09
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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>>She advised that Admiral should be in contact by Monday at the latest. Any progress? |
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New Tue 18 Dec 12 23:36
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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Yeah, I phoned Admiral today and they were actually very helpful, making sure I took his full name and extension, advising he was finishing at 5pm etc. Anyway, had to get the missus to phone him with the V5 in hand and he then held a conference call with DVLA to confirm the car details. Has advised me that other side have not yet admitted liability at this stage so they will be deducting excess from any payout. My insurance also becomes null and void and as I am writing this I am thinking that I need to establish exactly what happens. Other documentation suggests that if I was paying monthly then the full annual premium would be deducted from any payout. I assume if they keep the money for this insurance that when we get a new car and add it to the policy there won't be any cost? Mmm that is confusing even typing this - will need to phone them tomorrow and clarify. It seemed clear when I was on the phone to him...... Anyway, he advised me to make sure I get to the car and remove tax disc and any other personal effects that are left in it as the car will be going to a dismantler HBC Salvage in Canvey Island in Essex. Assume they are a big operation if bringing cars down from Scotland! I have also completed the relevant DVLA form for retention of number plate and will pop into my DVLA office tomorrow (previous experience has shown them to be very helpful). Think we should expect to hear back from them in next couple of days with an offer. As for replacement cars, still seem to be a shortage of diesel Beetles. I have subliminally planted the seeds of thought that maybe she should move away from Beetles, she has now had her dream car and any replacement will just not be Benji............ as long as she isn't serious about the idea of getting a Convertible Beetle this time ........ |
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New Wed 19 Dec 12 00:16
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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I'm afraid it is quite possible that the full years insurance will be payable, and yet the policy will still be cancelled as a result of the payout, and there will be no insurance left to cover nay new car. You need to separate the installments in your mind. Your insurance premium was £100,payable at the time that cover commenced. In the event of a total loss, that insurance ceases. An entirely separate matter is that you were paying that £100 by installments and still owe the balance of the amount. If you then get another vehicle, then you will have to arrange new insurance for that vehicle with an insurer of your choice, which may or may not be Admiral. No reason why not, IMO. Any clearer? I trust that you have prepared yourself with evidence of Benjii's value? When they contact you with an offer, you should know the minimum amount you will accept. If their offer is below that amount, or you believe that you can get more from them, then tell them you want time to consider the offer an obtain further valuations for your car. Prepare yourself with some adverts showing your preferred value. Preferably online so he can look at them as well. Choose reasonably, because he will be as capable as you of spotting the 10 cheaper ones that you might try to ignore. Be genuine and go for a similar example as much as you can. A handy tip is to tell him that if he can point you at a genuinely comparable example for the offer that they are making, then you will accept their offer. You are entitled to buy the car from a trader, you do not have to buy it privately, so you will be looking for the higher prices taking that into account. However, I would expect them to be reasonable, as you will also need to be. Remember, the value of Benjii is not his value to you, it is the market value you would need to pay for a comparable vehicle. And remember, life is too short to fight too hard for £50. Last edited by: No FM2R on Wed 19 Dec 12 at 00:17
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New Wed 19 Dec 12 00:18
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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| BTW, remember that the state of Benjii's service record, length of MOT, new tyres, brakes, whatevers, maintenance levels etc are all relevant both to his value and to the value you would have to pay for a substitute. |
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New Wed 19 Dec 12 08:03
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Fenlander
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>>>service record, length of MOT, new tyres, brakes, whatevers, maintenance levels etc are all relevant both to his value and to the value you would have to pay for a substitute. Good advice. Going back a bit when I was involved in such things I wrote letters of support confirming maintenance records, mileages, overall condition etc for several folks involved in claims and in every case enabled a substantial uplift on initial offers. In several cases the initial offers were based on the availability of vehicles (for ex Autotrader adverts were quoted) which had higher mileages, no history or were obviously not in a comparable condition. Good luck with it. |
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New Wed 19 Dec 12 14:44
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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Have received an offer today and its better than I was expecting. Do I stick or twist???? |
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New Wed 19 Dec 12 14:50
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Falkirk Bairn
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>>Do I stick or twist???? Invest 30 mins tracking down more expensive examples with good histories. use this to ask for more - say £500-£750 then accept say £350 more - that is £700 per hour which is a good return. |
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New Wed 19 Dec 12 14:51
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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>>Do I stick or twist???? I would always give it a small twist. Speak to them, talk tyres, servicing, care and love, whatever and ask for a bit improved offer. If they give it, great, if not then take what you've been offered happily. |
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New Wed 19 Dec 12 14:55
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Fenlander
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>>>received an offer today and its better than I was expecting. Does that mean it is enough to replace the car like for like.... or were you expeting a dreadful offer and this is slightly better than dreadful? Makes a difference as to how much effort you expend in pushing them. |
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New Wed 19 Dec 12 15:46
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Zero
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>> Have received an offer today and its better than I was expecting. >> Do I stick or twist???? >> Is it good enough to put you back where you were before without being out of pocket? |
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New Wed 19 Dec 12 16:55
Diary of an Insurance Claim - John H
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>> Have received an offer today and its better than I was expecting. >> Do I stick or twist???? >> Big Brother Admiral is possibly watching this thread, and knows who you are as you posted Benji's pics. p.s. Does it allow for your increased premiums, loss of one year of insurance, your time/inconvenience? Entirely up to you if you don't wish to read the links I posted, and I shall shut up now. |
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New Wed 19 Dec 12 17:11
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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>>Big Brother Admiral is possibly watching this thread, and knows who you are as you posted Benji's pics. I doubt it, but I'd stand by this thread and the comments within it if he was. And I wouldn't be embarrassed if I was Bobby, either. One only needs to be concerned if one is being underhand. And I don't know about you, but I'm not. |
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New Wed 19 Dec 12 22:27
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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OK, have done a search on Autotrader etc and the money that they are offering would buy better ie Benji was a 53 plate 80,000 mile car and their settlement figure will get a 2005 model, from a dealer, with less miles . So on that basis, and on the basis that I cannot find a single advert online that I could use as bargaining power, I may well accept this offer (even though it goes against all my principles with cars and not haggle). Maybe I have a feeling that if I knock it back, it may well then go to another person in the chain to review and they may well not be as generous??? So on a car by car basis I think this is a good offer. No, the actual offer does not cover the hassles, the transfer of number plate, the possible extra insurance costs etc but I don't believe these are built into the settlement figure - they are uninsured losses which can be pursued separately? |
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New Wed 19 Dec 12 22:52
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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From the sound of it I'd just take the completely fair offer and tell your friends how well you were treated by Admiral. As you say, the other stuff consists of uninsured losses and should be pursued by the claims service along with the rental car costs. |
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New Wed 19 Dec 12 23:09
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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Off the top of your head, do you think I will be able to reclaim the insurance costs from the other side? We are on multicar policy with Admiral, my car was about £200 and the Beetle was about £800 (as my 17 year old daughter was covered under it) So if we get another car and the premium equivalent is another £800 then I would be wanting to not be out of pocket with this, in whatever method / format that took? And have also noted that from 21 Dec, insurance companies will no longer be able to offer cheaper premiums for females!! |
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New Wed 19 Dec 12 23:16
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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Did they cancel the whole policy including cover on other vehicles? That may not be right. You should ring and check that, it may be an oversight or misunderstanding. I would have expected them to only cancel that part of the policy related to that vehicle. You can not normally claim for future increased insurance costs. That is seen to be unforeseeable and out of TP control. It is also not consistent across all insurers. Far be it from me to suggest that your overall uninsured loss claim should cover your out of pocket position, however it is distributed. Mind you, swings and roundabouts on the car value. |
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New Wed 19 Dec 12 23:19
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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Sorry, no they haven't cancelled the cover on my car, just the Beetle. Will contact them by email to get written confirmation about what's what. |
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New Wed 19 Dec 12 23:31
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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When you do that I suggest you push that it was non-fault, they are expected to recover their money, you will have the same vehicle and would like your insurance simply to continue. At the least I would expect them to offer you a pro-rata additional premium to continue from now until the renewal date and otherwise maintain the same policy. I would also push on that additional premium to ensure that it AT MOST pro-rata. |
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New Thu 20 Dec 12 21:12
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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Today's update - went to the DVLA office and handed in the car's tax disc to cash in the remaining 4 months. Also arranged for the registration to be put on retention - Admiral emailed the DVLA office direct with a standard letter confirming that they had no interest in the plate. I have had to go to the DVLA office in Glasgow on 3 occasions in my life and each time they have been extremely helpful - for a "business" where there is no competition as such and their customers don't have ny other options, they treat you better than many commercial companies! So thats dealt with, went up to bodyshop and retrieved the mats from inside the car and also the actual number plates themselves - bodyshop had asked me for the original number plates so that they could put them back on. I assumed car would just be re-registered with a new plate but they advised that it would automatically default back to the original plate. Finally, I have received a standard email tonight from Admiral confirming that my insurance for the Beetle is now cancelled and therefore any cover for driving other cars is now also cancelled. Need to clarify with them in the morning if this means we are no longer covered to drive the loan car - would have thought we would have been but will need to check it out. |
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New Fri 21 Dec 12 14:09
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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Today's Update: Admiral have confirmed that we are still insured fpr driving the loan car. They also confirmed, and I have taken her name and extension, that once we get a replacement car we just phone up and add to the policy and it will be treated as a change of car as opposed to a complete new policy. Therefore will only need to pay for any difference in the premiums whereas I had previously been advised that we would need to treat any new car as complete new policy and pay a full premium for it. So thats two sets of good news today. |
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New Fri 21 Dec 12 14:24
Diary of an Insurance Claim - No FM2R
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Might I suggest, when its over, you write in one thread or another what you learned from this process? i.e. what you're glad you did and what you wouldn't do again, and what you wish you'd done. That sort of stuff. Always helpful for others. |
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New Fri 21 Dec 12 15:04
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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| Yeah might do - unless everyone is bored off it by then!! |
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New Fri 21 Dec 12 17:36
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Fullchat
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| ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ :) |
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New Fri 21 Dec 12 17:39
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Zero
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>> i.e. what you're glad you did and what you wouldn't do again, and what you >> wish you'd done. That sort of stuff. Wish the wife hadn't parked at the bottom of an icy slope. |
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New Fri 21 Dec 12 17:46
Diary of an Insurance Claim - rtj70
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>> Wish the wife hadn't parked at the bottom of an icy slope. Except if it was nearer the entrance to a place of work instead of having to walk down/up the icy slope to the car. BobbyG's biggest regret is probably having a 'new' Beetle. An over-styled car with poor practicality and space inside. Design over substance. His wife wanted a Beetle earlier in life and got instead a Golf with a bloated body that aped the look of the original Beetle. The newer 'new' Beetle looks better to me... maybe she'll want a convertible of this. P.S. Don't forget to retrieve your fake flower from the vase in the Beetle. But the new new Beetle doesn't have anywhere to put it. :-) More aggressive styling apparently. Last edited by: rtj70 on Fri 21 Dec 12 at 17:47
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New Sun 6 Jan 13 22:07
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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Finally getting round to do the house accounts... We had the Beetle for just short of 5 years. Over that time, my wife put 40,000 miles on it. The difference between the purchase price, and the settlement, was £2700. Just over £500 a year depreciation (was a 2003 car, we bought in 2008) And averaged 49mpg in its time with us Total servicing costs, tyres, timing belt , MOT , exhaust etc over our time was £1712 (exc road tax and insurance) All in, I think that it was good value for money! Last edited by: BobbyG on Sun 6 Jan 13 at 22:08
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New Tue 12 Feb 13 15:01
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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Well the car sold for £800 at auction from the breakers.... www.hbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/zyview/D=vehicles/V=bidding/R=5023668#ITEM IMAGE wonder if it will be dismantled or someone may raid another scraappy for parts..... |
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New Tue 12 Feb 13 16:27
Diary of an Insurance Claim - rtj70
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That's got to be worth a lot more than £800 for spare parts. And it will be fixable for less than your insurance were willing to pay. Someone will probably fix it up. |
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New Tue 12 Feb 13 16:39
Diary of an Insurance Claim - Zero
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>> Well the car sold for £800 at auction from the breakers.... >> >> www.hbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/zyview/D=vehicles/V=bidding/R=5023668#ITEM IMAGE >> >> wonder if it will be dismantled or someone may raid another scraappy for parts..... Nope that will be bodged up with s/h parts and filler, and be on a bomb site car lot at about 4 grand. |
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New Mon 15 Jul 13 15:47
Diary of an Insurance Claim - BobbyG
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According to DVLA website, the car is back on the road, taxed till June 2014. Had been keeping an eye on Ebay and Autotrader but it never appeared there as far as I can see! |
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New Tue 16 Jul 13 10:15
Diary of an Insurance Claim - DP
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>> According to DVLA website, the car is back on the road, taxed till June 2014. >> Had been keeping an eye on Ebay and Autotrader but it never appeared there as >> far as I can see! Probably bought at auction by the person doing it up. A mate of mine who is much braver and wiser than me has never bought a "straight" car in his life. Buys stolen/recovered/salvage stuff, does it up and runs around in it. He's had some nice kit over the years - Calibra Turbo, a couple of M3s, fully loaded Audi A6, and currently he's smoking around in a stolen recovered E90 335i. If you know what you are doing (he does) and have the skill and equipment to repair stuff properly (he does), you can save a fortune. |
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New Tue 16 Jul 13 13:08
Diary of an Insurance Claim - joshsalvage
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| One of the bets things you could ever do by creating this diary. I hope they know about it! Should speed things up a little. |
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