Today I had my first accident so I'm not quite sure what to do. I've reported to insurance and they offered me three options: 1. Their engineer will come and assess the damage and give me a quote? 2. I can go to a few garages on my own accord, get their quotes and send it to insurance. 3. Go straight for total loss and get car value - salvage - excess and I can buy it back (if they let me) Now I don't want to let the car go, its in great condition both mechanically and bodywork, well apart from the damage done this morning. I could buy most of the panels from vw heritage and repair it myself in a day (not the respray though) So what should I do? Main thing is I don't want to lose the car. I guess its about 1500-2000 value. Repairs maybe 500ish. Cheers.
Let them write it off,If thats the case. Advise them that you will want to buy back.As its in good shape. A mate of a mate did it with a ibiza cupra and he bought it back for a thew hundred split it and made . In your case keep and repair it. They gave him the market value and as it was wrote off they did CAT it but you have the value back plus the car.The only snag is it will be cated. Worst only for parts its a gamble they will tell you first they did in his case.Speak with D4LFR on here. Hope this helps. Have a think.
Good idea, I'll upload em tomorrow morning. Can't sleep tonight thinking about it all :-( What did cheer me up was the amount of people who stopped to chat to me about my car while I was working on it outside my house yesterday, really humbling how some wanted to help, people I've never even seen before.
OK here we go... I don't about going down the route of getting it written off, I would prefer to keep the cars history as clean as I can, if possible! Or have I got the wrong end of the stick? Does it only go on record if it is written off as a total loss? What about if I want to repair it myself? Can I keep the receipts and send it into the insurance to get my money back? I'm fully comp by the way. Just trying to avoid doing the wrong thing... Thanks all.
I don't think you said. Is it your fault? as i was thinking it wasn't for some reason when i advised first.But looking at the pictures? If it was you at fault don't go through insurance for your car they will more likely try and get the cost back off you next year.Also like you say history of the car. As even if it wasn't a write off if insurance pay out it will go against the car.IE work van got a rear ender and been a fleet van they was loads of paper work.It want me at fault but as the insurance paid out on the van for repair (mrec sprinter 1yr old) it was still showing. so in this case like mike_h said someone on here may have the parts get it sorted. You have had it from both angles now.
Well if your asking me, it definitely wasn't my fault but I'm kinda getting the "it's your fault" vibe from the insurance. I was turning right from a side street into a main road, then some silly cow decided to go around me into the oncoming traffic lane... But as I was in the side street and she was in the main road I think insurance just see me at fault, even though it was her who was driving dangerously..
What ever way you play it with insurance they are going to write it off. The only way they won't is if you don't go through insurance.
I've just phoned up and asked if their own engineer comes to assess the damage, can I still change my mind and go to my own garages or cancel the claim and they said yes. So I might as well see what their own engineer has to say first. It's so frustrating though because I know I could repair the car over the weekend and be driving about again!
No pics of inner wing, I can take some if you want? Inner wing is a bit bent until before the strut tower, looks ok. Chassis leg is fine. It was a really low speed impact accident, because she hit me with the side of her car it pulled the exterior panels more than anything getting pushed in or squashed.
If you're pulling out of a side road, technically the other driver had right of way. She probably contributed to the accident by impatience and not driving considerately - simpler just to wait and let you pull out into the traffic - but I think they'll pin it on you. Maybe if you can argue that you were already into the main road, waiting for a gap, before the other driver was even on the scene. Iffy though - more likely to work if she came round a bend into the accident - because she couldn't stop in the distance she could see. I heard of someone recently, who was offered compensation for the damage to their car, in an accident, but without formally recording the damage. Not sure how that really fits in with the rules, but it could be that the insurance don't like doing all the Cat C/D Paperwork? Sounds like you're pretty confident of fixing it - are you in the trade? If the door to front wing gap is still OK, then it's a much easier repair than if that's moved. Straightening the inner wing, if it's bent or crumpled, will be the key to making it look right though. If you're in the trade, then you'll know all that already. Shame - looked like a nice tidy car.
Hey mate, the door gap has moved a little closer, but I think its because the outer wing is so bent, if I can get a nice new wing, i'm sure it will go on OK. I'm not in the trade though, so I'll get there in the end, but it will take me twice as long I suppose haha! Regarding the accident, I was in the main road, in the middle of the main road right up at the centre line markings waiting for a clearing from the oncoming cars, I must have been there for maybe 5 seconds (so I would say I was well established!). When it was clear I went to complete my turn but she decided to come down the wrong side of the road WTF!? I've never seen anything like it in my life since I been driving from April 1994, except maybe from a car theif trying to get away from the police. I've asked the council for cctv footage of the incident so I can send to the insurers and prove the blame was all hers. I'm not letting this car go, I've had it 12 years, I'm the 3rd owner and its only got just under 90k miles on it!
I wrote a reply last night but the forum seems to have chewed it up! Nope she wasn't, but you would think so because of the stupid maneuver! She was driving a Daewoo Matiz.
Small update: Assessor came and had a look. Insurance called me today, apparently its going to cost 2450 inc vat to repair plus "that may go up as its an old car and they may break things while trying to repair it" They offered me 2150 less the excess (I forgot to ask who they made liable). 2500 to repair!? Is the guy using golden panels or what?? Now I have to run around to get some quotes from independent garages. Insurance said they will approve if less than 1500. OH and listen to this! Without even asking me if the offer was acceptable they said "we won't come today but look out for the tow truck from so-and-so company" (I forgot the name)! I was like WTF slow down! "Don't worry sir we will just keep it in a holding place until everything is finalised." Yeah right! So that's the story so far ... :-)
Most of the repair cost will be labour, not panels, although if they've priced it with Gen bits it soon mounts up.
That's what I'm thinking chap, he must have priced it up with all genuine panels. I think they are just trying to get my car off me and sell it themselves. I think I could get 2500 if i push it but I'm not sure I want to get rid of it. I bought the car for 3800 in 1999, I'm really surprised it hasn't dropped much value since then. Just shows you how fantastic these cars are! If I did that then the car gets a cat c or d (I forget which) marker in its history and I want to keep it clean. That's IF they sell it back to me!
Cars of this age don't drop value really, and sometimes they go back up. Mk2s aren't all that rare yet, but you can see Mk1 values are on the up. Did you ask the insurance if they can do a deal where they give you a payout to compensate you for the damage to your car, but don't record the write-off? It might be they'll only do that for cosmetic damage, but I have heard of it being done.
