UPDATE: Despite the assessor visiting, inspecting and saying it would be written off my insurance company (swiftcover) say they want to repair the car. The cost of the repair is just over £1700 apparently. This is largely because it's one of their approved repairers who are able to do the job at discount rates.

I'm not keen on having the car repaired as it will never be the same and would prefer to change to an estate. Is their anything I can do to make them change their mind? I asked if I could take it elsewhere but they said I would have to pay any difference.

Help please

Ask for an independant 2nd opinion, I wouldnt fancy that being fixed.

in that case, would you accept the £1700 that it would cost them to repair, as a payout, because basically otherwise your asking them to shell out extra cash and id imagine that wouldnt be easy

i wouldn't be too keen on that being repaired, huge damage to it and amazed its only £1700!!

They said they would repair the rear quarters not replace them. I'm even more concerned now after your comments . . .

Given that the other guy admitted liability, I am suprised that your insurers are taking this stance, I wonder if they insure him as well

And the Moral of this story...........Don't go with Swiftcover cluck cluck

but in order for the sills to be bent like that along with the boot floor then the floor plan must be bent/twisted somewhere.

i'd be asking for a 2nd opinion and getting an independant assessment.

Amazed about that, and also at that cost. Don't see how they'll manage that. Something doesn't feel right about that.

Steve

completely nailed, needs a new shell so definitly written off.

good to see modern car design did its job and your unhurt though

I reckon that would pull out on a jig.

BUT

A quality repair will cost a lot more than £1700. My A3 was rear ended, and the damage was similarish, except it was 3 door. There was a slight ripple in one rear quarter, wrecked tailgate and bumper, and a rippled boot floor.

It cost £3800 to repair at a VAG approved bodyshop. The car was worth maybe 5k at the time.

DO NOT use the 'approved' repairer. Use a good independent you trust or a bodyshop with Skoda UK official approval.

Most 'approved' bodyshops are sh!ite. Here's my experience, if it helps. They do things down to a cost, not up to a standard. It is your car- you can insist on using another repairer.

I just do not think that is fixable for anything like what it is worth.

but in order for the sills to be bent like that along with the boot floor then the floor plan must be bent/twisted somewhere.

i'd be asking for a 2nd opinion and getting an independant assessment.

Agreed. It needs to be written off or properly jigged. The jigging and panel repairs would cost £££££. Not £1700.

after seeing what the lads at our bodyshop at work can do with the jig i was amazed at just how much of a wreck of a car can be brought back to life to an excellent standard

Regards repairs my policy says the following -

"If Your Car is damaged We will use one of Our Recommended repairers to repair it. If You choose not to use them We may not pay more than Our Recommended repairer would have charged and We may choose to settle the claim by a financial payment"

I read into this that I can take it elsewhere but they will only pay the rate which their repairer calculated (£1700 something). I can possibly read into it that if another repairer says it will cost a lot more they may decide to write it off instead? or if I decide to have it repaired elsewhere they may write it off instead?

after seeing what the lads at our bodyshop at work can do with the jig i was amazed at just how much of a wreck of a car can be brought back to life to an excellent standard

Agree, but only if you've got good people, using the right tools and taking the time it needs to repair properly. My fear in this case is that it'll be done on a budget, and not a very big one at that. As said above, it'll be done to a price not to a standard.

Sad times :(

Steve

Regards repairs my policy says the following -

"If Your Car is damaged We will use one of Our Recommended repairers to repair it. If You choose not to use them We may not pay more than Our Recommended repairer would have charged and We may choose to settle the claim by a financial payment"

I read into this that I can take it elsewhere but they will only pay the rate which their repairer calculated (£1700 something). I can possibly read into it that if another repairer says it will cost a lot more they may decide to write it off instead? or if I decide to have it repaired elsewhere they may write it off instead?

Oh ****e. That's unusual. Remind me never to use swiftcover. My insurers *prefer* you to use their repairer, but don't have a clause like that. ********.

I would still get another opinion.

My seat back was forced back into a semi-reclined position when I was hit from behind. I would not be comfortable sitting in it again because I'm sure it would have weakened it somehow - bet they haven't even considered that . . .

This is perhaps a dumb question, but I've never been in this situation. If it was the other driver's fault, aren't his insurers picking up the tab for the repair/replacement? So it doesn't come into it who you're insured with?

Or am I missing something?

Steve

Although the other party is picking up the tab I assume my insurer arranges everything for me and recovers the cost from the other parties insurance.

I'm about to move house so will seek a second opinion from somewhere closer to where I'm going to live. Worse case scenario I may have to pay someone to inspect to ensure it has been repaired as it should have been and nothing has been missed.

Your right to choose your repairer ….

As a motor vehicle insurance policy holder you have the right to choose the repairer you wish to carry out the required repairs to your vehicle and you are not obliged to use only the insurance company’s appointed repairer.

This has been agreed between the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

The only exception is where this, for commercial reasons, has been made an express condition of the policy and has been written into the insurance policies terms and conditions to which the policy holder has been made aware.

its called limit of liability!

in the insurance world if they feel they can get the work done for £1700 then thats all there going to pay! if you go somewhere else and they quote say £2000 they will only contribute £1700 and also minus what ever the excess is as this is what they feel they could have got the job done for! its a bitch but as its written in i doubt you'll get anymore than that out of them!

more than where i work have that on the house insurance and most probs in the car insurance too.

its all about the money with insurance never about the quality of work!

Can't see them repairing that properly for £1700! the cost of a proper repair would far outweigh its value,I would say 100% write off

I'm speechless that they are considering repairing that! :eek:

I'd ask for a repair schedule - see what they have factored into the cost.

Gut feeling tells me the other party is insured with Swiftcover too so it will be a half arsed repair on the cheap, and you will have a battle on your hands to get it as it should be.

Agree, but only if you've got good people, using the right tools and taking the time it needs to repair properly. My fear in this case is that it'll be done on a budget, and not a very big one at that. As said above, it'll be done to a price not to a standard.

Sad times :(

Steve

yup, thankfully we have a really good fella on the jig, been at it for years

For comparison, I had a car in which I was run off the road with a car overtaking a lorry on a blind hill heading towards me, I ditched the car and squeezed between a dry stane dyke and the car, clattering overhanging branches on the way and managed to get it back on the road.

The result was a dented A pillar (Not Structural just aesthetic) scratched wing bonnet and door, and a kerbed alloy and tyre, windscreen and wingmirror destroyed. To have all of that fixed was just short of £1400 and the only real work was a welding a rod to the A pillar to draw the skin back into shape, all the rest was essentially prepping and painting. I insisted on my own choice of bodyshop who work to a very high standard and the insurance company obliged.

I would be surprised if you could get all the genuine parts for your car seats, bumpers, tailgate, lights panels for less than 1k and thats not even considering labour and paint costs

As I am moving from Royston to Peterborough next week I have asked my insurance to have it repaired in Peterborough so I can keep an eye on the work. They agreed and I have just spoken to Stoneacre (the repairer in Peterborough) and they are going to recover the car from Royston as I said I was not happy to drive it.

I'm hopeful that Stoneacre are more expensive / they find more damage (maybe I can have a word with them) and swiftcover will have to re-consider. Maybe the recovery costs will put the bill up too (I can but hope).

Meantime I get a hire-care today (hopefuly) for the duration of the repair - the other insurer has agreed to this. The person who hit me was insured through Direct Line I believe.