It's all up in the air at the moment - up to the insurance company (via the external Fleet Management conmpany..so you can imagine how many people are now involved!) to decide.  I doubt I'll get a new car whilst mine is being repaired although stranger things have happened.  FM are aware it isn't going to be a 1 week turnaround by any stretch of the imagination.  Someone (I think FM) is clocking up the hire car bill, so I guess they're after a decision pretty soon.

 

If its repairable, I'll get it back for the remaining 16k of its time with me (60k or 3 years - although I hear its going to be extended to 100k/3yrs for new cars from now on).  If not, start the 12+ weeks wait for something new.  Either way, I'm in a hire car (or something spare off the fleet - hopefully not the 1.3 CDTi Corsa that IS spare..) for a while.

 

The mileage I'm doing, the Fabia would be hitting its 16k in about 4 or 5 months anyway - and that seems to be lead time for Octavias and Golfs at the moment!

Edited 11 October, 201312 yr by philhoward

Hi Phil, sorry to see your situation. 

 

You'd be surprised just how easy it is to write off a car. The damage you can see is not normally the issue. You prolly know that. But I bet there is lots of unseen stuff that is the problem. My neighbour two weeks ago hit a very large badger at 70 miles per hour in his wife's two year old Peugeot 207. It did £3,900 worth of damage! Virtually half the total worth of the vehicle at it's age and mileage. The car is almost a write off but the insurers decided to keep it going in the end. Damage was substantial to the front and underside of the vehicle. Almost looked like he had hit a person at speed. On the other hand, I've rebuilt vehicles that have had just a 'touch' in an accident and to look at it there is nothing to be concerned about, until you start to look around the vehicle and see that the chassis its totally out of alignment, suspension and steering totally k o'd, cost to fix, enormous! Writing it off can be easy. Interested to know what happens to your though. 

If the car is worth 10-11k that'll be a close call in my opinion.

Yes, you can repair it cheaper yourself but I'd not be surprised if the insurance estimate is between £3,000 and £4,000 if the front leg needs to be straightened a bit.

Boar didn't go underneath (I don't think!), so hopefully not too much damage more than anything in that corner.  Bonnet still opens and closes fine and panel gap to the undamaged section of bumper and OSF wing is fine.  Just depends if they put anything else expensive down that front corner aside from the PAS pump!  I guess the traction control deactivated in error afterwards due to the lack of PAS..  Crash can on the bumper mounting/front leg doesn't look deformed, but not sure how they go on a front 1/4 impact as opposed to a full head on.

 

@BossFox - considering you've bought "salvage" with less apparent damage, then it could be a close call.  There might be the added issue of what it's worth on the books rather than retail cost given its a company motor..

Well all I can say Phil is you certainly know how to drip feed the information....

 

Now we know accident happened abroad, company car, company insurance, hire car (or maybe not?) (hired abroad or UK?)

 

Complicated situation, not a straightforward domestic claim.

 

If its not your car, why are you worried? Do you have some liability or is it just curiosity?

XMan, I'd guess it's like our situation - my wife's company car isn't "hers", but we don't keep a third car in our back pocket in case it snaps.  Now it has snapped, we have to wait for it to be fixed, which means for her the prospect of her crappy commute in a crappy car - at least a crappy commute in a good car is bearable.

 

That repair could be two weeks, etc.  If the fleet then say, actually, it's BER, then you lose the car completely and probably have to wait for anbother through the system (not the crappy hire car, but the fleet leftover - last time it was an Avensis 1.8 CVT - THE WORST CAR I'VE EVER DRIVEN).

 

So not his car, so he doesn't care, but still a real inconvenience, especially as he may be expected to continue driving as he would have in his nice BVRS in a Corsa 1.3 TDCi (3 cylinder? 2 speaker stereo? 1000 mile round trip anyone...?).

Never can understand people who complain about free or courtesy cars......

Because you don't get a choice do you?  If I drive my Monte, that's because I chose to.  It suits my journeys, I like the car.  You need it to be off the road for repair and you get a car you don't want (probably).  Last time I put the Monte in for service, they gave me a slightly older Monte.

 

Getting a Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 CDTi isn't going to be as good as a Fabia VRS.  Yes, it's free, you can't really complain if you're going to try and save money on barbeque packs in the forests of Germany and that back fires, but it's not the car you would choose to drive.

 

Very rarely, at the end of the car market I've been at to date, do you find the courtesy/hire car being better than the car it is standing in for...

I had a BMW 116d to replace an old 316i E36 once... but that was after someone wrote mine off. The other insurance company didn't like having to pay for my 116 though, but the claim was somehow put though a prestige car accident claim handling company, I think the 116D was the worst car they could of offered me. I felt like a king though as I was young and hadn't driven or owned a new(ish) car at that point.

 

On the other hand I was stuck with a battered old MG ZR when I took my Audi TT in for work earlier this year though. Not impressed. Yes I complained about it to anyone that was in earshot. It was awful. Surely you can understand the disappointment of waving bye to your cherished and favored automobile (in this case an Audi TT mk1 225BHP) and getting a disappointing replacement (in this case a Rover 25 in a bright yellow dress with god-awful excuses for sports seats and horrible ride comfort). Sure I was grateful for a free replacement vehicle so I could still get about, as I did use it, but I certainly didn't enjoy it (or even want to be in it).

Edited 11 October, 201312 yr by MattGreen

Free? Very wrong there, xman. Cheaper than buying one myself? Maybe but it's a tool to do my job. Spoken like someone who's never had a company car...

I chose the Fabia as my car over a choice of Audis and BMWs to the fleet managers disgust so yes - I want to know what's going to happen.

If I could claim the mileage I'd be using my personal car but I can't so I'm at the behest of what's available. If it was my car for my own use I wouldn't choose a Corsa - plenty of £500 smokers out there to keep me mobile hence why on my own insurance, I delete the courtesy car option - don't need it so why pay for it.

With a company car, you are at someone else's behest - at a time like this, you have no choices and more importantly, no control.

When the engine blew, I was at the behest of Skoda Assistance plus several others who ended up leaving me standing outside in the cold (-10 or so) waiting for THEIR taxi to pick up a hire car from wherever they decided. As a result, I got to my hotel after the closed, 9 hours later than I should have and had to sleep in the car. Because the plan had been put into action, I couldn't find my own hotel and/or car because they would back charge me if I didn't do it their way.

The original idea of this thread was for some opinions if a car can get written off for a front corner smash - not get slagged off for not posting a copy of the claim form to go with it!

Who's slagging ? Apologies if you are offended by my comments, thats not intended and they are made in good faith.

 

All I'm saying is 1st you post a pic that doesnt show the full extent of the damage asking for opinions that you dont particularly agree with - fair enough, then more damage is revealed - after further opinions you then reveal the accident/car is abroad, then its a company car......

 

How do expect anyone to answer the original question if significant facts are missing?

 

If you are wanting them to write the car off, then say so - the decision will be the insurance company's decision and no-one elses.

 

And please don't get me started about company car drivers - I have run a company and its probably best I keep my opinions to myself.

Edited 11 October, 201312 yr by xman

definatly not a write off !

I did write a rather detailed reply, but lost internet so it went into the "cannot connect to server" ether..

 

I do know a bit more about these things now though, so thanks to all.

 

I can now see why the insurers comment about a possible write off more clearly; salvage + repair costs + repatriation cost being close to the book value (sorry xman for leaving out some of the details), hence why it may get written off.  My surprise was that whilst there is a fair bit of damage not immediately visible, it seemed a bit excessive to write it off.

 

Some peoples attitude to company cars obviously differs from mine (which not specifically a Fabia discussion) - I am a bit of a control freak in that case, so having something in the hands of several other people annoys me and having been recently "done over" by an insurance company don't have a lot of faith in them these days.  If I was controlling things, the car would be in the nominated repair shop (about 40 miles from me..) - or in one closer to my home at least - by now.

 

As PDIBK says, its a major inconvenience and subject to a different set of rules and not necessarily the glamour it might seem to non-company car users.  Mine is a tool for my job - what does gripe is those who have one as a "perk"; I see no point in someone having one to sit in the office car park all day, every day personally, irrespective of position in a company?  Whats more, I pay for the pleasure of having it - the amount of private mileage I do in the car doesn't actually warrant the tax bill (it would be cheaper to rent one for the time I use it for non-work related travel).  Sorry - on my soap box again..

 

If anyone is interested, I'll update with any movements.  Whichever way, looks like I'm without the Fabia for at least a month :(

Until my wife got one (my first exposure of a close friend or family having a company car), I assumed it was a "perk of the job".  I knew a bit about tax liability etc, but just ignored it TBH. 

 

Now I know it is sometimes more akin to being given an allowance, subject to your grade.  Then you lease a car, from a list of possibles (depending on your company car provider), for a set term.  There are rules to be met, conditions up the yin yang and it's almost not worth it.

 

Except, my wife has done 26000 miles (probably more now) in her Golf in just over a year.  That's probably 98% business mileage to get to work.  the servicing is covered on the lease plan, the damage repair to the recent accident is too.  That's because Lex want their car back with some value in it, so they can sell it.  If she took the allowance, instead of the car and paying the tax, there is not really any way she could get the same car.

 

And we could buy it off them, knowng the car, liking it, etc, for a good deal.  We know the high mileage and it's been looked after.

 

I still wanted her to take the money and let me play with it...

My situation doesn't give the option of an allowance (although it was offered at a previous employer) - but is still has to fit certain criteria.

 

My mileage is about 30-35k p.a. - private mileage between 500 and 1000 miles p.a. so is certainly a tool to do my job.  Given a set of criteria (rather than a list, as it is now) when I chose it, it suited me the best at the time.

 

It isn't all roses - in my case I don't choose to have a new (ish) car as personal transport, preferring either classics or sub-£500 "run till they die" motors.  I wouldn't choose the Fabia if it was my own money - would probably be floating round in something 15-20 years old (last hack was a Saab 9000 turbo).

 

Sometimes the "buy it off them" works well - you tend to get a car at about auction value, plus its a car you know (takes a lot of guesswork out of buying second hand).  I knew some people who did that at the end of their lease, keeping it for the "second car for the wife", so to speak or for family members.  Dealer spec cars at WBAC prices, effectively.

 

Its the job I chose, and thats the SOP, so I live with it.  A company car is (in my line of work) a tool, not a perk.  I pay for the privilege but on the flip side, I effectively have a rental car available for personal use, so swings and roundabouts.  I just have to pay the private fuel.

I think car allowance can work if youre fortunate enough not to have to actually use your car loads for work and you buy wisely.

I get a car or allowance with my job as a perk rather than essential need (i.e alot of cars are provided nowadays due to the excessive mileage people have to do for work and would never in a million years do in their own car....the caveat that they have to prove they are doing enough mileage to justify the car) but for the past 18 months have been largely office based with a roughly 20 mile round trip to work.

For me at the moment its paying off as my allowance pays for most of the cost of my car whilst getting to drive something id be more inclined to own and run myself personally anyway. I think id only consider dropping back out of it if I suddenly need to start using the car alot for work business again (whereby I was doing 18-20k a year all in with personal miles - not obscene mileage but morenthan youd probably want to put on a pcp car for sure), then a company car (even if you pay higher level tax) probably makes sense.

Edited 15 October, 201312 yr by pipsyp

No. Its minor damage. New Bumper/grill, new Headlamp/foglight , new plastic wing protector thing and undertray work. Refix PAS pump. Suspension geometry check/realign. Doubt anything else. Probably ~ < £1k insurance work

Your seriously under estimating on costs there, the wife bumped her yeti which led to the front wing being replaced and the bumper resprayed, that came to £800 at an authorised repairer.

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It looks like at the moment they are trying to guesstimate the repairs based on my photos I took.  Apparently 3 options - repatriate for repair, get a German assessor out to give a more accurate estimate or just write it off in Germany.  Hopefully will get an update today..

Well, it was collected on Friday afternoon to be repaired in Germany.  Pretty much now waiting for the call to say its done.

Wife's Golf went in today - two months after the bump.

 

They've given her a Passat as the "equivalent level hire car", based on her travel requirements.  The originally offered 1.0 Something Box was not fit for purpose...

 

I think they've aimed her off for a week to effect repairs - the guy that drove into it dented both passenger side doors, apparently near to the side impact beam, so possible misalignment of that, which they can only check by taking both doors to pieces.

 

Estimate was in the region of £2k for repairs - inspections work, replacement panels (or repair I guess), replacement trim, labour, not sure if that included the hire car.

I suspect my repairs are touching €3k or so.  Apparently once they get the "nod", then it should be done in a couple of days.  I know my engine replacement was done in under a week in Belgium - maybe getting parts on the continent is easier than in the UK?!

 

I've been offered "Passat or equivalent" several times before; never got one yet!  Renault Megane, Golf and this time a Ford S-Max...not sure of the similarity myself!  Got to love the hire company grouping..

Well surprise, surprise, the UK insurance company doesn't like the quote from the German garage.  There is confirmed suspension damage, which the UK didn't guess from the pictures (despite me saying there might be as the front wheels weren't pointing in the same direction..).

 

Back to waiting for engineers from the UK to talk to the German garage.  Not sure why, but they might get it repatriated to the UK and repaired here instead (are repair costs so much cheaper in the UK?  Parts probably cost more back in the UK) apparently.  Hope they aren't trying to cut corners...otherwise they'll be having it straight back.

I expect the german garage is trying to fleece the insurance company thinking it will be a push over with car from England. All stories I've heard about repairs from visitors to Germany is about how horrendously expensive they are. Maybe they think the english are too polite to decline?

Who knows..

 

Maybe insurance work is a nice earner in Germany with "no questions asked"?

I expect the german garage is trying to fleece the insurance company thinking it will be a push over with car from England. All stories I've heard about repairs from visitors to Germany is about how horrendously expensive they are. Maybe they think the english are too polite to decline?

€10k, apparently...