A 'minor' parking prang by my better half has resulted in insurers saying my 4x4 is a write-off due to car value v the cost of repair (we think its Cat D).

 

The car is still running great and has full Skoda history and just seems to need a new (or scrappie) front bumper and front indicator.

 

Would you:-

 

A. Get as much money as possible and buy another one ?

 

B. As above then buy it back from the insurers and repair it ourselves ?

 

If B, any tips for talking to the insurers and getting the car back on the road !?

 

Thanks

Edited 22 February, 201412 yr by Fabpreza

If they right the car off, you can pay the scrap value to them and keep the car, they will give you the difference in a check.  Repair the car yourself you may need a engineers report for your insurance company but that's it.  I done this 2 years ago when my car was hit, fix it up for 100 quid and kept the other grand lol.

Yes Id get it back

Just ask for it back. If for arguements sake they offer you £1500 for it, you might buy it back for £300 so you would get £1200 back plus the car.

Thanks. So if I get it repaired myself - will my current insurers still want to insure it ? Do I have to tell the DVLA and get a new V5 or something ?

I would buy it back even if you don't repair it you could sell it on as it is.

If its a cat D you should have no problem with insurance Ive had quite a few and never had any issues.

If its a cat C you may need to have a VIC check but I have in the past found that this is only to get a log book but that could be different now.

I would buy it back even if you don't repair it you could sell it on as it is.

If its a cat D you should have no problem with insurance Ive had quite a few and never had any issues.

If its a cat C you may need to have a VIC check but I have in the past found that this is only to get a log book but that could be different now.

Thanks for this - they'll probably offer something laughable as the payout,  but as long as I can make it up on buying as scrap so I can keep the car, I'll be happy.

(It's got Skoda FSH and £5k of service receipts)

Never accept the first offer from a insurance company. Plus look on the Internet for examples of the same car and what they are selling for and argue the toss with them. Ask them to see if they can get the same car and spec for the price they offered you? That normally works. I got offered £1100 for my S2 when a old bloke run in to me, they ended up paying for it to be repaired at a cost of £3500 and it was not categorised at all. So worth arguing for it.

Edited 23 February, 201412 yr by Big Lee

If all it needs is a new bumper I wouldn't claim at all. You'll end up paying more in increased premiums over the next five years.

If all it needs is a new bumper I wouldn't claim at all. You'll end up paying more in increased premiums over the next five years.

Unfortunately the parking prang involved another car - our fault.

I went through this the other year. Insurance happy for me to purchase the salvage back,  Car valued at £6000, I paid 10% of market value for it. Cat D (which is what yours should be) may be different + Cat D is not recorded, or has to have a vic check - Remember it's your car, not theirs, so you decide what is happening to it.

...thanks - wish me luck tomorrow !

Good luck. Let us know what happens

You don't even have to have it repaired!

You can just do it yourself...it's not upto the insurers,it's your car!

Just let the other party claim on your insurance, leave your car out of it for two reasons.

 

1) its a cheap repair, secondhand parts will cost pennies, most likely less than £100. Plenty of Octy's being broken on here for spares.

 

2) if you leave your car out of the claim, it will not end up with a CAT C or CAT D rating, and be unrecorded. As such its value once fixed will be considerably more.

Exactly what Manny said

You don't even have to have it repaired!

You can just do it yourself...it's not upto the insurers,it's your car!

 

Although that is true, he has already told Insurers of accident, so regardless of claim his insurance company will register the accident and he will suffer in next renewal. 

Been there and done it.

 

Still cheaper to repair yourself probably  as the excess may be steep..

Waiting for first (Low) offer...

Insurance company bid me more than I paid for it, but less than cost of getting another one, so both winners I suppose.

The salvage value I had to pay was £250.

 

Thanks for all the advice.

Are you going to repair it?

Has to be done !