[Londoner]

Somebody ran into my wife's four month old car while it was parked outside our house on Saturday. The driver was caught and amazingly has insurance!

Now I had it down as a dead cert write off but this morning they looked at it and said is could be repairable. I am going to have a "discussion" with the assessor tomorrow and I am not happy.

I have worked out what I am going to say but I need to know what the term is when a car is written off and then repaired. Its called a **** and I can't remember for the life of me what it is.

Any other gems I can throw at him would be welcome

[spikecat]

  CAT D        I THINK

[Pope vader]

it cant ba a write off and repaired by an insurance company,  it can be written off and then sold on and put back on the road,  if they repair then you will lose value on it, as any one who hpi it will come back as being in a accident,

how bad is it, if the bloke driven off then it can not be that bad or did he run off

[Tom White]

Vince, what do you want the outcome to be?  Do you want it written off?

[rz]

if it repaired by the insurance its not written off therefore not registered as damaged.

its only recorded as cat c or d if it written off, ie, they pay you for the car then the insurance company sell it on to a salvage dealer.

hope this makes sense..

[Londoner]

I just don't want to have that car back it is damaged all down one side, every panel,  and the back wheel was shunted under the car where it was pushed against the kerb. The front wheel took a knock against the kerb as well  but I don't know how badly or if anything there is bent or if it will be trouble waiting to happen later. The warranty doesn't cover repaired accident damage and I just don't want to get involved with all the arguments later. And I don't want them bodging the panels up with filler to try and keep the cost of repair below write off. Obviously the garage are keen to repair it because they want the business but I want them to understand very clearly that I won't be fobbed off with a bit of filler and a bit of blending in.

What I am going to say to the assesor tomorrow is that he is offering to return the car to me as a virtual CatD ( if thats the right term) and if they do repair it I intend to take it straight into the main agent where I bought it for a full examination and if they are not happy with it he's getting it back and I will reject it. I will only sign for it provisionally pending a report from the main agent

I have been here before with taxis and I know all about the niggling problms that follow on after big accidents.

The other driver didn't exactly drive off, it was an old boy and he kept on going but his front wheel locked up against the body work and he couldn't turn the wheel.  I am sure had that not happened he would have just kept on going. He didn't seem as though he was all there

[bobby p]

major repair will be done properly on a jig so i wouldnt fret too much Vince . besides ,they need your signature of satisfaction  before the repairer gets paid ,so you can look at it first  and reject it if not happy

 

[SB Cleaning]

major repair will be done properly on a jig so i wouldnt fret too much Vince . besides ,they need your signature of satisfaction  before its released to you ,so you can look at it first  and reject it if not happy

I dunno about that i have seen some shocking repairs in my time

[Londoner]

major repair will be done properly on a jig so i wouldnt fret too much Vince . besides ,they need your signature of satisfaction  before its released to you ,so you can look at it first  and reject it if not happy

I dunno about that i have seen some shocking repairs in my time

My point exactly, I don't want something back thats been jigged and filled.

[alanwilson]

when a car is jigged the chassis is pretty much restressed into shape.

take a spoon and bend it, not bend it back into shape. 

now bend it again and see how much easier it is to bend!

No way would I have a jigged motor back again.

[L.U.K.E]

No matter how good the repair is you will always notice it. Hence this in the long term will de-value the
car, you could lose money when you sell it.

I bet the body shop will offer a 2 year guarentee on the work though.

 

[paul saunders]

Just try changing the pre filters ............ if that doesn't do it change the membranes. 

[Blue Frog Systems]

If its taken that much of a beating, then i wouldnt touch it with a barge pole either Vince. I wouldnt be able to trust that motor with family or anyone else in it.

Stand your ground on this one mate. Find out exactly what the damage is (get it written down) and how they will repair it (get that written down too). Get second / third opinions if you have to. Dont let the other opinions speak to the insurance / garage its at either and be there when your other opinions are looking at it.

If the warranty doesnt cover accident damage, then no matter what, its not a good enough repair as the manufacturer is concerned.... then its not good enough for you.

I sure even though its not been written off that damage will be recorded by the insurance.

[vision tech]

Just try changing the pre filters ............ if that doesn't do it change the membranes. 

what planet are you on?

[boldy1304]

my brother is a assessor and they are imployed by insurance companys to keep there costs to a min ie garage says it will cost 2500 to repair assessor visits and says no no that will only cost 2000 result garage wants the work so dose it for 2000 you work out what that means to the quality of work 

[deeege]

Have you got gap insurance cover on the car? If not then the insured value will be vastly below what you paid for it new.

I hope you manage to get it written off though.