No wonder so many people don't bother getting car insurance

[OwlHoot]

Just taken my Jag to the garage for a quote to fix the rear bumper, damaged when someone crashed into the back of me at a traffic light.

As I expected, it needs an endless number of bits and pieces and the labour alone comes to the best part of a grand.

But my cunning plan to have the aircon fixed at the same time has hit a snag - The guy says the total bill, if that is included, may mean the car is deemed a write-off!

WTF?!

So let me get this straight - The insurance company will refuse to stump up for an accident that wasn't even my fault!

Someone could spend hundreds or thousands tarting up their car, or for an expensive service, or just paying tax and insurance, and another mupp of a driver could total it (or a five ton boulder fall on it), and the first law-abiding careful mug ends up only with the derisory book value!?

Probably a silly question, but anyone know if there is any kind of insurance that guarantees a replacement car of the same model or later in the event of a write off beyond one's control?

[original PM]

last few times I have bought a new or used car I have been offered some sort of return to invoice value insurance - costs extra and is on top of your normal car insurance but it will top up the difference between the value the insurer offers for your car if it is a write off and the actual invoice value.

[mudskipper]

Just happened to me. 4 year old car owned since new was written off when some muppet drove into the back of me at full pelt causing a multiple shunt. Buying someone else's 4 year old car with the insurance money isn't the same as having had yours since new.

But yes, you can get 'gap' insurance that covers you for 3 years (or possibly longer if you pay more) when you buy a new car that covers you between the insurance value and what you paid for it.

[MarillionFan]

Just taken my Jag to the garage for a quote to fix the rear bumper, damaged when someone crashed into the back of me at a traffic light.

As I expected, it needs an endless number of bits and pieces and the labour alone comes to the best part of a grand.

But my cunning plan to have the aircon fixed at the same time has hit a snag - The guy says the total bill, if that is included, may mean the car is deemed a write-off!

WTF?!

So let me get this straight - The insurance company will refuse to stump up for an accident that wasn't even my fault!

Someone could spend hundreds or thousands tarting up their car, or for an expensive service, or just paying tax and insurance, and another mupp of a driver could total it (or a five ton boulder fall on it), and the first law-abiding careful mug ends up only with the derisory book value!?

Probably a silly question, but anyone know if there is any kind of insurance that guarantees a replacement car of the same model or later in the event of a write off beyond one's control?

Why is the persons insurance company not paying for it. Im in the same situation.

[OwlHoot]

Why is the persons insurance company not paying for it? I'm in the same situation.

Oh the garage guy says they will pay, but only an amount up to the car's book value, which in my case is about £ 3K (despite the car costing me £ 6K only four years ago).

But as I say, the replacement value for a second-hand Jag of the same quality would be at least £ 6K, or perhaps more like £ 10K, and this, I argue, should be the write-off value, as the prang wasn't even my fault!

Thieving villains!

And bang goes my aircon fix on the back of it too - I'm sure that stopped working about the same time, or that's what I told the guy in the garage.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

.....

But my cunning plan to have the aircon fixed at the same time has hit a snag - The guy says the total bill, if that is included, may mean the car is deemed a write-off!

One reason We all get derisory offers is the number of people who think it's OK to add on all sorts of unrelated fradulent claims to the repairs. No sympathy. At all.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Thieving villains!

And bang goes my aircon fix on the back of it too - I'm sure that stopped working about the same time, or that's what I told the guy in the garage.

The Irony!

[Platypus]

One reason We all get derisory offers is the number of people who think it's OK to add on all sorts of unrelated fradulent claims to the repairs. No sympathy. At all.

Don't believe the insurance company spin!

It's a frickin' con and lies that you don't get full value because of other people's fraudulent claims are BS.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Don't believe the insurance company spin!

It's a frickin' con and lies that you don't get full value because of other people's fraudulent claims are BS.

OK - but I don't have a lot of sympathy for one con artist calling another - you're surely not defending inflated/fraudulent claims are you?

[Platypus]

OK - but I don't have a lot of sympathy for one con artist calling another

Fair point.

you're surely not defending inflated/fraudulent claims are you?

No!

But it does annoy me that insurance is such a rip off. If you ordered a 36" tele and the supplier delivered a cheaper 32" version on the basis that someone else had ripped them off, it'd be a scandal. Yet insurance companies get away with this scam every day