Reply to: O/T Car insurance

[PAH]

Ned Flanders doesn't believe in insurance because it's basically gambling, and that's a sin

I'm suprised those brainwashed by a religion where gambling is a sin haven't used this as an excuse to avoid mandatory insurances.

[Bagpuss]

Ned Flanders doesn't believe in insurance because it's basically gambling, and that's a sin

[Dow Jones]

Just shows you...

...what a lottery insurance can be. 1st rule of an insurer is to find how NOT to pay you (NU seem to excel at that, even contesting cases when drivers hit others at the back, in which case it's supposed to work in their clients' favour)

[Ardesco]

Thanks for the replies all.

I have told her to go and see a doctor about the whiplash because she has had a sore neck and dizzy spells.

It is nationwide handling the repair unfortunately. So she's going to take it to the dealer she brought the car from for an assessment once the work's complete. Nationwide say their repairs have a 3 year guarantee so we'll just have to see. If the dealer says anything is wrong it will have to go back till fixed properly.

Once they are happy I think she will sell the car and get a new one.

So all in all a pain in the arse but I suppose it is good that she was not more badly hurt & the driver who hit her is reputable.

I would trade it in at the main dealer. If they refuse to give you the above average condition trade in you can state that the value of the car has been affected and ask the insurance Co to make up the difference because the work was obviously not up to standard.

[expat]

The car will have to be fixed to a good standard using manufacturer recommended parts. As people have mentioned unless it's a write off it won't show up on a vehicle check, however a vehicle inspection (e.g. the AA) could reveal it's been in an accident, depending on where the damage is and how heavy it was. I wouldn't worry too much about affecting value, especially as I doubt your mum was driving anything too exotic

Or damage caused by the accident could ahow up later, but be hard to pin definitively on the accident, and get fixed by the insurance.

Next time I get a car repaired after an accident, I'm selling it soon after.

[PAH]

Nah.

She was just tootling along in the Veyron to the shops...

I wonder if anyone's ever managed to scam the insurance companies by insuring their 'ferrari', getting it written off and replaced with a brand new one, only to have really been driving a particularly good replica.

[Bagpuss]

The car will have to be fixed to a good standard using manufacturer recommended parts. As people have mentioned unless it's a write off it won't show up on a vehicle check, however a vehicle inspection (e.g. the AA) could reveal it's been in an accident, depending on where the damage is and how heavy it was. I wouldn't worry too much about affecting value, especially as I doubt your mum was driving anything too exotic

[scaramanga]

Thanks for the replies all.

I have told her to go and see a doctor about the whiplash because she has had a sore neck and dizzy spells.

It is nationwide handling the repair unfortunately. So she's going to take it to the dealer she brought the car from for an assessment once the work's complete. Nationwide say their repairs have a 3 year guarantee so we'll just have to see. If the dealer says anything is wrong it will have to go back till fixed properly.

Once they are happy I think she will sell the car and get a new one.

So all in all a pain in the arse but I suppose it is good that she was not more badly hurt & the driver who hit her is reputable.

[PAH]

I had a car once that was clearly written off - I had to get solicitor to get a decent payout.

But I do remember insurance saying to solicitors "this is final offer - accept this or we will put it back together". solicitor did say they could do that.

Should have called their bluff. The circus are short of clown cars since Rover went bust, you'd have got a good price for it.

[BrilloPad]

I had a car once that was clearly written off - I had to get solicitor to get a decent payout.

But I do remember insurance saying to solicitors "this is final offer - accept this or we will put it back together". solicitor did say they could do that.

[Marina]

Wondering af anyone has any experience of a similar situation to the following.

The other day my mother was stationary in traffic when a van driving too fast came round the corner and hit the back of her car.

Why all this agonizing over who pays or does what with her car? Can't she claim damages for whiplash injury, and get ten times the payout for the car?

[PAH]

It's only a write off if the costs of the repairs are greater than the value of the car. If this is the case why would NU want to pay for the repairs when it would be cheaper to junk it and just give you the money?

Obviously if a report was done, NU decided it wasn't a write off. The main point is whether a report was done that the claimant may be entitled to see, to alleviate doubts over future road-worthyness of the vehicle and affect on re-sale value.

It's probably all confidential anyway, so the claimant would have to commission his own independent check after the repairs have been completed.

[miffy]

It's only a write off if the costs of the repairs are greater than the value of the car.

Yup. If it's a half decent motor get the dealer to price the repair up rather than their backstreet bodge shop (NU use nationwide accident repair centres a lot). They don't have the best reputation as a quick google will show you.

[Ardesco]

As long as it's not categorised as being in a major accident, and so would show up on a vehicle check, may not be anything to worry about come sale time.

Haven't NU used an independent vehicle assessor to assess damage and produce a detailed report for the NU to determine whether to write off or repair? If so, you may be able to check with them about their interpretation of the damage, if you can find out their details.

It's only a write off if the costs of the repairs are greater than the value of the car. If this is the case why would NU want to pay for the repairs when it would be cheaper to junk it and just give you the money?

[PAH]

As long as it's not categorised as being in a major accident, and so would show up on a vehicle check, may not be anything to worry about come sale time.

Haven't NU used an independent vehicle assessor to assess damage and produce a detailed report for the NU to determine whether to write off or repair? If so, you may be able to check with them about their interpretation of the damage, if you can find out their details.