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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not want my car written off. Any advice?

55 replies

NameChangedForTheDay · 03/11/2019 23:44

I unfortunately had a RTA on Friday.

I was queueing at a roundabout and a car hit the car behind me at speed, which then hit me.

Luckily I'd kept a gap from the car in front and despite the other cars being obvious total write offs, my car only sustained damage to the corner of the bumper (as the car behind me left the road at an angle) and a broken rear light.

The insurance have been great TBF, but have said that the computer says my car is a write off. Nobody has inspected it.

Anyone any experience of fighting a car being written off at all? Any advice gratefully received.

PS: Nobody was seriously injured.

OP posts:
Whitleyboy · 03/11/2019 23:49

The insurance company will write the car off if it will cost more to repair it than its book value. Presumably this is the case with yours. However, they will often allow you to buy the car back off them so you could use the write off value to buy it back and pay for repairs yourself.

cornflakegirl · 03/11/2019 23:50

I assume it's a write off because the low value of the car makes it not economic to repair? They might accept a low offer from you to buy it back if you think you can get it repaired more cheaply?

Sunsoottitsoot · 03/11/2019 23:52

They will allow you to buy it back, it comes off the payout. You dont offer, they'll tell you whne you ask.

Goldensunnydays81 · 03/11/2019 23:58

Some one reversed into my car and left a big bump in the back of it and they said it was a write off due to it not being economically viable to repair it. They let me keep it and sent me a cheque for the value of the car minus scrap-age value and another charge, I didn’t want to get rid of my car for a little dent!

Original poster
NameChangedForTheDay · 04/11/2019 00:00

Thank you. If I buy it back I know I buy it back as a write off, which can affect the future saleability and potentially increase insurance for me.

So I'm more looking for a way to push back on it being written off at all really. Wondering if this is a 'thing' at all?

OP posts:
VittysCardigan · 04/11/2019 00:02

My insurance company offered me 2 different amounts, 1 for writing off the car & not getting it back, and another slightly lower figure for me to have the car back and get it repaired myself. I chose the second option.

rainbowconfetti · 04/11/2019 00:02

No it's not a thing. The value of the car and the cost of the damage are the considered factors, not what the owner wants. Sorry.

Original poster
NameChangedForTheDay · 04/11/2019 00:06

But when I had a car written off before. It was inspected by an approved mechanic.

This time, it's just computer says no. Nobody has looked at it.

OP posts:
Longdistance · 04/11/2019 00:10

My mil had an accident in her car and didn’t want it written off. It turned into a category (something or other), she paid for the repairs and damage.

This happened after Easter, she’s now talking about replacing her car, six months later.

Personally, I’d take the money and replace. Mil’s car seems a death trap. My dB works in insurance and has done for well over 20 years, he has forbidden for dds travelling in her car as he thinks it’s unsafe. Mil knows not take them out in it.

Hope you’re ok after the accident Flowers

rainbowconfetti · 04/11/2019 00:10

If no one has looked at it how on earth do they know what damage has been done?

DowntownAbby · 04/11/2019 00:18

Not really sure how you think you can decide whether or not it gets written off.

If you want an insurance payout, they will decide whether they fix it or write it off.

You have the choice of whether to go ahead with a claim, of course.

Original poster
NameChangedForTheDay · 04/11/2019 00:28

@rainbowconfetti just based on me reporting it.

@DowntownAbby I'm not saying I get to call it. I'm asking if there is an appeal process, and / or a way to get them to reassess the decision after getting it physically inspected? Rather than just a computer making a decision.

@Longdistance that's food for thought. Thank you. I'm okay thanks, bit sore, but fine. Smile

OP posts:
JoanieCash · 04/11/2019 00:29

I had a car written off based entirely on age and also not inspected. I can’t remember the cut off (around 10 years). Your insurance might be similar hence automatic write-off

Original poster
NameChangedForTheDay · 04/11/2019 00:36

@JoanieCash you could be onto something. My car is 2010 plate. But low mileage and looked after. But guess the computer doesn't know that!

OP posts:
Elbowedout · 04/11/2019 00:51

Have you sent photos? Someone drove into the side of my DH's car earlier this year. The damage was mainly to the driver's door, but it just extended to the leading edge of the rear passenger door and also the front wing, meaning that all 3 panels needed replacing. The insurance company made that decision from the photos and since the cost of the parts alone was going to be more than the car was insured for it was automatically a write off. There are different categories of write off ranging from the worst category where the car has to be crushed, not even parts can be used, through to the mildest where the car is perfectly safe to drive but repairs are uneconomic. DH's was in the mildest category so he bought the car back off the insurers and found panels in a scrapyard and repaired it himself. But he had no choice as to whether it was written off or not. That is the insurer's decision and it is simply a matter of finances. I don't think you are likely to get anywhere persuading them to change their minds I am afraid.
Bumper damage can be very expensive to repair even if it looks fairly minor. Modern, moulded plastic bumpers are often part of a much bigger panel and the whole thing often has to be replaced if it is damaged. I discovered that to my cost when I reversed into a bollard a few years ago. The dent in the tailgate looked bad at first but that was fairly easily beaten out and resprayed but the cracked plastic bumper which I thought was the least of my worries was really expensive. The whole bumper and quite a big chunk of the back of my car had to be completely changed as it was a single unit. I would hazard a guess that it might be the same with yours as this seems to be quite common. If the insurance company know that even if that is the only work that needs doing it is going to be uneconomic they probably don't want to incur the extra cost of getting it examined properly when that wouldn't alter the outcome. In my car's case it was borderline so they did get it assessed fully ( I would have preferred it to be written off really!) but I guess if it is obvious from the photos they dont bother.
I hope you get things sorted out quickly and I am glad nobody was hurt.

filka · 04/11/2019 04:33

If it's still driveable, you could always get a quote for the repair yourself. That would help to assess whether it's worth trying to keep.

But I think it's right that if it shows on a search as an insurance write-off then it will be difficult to sell, even with a photographic record of the damage and the repair.

So on balance I would search the market so that you know how much it would cost to buy a car of similar age and condition, and if the insurance offer is near that, I'd take it.

UhareFouxisci · 04/11/2019 05:10

The issue is that insurance repair standards insist on using all-new dealer-sourced components and restoring the damaged areas to as-new condition. Whereas for a 9 year old car you'd probably be happy using e.g. body parts from a scrap yard if the part seems to be in good condition.

You have reported a damaged bumper and rear light. In insurance repair there is no such thing as something that is a bit bashed but good enough, only brand new will do. the insurance company will have the list prices to supply and fit the brand new dealer-supplied components for an out-of-production model (probably at least £1500) and the list price for what you would get if you traded in a good-condition vehicle of that vintage as part-exchange for a newer vehicle (probably less than £1000).

You can't therefore stop it being a write-off - obviously this situation needs to affect future insurability as in the event of a future accident it is obvious that no repair would ever be worth it and the car has zero value so you can only have 3rd party cover from now on.

Mummyoflittledragon · 04/11/2019 05:28

Repairs are ridiculously expensive for even a tiny prang. You cannot stop them from writing the car off. Even a very well looked after low mileage car has a top book value.

SofiaAmes · 04/11/2019 05:33

We are in the USA so the laws might be different. My dd's car was just written off (in a very similar situation). They (the other company's insurance) tried to just write it off. I insisted that they send someone out (which is required by law here if I ask for it) AND I took the car to my own body shop to get my own estimate. It was still a write off and we decided not to keep it. However, I did a careful review of their valuation and realized that they had several details about the car wrong AND I went online and looked for my own comparable values (actually made dd do it because she kept going on about how there would be no time and effort involved in the replacing of the car, as I was unhappy about where she was when she got rear ended - teenagers!) and found several much higher ones than they were using. I got them to raise the payoff amount by $1000 on a $5000 payoff.

I would start by doing a quick Google for the rules about what your rights are.

BuzzShitbagBobbly · 04/11/2019 05:44

My car was hit by a colleague in a sodding empty car park.

I basically begged the loss adjuster not to write it off and pled poverty. He ended up agreeing with me and I got the repairs.

Can you push and beg for a loss adjuster to try the same thing?

lowlandLucky · 04/11/2019 06:05

Buy the car back, we did andits simple,they offer you £1000 for a replacment or £200 and your car, easy

ariana1 · 04/11/2019 07:11

My car is 8 years old with low mileage, I’ve had a few poor years since my divorce but this year things were looking up so I decided it was worth getting my car in tip top shape - engine belt / air con fixed. Sod’s law then intervened and it was dented badly whilst parked - the van left details luckily.
My insurers assessed the car using photos, said it was near the market value for repair and there were no parts available so it was a write off. I looked around online and couldn’t see a car at the money they offered that was low mileage or reasonably local and I was worried about reliability.
I talked it through with assessor and he suggested i had the option to buy my car back for £300 and as long as it was roadworthy it was my choice whether or not to get it fixed with the large cheque they sent - I felt it was the best option.

I later got another quote for the repair which was less but as the car will always have the write off status on the log book I decided to save the cash towards a replacement in the future; I’ve had the car mot’d and I’m getting used to driving a dented car.
It is annoying that through mo fault of my own my car has limited value and I would be wary of driving it abroad; it is still reliable and I’ve time to look for another one. Having the insurers decide without even seeing the car seemed odd at the time but I did avoid the hassle of collection and hire cars and it made buying it back much easier.

Amicompletelyinsane · 04/11/2019 07:16

Ours had a broken bumper and got written off. We paod 100 to get it back, put a new bumper on for 70 quid. It was then a cat n. You just need to make sure you keep proof of was repaired otherwise if another accidentr happened you'd only get the scrap value for it. The cat n made no difference to insurance cost. I called a few to check before we did it

itsboiledeggsagain · 04/11/2019 07:18

Same story as everyone I am afraid. You can't change the status the insurance company give it.

Everyone has advised me it is not worth having back but try to negotiate on the payout.

It is gutting if your car was in good repair and the accident was not your fault.

I am wondering whether I should scrape together a bit more for my next vehicle so that there is less of an economic argument.

EleanorReally · 04/11/2019 07:32

My dh just took his car back, or refused to let it go, he didnt get any compensation but he didnt have to pay to have the car back, he felt it was worth keeping the car

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