Insurance total loss offers

leaskovski

leaskovski

leaskovski

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The Mrs car got written off. We were offered a price by the company that Admiral handed the claim over to, I rejected that cost, so it went back to Admiral and they then basically offered the same price.

They said, "Their engineers came to this price based off of a guide price system". Basically, they use 3 different systems, Parkers, Glasses and the other I can't remember. The parkers cost must have been the same way the inital company determined the price for the car, and I obviously said no to that, so they went back to the guides, and Glasses came back £500 more, so they have offered me that cost. The other guide came back stupidly cheap.

As far as I am concerned, the price they have come back is still too cheap as if you go to autotrader (like everyone does when they go to buy a used car), prices come out more expensive for the same sort of spec.

Admiral have basically said that as part of the regs, they only have to offer up a price based from one of these guides, and thats it. They don't have to match costs from autotrader.

Anyone else had experience of this? Is this true?

Said car is a 2011 2.0 Diesel Ford Kuga Titanium with 17" alloys, DAB, Bluetooth, Front & Rear Parking Sensors, Roof rails and privacy glass that had done about 55k. Original offer was 10,850, and now they are offering 11,350.
 
Doesn't seem that bad a price a quick look on Autotrader and several 2012 2L TDCI Titanium Kuga's with less than 40k for around 11k. Bare in mind you should manage a little discount on these prices aswell.
 
leaskovski said:
Admiral have basically said that as part of the regs, they only have to offer up a price based from one of these guides, and thats it. They don't have to match costs from autotrader.

Anyone else had experience of this? Is this true?
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In the end if those are the terms of the insurance you bought then those are the terms of the insurance you bought. You don't have any room for manoeuvre.
 
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None of which have the same toy level. For some reason, DAB, Bluetooth, roof rails and front parking sensors (which are the 4 items that are musts), aren't common options.

Oh yeah, in a AWD variety as well.

joeyjojo said:
In the end if those are the terms of the insurance you bought then those are the terms of the insurance you bought. You don't have any room for maneuver.
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True, just wondered if this was a common thing?
 
Unless I'm missing something, aren't Autotrader prices what someone is trying to sell for? What the insurers are offering you is what people are buying at, which is something different. I can advertise my car for £10k, but that doesn't mean an identical car is worth £10, because it doesn't mean mine is either. It's just what I'm offering it for. It might be worth half that. That's why insurers don't use adverts for pricing.
 
Your offer feels about right tbh

Autotrader itself thinks you should be selling privately for less than the insurance co have offered you (which is just an order of magnitude type check) and as above the addition of Bluetooth and DAB aren't massive factors in way of adding value, a few hundred at most. There are similarly specced cars for what you've been offered/ slightly less
 
They have to pay market value of the vehicle, ask them to show you equivalent vehicles at the price they are offering, if they cannot you complain through their internal complaints system, then the ombudsman. Takes ages so your knackered if you need the money to the replacement.

I did it all on for a car that they offered £600. Got an extra £200 plus £50 for my time. Admittedly it didn't really matter over such a small amount, but the principle.

Autotrader is full of cars heavily overpriced though, so not always the best place to gauge value as they just dont sell.
 
Had a similar issue when I wrote off my bike, was simply asked to post them some comparisons which I printed off from biketrader and they were happy to make a far more reasonable offer.
 
They will pay the value of the same trim level and engine - any extras like optional DAB and roof rails won't be covered (especially if you haven't specifically declared them). Hence why GAP insurance etc exists.

Glasses is pretty much the industry norm - not autotrader adverts (which are surely based on glasses guide etc + dealer margin)


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Seems to be plenty available (71) between £10k and £11k, 2011-2012 models, 40-60k miles, 2.0 TDCi Titanium - get a slightly cheaper one and get some of the kit retrofitted.
 
Dunno if it will help or not, but Admiral have a odd wording in their policy regarding modifications:

from their handbook: http://www.admiral.com/policyDocs/AD-003-012-Your-Cover-with-Admiral.pdf
Modifications: Any changes to your cars standard specification, including
accessories and additional parts; optional extras and after
market alterations; trade related changes and parts. These
include, but are not restricted to, cosmetic and/or performance
changes or changes related to your business or profession.
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So, they can regard any optional extra (even factory fitted) additions to the basic spec of the car as a modification. So, if they're not declared on the original policy as a mod (and probably increasing the premium), then I guess it's at their discretion to pay out for them (or ignore them).

In my mind a factory fitted optional extra isn't a mod, but I guess they can wiggle out of any "my car with the metallic paint option, DAB stereo and sunroof is worth x amount, but you're giving me the basic price of y."
 
DereksDontRun said:
Dunno if it will help or not, but Admiral have a odd wording in their policy regarding modifications:

from their handbook: http://www.admiral.com/policyDocs/AD-003-012-Your-Cover-with-Admiral.pdf
So, they can regard any optional extra (even factory fitted) additions to the basic spec of the car as a modification. So, if they're not declared on the original policy as a mod (and probably increasing the premium), then I guess it's at their discretion to pay out for them (or ignore them).

In my mind a factory fitted optional extra isn't a mod, but I guess they can wiggle out of any "my car with the metallic paint option, DAB stereo and sunroof is worth x amount, but you're giving me the basic price of y."
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Is it an optional extra though? Ie the Base model may not have a Sat Nav and DAB but the OPs "cars standard specification" of that trim may have Sat Nav and DAB regardless and is not an option. "cars standard specification" is very open.
 
[TW]Fox;30461967 said:
Bluetooth and Dab are not going to add thousands to the value though

I'm actually amazed at how expensive these things are. 5 year old jacked up Focus for 11 grand?!
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Diesel and coz it's a 4x4 innit premiums included :D
 
Vanquish-Storm

I honestly dunno, but I'd guess that if it's difficult to find another car on the used market with the exact same spec (for something as common as a Focus) then some of those components must be options differing from the trim?

But, then you're potentially getting into semantics with Admiral regarding what's a standard trim level and what's an optional extra - for the same 1.0 Ecoboost engine, is a Titanium trim just a different optional extra tickbox compared to the Style or Zetec trim? Yes, I appreciate this means that surely 90% of all cars have options on them differing from the bottom/poverty basic spec and thus the pedant could argue they're all potentially "modified" in Admiral's eyes. In reality I guess it's what's on the V5. If it states a Focus 1.0 Ecoboost Titanium (which I think it does) then any components included in that trim level are covered and anything added on top of that is a "mod".
 
[TW]Fox;30461967 said:
I'm actually amazed at how expensive these things are. 5 year old jacked up Focus for 11 grand?!
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But it's an SUV which is fashionable among the jacked-up-view-when-driving-the-family-but-surprisingly-impractical crowd. I sat in one when buying my last car and it disappointed me how much it just felt like a Fiesta/Focus inside given the ludicrous price it commanded. The dials and everything seemed very not-grown-up with its zany colours and italic text, seemingly to hide from the buyer that they've bought a family car by wrapping it in a cool youthful exciting and adventurous wrapper.

Does it come across that I hate the current obsession with SUVs and cross-overs?
 
DereksDontRun said:
In reality I guess it's what's on the V5. If it states a Focus 1.0 Ecoboost Titanium (which I think it does) then any components included in that trim level are covered and anything added on top of that is a "mod".
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I think you have it right there - but like you I am not too sure - the insurance company is always going to do whats best for them

DereksDontRun said:
I honestly dunno, but I'd guess that if it's difficult to find another car on the used market with the exact same spec (for something as common as a Focus)
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Again I agree with you on this.
 
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