Yet another insurance related question

Phemo · 13 Jun 2022 at 14:45

Hi guys,

Just a quick insurance question. I've never been in this situation before so I'm just curious... Very much jumping the gun here, but my car was rear-ended on Saturday and I have a feeling it's going to be a write-off, but I don't know. Anyway, I'm dealing with the 3rd party's insurance company, they collected my car today and have taken it to their repair centre. What I'm wondering is, can a 3rd party's insurance company write my car off? What happens if it is deemed a write-off? Do they sort that out with my insurance company or do I then have to liaise with both?

Should have asked about all this while I was on the phone to them earlier but I honestly can't be bothered to call them back when it's just something that's, at this stage, my own curiosity

teenwolf · 13 Jun 2022 at 14:47

should have just gone through your own insurance as your premium will rise regardless of fault.

kindai · 13 Jun 2022 at 14:48

Phemo said:
can a 3rd party's insurance company write my car off?

Yes.

Phemo said:
What happens if it is deemed a write-off?

They will make you a blue book value offer.

Phemo · 13 Jun 2022 at 14:50

teenwolf said:
should have just gone through your own insurance as your premium will rise regardless of fault.

Yeah I know I'm gonna get shafted regardless

kindai said:
Yes.

They will make you a blue book value offer.

That's what I thought would end up happening, just wasn't sure.

Now just to wait and see what happens.

Mysterae_ · 13 Jun 2022 at 14:52

teenwolf said:
should have just gone through your own insurance as your premium will rise regardless of fault.

This is true. If it's not written off by their insurers then the repairs will be done as cheaply as possible as it'll be coming out of their pocket. Check the car thoroughly and don't accept a substandard repair.

Phemo · 13 Jun 2022 at 15:00

Yeah I'll make sure I check it over very thoroughly, if I get it back. I do have my doubts though. Boot won't stay closed, couldn't even lift the boot floor up to get to the storage underneath either. Well, not without a fight.

teenwolf · 13 Jun 2022 at 15:19

think that will be written off

kindai · 13 Jun 2022 at 15:37

How old is the car? If its something more than a few years that kinda crunch will be a write off.

Phemo · 13 Jun 2022 at 16:23

It's a 2014 320D with 97k miles on the clock. So yeah, I'll be surprised if they do repair it.

teenwolf · 13 Jun 2022 at 16:24

defo buy it back

Rroff · 13 Jun 2022 at 16:33

Doubt that vehicle will ever be the same again short of very extensive and expensive work - not sure it would be worth buying back unless you had some attachment to it.

JRS · 13 Jun 2022 at 20:59

@Phemo - you have the right to be put back into the position you were before you had to make the claim. Which means that the third party insurer either:

gets your car fixed so that it's in the same condition as it was before their driver minced it
pays you enough money to get back into the same kind of car of the same age with the same spec

That looks like it took a fair old thrutch so I'd be hitting up Auto Trader, PH and other classifieds to find some prices for identical/close replacements.

Tinders · 13 Jun 2022 at 22:37

Rroff said:
Doubt that vehicle will ever be the same again short of very extensive and expensive work - not sure it would be worth buying back unless you had some attachment to it.

Damage doesnt look all that bad at all tbh. Personally, with the market the way it is, If its a good motor, i'd want it repaired to a good standard and back on the road.

HangTime · 13 Jun 2022 at 22:54

Just do your research to find out how much it will cost to replace so you have some ammunition ready when they offer you £3k for it. Cheapest 320d, 2014 or later, under 100k miles in the country on AT is £8.5k (excluding write-offs).

Maundie · 14 Jun 2022 at 09:16

Definitely do your homework and get several comparable cars for value as if you just pick the most expensive example it'll get dismissed out of hand, the more evidence you have the stronger your case, who is the 3rd party insurer out of interest?

ezekial · 14 Jun 2022 at 13:58

If they do write it off, never accept the first offer. They will always offer more.

Haggisman · 14 Jun 2022 at 16:00

teenwolf said:
should have just gone through your own insurance as your premium will rise regardless of fault.

But it will go up less if you haven't made a claim.*

* Probably... depends how the particular insurer's RNG works

theone8181 · 15 Jun 2022 at 06:10

Haggisman said:
But it will go up less if you haven't made a claim.*

* Probably... depends how the particular insurer's RNG works

Think of it like monkeys throwing darts. That's seem to be how they make up the quote

.

Rroff · 15 Jun 2022 at 12:02

Haggisman said:
But it will go up less if you haven't made a claim.*

* Probably... depends how the particular insurer's RNG works

Had someone reverse into my vehicle in a car park, next renewal was £50 less. Maybe they are just waiting to load it on the renewal after that :s

Phemo · 15 Jun 2022 at 12:47

I am expecting to be bent over this renewal because nearly 3 years ago I was hit from behind too, in the same car although the damage was much less severe and it only really needed a new bumper. Although my renewal is due next month and I've already had a quote from them so I guess I'll need to get that reassessed if this fiasco is all settled before my renewal date.

Normally at this point I'd be questioning whether I'm doing something wrong, but last time I was at a standstill waiting at a roundabout and had been for 10+ seconds and this time I was gradually slowing to a halt because of stationary cars so I'm pretty confident my driving is not at fault and that I'm just unlucky.

Still not heard back about my car but I imagine it'll be a few days. They've at least given me a Merc B Class AMG Line as a loaner, albeit only a B180, but it's still decent enough.

Yet another insurance related question

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