Cat D writeoff

dave45dave · 13-04-2012 9:30pm #1

Looking at an 08 golf tdi in harolds cross tomorrow. Car has good spec as it was ex uk and has come in at a good price. Sales rep told me the car had a new d/s wing and valence but was classed as a cat d writeoff in the uk. Can someone explain what this means and should i just forget about it.

Thanks in advance.

TheBody · 13-04-2012 9:55pm

You can find info on a cat d write off here:

http://www.cartell.ie/how-it-works/help/write-off-help/#30

john reilly · 13-04-2012 10:39pm

the newer the car the more serious the damage can be andstill be registered cat d. as the value of the car means it is economically viable to repair it. an older car could be cat c with very little damage

drunkmonkey · 13-04-2012 11:15pm

CatD might not be bad but it's got to be reflected in the price. If the same accident happened in ireland now it wouldn't be wrote off or classed cat d. €2000 cheaper than one that 100% on the button?

A car could be a complete write off here and if it doesn't go through insurance you won't know it was once smashed to bits. Like buying any car take someone that knows them and knows how to spot a lemon.

mickdw · 13-04-2012 11:48pm

drunkmonkey wrote: »

CatD might not be bad but it's got to be reflected in the price. If the same accident happened in ireland now it wouldn't be wrote off or classed cat d. €2000 cheaper than one that 100% on the button?

A car could be a complete write off here and if it doesn't go through insurance you won't know it was once smashed to bits. Like buying any car take someone that knows them and knows how to spot a lemon.

You can be sure its had more damage than a wing. Get it professionally checked, get a history check and if happy get it for 75% of proper price.

Senna · 13-04-2012 11:52pm

Cat D is serious no mater what the age of car. I wouldn't even considder it for any price unless i had a full check up done by a garage i trust.
Has the car been through the VOS to say its ok? If they're selling it and it has the V5, then i assume it does.

drunkmonkey · 14-04-2012 12:02am

If the bags blew in that car when it got a rap it would of wrote it off I presume. You'd want an engineers report on it.

mickdw · 14-04-2012 12:04am

Senna wrote: »

Cat D is serious no mater what the age of car. I wouldn't even considder it for any price unless i had a full check up done by a garage i trust.
Has the car been through the VOS to say its ok? If they're selling it and it has the V5, then i assume it does.

It used to be possible to get an export cert for all sorts of dodgy UK cars. I think that has been stopped though. Export certs were used to register cars here that would never get back on the road in UK.

Guy:Incognito · 14-04-2012 12:09am

drunkmonkey wrote: »

A car could be a complete write off here and if it doesn't go through insurance you won't know it was once smashed to bits. .

A car could be crashed anywhere and if it doesnt go through the insurance nothign will be recorded.

drunkmonkey · 14-04-2012 12:20am

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

A car could be crashed anywhere and if it doesnt go through the insurance nothign will be recorded.

Exactly what I said, there's some seriously smashed cars out there that were never written off.
TBH, I think there should be some parts of AGSC that impounds and writes off cars that are unfit to go back on the road.
If I car was in an accident it's probably on the Garda computer if it was anyway serious. That information isn't available to the general public though but should be.

Chimaera · 14-04-2012 12:32am

Category D is the least serious write off category in the UK. If the car was no longer capable of being roadworthy as a result of the crash, it'd have been in Cat A or B. Get the car inspected properly by someone who knows what to look for. The cost of replacing 4 airbags at a main dealer could have been enough to get the car put in Cat D so it's not necessarily something to be frightened once it's properly repaired.

Guy:Incognito · 14-04-2012 12:32am

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Exactly what I said, .

When you said " A car could be a complete write off here" . Presumably here being Ireland, it would imply we are different. I thought you were sayign they are always recorded elswhere.

drunkmonkey · 14-04-2012 12:36am

Were the same but there different.

john reilly · 14-04-2012 8:07am

Senna wrote: »

Cat D is serious no mater what the age of car. I wouldn't even considder it for any price unless i had a full check up done by a garage i trust.
Has the car been through the VOS to say its ok? If they're selling it and it has the V5, then i assume it does.

could be very slight damage

john reilly · 14-04-2012 8:08am

mickdw wrote: »

You can be sure its had more damage than a wing. Get it professionally checked, get a history check and if happy get it for 75% of proper price.

no you cant be sure

john reilly · 14-04-2012 8:09am

drunkmonkey wrote: »

If the bags blew in that car when it got a rap it would of wrote it off I presume. You'd want an engineers report on it.

you presume wrong

gyppo · 14-04-2012 8:59am

All you need to know about Cat D is here:

http://www.mycarcheck.com/help/accidentdamage/

Cat D classes the car as cost of repairing the damage as more than 60% of the value of the car.
Imo, a Cat D claim on a 1/2/3 year old car means walk away. the car has had significant damage.
A Cat D claim on a 10 year old car might only mean something like a new wing.

mickdw · 14-04-2012 9:04am

john reilly wrote: »

no you cant be sure

Yes I can
At a minimum, it would have had to be heavy impact at the wing which resulted in airbag deployment as a replacement wing alone is not going to make an 08 golf a cat d.
If airbag were deployed, the car needs thorough investigation.

corktina · 14-04-2012 9:30am

The car may have suffered very litle damage but will you be able to sell it again when the time comes?

I recently was interested in a Focus RS which i ran by carchecker as it was cheaper then the petrol to look myself, cat d write off and i "walked away"

You can't be sure how well the car has been repaired and it COULD be a death trap. Spend your money on a sound car, even if itmeans getting one a year or two older.

john reilly · 14-04-2012 2:43pm

mickdw wrote: »

Yes I can
At a minimum, it would have had to be heavy impact at the wing which resulted in airbag deployment as a replacement wing alone is not going to make an 08 golf a cat d.
If airbag were deployed, the car needs thorough investigation.

wrong on every account

john reilly · 14-04-2012 2:44pm

corktina wrote: »

The car may have suffered very litle damage but will you be able to sell it again when the time comes?

I recently was interested in a Focus RS which i ran by carchecker as it was cheaper then the petrol to look myself, cat d write off and i "walked away"

You can't be sure how well the car has been repaired and it COULD be a death trap. Spend your money on a sound car, even if itmeans getting one a year or two older.

are one that has been damaged and not recorded

mickdw · 14-04-2012 3:28pm

john reilly wrote: »

mickdw wrote: »

Yes I can
At a minimum, it would have had to be heavy impact at the wing which resulted in airbag deployment as a replacement wing alone is not going to make an 08 golf a cat d.
If airbag were deployed, the car needs thorough investigation.

wrong on every account

Explain then how a simple wing replacement will cause a cat d on an 08 golf? You seem very sure that I'm wrong. What cost would you associate with a wing replacement on this car via insurance?
What value would you put on an 08 golf? Also we don't know when the damage occurred. If it occurred early in its life, the damage would be even more significant to warrant a cat d.

john reilly · 14-04-2012 5:33pm

mickdw wrote: »

Explain then how a simple wing replacement will cause a cat d on an 08 golf? You seem very sure that I'm wrong. What cost would you associate with a wing replacement on this car via insurance?
What value would you put on an 08 golf? Also we don't know when the damage occurred. If it occurred early in its life, the damage would be even more significant to warrant a cat d.

the lowest amount of damage is category d. so if the car has a recorded claim no matter how small it would be cat d. have seen cars with no visible damage listed as cat d and c

mickdw · 14-04-2012 6:59pm

john reilly wrote: »

the lowest amount of damage is category d. so if the car has a recorded claim no matter how small it would be cat d. have seen cars with no visible damage listed as cat d and c

You came on to this thread and contradicted everyone bluntly telling them they are wrong as if you have great wisdom on this topic. It is now clear that you have no idea what you are talking about. Please go away and educate yourself on the subject before condemning all opinions. Cat d is the lowest level of write off. The cost of damage versus car value that constitutes a cat d was highlighted earlier in this thread. There are many instances of damage to cars that do not result in a cat d or any other category of write off.

Guy:Incognito · 14-04-2012 7:33pm

john reilly wrote: »

the lowest amount of damage is category d. so if the car has a recorded claim no matter how small it would be cat d.

This is one of the few times I'd approved of the use of a Captain Picard facepalm pic.

john reilly · 14-04-2012 8:39pm

mickdw wrote: »

You came on to this thread and contradicted everyone bluntly telling them they are wrong as if you have great wisdom on this topic. It is now clear that you have no idea what you are talking about. Please go away and educate yourself on the subject before condemning all opinions. Cat d is the lowest level of write off. The cost of damage versus car value that constitutes a cat d was highlighted earlier in this thread. There are many instances of damage to cars that do not result in a cat d or any other category of write off.

i have bought more cat d cars than you sat in. if you dont want to know the facts i couldnt care less.

john reilly · 14-04-2012 8:40pm

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

This is one of the few times I'd approved of the use of a Captain Picard facepalm pic.

go for it

drunkmonkey · 14-04-2012 8:48pm

Here's a CAT D golf just so eveyone has an idea of what it would be classed like in the UK, frontal damage and airbags blown. I'd suspect the car OP is looking at could have been something similar damage wise.

http://www.usedcarsni.com/84866943

or just for balance it could have been cosmetic just like this one http://www.usedcarsni.com/83578280

john reilly · 14-04-2012 8:50pm

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Here's a CAT D golf just so eveyone has an idea of what it would be classed like in the UK, frontal damage and airbags blown. I'd suspect the car OP is looking at could have been something similar damage wise.

http://www.usedcarsni.com/84866943

or just for balance it could have been cosmetic just like this one http://www.usedcarsni.com/83578280

it could have been anything from a scratch to a mangle

drunkmonkey · 14-04-2012 8:56pm

john reilly wrote: »

it could have been anything from a scratch to a mangle

A,B,C,D

Ends in a mangle doesn't start with a scratch though.

john reilly · 14-04-2012 9:05pm

drunkmonkey wrote: »

A,B,C,D

Ends in a mangle doesn't start with a scratch though.

amazingly both cat C and D could be as little as a scratch I have the cars to prove it.

lifer_sean · 14-04-2012 10:24pm

dave45dave wrote: »

the car had a new d/s wing and valence but was classed as a cat d writeoff in the uk.

You say car got a wind and a valence. That's a lot more than just a wing ! For the valence to get damaged, it would also have a damaged front panel, headlamp, bumper, plus battery / air filter box etc behind the headlamp (depending on side). Also if the valence was replaced, then the car was probably "benched".

Check it out well, and if it is cheap enough (eg 20% less than cheapest one you can get elsewhere), go for it, but don't go in thinking it just got a scratch.

mickdw · 14-04-2012 11:54pm

john reilly wrote: »

amazingly both cat C and D could be as little as a scratch I have the cars to prove it.

Its obvious from your previous explanation that you are a bluffer. You were sure that cat d was a categorization for the smallest accident possible. I dread to think what you have Been buying if you've been buying cat d under the impression that it referred to minor scratches.
Yes there are times when it can refer to small damage but this will be in low value cars. We are specifically talking about 08 golf here.
There are of course other occasions where a write off might not have any significant body work damage. Flood damage comes to mind. Again here we are talking about a car that has declared crash damage so whatever way you wish to cut it, if its a cat d in this case, the damage is serious enough to cost 60% of value of car - hardly a scratch.

Senna · 15-04-2012 12:04am

At the start of the thread, i got the categories mixed up, of course Cat D is the least amount of damage not the most.

corktina · 15-04-2012 7:15am

john reilly wrote: »

the lowest amount of damage is category d. so if the car has a recorded claim no matter how small it would be cat d. have seen cars with no visible damage listed as cat d and c

only if it had been written off though. Cars with minor damage wiould just be repaired.

It's an economic write off, doesnt necessarily mean the car is badly damaged. As a general rule, the higher the value of the car when written off, the more serious the damage.

john reilly · 15-04-2012 7:54am

mickdw wrote: »

Its obvious from your previous explanation that you are a bluffer. You were sure that cat d was a categorization for the smallest accident possible. I dread to think what you have Been buying if you've been buying cat d under the impression that it referred to minor scratches.
Yes there are times when it can refer to small damage but this will be in low value cars. We are specifically talking about 08 golf here.
There are of course other occasions where a write off might not have any significant body work damage. Flood damage comes to mind. Again here we are talking about a car that has declared crash damage so whatever way you wish to cut it, if its a cat d in this case, the damage is serious enough to cost 60% of value of car - hardly a scratch.

just give up you havent a clue. how many cat D cars have you looked at are bought. why do you insist on giving an opinion when you dont know what you are talking about

john reilly · 15-04-2012 8:00am

corktina wrote: »

only if it had been written off though. Cars with minor damage wiould just be repaired.

It's an economic write off, doesnt necessarily mean the car is badly damaged. As a general rule, the higher the value of the car when written off, the more serious the damage.

i already said that. but as i already said i have seen cars with no visible damage (not water or flood) as cat D. just a year old. have to admit that these are getting fewer in the last while as insurance companies seem to have changed their policies in the current economic climate. but iam sure if you check some english salvage websites you will see some cat D and older cat C cars with very little damage. also some cars can put airbags off with very little damage. this could account for a large percentage of the cost

Jimdagym · 15-04-2012 11:00am

drunkmonkey wrote: »

If the bags blew in that car when it got a rap it would of wrote it off I presume. You'd want an engineers report on it.

john reilly wrote: »

you presume wrong

So when drunk monkey says it it's wrong, but when you say it it's right?
Just give it up.

john reilly wrote: »

i already said that. but as i already said i have seen cars with no visible damage (not water or flood) as cat D. just a year old. have to admit that these are getting fewer in the last while as insurance companies seem to have changed their policies in the current economic climate. but iam sure if you check some english salvage websites you will see some cat D and older cat C cars with very little damage. also some cars can put airbags off with very little damage. this could account for a large percentage of the cost

Guy:Incognito · 15-04-2012 11:20am

john reilly wrote: »

i already said that.

You said this:

john reilly wrote: »

. so if the car has a recorded claim no matter how small it would be cat d.

Which is wrong. Every claim does not get labelled either a Cat A,B,C or D. Only cars that are written off do.

If the insurance company pay out £5k to the owner to have work done on a 6 month old car worth £20k it would not be recorded as a Cat D or C , it's just a claim. Nothing has been written off.

john reilly · 15-04-2012 11:21am

Jimdagym wrote: »

So when drunk monkey says it it's wrong, but when you say it it's right?
Just give it up.

one more time a cat D can be anything from a minor scratch to major damage.

djimi · 15-04-2012 11:23am

john reilly wrote: »

one more time a cat D can be anything from a minor scratch to major damage.

It would want to be some scratch to cause a cat D write off to be fair... Unless youre talking about a car thats only worth a couple of hundred quid?

john reilly · 15-04-2012 11:29am

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

You said this:

Which is wrong. Every claim does not get labelled either a Cat A,B,C or D. Only cars that are written off do.

If the insurance company pay out £5k to the owner to have work done on a 6 month old car worth £20k it would not be recorded as a Cat D or C , it's just a claim. Nothing has been written off.

how many cars have you bought from insurance companies. i dont make up the rules i only can tell you what i know and see. you can read anything you like but i know from expierence. as i said lately the insurance companies in the u.k seem to have slightly changed their criteria and less cars are being sold on presumably they are being repaired.

Guy:Incognito · 15-04-2012 11:31am

john reilly wrote: »

how many cars have you bought from insurance companies. i dont make up the rules i only can tell you what i know and see. you can read anything you like but i know from expierence. as i said lately the insurance companies in the u.k seem to have slightly changed their criteria and less cars are being sold on presumably they are being repaired.

Who's talking about buying cars from insurance companies?

Again, you said this:

john reilly wrote: »

. so if the car has a recorded claim no matter how small it would be cat d.

No qualifying statement, nothing. Just as is, a statement. Which is wrong.

djimi · 15-04-2012 11:33am

john reilly wrote: »

how many cars have you bought from insurance companies. i dont make up the rules i only can tell you what i know and see. you can read anything you like but i know from expierence. as i said lately the insurance companies in the u.k seem to have slightly changed their criteria and less cars are being sold on presumably they are being repaired.

Are you saying that you have bought cars from insurance companies that have been declared cat D write offs on the basis of minor cosmetic damage? Have you enquired of them why they were declared a write off for such minor damage?

corktina · 15-04-2012 11:34am

john reilly wrote: »

i already said that. but as i already said i have seen cars with no visible damage (not water or flood) as cat D. just a year old. have to admit that these are getting fewer in the last while as insurance companies seem to have changed their policies in the current economic climate. but iam sure if you check some english salvage websites you will see some cat D and older cat C cars with very little damage. also some cars can put airbags off with very little damage. this could account for a large percentage of the cost

no you didnt . you said all claims result in ABC or D which is wrong.

john reilly · 15-04-2012 1:31pm

djimi wrote: »

Are you saying that you have bought cars from insurance companies that have been declared cat D write offs on the basis of minor cosmetic damage? Have you enquired of them why they were declared a write off for such minor damage?

yes i have and no i havent

Guy:Incognito · 15-04-2012 1:37pm

Just so we know John, your going to ignore anything that proves you wrong, yeah?

murphaph · 15-04-2012 2:14pm

Some serious spoofing going on in this thread methinks.

john reilly · 15-04-2012 3:23pm

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

You said this:

Which is wrong. Every claim does not get labelled either a Cat A,B,C or D. Only cars that are written off do.

If the insurance company pay out £5k to the owner to have work done on a 6 month old car worth £20k it would not be recorded as a Cat D or C , it's just a claim. Nothing has been written off.

sorry i thought the o.p asked a question about a u.k cat D registered car. thats what i was speaking about. an amazingly enough everybody has an opinion but nobody seems to have ever bought one and yet somebody who checks hundreds every week and buys them is spoofing.

djimi · 15-04-2012 3:42pm

john reilly wrote: »

sorry i thought the o.p asked a question about a u.k cat D registered car. thats what i was speaking about. an amazingly enough everybody has an opinion but nobody seems to have ever bought one and yet somebody who checks hundreds every week and buys them is spoofing.

You do come across like you are spoofing to be honest. Why on earth would you buy a car that has been declared to be a Cat D write off and which only has minor obvious cosmetic damage, without enquiring further as to why it was written off?

Guy:Incognito · 15-04-2012 4:22pm

john reilly wrote: »

sorry i thought the o.p asked a question about a u.k cat D registered car. thats what i was speaking about. an amazingly enough everybody has an opinion but nobody seems to have ever bought one and yet somebody who checks hundreds every week and buys them is spoofing.

It is the UK catagory system that is being discussed.

Every insurance claim is NOT put down as either a Cat A, B, C or D. t's only given one of those if the car has been deemed a write off by the insurance.

Again to use the example from earlier, if the insurance pays a £5k claim of a £25k car, it's not then a Cat C or D. It's just a claim that was paid out.

Cat D writeoff

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