Damaged chassis leg. should it be a write off

frecklier

Hi all,
i crashed my 03 od model VW Golf 1.9 TDI s a week ago. Assessor says it was worht 10300 euro and now it will take 6500 to repair. has bent chassis leg, rad, intercooler, drivers door bonnet, front lights, grille etc.
They are not letting me write it off. What can i do? it was borderline write off they said and the repairs cost above the 60% mark which indicates write off. car is only damaged on the front.

Any advice appreciated

h3000

A damaged chassis leg alone won't constitute an insurance write off. It used to be if the cost of repairs was more than 50% of the vehicle value it would be a write off. Try fighting it a bit more they might give in.

Type 17

A bent chassis leg is not a big problem, once it is not bent too much. If it is bent a lot out of shape (kinked), then there would be some weakening of the car's structure, and it should be removed and replaced by a new part. However, minor deformation can be corrected without any problem.

It is very important however, that it is pulled back into shape correctly (or attached in the right place, if a new on is being welded on), or the suspension geometry will always be out. However, VW and other manufacturers have info on datum points around the bodyshell so that distances can be measured and it can be seen if a part is aligned correctly or not, so it should be easy to get everything exactly straight again.

Obviously, the important thing with all this is that the people doing the work on behalf of the insurance company do it right and don't skimp on, or rush the work.

nogoodnamesleft

To give a rough estimation on how badly bent it is try and measure from the rear wheel hub to the front wheel hub on both sides and compare. Drove a car before with a bent chassis and under heavy breaking it used always pull to the previously damaged side, oh and used always wear tyres.