Another insurance write off question...

Agricola

Similar to racso1975's thread...

I have an 02 van which had some damage to its roof during the storm 2 weeks ago, due to a tree landing on it. Damage amounted to some dented panels near the back door which need to be pushed out. Got it checked out and afew days later got a text from the assessor to say it would be written off. When I rang him for an explanation, he basically said it was uneconomical to repair as they body shop quoted a hefty repair figure far more than the value of the van.

Problem is the assessor has categorized it as a salvage B write off which I believe means I cannot get repaired and independently assessed in order to put back on the road. I got my insurance company to speak to the assessor and even though Im willing to cancel the claim, hes not budging on the assessment and told the insurance rep that it is mechanically unsafe! Which is nonsense. So im now in the position where I may not be able to insure the vehicle at renewal time as its listed as a write off!

Any advice on how to proceed?

thebiglad

Agricola wrote: »

Similar to racso1975's thread...

I have an 02 van which had some damage to its roof during the storm 2 weeks ago, due to a tree landing on it. Damage amounted to some dented panels near the back door which need to be pushed out. Got it checked out and afew days later got a text from the assessor to say it would be written off. When I rang him for an explanation, he basically said it was uneconomical to repair as they body shop quoted a hefty repair figure far more than the value of the van.

Problem is the assessor has categorized it as a salvage B write off which I believe means I cannot get repaired and independently assessed in order to put back on the road. I got my insurance company to speak to the assessor and even though Im willing to cancel the claim, hes not budging on the assessment and told the insurance rep that it is mechanically unsafe! Which is nonsense. So im now in the position where I may not be able to insure the vehicle at renewal time as its listed as a write off!

Any advice on how to proceed?

On what basis are you saying the Assessor is wrong?

If the Assessor is stating CAT B then the chassis or other important supporting frame of the vehicle must be twisted - need more information as to precisely why the insurance Assessor states the car is mechanically/structurally unsafe.

Agricola

thebiglad wrote: »

On what basis are you saying the Assessor is wrong?

If the Assessor is stating CAT B then the chassis or other important supporting frame of the vehicle must be twisted - need more information as to precisely why the insurance Assessor states the car is mechanically/structurally unsafe.

Well this is the thing. When I spoke to the assessor and asked him why it was being written off, he said it was purely down to the age of the van/it's value vs the cost of the repair. The insurance rep agreed with me after viewing the photos that the judgement seemed a bit excessive so he rang the assessor too and was told that the van was structurally unsafe as the roof has been pushed down in one place where the tree hit it. I assume he means the frame of the van is no longer load bearing or is now weak? I spoke to the bodyshop man again and he believes it is repairable.

MugMugs

Agricola wrote: »

I assume he means the frame of the van is no longer load bearing or is now weak? I spoke to the bodyshop man again and he believes it is repairable.

Don't assume anything. Ask the assessor what he means.

As for the repair shop. Of course he thinks it's repairable. He gets paid that way.

Long and short of it is that a professional motor assessor has made an educated decision on your van. Whats your opinion based on?

Agricola

I'm looking at it from the point of view that the assessor works for the insurance company and if he deemed the vehicle to be a CAT C or D, they would then be obliged to cough up the repair cost as quoted by the approved bodyshop. Since the repair cost is double the market value of the van, how do they reduce their bill.......? By deeming it a Cat B. The assessor told me as much himself on the phone. When I told him I didnt want my low mileage well maintained van to be scrapped he said "well your garage man should have done up his quote properly then shouldn't he!" Charming.

MugMugs

Agricola wrote: »

I'm looking at it from the point of view that the assessor works for the insurance company and if he deemed the vehicle to be a CAT C or D, they would then be obliged to cough up the repair cost as quoted by the approved bodyshop. Since the repair cost is double the market value of the van, how do they reduce their bill.......? By deeming it a Cat B. The assessor told me as much himself on the phone. When I told him I didnt want my low mileage well maintained van to be scrapped he said "well your garage man should have done up his quote properly then shouldn't he!" Charming.

With respects, you're making judgements on something you clearly don't understand.

The cost for the Insurer remains the same whether it be CAT B C or D.

In fact, it's cheaper for the Insurer to write a vehicle off as C or D because it can be sold on for more. This is not the case with B.

Furthermore, generally all assessors are independents instructed to act on the insurers behalf and must be able to disclaim that they will support their decision in court.

The vans a loss. It's unfortunate but she's B for your safety as well as mine and anybody else that shares the road with you.

zarquon

A category B write off is more expensive than a C so you are mistaken. Of course your bodyshop will insist that it's repairable as it's a significant deal for them if the insurance pays for repairs and they get nothing for CAT B write off. If you are insistant get a second opinion from another bodyshop and potentially you can request the insurer to have another assessor look at the damage but if the structural integrity of the van is in question you are better off writing it off for your own safety.

Agricola

Alright lads thanks, you clearly know the score more than I do. You can see how it looks to the uninitiated though, and especially since the assessor couldnt just say as much upfront himself. Not a word was mentioned to me about how road worthy it was, just purely the economics of repairing it.

I spoke to an assessor for a local company here and he confirmed. I will just have to swallow it.