Insurance company wants to write off our car and give a meagre amount of money for it

alex_r · 30-01-2025 08:11PM #1

I am bit in shock, so maybe I don't see the whole reality clearly rigth now, but I suspect garage or insurance company doing some sort of dodgy business by writing our car off.

Basically, ours got eaten by rats. Over a couple weeks one sensor, then another, then camera and then the whole EPC stopped working, car won't have enough power to drive. so it got collected. It took them 4 weeks to finally decontaminate it and access the damage and today they finally got back to us. And told us it's a write off and we can give you 35K. We bought ours for 70K in 2021.

Now, I understand depreciation and all, however 35K that's half of what we paid and now they want us to write off 35K only cause they cant fix cables?

I checked and it does look like our car(Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace L 2.0 TDI Highline) costs around 40K nowadays(only found R line, but it's similar).

How is it cheaper for insurance company to give us 35K, than fixing it?

CMOTDibbler · 30-01-2025 08:32PM

By the sound of it, your car's wiring loom was severely damaged in a lot of different places after the rats moved in? Just as a matter of interest were you driving it the whole time it was rat lunch?

Anyway, it's extremely difficult to repair a wiring loom, especially in places where only rats can fit. Wiring looms are generally installed in the early part of the production process so can be relatively inaccessible.

Long story short, repair or replacement can be extremely difficult if not completely impossible.

deandean · 30-01-2025 08:48PM

Some garages refuse to work on a car that has been home to rats, for 'elf & safety.

Haggle with insurer over their offer. Give examples of similar car for sale with prices.

Best of luck!

Damien360 · 30-01-2025 08:56PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123117919#Comment_123117919

Of course they refuse the work. Rat droppings are not good for you and if there is loads, it's not worth the risk. Young lad worked in a place and a junkie brought in his car. Needles in passenger well. They closed the door and handed it back to him. Odd part of the story is he said it was a junkie, but more likely a type one diabetic but was messy with his needles. The sight of open needles was enough for them to outright refuse.

For OP, first line of defence for an insurance company is low ball you. It's now in your court to find similar examples on done deal of same year and spec and hopefully mileage and that's your bid. Might meet somewhere in the middle.

CMOTDibbler · 30-01-2025 09:02PM

This is the point in the manufacturing process where the wiring loom is installed. You can see what would have to be done to be able to check each part of it and repair or replace. Never mind the health aspects.

User1998 · 30-01-2025 09:10PM

If you want €70k for it you should have bought GAP insurance. Cars depreciate by roughly 50% every 3 years. So €35k seems about right, and based on your research they were only off by about €5k. So take your research to the insurance company and get a few thousand more and go buy yourself another identical car. You clearly have no idea about the costs involved in insurance repairs. For example you’ve probably been driving a hire car the entire time, who do you think has been paying for that?

CMOTDibbler · 30-01-2025 09:18PM

And maybe get a cat?

Dave_D_Rave · 30-01-2025 09:30PM

Heard somewhere once that the insurer will make three offers anyone know any truth to this ?

John_Rambo · 30-01-2025 09:34PM

Can your experience help us? Where was it parked up and where did the rats come from? I know we're never far away from them but that's mad.

Sonic the Shaghog · 30-01-2025 09:40PM

Is there any sort of independent adjusters you could get quotes for what it's worth compared to what's out there to go back to the insurance as a counter?

CMOTDibbler · 30-01-2025 09:41PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123118095#Comment_123118095

The AA have some advice. A cat would help even though they don't specifically say so.

User1998 · 30-01-2025 09:47PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123118118#Comment_123118118

Just show them Donedeal adds. Although I suspect €35k is accurate. OP mentions there are only R-Lines available currently which are a lot more expensive

Sono · 30-01-2025 09:48PM

if you can prove your car is worth more with like for like comparisons then I’m sure they’ll entertain you, problem is many people think they’re comparing like for like cos they see what they want to see as in the higher price but there’s considerably less mileage on the car they are comparing to. Good luck.

drunkmonkey · 30-01-2025 09:52PM

Will they give you 35k and let you keep the car, somebody is going to repair it. You might get 10/20k+ for it and the 35k.

CMOTDibbler · 30-01-2025 10:07PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123118170#Comment_123118170

They'll have someone lined up to take it and help offset the payout they made. There's big business in the UK fixing up write offs.

bazz26 · 31-01-2025 12:12AM

If you want to keep the car to get repaired yourself then the insurance company will deduct it's scrap value from the agreed write off settlement amount.

Being honest, with this sort of complex and extensive damage I'd say it would be cost prohibitive to repair it and then there is the task of finding someone with the skillset to do it correctly. In this case if the insurance company thought it would be cheaper for them to repair it than write it off then I'd say they would have taken that option.

Me personally, I would not want that car back in a million years even if it were an option, god only knows that the rats got at and imo that car would never be the same again. It's like a flood damaged car. You could be plagued with various electrical issues long after it may have been repaired and you would be on your own then. In my opinion it's best to walk away from it but fight the insurance company for a better settlement offer, never accept their first one. Try and get a bit more off them and then just move on and buy another car. This one is a goner.

GSBellew · 31-01-2025 12:33AM

VRT Calculator is coming up with low 30's, DoneDeal has 2021 Allspace Highlines around the 35k mark from dealers.

I wouldn't be surprised if the insurance figure is pretty close to the actual value.

alex_r · 31-01-2025 01:57AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123117871#Comment_123117871

Thanks for the info, makes sense.

I don't know really. We live in an area surrounded by farms and fields. Never really had problems. It all kinda came out of nowhere. As if we didnt have enough troubles to deal with. But I think(I hope) they were only "visitors", not "tenants"

drunkmonkey Jan 30, 2025

Will they give you 35k and let you keep the car, somebody is going to repair it. You might get 10/20k+ for it and the 35k.

I wish.

Sono Jan 30, 2025

if you can prove your car is worth more with like for like comparisons then I’m sure they’ll entertain you, problem is many people think they’re comparing like for like cos they see what they want to see as in the higher price but there’s considerably less mileage on the car they are comparing to. Good luck.

Yeah that's a good point. I checked there aren't of our package. the closest is R line

User1998 Jan 30, 2025

If you want €70k for it you should have bought GAP insurance. Cars depreciate by roughly 50% every 3 years. So €35k seems about right, and based on your research they were only off by about €5k. So take your research to the insurance company and get a few thousand more and go buy yourself another identical car. You clearly have no idea about the costs involved in insurance repairs. For example you’ve probably been driving a hire car the entire time, who do you think has been paying for that?

Oh I do have idea. Although it's not like they are helping themselves. The car been in the garage for over a month and we are driving a rental car for 3 weeks by now. Apparently they couldn't get signed some papers. But yeah we defo will haggle with them. The car was at the top of its offering. All the others for 35K I see are mostly basic ones

alex_r · 31-01-2025 02:05AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123118095#Comment_123118095

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123118033#Comment_123118033

We live out in the country and we have 2 jack russells, one of them is a really good mice/shrew/rat catcher, but at night time they are in the house and all the critters obviously having a ball and free reign.

The whole rat attack is a new thing, tbh. We have three small kids who drop food in the car all the time, and I think I left it too long before cleaning up. They must have smelt it or something. Just my theory, because we never had a problem before.

The horrendous part? A day after our car was collected, we borrowed a mate’s car a Seat Ibiza, a nice little jammer, but way undersized for our family. We made do. Next morning, we find our fabric baby sling shredded into tiny pieces. Strange. That same evening, the dog starts barking like mad loud, hysterical, absolutely losing the plot. I go outside and see her panting, barking at something under the car, right where the mudguard is. There’s a small drainage hole. I shine my torch in and feck me staring back is a long snout, ugly yellow teeth, and terrified eyes screaming "whatcha looking at, I'll bite ya head off!" I sprint back inside, grab the plumber’s pliers, and go for the tail. Got her! But the feckin’ abomination won’t budge. The tail rips. I grab again it rips. Again, rips with a piece of her bum. By this stage, I’m basically standing there with assorted rat parts while my dog is going absolutely berserk, with her bloodthirsty eyes locked onto the hole, biting at my pliers, my fingers, anything trying to get to the lil bollix. The poor creature lets out a scream in pain, probably thinking, ‘I didn’t ask for this, I just came here for a snack!”. At this point, I figure, enough cruelty already, I’ll be humane about it. I run back inside to grab a knife to finish her off quickly and scoop her out. Spent a minute looking for one that I wouldn’t mind throwing away after the massacre (for those wondering, I went for a jumbo slitzer). By the time I get back the critter has been executed. The dog relieved me of further sin. She stood there, proud, avenging the baby sling.

Just to be sure the fecker wasn’t playing dead, I grabbed her tailless and battered corpse with the pliers and gave her a few good ripping stabs for a good measure, in case she plays dead, ya never know. then, off she went into the brown wheelie bin.

Needless to say, this domestic homicide left quite the impression on me. The dog got a hero’s bath and a bowl of dinners leftovers. My partner said I looked like a full-blown maniac, sprinting around the car in a dressing gown, unlaced boots, brandishing pliers and a slitzer.

The next day we laid out six bait boxes around the house. That very evening, I saw the poison had already been nibbled and a few rat droppings. Relentless bastards. I assume(hope) they’re all dead by now, as there’s been no further activity. The dogs now do full SWAT-style perimeter checks before bedtime tho and sleep with one eye open.

As for me and my partner we have nightmares of waking up in the middle of the night to find them at the foot of the bed chewing our toenails in revenge.

MarkR · 31-01-2025 08:11AM

Jesus I didn't see that ending.

Flinty997 · 31-01-2025 09:06AM

Car manufacturers started using insulation for wiring that is now soy-based versus petroleum-based. There's been a few class actions in the states about it, all failed afaik.

The insurance offer isn't that bad considering depreciation.

fatherted1969 · 31-01-2025 09:10AM

This could be made into a film, wtf like!

John_Rambo · 31-01-2025 09:18AM

I'm speechless!!! Horrific and sort of hilarious.

Esel · 31-01-2025 09:19AM

Was it Ben?

kanuseeme · 31-01-2025 10:01AM

Brother had the same problem with his id4, the wires are insulated with some plant based material, his was repaired and traded in, some one else is driving around with it now, just thinking of the rat droppings and urine rattling around and eventually making its way into the cabin makes me sick.

gigantic09 · 31-01-2025 11:20AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123119153#Comment_123119153

First scene from interview with a serial killer 😀

tabby aspreme · 31-01-2025 11:32AM

Similar happened a relative of mine years ago with a Toyota Corolla, he had left a box of chocolate's in the car boot and rats ate part of the wiring loom getting into the boot, the car was off the road for about 2 months waiting for parts, I wonder how long it would take to get section's of a loom now

CMOTDibbler · 31-01-2025 11:35AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123119623#Comment_123119623

I doubt you could even then. Sometimes there'd be a section you could replace under the bonnet, but mostly these are one piece and it's only maybe at the end of a run for (say) lights that you'd have a section you could disconnect and replace. Probably would have to repair the damaged section(s), which wouldn't be a massive job, depending on access.

alex_r · 01-02-2025 12:46AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123119623#Comment_123119623

And I think that's the problem. From what I suspect, insurers just don’t want to wait that long while continuing to pay for the rental and then the repair costs. Instead, they sell the car to write-off buyers and wash their hands of it.
I’d bet Toyota is easier to fix, whereas the latest VWs are becoming harder and harder to repair. Plus, you void the warranty if it wasn’t serviced by an authorised VW shop. I guess they and other big brands will eventually go the same way as John Deere and Apple

tabby aspreme · 01-02-2025 09:09AM

The incident with the Corolla was back in 2008, the car was a year old at the time and it definitely would have been a much easier fix than a modern car, more recently a friend's 21 reg Tiguan was off the road for 5 months waiting for air bags after a minor side impact, the insurance would only cover a replacement car for a month.

Paulzx · 01-02-2025 03:42PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123118937#Comment_123118937

Anyone who's freaked by this should read The Rats by James Herbert. You'll love it!

I read it and the sequels as a young teenager. Still can't stomach the sight of a rat😮

If i got rats in the car i'd never drive it again…

Insurance company wants to write off our car and give a meagre amount of money for it

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