What happens???

System
System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
edited June 8 in Student general
Hi All,
Sorry to ask about such an odd thing, but.....
Does anyone know what happens when your insurance company writes your car off?
A nice man in a huge Lexus decided not to stop at some red lights yesterday, which is up to him - I just wish he'd bothered to look out the windscreen to see my husband in his car who had already stopped at the lights infront of him!!!! The man was very nice about it all though, and was very sorry and has admitted full responsibility to his insurance company.
Everyone that's seen the car has said it's going to be a write off, and we (nor anyone we know) has any experience of this.
I was just wondering if anyone else had and could give us some info or advice.
Many thanks!
Lucy.

Comments

  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:What happens???

    It's never happened to me, touch wood, but as far as I know when they will examine the car, decide how much it will cost to fix and if too much, obviously write it off.

    Then the insurance company will offer you a cash settlement with which you go and buy another car - one thing I do know is never accept their first offer! Push for as much as you can! They will try and give you the trade value of the car, which will be less than it is worth.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:What happens???

    Hi Lucy, sorry to hear about the big bump.
    Visit one or two car sales pitches and find out how much it will cost to replace your car. This will give you a benchmark to work to when the insurance company make an offer. You won't get the sales price but should not accept any less than bottom book value. Get the sales pitch to tell you top and bottom price.
    The insurance company will try to screw you. If you can afford to, hold out for as high a price as you can get, don't be fobbed of by any excuses regarding the state of your car before the accident.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:What happens???


    I had a car written off five years ago after a woman decided to concentrate on her friend rather than my car driving past!

    Although she admitted liability at the time and gave me her insurance details, when I contacted her insurance company a day later she still hadn't reported the accident to them. When pressed by the insurance company, she finally admitted it, though thinking about it now, there could have been problems if she hadn't. So now that most people have camera phones, I'd take several photos of the crash including the face of the other driver and their licence plate. Last year another woman tore the whole face off my car - which caused her tyre to literally explode - then she drove off. Luckily there were witnesses and she was spotted hiding on a side road about a mile away. I jumped in what was left of the car to find her then said she either admitted it or I'd call the police. I made her show me her driving licence - which I photographed - and took all her personal details, including mobile phone number which I rang right next to her to confirm her ownership/possession of the handset.

    As for after what happens following a write off, the posters above have pretty much said it already by never accepting the first offer. Also, if the other driver is the guilty party, try and press for a hire car to get you round since many insurance companies won't let you have one by default. They'll happily let you have one if your car's repairable but not if it's a write off!

    It took me nearly three weeks to get the money for the first write off from the other insurance company even though the other driver admitted liability. This was also with much chasing from me, so I now take the TV adverts with their "speedy" claims services very much with a pinch of salt.

    Good luck!

    Robert
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:What happens???

    Hi all,

    Thanks for your responses.

    Our insurance company have already supplied my husband with his choice of hire car (he was nice to the hire company when they called and he said they sounded relieved! He said to deliver the car yesterday, even though the accident was Tuesday, as he was away on business. Next thing we know a brand new car with only 36 miles on the clock turns up! Bless them!). I think our insurance company are happy to do whatever they can, as they other company will be paying for it! Also, our insurance is up for renewal next month, so they are sucking up to us to renew! We even had a call from the other drivers insurance company confirming that he was in the wrong and offering to get us a hire car!

    The other driver lives around the corner from us, the accident literally happened leaving our area and joining the main road, so we know where he is and vice versa if there's any hassle!

    I've just been car "window shopping" this morning and now have to go and have a shower to clean off all the slime from the salesman! Yuk!

    Thanks again!

    L.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:What happens???

    Hi Lucy.

    Just to back up the other comments - never accept the first offer.

    Provide service history, bills, receipts, etc to show the car was looked after, as this will increase the valuation.

    Scott.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:What happens???

    ahhh! this happened to me when i was 8 months pregnant and up til then i'd never experienced stress like it! i had no end of bother with hire cars and ridiculous settlement offers and no-one having a clue what anyone else was doing/meant to be doing. My advice would be to start now making a log of every phone call you make and try to get direct lines of people who sound like they genuinely want to help you.
    good luck with it!
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:What happens???

    Also, just a bit of a warning - you say that your insurance is coming up for renewal - mine was due about a month after the crash and even though the other person had addmitted liability, because the case wasn't closed they wouldn't count my no-claims bonus when i came to renew so I had to pay the whole premium & get a partial refund when everything was finally settled. grrrrr!
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:What happens???

    Jodie R is right!

    A lady pulled out and hit my husband she admitted liability but the Insurance companys messed him about something rotten keep a note of dates, times, names and any information you can remember.

    I had another lady hit me and her Insurance company were right gits but mine paid up within 7 days and then fort hers for the money.

    I think it depends who you are insured with and who was to blame.

    EDIT:- I had the same problem with the renew as Jodie R :evil:
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:What happens???


    Even though you weren't liable for the crash, you'll very likely find that your renewal premium will slightly increase. When searching online for insurance a couple of years ago, I entered my information with and without the third party crash details to see if it made any difference. No surprise that it did - by about twenty quid!. When I phoned them and asked why, the answer was simply because "I was there" and my presence at the crash scene 'contributed' to it. No s**t, Sherlock. The absolute robbing bastards - and that is uncensored swearing, sorry!

    Good job I've never been mugged, since by that logic, I'd be in court with the accused just "for being there"!

    Regards,

    Robert
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:What happens???

    :shock: Oh dear, this sound like a nightmare! Thanks for the pointers peeps! I will get hubby to keep a proper record, I do see he's done some scribbles on a notepad! Good boy!

    It's a good thing it wasn't me he hit, otherwise there'd be a lot more problems! I'd have not reacted as well as my hubby! :twisted: Especially if my baby was in the car!
  • System
    System Posts: 100,537 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:What happens???

    Hi everybody!
    Just wanted to let you know that our little car was brought back yesterday in one piece!!!!!!!! :D:D
    So much for all those people who told me she'd be a write-off!!!! One of them even worked for the repair centre!!!! :shock: Thanks again for all the advice, but I am thankful we didn't need it after all!
    Lucy.

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