Advice Please - is my motor written off?

[baker1988]

You aint gonna believe this, they'd decided to repair the car which ok I'd built my hopes up but in fairness it'll be better financially and easier not to have to look for another car.

Wife gets a call this morning from repairer saying there will be a colour mismatch due to a previous repair but car will be ready later this week.

So I've phoned them and the bloke explained this to me. So I've said but that's not right, it was OK before the accident and a colour mismatch will devalue the car through no fault of my own. So I've told him that perhaps the panel that doesn't match or their panel work needs to be sprayed. I told him that I won't accept it back looking a mess and that I'll be contacting the insurance company. He's now contacting the insurance company and will call me back.

Am I correct in my attitude here?

Absolutely you want it to look the way it did before the accident. If I doesnt look the same or
bettrr in some cases :lol . Then its not really worth the repair if you get it back and you fimd any faults send it back complaining:thumb2

 

[jims-terrano]

As expected I had to phone the repairer who said insurance had refused any more paintwork. I asked them what work had been done on the car, the list was ok until I asked about the spare wheel. The wheel had been crushed!!! he looked at their photos and said he saw what I meant and would get it checked.
So phoned insurance and passed from pillar to post until I got to someone who listened. He was surprised and shocked that the repairer would return a vehicle with mismatched paint. I got the impression by what was not said that perhaps the car shouldn't of been repaired and the garage had may be jumped the gun.
So waiting for a call back!!!!

 

[Fez_uk]

sounds like they are trying to pull a fast one.

 

[clivvy]

yup, pulling a fast one because the garage get the money for the repair but they don't if they dont fix it.

I'd get on the blower with the insurance and tell them you don't feel their decision is acceptable.

 

[jims-terrano]

Sorry I'm back on this again. I'm getting worried because I'm getting no communication from Insurance or Repairers and both me and the wife are worried we are going to end up with a patch work quilt of a shed. I've looked after that car washing polishing the lot as I do with all the cars we own or have owned.
The car is nearly 8 years old, it's been on a jig. It's had inner and outer rear panels replaced along with the plastic boot floor. The rear bumper oinner and outer along with various mouldings.

I'm getting more and more wound up about this everytime I think about it. I'm going to be phoning them all tomorrow to see what is going on. I still think an 8 year old body shell will of been weakened by being jigged. I don't even know if I really want to put my family in this car, how could I live with myself if something happened.

Has anyone else got any thoughts on this?

 

[briggie]

Sorry I'm back on this again. I'm getting worried because I'm getting no communication from Insurance or Repairers and both me and the wife are worried we are going to end up with a patch work quilt of a shed. I've looked after that car washing polishing the lot as I do with all the cars we own or have owned.
The car is nearly 8 years old, it's been on a jig. It's had inner and outer rear panels replaced along with the plastic boot floor. The rear bumper oinner and outer along with various mouldings.

I'm getting more and more wound up about this everytime I think about it. I'm going to be phoning them all tomorrow to see what is going on. I still think an 8 year old body shell will of been weakened by being jigged. I don't even know if I really want to put my family in this car, how could I live with myself if something happened.

Has anyone else got any thoughts on this?

speaking from personal experience jim ...... you can refuse the repair , you can refuse to take the car back saying it is not repaired to your satisfaction

 

[jims-terrano]

They'll only play the not accepting back for so long though. I'm just worried whitless that we'll get a car back that will simply burst open if it was involved in another bump.

 

[briggie]

of course you need pictorial proof of the condition of the car before the accident , but it is your right to demand ( yes demand ..... insist ) that the repair is carried out to your satisfaction ...... they will probably argue ( as mine did ) , but threaten them with a independent mechanical engineer ( I know a good one lol )

 

[solarman216]

Well from banger racing days all I can say is we bent em, straightened em and bent em again and they always go bent easier the second time and easier still the 3rd, I know the method we used, chains and hiab are crude but once metal is creased it will always crease again at that point, my thoughts anyway, Rick

 

[jims-terrano]

Well from banger racing days all I can say is we bent em, straightened em and bent em again and they always go bent easier the second time and easier still the 3rd, I know the method we used, chains and hiab are crude but once metal is creased it will always crease again at that point, my thoughts anyway, Rick

Exactly Rick

 

[briggie]

you can always refuse to sign the delivery sheet when they bring it back .... don't feel pressured

 

[briggie]

might be a good idea to have someone with you when they do bring it back too , the driver might not be a happy bunny when you refuse delivery , and may even say you have to sign ...... no you don't

 

[spautoparts]

Exactly Rick

the insures must have the car repaired back to original spec regardless of previous condition. if this is not achievable then the car is written off.
to me the car is a CAT C or CAT D write off according to the description of the damage you gave

I would ask for a second opinion

 

[jims-terrano]

Well having locked horns with the insurance company, the repairers and an accident management company I've just about had enough of this crazy situation.

Basically our Scenic will have 3 different colour mismatches on the rear and none of the above are going to do anything about it.

The spare wheel is having a brand new tyre fitted just in case it's structure had been damaged by the crush. Doubt it'll be the same brand as all the other tyres either.

The repairs have cost £1800 which does not excede the market value of the vehicle. It's value is just short of £3000, bet they wouldn't of given me so much if it had been a loss would they. I also know PArkers don't agree with that either.

So this has been a very nasty experience, the car will have mismatch paintwork and so devalued. We are both still suffering physically. We don't honestly think we can trust the car any longer if it were to be involved in an accident. So at a time when we can least afford it we are going to be forced to replace the vehicle but god knows what with or how. We can't do a thing about it, it feels like legalised robbery or something.

This has left a very bitter taste indeed.

 

[jims-terrano]

Am I missing something here.

The insurance company is actually a solicitors, under writers are a seperate company again. The car hire, repairers and accident management company are one company.

They have told me how much they value my car at, which is more than local car sales are selling comparable cars for. Parkers value it at around the repair cost from a franchiased dealer with the px being far lower.

To repair the car has made the company more money than if they were to write it off. Are they repairing on inflated valuations?

Am I being paranoid here?

 

[clivvy]

sounds like it Jim. As Peter has said, ring them back, write to them, informing them you are not happy, and will not accept the car unless it is repaired as SPAUTOPARTS has said, simple as that. I have NEVER known an insurance company do such shoddy work....

as for the paint mismatch, are you aware of previous accident on that car?

What I think, is they have pressured you into accepting the bare minimum for the car, and it just so happens to be a profit for them. Personally, I would seek advice from Citzens Advice and Trading Standards.

I know you have had enough, and I know you don't like this situation, but I really feel like this is a cowboy operation going on-very unprofessional too. You need to turn around and say "hold on, im not accepting this".

Also, make sure you seek full compensation for you whiplash claim.

 

[jims-terrano]

Well the car is being delivered back tomorrow, the tailgate has been realigned and the number plate replaced. The colour match is hard lines, the two paint chips are being classed as existing damage making me out to be a liar.

It's the end of the road with the repairer and accident management company. They've got away with riding rough shod over us. If we have any further complaints we must take them up with the insurance company as they are washing their hands of the job.

So we are lumbard with a car I'll never trust again to transport my family and a constant reminder of how badly we've been treated. This will end up driving us both round the bend. The stress is terrible from this and will nag us until we can afford to dump this dam car.

 

[briggie]

Well the car is being delivered back tomorrow, the tailgate has been realigned and the number plate replaced. The colour match is hard lines, the two paint chips are being classed as existing damage making me out to be a liar.

It's the end of the road with the repairer and accident management company. They've got away with riding rough shod over us. If we have any further complaints we must take them up with the insurance company as they are washing their hands of the job.

So we are lumbard with a car I'll never trust again to transport my family and a constant reminder of how badly we've been treated. This will end up driving us both round the bend. The stress is terrible from this and will nag us until we can afford to dump this dam car.

im sure you don't have to accept it back jim if you aren't happy

 

[jims-terrano]

Pete, I've got a phone bill you wouldn't believe coming my way. These companies are just so big and powerfull you just cannot battle against them. I'd love to name and shame them publicly on here but there's slander and all that.

 

[briggie]

copied from a yahoo forum jim ......

after a car is damaged or wrecked and a body shop or repair centre fixes it, you have to sign off on the paperwork that you are satisfied with the repairs. If you are not then point out to the repair shop and call you insurance provider and tell them what needs to be looked at and repaired again.

You do not have to take the car if your not happy with repairs....you need to deal more with your insurance provider and not the shop...the shop doesnt care and will try to get you to accept as is...tell your insurance provider you want to take the car to another shop to have the repairs fixed correctly...

stand your ground and they will do as you request...otherwise threaten to sue...

Source(s):

25 years in auto industry and I work at a dealer