[Help] Car write off

Uncle C · May 27, 2022

If you have a modest ding in a car that is say 10+ years old then the repair costs can outweigh the value of the car and the insurance company will write it off.

What exactly does this mean?

Driver8 · May 27, 2022

You will get the estimated value of the car paid to you, the insurance company will keep the car and scrap it.

You may have the option of buying the car back at scrap value and repairing it yourself but it may be more expensive to insure in the future as a write off.

Easy 10 · May 27, 2022

And much like Benteke, it will have little to no resale value.

wellquickwoody · May 27, 2022

It becomes the property of the insurance company who will reimburse the owner it’s value before the damage (in theory).

The insurance company will then dispose of the vehicle as they see fit, probably scrapped. There may be a route whereby the vehicle is instead sold to an interested party at a price somewhere between its scrap value, and the before damage value. That interested party can then do as they see fit with the vehicle, probably either stripping it for used spares to be sold, or if the previous owner buys it then possibly restoring it for road use (by using less expensive aftermarket parts instead of expensive original manufacturer components). The restored vehicle can then be registered again and used as a normal mode of transport, although it will always be traceable as a ‘write off’, lowering its resale value when compared to a similar undamaged version.

Uncle C · May 27, 2022

So does a write off get recorded at the DVLA and in the 'log book' and are you obliged to declare it to you insurers?

Cheshire Cat · May 27, 2022

it happened to mine a couple of years ago.

You could get it repaired privately and pay for it yourself, provided you don't try to claim from your insurance.

If you make a claim, the insurance company will pay you the residual value of the car (in my case £500) which means effectively that you have sold them the car, take it away and scrap it.

Cheshire Cat · May 27, 2022

Uncle C said:
So does a write off get recorded at the DVLA and in the 'log book' and are you obliged to declare it to you insurers?

if you didn't tell the insurers, it would probably invalidate your policy regardless

Driver8 · May 27, 2022

Uncle C said:
So does a write off get recorded at the DVLA and in the 'log book' and are you obliged to declare it to you insurers?

Yes to both.

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-n...-insurance-write-off-categories-explained?amp

mejonaNO12 aka riskit · May 27, 2022

Is it a grey car?

Guinness Boy · May 27, 2022

Uncle C said:
So does a write off get recorded at the DVLA and in the 'log book' and are you obliged to declare it to you insurers?

Yup, and in any case insurers have access to a central database called CUE where your car will appear the second you raise a claim or incident.

joydivisionovengloves · May 27, 2022

I had this recently. I didn't want to scrap my car as its reliable and in good condition. So my insurance paid me the value minus their estimate of the cost of repairs.
I ended up with £2900 from them and I got the repairs done for £600.
My insurance stayed the same and the only thing it effects is the resale value as its now category N (? ) But as its an older car and I dont plan to sell it it felt like quids in.
I didn't really understand why they didn't just pay for the repairs themselves, but hey.

1066familyman · May 27, 2022

I have just had to buy a secondhand car. Navigating the chancers trying to pass off cat N write offs without declaring it was a costly exercise through car check sites.

Baldseagull · May 27, 2022

Uncle C said:
If you have a modest ding in a car that is say 10+ years old then the repair costs can outweigh the value of the car and the insurance company will write it off.

What exactly does this mean?

If an insurance company writes a car off, they deem it cheaper for them to pay out the value* of the car in full and sell the wreck, sometimes this means that the repairs would not actually exceed the value of the car, but with the price they can get for it as a damaged vehicle, and the pay out to you, it adds up to less than a professional repair, courtesy car etc.
These cars are then auctioned off and are either repaired by the buyer, usually using second hand parts, or broken up for parts to repair others. If it has been written off but can be repaired, the car will be categorised as a Cat N (non structural damage), Cat S (structural damage).
Cat B write offs are severely structurally damaged and cannot be repaired but can be broken for parts, Cat A write offs are crushed, as these are deemed so severely damaged that they should not be repaired or cannibalised for parts.

*What the insurance company values the car at will usually be a disappointment to you, and less than what it would cost you to buy a similar replacement from a dealer, more the price a dealer would give you if you had traded it in.

zefarelly · May 27, 2022

I got my 1600E rear ended by Mr Kipling on the way to Withdean around 2001 . . . .

had a minor argument with Ins Co and eventually agreed the value, bought the car back, was 2 grand up, went to an autojumble with my Dad the following weekend and bought alll the required rear end trim for £50

bit of work involved, but ended up with a fully repaired car and a MK1 Cortina with the change ;-)

The Antikythera Mechanism · May 27, 2022

A few years ago I bought a 2001 Suzuki GV1600 Convertible, which is now in pristine condition. I’ll never recoup a fraction of what I’ve spent on it through an insurance claim.

Papak · May 27, 2022

Uncle C said:
So does a write off get recorded at the DVLA and in the 'log book' and are you obliged to declare it to you insurers?

https://www.theaa.com/car-insurance/advice/damage-categories

happypig · May 27, 2022

Had a bloke reverse into the door of my (at the time) 10 year old Saab 9000 Aero. Insurance company valued it at about £2k lower than they go for and wouldn't budge so I agreed to accept about £800 and keep the car. Got a second hand door in the right colour from a breaker in newhaven for £100 and paid a garage £100 to fit it.
As it was registered as a write off I had to go to a Vosa place in Croydon to get it inspected and declared safe (it was, as it was just the door, no deflected panels or anything). Vosa bloke couldnt see where the repair was as the insurance company had it down as "front o/s wing damaged".
Sold it a couple of years later for what it was worth, bloke buying was another enthusiast and didn't care about the status.

So, if it's niche/collectors type car, keep it. If it's run of the mill, get rid

Horses Arse · May 27, 2022

Depends on the write off category I think. If cosmetic they don't ask you to do anything much. My V70 got rear ended, pushed the bumper in a bit. They were happy for me to buy it back and run it without having to do anything beyond getting a new MOT. The only downside was that if it was in an accident again then the max value would be limited to what I paid to buy the car back. Got another couple of years from it, well worth it.

Guinness Boy · May 27, 2022

Modern cars are increasingly being written off if they have major issues with the electronics that drive all the automation etc. It's basically a very powerful computer on wheels. That tiny ding might have caused an issue with a piece of software or hardware that would need Einstein to fix it (or at least a nerd in a main dealer on the other side of the country).

Uncle C · May 27, 2022

Interesting guys thanks

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[Help] Car write off

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