write off?

[torres]

hi,i own a p reg vw golf (13 years old) and i was involved in a collision with an arctic lorry(!) last week,though my vehicle is still driveable the damage is pretty bad,i've phoned my local dealership and they quoted me£930.00 for all the work that needs doing..the thing is,the car isn't worth nearly that much(i've already spent a fortune patching it up over the years) does anyone know if my insurance company might write it off and pay out something i could put toward a better car?..i should add that the collision was a genuine accident (2 independant witnesses both agreed this) and neither myself nor the other driver admit liability. i'd be v.grateful for any help or advice as i know very little about this subject..ps. i have fully comprehensive insurance.thaks in advance.

[DONNA1458]

the insurance will write it off at that they will assign an engineer to offer you a settlement the best thing to do is look on auto trader for your make model at simlar mileage to give you something to compare against, you could ask the garage if they would be able to use recycled parts to put the cost down but not every garage will do this and being such an old car the parts wouldnt be as available as newer cars, if you had spent money on the veh recently and have receipts mention this to the engineer he may take it into concideration when offering you a settlement but i doubt it will be enough to buy another vehicle

[woozer]

If you have comprehensive cover then yes your insurers will make you an offer. unfortunately, you have not given many clues as to the circumstances of the accident - so take into account that if your insurers do not get their total outlay back from the Third PArty then you will loose your bonus or have it reduced by two years - this may outweigh the benefit of making a claim !

[dizmouk2009]

Where abouts is the damage on your vehicle? The chances are the insurance companies will decide who is liable, deciding whether you lose your excess or not. If your insurance company is not happy with the quote for repair that you/the dealership have sent them they will have a 'damage assessment company' assess your vehicle. The downside to this is that they would replace an entire part even if it was only slightly scratch. Also if someone does come out to your vehicle and then you decide to drop the claim (maybe because you found that a garage could repair it for £300) the chances are your vehicle would be flagged on the DVLA database as a 'catergory D write off' thus requiring you to have it checked (which costs) by an official DVLA centre to do a VIC (Vehicle inspection check). I had the same problem when i had an accident which was not my fault, my insurance company wanted to write my vehicle off (Citroën Saxo), I told them politely to go away. I had the vehicle repaired by a private bodyshop for £500 (the company that inspected my vehicle said it would of cost £1200 to repair which is why they said it would be a write off). The only problem was that my excess was, at the time, £800 which I would get back (after months of insurance settlement, leaving me with around £400 to buy a new car (imposible)). I assumed everything was a-ok until I received a letter from the DVLA telling me that I would be unable to tax my vehicle until it had undergone a VIC check. My suggestion is, depending on your excess and liability, drop the claim and scrap your vehicle.

Dizmo,