Really, how difficult can it be? Potential Cat C write off

[dom07968]

Hello all,

I've had the unfortunate incident of someone reversing into me in a car park. Loss adjuster has decided to write it off. I'm thinking of claiming the salvage as i can live with a dent in the rear door. The front door is a different matter, all i want it to do is be able to lock the door as the central lock system seems to think the door is open, so locks then unlocks. I can open it from the inside. What do you guys think, buy a new door handle and cyclinder, would the remote central locking system work with any locking cylinder? Door pilliar is fine BTW. Would i need to prove the repair was satisfactory?

Has anyone had any experience of putting a Cat C back on the road. I'm not fussed about only ever being able to get third party cover. They've said the current insurance policy will continue into the summer. I understand that it needs an indentity check which is about £40, no problem, but can i still drive it on the road without in the meantime? Will it also also need an MOT?

See below for damage done

Pug.jpg

[omega]

i would take the door panel off and have a look first as it might be a rod thats bent on the locking system

[Roylewaa]

Unbelievable how that can be a write off, its just a dented door at the end of the day, salvage door from the scrapyard for £25 and job done as its a fairly common colour, or sort out the jammed door lock and live with it until another door comes along

As said, I would just whip the door card off and have a look at the rod to the handle as it sounds like its bent causing the central locking to bounce, actually looking at the pic, if the door handle is elevated the central locking might think its been held open causing it to bounce as it does when a door is open/ajar

If its been declared a cat C it would need a vic check, I think the directgov website or the dvla site will have more info on that

Looks a clean 406 aswell from what I can see of it in the pic

[steve_earwig]

I think I'd have the door panel off and roughly beat the door straight with a lump of wood and a club hammer.

[plod]

I was speaking with someone, and he said they are putting more on more into cat C

I asked because of that SE Estate I was looking at, which didn't look like it had a lot of damage, and imagined it to be more a cat D

Maybe it's a screw job between the insurers and the goverment - declare it a C and we give you back £10 for every vic check we do

[Gary406]

if that was my car i wouldnt have told my insurance .

whats a 2nd hand door cost £30-£40. you have to ask yourself was it not worth just doing that .

your insurance is gonna be affected now cos of the claim.

personally i would have paid for the damage out my own pocket and stayed well away from insurance

i know its annoying and frustrating but the best route would have been fix it yourself with breaker parts ..

PLUS - doing it yourself = not on any recorded cat c list

[highlander]

There is still time to cancel your claim and get your no-claims bonus back. You will probably still have to pay your insurer the vehicle inspection fee (Direct Line took £50-ish off me for that) but you get your NCB restored to you.

Then get down the scrappy and get at least one replacement door.

I feel for you; this is what happened to my old saloon when some arse in a white van decided to get his driving license out of a cereal box:

[Gary406]

i strongly agree with highlander. get the claim canceled and fix it yourself mate.

all your no claims back and not affected. and not having a claim against your name.

[Roylewaa]

i strongly agree with highlander. get the claim canceled and fix it yourself mate.

all your no claims back and not affected. and not having a claim against your name.

+2

I remember a few year back I got knocked in the side by a Vietnamese woman pulling out of a junction as I drove past it and it dented my back door and damaged the sill, her husband turned up all angry with me insisting it went through insurance, I point blank refused as I knew it would write the car of (L reg 1.8 Mondeo RS kitted thing) I got £100 of him in the end after a few nasty phonecalls

[Catflem]

There's a V reg 406 in that colour in my local breakers.

[sirwiggum]

i strongly agree with highlander. get the claim canceled and fix it yourself mate.

all your no claims back and not affected. and not having a claim against your name.

+2

I remember a few year back I got knocked in the side by a Vietnamese woman pulling out of a junction as I drove past it and it dented my back door and damaged the sill, her husband turned up all angry with me insisting it went through insurance, I point blank refused as I knew it would write the car of (L reg 1.8 Mondeo RS kitted thing) I got £100 of him in the end after a few nasty phonecalls

In all fairness, if I accidentally drove into someone, I would demand it went through insurance.

The insurance companies when my Clio was rear-ended were basing the repairs on quotes from accident repair centres. New panel + respray + labour. Wrote it off.

[steve_earwig]

Surely it's better to avoid going through the insurance if possible

[Gary406]

plus he didnt mention anything about the person that did it so i presumed they had buggered off and not left any details.

this way i would have fixed the problem myself.

i agree with ste. its best to avoid going through insurance

[Gary406]

my mate had an accident a few years ago. not his fault.

the person who hit him offered to pay for the damage. no insurance was involved.

the guy payed him £1500 and every1 was happy. to me that was the best way.

claims are why our insurance policys have risen 20% this year

[highlander]

claims are why our insurance policys have risen 20% this year

No, I have to attribute this to "money-grabbing bastard insurance companies who make the rules up as they go along".

And the ambulance-chasing lawyers that these money-grabbing bastard insurance companies sell YOUR personal details to, once you've had any kind of accident, as well.