My 35i Written off for a dented wing!!!

[mcbutler]

Hi all,

Well a tossah in a motorhome backed into my much loved 35i last weekend whilst it was parked, then did a runner. I have a witness, loads of video and images and police are pursuing them.
Insurance has written the car off (cat N) which is surprising as it only has a damaged front wing and a small nick in the bonnet edge, drives perfectly straight and true.
They are quoting 6.6K to repair!!
I think the shop wants to buy it from the insurance, fix it up and sell on for profit, no way is it 6.5k damage.
I will be lucky to get £5.5k for her - pristine at only 45k miles!!!!!
So my question is;
Has anyone been through this write off process?
Can i keep my car as well as settle and repair it myself?
Can I cancel my claim, reverse the Cat N and repair myself? I can get a replacement wing for £100, easy to replace then get a smart repairer to finish it off nicely.
Any thoughts guys?

A few pics below for you and ill try to attach the engineers report.
Also the camper making his getaway, if anyone by chance recognises it.

[Ole gits rule]

Sorry to hear of your issue - that's pretty s--t, just driving off.

Once its on the register, I think it stays there although stand to be corrected.

You can fight the insurance to get it repaired - has an assessor been out to look at the car?

Take it to another garage and get a quote and submit it to the insurance company and ask why their approved repair is at £6.5k if you can get it done for £1500 (or whatever is quoted) assuming you get a lower quote, my guess is they are looking too replace wing / bonnet and suspension.

Finally you could also take a partial settlement and buy it back your self and have it repaired although it will still be Cat N

[MikeyH]

Many years ago a driver ran into the rear of my wife’s car and the insurance wrote the car off. The damage wasn’t too bad so we bought the car off them and kept using it. of course things might be different now.

[Rockhopper]

They will have quoted for brand new BMW parts, so £400 for the wing and £1400 for the bonnet, thats in primer so another chunk of money for the paint, then you have all the trim pieces, clips and brackets, and then any suspension damage (I can see a scuff on the wheel so they have likely included for a new wheel as well - they did on my car when a similar thing happened to me).
You can most likely buy it back and repair it for far less, especially if you can find parts in colour.
It'll always have the VCAR marker on it though.

[therealmc]

So is the insurance company valuing a pristine low mileage 35i at little more than £6600, that’s surely way too low.

I had a long argument with my insurers over a difference in valuation in 2019 following a no fault crash. I refused to accept their valuation putting forward my evidence time and again, rejecting a cheque which arrived in settlement and eventually I got to a value which I felt was close enough. Don’t give in to their first or even second offer.

[enuff_zed]

It'll always have the VCAR marker on it though.

So well worth continuing to document it all on here with as much info and photos as you can.
Won't remove the marker but will be some reassurance to a future buyer.

[Beerman]

You can choose the body shop of your choice. If they come back with a reasonable quote they might not write your car off.

Don't be looking a smart repairers for repairs like this and on a red car.

Many insurance companies will allow you to buy the car back for an agreed price. The car will still be deemed at write off and you will have to pay to repair the car.

[Beerman]

I will be lucky to get £5.5k for her - pristine at only 45k miles!!!!!

I think they'll offer around £7500-8000 if they write it off.

[mcbutler]

I will be lucky to get £5.5k for her - pristine at only 45k miles!!!!!

I think they'll offer around £7500-8000 if they write it off.

I just had a really useful chat with another engineer/repairer.
If the accident is your fault the insurance can do pretty much whatever they like in regard to settlement terms.
If its a non fault its a lot better for the owner, it is often common for them to offer a cash settlement and then let you keep the car anyways!!
So whizzing it over to him for a look later today..

[buzyg]

Much lesser car, but this happened with my last daily, a Mazda2 Capella. Guy drove into me at the lights. Dent in the rear hatch, car written off. They gave me close to the value of the car to keep it and I just kept driving it, as it was, for another two years. Put the money towards it's replacement.

Hopefully your repair guy can fix that for far less than £5k and you can get a slightly better offer from the insurance and keep enjoying the car for a while yet.

[BuzzardBiker]

It'll always have the VCAR marker on it though.

So well worth continuing to document it all on here with as much info and photos as you can.
Won't remove the marker but will be some reassurance to a future buyer.

Agreed. Just keep the pictures for future reference, including the one of the camper van.

My wifes old Micra got dragged a couple of feet forwards when a minibus was to close to it as it made a turn.
It dented the rear quarter panel badly but luckily the natural forward movement meant no damage underneath.
She got the payout and pocketed nearly £500, kept the dent as it was and instead just replaced a broken door handle. New DVSA check and an MOT and all sorted.


On your car, maybe they think the suspension or even chassis could be slightly damaged/out of alignment being a side on impact from a heavy vehicle.

If you get it check and confirmed as all straight underneath then that will be good.

If you come to sell in the future you will be able to provide evidence to the next owner so they can make an informed decision.

You might get a decent pay out and be quids in. Bear in mind your car may likely lose 25% of its true value selling in the future and CAT N cars can sometimes be a little more expensive to insure.

[raymond.harper]

Although you can get a second-hand wing, they usually need painting, and it will be difficult to get a perfect colour match. I had a "smart repair" done on my bonnet for a small scratch. It cost £250, but I was unhappy with the result, so I paid another £500 to get the whole bonnet painted. Unfortunately, once you have a repair on the bodywork, despite the quality of the painter, you always know it has been painted

[Chippie]

Sorry to hear that they want to write it off.
As said earlier the quote will be for all new genuine BMW parts, paint and labour, also there’s any admission cost and a courtesy car whilst it’s being repaired, the total cost soon adds up, it’s a real pisser when it’s not your fault and your insurance premiums will also increase over the next 5 years or so.
As the insurance haven’t settled with you yet then it shouldn’t be recorded as a write off yet, if you can get another cheaper quote and say you don’t need another vehicle whilst it’s being repaired, then perhaps you can persuade them to have it repaired and not have it receded as a “write off”. Unless you think it may be financially better to “buy it back” from them and get it repaired yourself, could be an option if you are keeping it a while as the difference in value between it and a none cat car will be less.

[mcbutler]

Hi all,

Well a tossah in a motorhome backed into my much loved 35i last weekend whilst it was parked, then did a runner. I have a witness, loads of video and images and police are pursuing them.
Insurance has written the car off (cat N) which is surprising as it only has a damaged front wing and a small nick in the bonnet edge, drives perfectly straight and true.
They are quoting 6.6K to repair!!
I think the shop wants to buy it from the insurance, fix it up and sell on for profit, no way is it 6.5k damage.
I will be lucky to get £5.5k for her - pristine at only 45k miles!!!!!
So my question is;
Has anyone been through this write off process?
Can i keep my car as well as settle and repair it myself?
Can I cancel my claim, reverse the Cat N and repair myself? I can get a replacement wing for £100, easy to replace then get a smart repairer to finish it off nicely.
Any thoughts guys?

A few pics below for you and ill try to attach the engineers report.
Also the camper making his getaway, if anyone by chance recognises it.

UPDATE
Apparently the write off is because it failed geometry, despite no impact to any steering or suspension components!!
Repairer states front left camber excessively negative on wheel adjacent to left front wing damage.
Car drives and stops perfectly, dead straight, no drift or brake pull.
Repairer states lower arm, knuckle, shock absorber (pair) and steering rack MUST be changed..

The error is measured in minutes, I am attaching the alignment sheet if anyone with knowledge can comment please do

[Rockhopper]

You wont feel effects of the camber being off like that, if its excessive it'll cause oversteering and make the car move toward any road irregularities or bumps. It'll also wear the tyres inside edge. Obviously both wheels need to be the same
I cant read your pic I'm afraid.