Crashed my 35is

[Argyll Andy]

They should value at market value and I agree, given the way that the 35iS market is and the limited numbers, especially with the options your current one has the £16k one is a good starting point for negotiations.

I have to say when my daughter got hit in August and her newish car was written off Admiral paid nearly a grand more than she had paid a main dealer for it 7 months earlier because they said that was fair market value at that time. They paid up in 3 days. She only got the excess back last week when the other party finally admitted liability. 2v1 is looking in your favour hopefully

I just hope you get everything sorted in the way you want bud

 

[Zforbes]

Think is I think what usually happens is changing based on the raft of false claims, insurance now take a look at what's happened and now you have 2 v 1 they will think hard about it.

Hope so, had an insurance renewal quote today (is due in 4 weeks) for £194, no claims protected but I accept cost will go up regardless of who gets the blame. If its not sorted in the next 4 weeks though I'm not sure what the premium will be. :thumbsdown:

 

[Ole gits rule]

Thing Isis the other party are liable they will be repairing 3 cars so will want to repair rather than write off yours at the cost to replace - just hope it gets resolved quickly and to your satisfaction.

 

[Argyll Andy]

Thing Isis the other party are liable they will be repairing 3 cars so will want to repair rather than write off yours at the cost to replace - just hope it gets resolved quickly and to your satisfaction.

Not sure if it’s the same with all insurance companies but my daughters car was written off before they’d made contact with the other insurance company. The other company had no say in it and we had provided pretty comprehensive evidence to her insurance company and I think they knew they were going to be able to recover from the start.

My view is, they wrote it off, get it settled and off their desk and recover their loses. I have a feeling if they’d been picking up the tab it might’ve been repaired.

 

[Zforbes]

They should value at market value and I agree, given the way that the 35iS market is and the limited numbers, especially with the options your current one has the £16k one is a good starting point for negotiations.

I have to say when my daughter got hit in August and her newish car was written off Admiral paid nearly a grand more than she had paid a main dealer for it 7 months earlier because they said that was fair market value at that time. They paid up in 3 days. She only got the excess back last week when the other party finally admitted liability. 2v1 is looking in your favour hopefully

I just hope you get everything sorted in the way you want bud

4 weeks is a big ask then

£16k is more than I paid but like you say the market has gone up. Even if i get £16k I can't get the same spec so my only chance of staying in a 35iS is to get the repair agreed

If not I have some serious head scratching to do, nothing against the lower spec cars and I'd get another Zed a lot newer if I compromised, don't think I could do it though - all or nothing

 

[Argyll Andy]

They should value at market value and I agree, given the way that the 35iS market is and the limited numbers, especially with the options your current one has the £16k one is a good starting point for negotiations.

I have to say when my daughter got hit in August and her newish car was written off Admiral paid nearly a grand more than she had paid a main dealer for it 7 months earlier because they said that was fair market value at that time. They paid up in 3 days. She only got the excess back last week when the other party finally admitted liability. 2v1 is looking in your favour hopefully

I just hope you get everything sorted in the way you want bud

4 weeks is a big ask then

£16k is more than I paid but like you say the market has gone up. Even if i get £16k I can't get the same spec so my only chance of staying in a 35iS is to get the repair agreed

If not I have some serious head scratching to do, nothing against the lower spec cars and I'd get another Zed a lot newer if I compromised, don't think I could do it though - all or nothing

Your insurance might’ve settled in 4 weeks but the admission of liability..............

I agree, I don’t think you’d get an equivalent car for £16k just now and that’s the fight you’ll end up having if they wish not too repair.

I’m not getting into your comment as I know I’m still getting the blame for your resulting all or nothing comment

 

[Zforbes]

I’m not getting into your comment as I know I’m still getting the blame for your resulting all or nothing comment

 

[Ole gits rule]

Insurance companies are unpredictable, my son wrote of a 4 series which he paid £18K for, his insurance offered £15k and would not budge on this valuation.

Eventually after a lot of calls and complaining and sending of adverts they gave him the car back which he sold for £4k

 

[Zforbes]

Eventually after a lot of calls and complaining and sending of adverts they gave him the car back which he sold for £4k

 

[Ole gits rule]

Maybe I was not clear, he was happy he had £15k plus the £4k so more than he paid for it, the car was trashed, far worse than yours, bumper / wings / headlights / rad / door / airbags the lot.

The car was sold to a breaker in Manchester who probably got £7k for the parts that were left

 

[Zforbes]

Phew, was thinking my potentail stubbornness might results in a massive loss.

I'm hopeful I dont need to go there and resolve the repair, my stock answer is more likely to be "don't offer me money, give me an equivalent replacement"

 

[Mr Tidy]

My nephew had a crash in his BMW 3 years ago. Admiral decided it was a Cat S (Strucural) Total Loss based on the photos he took on his phone. But Cat S means there has to be damage to something like an inner wing, scuttle panel, header rail,etc. and there is no way anyone could determine that from his photos!



While his car was nothing special it took us a few months the previous year to find him a manual 6 cylinder petrol E46 3 Series Touring, and his was a 54 plate 325i Sport model in Imola Red with full leather which he really liked. In any case he couldn't afford to buy anything better so he didn't let Copart have it, argued for a few weeks and finally got a realistic valuation from Admiral but they just wouldn't budge on the Cat marker and he couldn't afford to keep holding out trying to get them to see sense.

He found a 2nd hand bonnet on ebay for £98, and a new wing - that's how structural the damage was. Whille it was in the bodyshop he got a 2nd front wing because the original was going crusty and had the front bumper repainted (stone chips) and the final bill still came in just below what Admiral paid, so it all worked out in the end. But it was hard work!

Anyway OP I hope you get a much more satisfactory outcome than that!

It can go well too! My niece wrote off her 1980 Corsa 18 months ago and got a very good settlement considering the MOT was going to expire the next day (but that wasn't Admiral). :lol:

 

[Ole gits rule]

No, we were stubborn and refused their offer and just kept at them with value to replace

If you have that option then go for it - they will not be able to find a replacement under £20k with your spec.

Image below of the side, the front was far worse, he got side swiped by a knob in a Saab at a T junction, pushed him on to the other side of the traffic, grip came back and then he jumped a high kerb and thumped into a wall about 4 in the air.

He tried to blame my son, but he was in the wrong and we had to get the police who attended the scene to send a report to his insurer advising the third party was to blame.

 

[Zforbes]

They seem all to sure when the car is older just to write it off.

Mine hasnt marked the inner or outer wing, not that there is much of them anyway. I can understand CAT N if the cost of repair is excessive but its just wrong to list as structural when it clearly isn't.

My wife wrote off an Astra a few years ago, opened the door about 2 inches and a car coming past peeled the doorskin off - literally.

Car was wriiten off but door hinges did pay a heavy price. Wife argued car was too close but really no argument with the insurance. I replaced her Astra with a newer model and the insurance went down 30% :lol:

She was much happier with her newer car and I did get a top value of the old one.

 

[Zforbes]

No, we were stubborn and refused their offer and just kept at them with value to replace

If you have that option then go for it - they will not be able to find a replacement under £20k with your spec.

Image below of the side, the front was far worse, he got side swiped by a knob in a Saab at a T junction, pushed him on to the other side of the traffic, grip came back and then he jumped a high kerb and thumped into a wall about 4 in the air.

He tried to blame my son, but he was in the wrong and we had to get the police who attended the scene to send a report to his insurer advising the third party was to blame.

Thats quite an impact. Good to know about the police report, the policeman who attended the scene of my incident stated he would be happy to provide a version of events as he'd seen it on the night.

I agree with the £20k to replace - it would be a newer car though so can understand why they wouln't accept that

 

[Ole gits rule]

It was a hell of a thump, he was lucky there was nothing on the opposite side of the road, all the airbags had gone off, no one was injured which was a miracle.

They will send a report if asked.

Well that the way it goes as there's not many around and prices are climbing

 

[ph001]

£16k is more than I paid but like you say the market has gone up. Even if i get £16k I can't get the same spec so my only chance of staying in a 35iS is to get the repair agreed

What did you declare the value as when you insured it? It seems unlikely that you valued it at more than you paid for it, in which case this will be the limiting factor when it comes to the pay out. They won't payout more than the declared value when you insured it, irrespective of the market value changes subsequent to this.

I had a real nightmare when my S54 engined Z3M got written off. There were only 79 ever came to the UK so finding one for sale was nigh on impossible. Obviously their initial offering was dire so I had a long battle with them on the valuation and eventually settled on about their 3rd or 4th offering. Still no way I could have replaced it for what they gave me though as prices were going up about 30% year on year.

You would have to pay about double now what I received to get into a S54 engined Z3

 

[Zforbes]

I put the value in more or less what I paid - £15k

Car values usually go down but the market is very bouyant for the 35iS in particular, I assume due to lack of available cars on the market. Not sure if this is lockdown madness or a trend yet, will see over time.

Hopefully I will get a response soon to initiate the repair, will take this onboad in future and add a couple of £G's next time just in case.

 

[Jameszy]

£16k is more than I paid but like you say the market has gone up. Even if i get £16k I can't get the same spec so my only chance of staying in a 35iS is to get the repair agreed

What did you declare the value as when you insured it? It seems unlikely that you valued it at more than you paid for it, in which case this will be the limiting factor when it comes to the pay out. They won't payout more than the declared value when you insured it, irrespective of the market value changes subsequent to this.

I had a real nightmare when my S54 engined Z3M got written off. There were only 79 ever came to the UK so finding one for sale was nigh on impossible. Obviously their initial offering was dire so I had a long battle with them on the valuation and eventually settled on about their 3rd or 4th offering. Still no way I could have replaced it for what they gave me though as prices were going up about 30% year on year.

You would have to pay about double now what I received to get into a S54 engined Z3

When you say they won't pay out more than declared value, is that always the case?

 

[Jameszy]

After reading this..i may fit a dashcam....
Hope its resolved quick and you get your car back.
Mike

Def go for a dashcam! My nextbase cost £100 and records front and rear (albeit just a rear facing lens, not a separate unit). I got it when someone opened their car door whilst my wife was driving past and scratched the side wing, door and mirror.

Fortunately insurance agreed it was their fault, but if they hadn't the car could have been close to being written off (despite it being just panel damage as it all adds up quickly when you include new parts, paint and labour). Some insurers will write off a car at close to 50% value, so bear that in mind.

It also comes in handy for non-accident related incidents. I had someone tailgating me on the motorway whilst I was overtaking two lorries in lanes 1 and 2, and once I had (promptly) pulled into the 2nd lane he overtook me and slammed his brakes on. Scared the s**t out of me as it wasn't just a tap but a full on slamming of the brakes.

I sent this footage to my local police, who promptly served the registered keeper a NIP (the registered keeper refused to confirm who was driving, and therefore it got served to them automatically) and on the back of that a DD40 (dangerous driving).