My 35i Written off for a dented wing!!!
- Thread starter mcbutler
- Start date
In 2023 someone tapped the back of my 330i at a set of traffic lights.
There were a couple of gouges in the bumper cover but when I looked closer there were also a couple of small cracks.
I claimed from his insurer and took it for an estimate by a repairer they had recommended who sent the estimate direct to them. They made it a Cat N before they bothered to tell me and I had to ask them for a copy of the estimate. BMW quoted me £650 for a bumper cover in primer but their repairer had got to over £2K including blending the paint on the wings and boot-lid and possible unseen damage although even the parking sensors still worked!
First offer was insulting, I got another couple of hundred quid but the Cat N was non-negotiable so I reluctantly accepted that and got to keep the car for exactly 22% of their valuation. Presumably 22% is what they get from Copart or whoever they use for salvage.
£6,600 sounds way too low, so don't accept their first offer and try to find adverts to support a higher valuation then forward them. All the 330is I could find were at least £1,000 more than their valuation of my car, but they said they weren't direct comparisons because they were all M-Sports and mine is an SE, but their weren't any SEs for sale at the time and manual 330s aren't exactly plentiful.
I never got it repaired as it still drives brilliantly and what they paid me was 50% of what I paid for it in 2019, but it still has the Cat N marker. When I told my insurer at renewal they wanted to see an MOT issued after the accident date, then stuck £40 on the premium and a bit more on the excess for a claim that cost them nothing. :evil:
It seems to be a real battle to get a realistic valuation, but at least dealing with your own insurer you should be able to involve the Ombudsman if you really can't get anywhere.
Good luck.
There were a couple of gouges in the bumper cover but when I looked closer there were also a couple of small cracks.
I claimed from his insurer and took it for an estimate by a repairer they had recommended who sent the estimate direct to them. They made it a Cat N before they bothered to tell me and I had to ask them for a copy of the estimate. BMW quoted me £650 for a bumper cover in primer but their repairer had got to over £2K including blending the paint on the wings and boot-lid and possible unseen damage although even the parking sensors still worked!
First offer was insulting, I got another couple of hundred quid but the Cat N was non-negotiable so I reluctantly accepted that and got to keep the car for exactly 22% of their valuation. Presumably 22% is what they get from Copart or whoever they use for salvage.
£6,600 sounds way too low, so don't accept their first offer and try to find adverts to support a higher valuation then forward them. All the 330is I could find were at least £1,000 more than their valuation of my car, but they said they weren't direct comparisons because they were all M-Sports and mine is an SE, but their weren't any SEs for sale at the time and manual 330s aren't exactly plentiful.
I never got it repaired as it still drives brilliantly and what they paid me was 50% of what I paid for it in 2019, but it still has the Cat N marker. When I told my insurer at renewal they wanted to see an MOT issued after the accident date, then stuck £40 on the premium and a bit more on the excess for a claim that cost them nothing. :evil:
It seems to be a real battle to get a realistic valuation, but at least dealing with your own insurer you should be able to involve the Ombudsman if you really can't get anywhere.
Good luck.
Bluebottle
Member
I feel for you Mark. It makes you wonder why we cherish our cars and then not only a tossah but insurance companies can devalue it so easily. Having bought my Z4 last year for similar money, there is no way you will find anything comparable in the South West for £6600; keep fighting to have that value greatly increased.
It seems tempting to buy it back, but only if it is cheap, remember once Cat N, insurance companies will not value the car properly should it meet another tossah in future.
Good luck.
It seems tempting to buy it back, but only if it is cheap, remember once Cat N, insurance companies will not value the car properly should it meet another tossah in future.
Good luck.
UPDATE
I got £8k for the car and I get to keep it as well!!
I took the alignment sheets down to a BMW specialist, said its absolutely nothing to worry about, its literally 4min out and they are often like that from build like most cars with non adjustable camber (rear is adjustable apparently).
Engineer did a full inspection of the front suspension and its classed as safe to drive.
The write off comes from something called "mode of repair' which is a set process dictated by any manufacturer when repairing damage.
In the case of a Z4 any excess neg camber - even one minute and the following MUST be replaced..
Wheel - knuckle - bearings - disc (pair) - Shock absorber (pair) steering rack - steering column... This is around £8kish plus in parts alone!!!
This process applies to the engineer and his reporting.
The front camber can be adjusted by simply adding adjustable top mounts to the front shocks.
So, £105 for the wing, already painted in my cars colour - quick smart repair on the small bonnet edge dint, front camber adjusted and all inspected again for my poeace of mind. Then I need a new MOT and off we go...
Cat N makes no difference to insurance or anything else, not sure why they even have such a thing as Cat N really..
What have I learned from this - get GAP insurance and don't invest a lot of money into aging cars.
One tap from a muppet and you lose the lot..............................
FYI 4 min over a 19" arc is 0.018288 mm.......
I got £8k for the car and I get to keep it as well!!
I took the alignment sheets down to a BMW specialist, said its absolutely nothing to worry about, its literally 4min out and they are often like that from build like most cars with non adjustable camber (rear is adjustable apparently).
Engineer did a full inspection of the front suspension and its classed as safe to drive.
The write off comes from something called "mode of repair' which is a set process dictated by any manufacturer when repairing damage.
In the case of a Z4 any excess neg camber - even one minute and the following MUST be replaced..
Wheel - knuckle - bearings - disc (pair) - Shock absorber (pair) steering rack - steering column... This is around £8kish plus in parts alone!!!
This process applies to the engineer and his reporting.
The front camber can be adjusted by simply adding adjustable top mounts to the front shocks.
So, £105 for the wing, already painted in my cars colour - quick smart repair on the small bonnet edge dint, front camber adjusted and all inspected again for my poeace of mind. Then I need a new MOT and off we go...
Cat N makes no difference to insurance or anything else, not sure why they even have such a thing as Cat N really..
What have I learned from this - get GAP insurance and don't invest a lot of money into aging cars.
One tap from a muppet and you lose the lot..............................
FYI 4 min over a 19" arc is 0.018288 mm.......
That sounds much more positive.
Cat N does seem a bit daft in some ways when minor damage to older cars puts them into that for really minor damage, but if it had happened when they were nearly new and worth £25K or so they could have had far more serious damage but just been repaired and not been stigmatised.
Then again it's quite nice to get a chunk of your money back and still get to keep a car you've got to know over the years.
Cat N does seem a bit daft in some ways when minor damage to older cars puts them into that for really minor damage, but if it had happened when they were nearly new and worth £25K or so they could have had far more serious damage but just been repaired and not been stigmatised.
Then again it's quite nice to get a chunk of your money back and still get to keep a car you've got to know over the years.
£8k plus keeping the car seems like a really good deal to me.
You can break the car and make a significant profit over the value of the car, or if the car can be repaired for a fair price it's cash in the bank. However, future value will be affected.
I would advise against a smart repair. Red is hard to match and get trying to blend into a bonnet will likely stand out.
I wouldn't be confident that the pre painted wing will match perfectly either.
You can break the car and make a significant profit over the value of the car, or if the car can be repaired for a fair price it's cash in the bank. However, future value will be affected.
I would advise against a smart repair. Red is hard to match and get trying to blend into a bonnet will likely stand out.
I wouldn't be confident that the pre painted wing will match perfectly either.
£8K and keeping the car is a good outcome - that must around the current value of the car, so you now have a free car in exchange for a few hundred pounds in parts and some of your time. Even if you have to repaint the wing and bonnet, for a little more money it's an opportunity to address all the stone chips it's acquired over the years at the same time.
BuzzardBiker
Member
Much better result for you.
You have a choice of what you want to do as well.
You have a choice of what you want to do as well.
Bluebottle
Member
That appears to be a particularly good outcome for all your stress. It is worthwhile to argue your case. I hope to see you around soon. :wink:
deltasierra
Member
Any car with a value of £10k or less is at risk of being written off for superficial damage and a “CAT” car is very hard to sell when repaired, so think twice before you claim on insurance.
That aside the initial damage assessment was dodgy alleging structural damage, if it was that bad it should have been Cat S, the second assessment reveal minor damage to suspension which was no big deal. Good to hear you got a satisfactory result in the end, but you shouldn't have to fight for it.
That aside the initial damage assessment was dodgy alleging structural damage, if it was that bad it should have been Cat S, the second assessment reveal minor damage to suspension which was no big deal. Good to hear you got a satisfactory result in the end, but you shouldn't have to fight for it.
Ole gits rule
Lifer
Great to hear its sorted and £8k is great news, spend £1k getting it sorted and keep the money for the next upgrade.
Just keep all the pics of the damage and repair
Just keep all the pics of the damage and repair
Rather, no suspension damage. In fact it revealed either incompetence or fraudulent behaviour on the part of the body shop that proposed work that wasn’t required - the geometry was within the OEM tolerances for a new car and there was no evidence of damage to any suspension components.deltasierra said:
Yes they have started a prosecution case against the driver, his insurance has already agreed to pay.I have attached a pic of the letter I received this morning from the Collisions Unit of Devon & Cornwall Police.buzyg said:mcbutler said:
Good to read a satisfactory outcome.
Did you hear if they caught up with the camper van driver. Hopefully they're the ones paying out to foot the insurance bill.
1. Compulsory Attendance of a one day Intensive training course
2. Course fee - £200
3. Satisfactory completoin of a driver assessment.
Add to this a claim on his policy and I think thats enough, he didnt do it on purpose after all...
Attachments
mcbutler said:Yes they have started a prosecution case against the driver, his insurance has already agreed to pay.I have attached a pic of the letter I received this morning from the Collisions Unit of Devon & Cornwall Police.buzyg said:mcbutler said:
Good to read a satisfactory outcome.
Did you hear if they caught up with the camper van driver. Hopefully they're the ones paying out to foot the insurance bill.
1. Compulsory Attendance of a one day Intensive training course
2. Course fee - £200
3. Satisfactory completoin of a driver assessment.
Add to this a claim on his policy and I think thats enough, he didnt do it on purpose after all...
Job done, get your Zed back to good health and enjoy it. :driving: