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Accident management company wants to declare my car a write off
A few weeks ago my wife was driving very slowly in a queue of traffic on the A49, when a driver came out of a service road and collided with the front nearside of our 2002 Saab Aero Estate. No one was hurt and the other driver admitted fault. After the crash we took our car to a local garage and were offered a courtesy car as the proprietor had called an accident management company.
However, a few days later, I was horrified to learn that our Saab had been declared a Cat B write off. The accident management company offered £1610 for the car and estimated that the repairs will cost £4700.
I declined and decided to have the Saab removed by breakdown truck to another garage. An engineer from the accident management company has since inspected the car and altered it to Cat C and raised the value to £1800.
I am very unhappy and want our superb Saab which we have owned and cherished for over nine years, repaired to its pre-accident state. What should I do?
However, a few days later, I was horrified to learn that our Saab had been declared a Cat B write off. The accident management company offered £1610 for the car and estimated that the repairs will cost £4700.
I declined and decided to have the Saab removed by breakdown truck to another garage. An engineer from the accident management company has since inspected the car and altered it to Cat C and raised the value to £1800.
I am very unhappy and want our superb Saab which we have owned and cherished for over nine years, repaired to its pre-accident state. What should I do?
Asked on 5 February 2014 by Naldo
Answered by
Honest John
Sack the 'accident management company' and return its courtesy car immediately. (They may attempt to charge you for this.) Do a deal with your insurers to keep the car as a Cat C write off and then get it repaired yourself. This means accepting whatever figure they offer + the 'salvage' of the Cat C car.
It doesn't make sense for car to be written off as a Cat B because that is 'spares only'. The vehicle itself cannot ever be repaired and put back onto the road. Maybe they wanted the bits from it to fit to another Saab.
It doesn't make sense for car to be written off as a Cat B because that is 'spares only'. The vehicle itself cannot ever be repaired and put back onto the road. Maybe they wanted the bits from it to fit to another Saab.
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