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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
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 Insurance company trying to write off car
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Wed, 07 September 2005 13:19
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Hey all. My gf had a front ender recently and the car got taken to be assessed. Apparently the car also has hail damage which means we have to pay 2 excess fees... one for the front ender, one for the hail dmg.
That i understand but won't i don't get is that they're trying to call the car a write off by combining the dmg value of the 2 separate incidents together?!?! The car is insured for 9k.
The accident dmg comes to $4000 while the hail dmg comes to $5000  I'm no panel beater but doesn't 5k for hail dmg seem a little high???
Has anyone else ever had a situation like this before? I haven't managed to talk to the assessor yet cause he finishes work by 3pm. I'll be speaking to him in the morning.
I've read through their PDS and there's nothing about combining damage from 2 separate claims on the one assessment in order to work out write off damage. 2 claims, should be 2 assessments right??? Any helpful advice/comments welcome. Cheers dudes.
Eddie.
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Location:
Toronto, Downtown
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Wed, 07 September 2005 13:23
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i thought hail damage was expensive if the roof was damaged. Its probably easier to write it off i guess. Will they allow you to keep the car or buy it back after they have written it off???
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Wed, 07 September 2005 13:27
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Well its preferable to NOT write the car off. She bought it for 10.5k, its a 2001 model, it has 3 years dealer warrenty still on it, the engine has less than 30,000km on it.
Add that to the fact that they want to take 2 excess fees for it to get written off. (they're 700 each) so we'd only get back 7.6k
Eddie.
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Location:
Toronto, Downtown
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Wed, 07 September 2005 13:29
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if they gave you the car back with that then you could sell it to a wrecker to recover the rest might be worth a looksee
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Wed, 07 September 2005 13:30
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Oh and the car chassis seems to be ok... the reason the accident bill is 4k is cause she ran into a dudes tow bar. It punched a hole right through the air-con condensor and radiator. I've already priced the parts myself and 4k would seem about rightish.... approx 2k would be for labour 
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Wed, 07 September 2005 13:32
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| 4agte wrote on Wed, 07 September 2005 23:29 |
if they gave you the car back with that then you could sell it to a wrecker to recover the rest might be worth a looksee
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Wouldn't be possible. In the PDS it says once the car is written off, the insurance company takes hold of it in its entirety. Means we lose the rego on it and also the insurance that's already been paid for the year.
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Epping, Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Wed, 07 September 2005 13:37
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shoulda replaced rad and aircon condenser yourself  $0 in labour.
and yes, hail damage to the roof = teh expensive.
and they add the 2 claims together, because otherwise you can claim it in 2 separate incidents and get repairs totalling the entire value of the car.
note: why didn't you get the hail damage repaired?
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Wed, 07 September 2005 13:42
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We were unaware of the hail dmg until they pointed it out.
I am also considering the option of buying the parts myself and switching them BUT i would like to know why we should pay 2 excess fees for 2 separate events if they're deciding to lump the dmg into one category???
Eg... if i had claimed and fixed the hail dmg a month ago, then had the accident today and claimed again... there would be no write off. 2 separate incidents... do you see my point?
Eddie.
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Location:
Melb
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Wed, 07 September 2005 13:46
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ask if you can buy the written off car
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
February 2004
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Wed, 07 September 2005 14:01
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not to mention 2 claims is going to screw her rating, unless she has that rating 1 for life thingy.
I would do the thing that was suggested above, claim 1 thing, get it fixed, then go claim the other, I had the same type of thing with my house insurance, had a window broken then a month or 2 later somoene tried to break ina nd broke our sliding glass door, 2 seperate claims :/
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Location:
Melbourne
Registered:
June 2002
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Location:
Toronto, Downtown
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Wed, 07 September 2005 22:04
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if you didnt notice the hail damage b4 they pointed it out how bad can it be???
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Wed, 07 September 2005 22:07
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The hail dmg MUST be fixed if anything's going to be fixed at all... insurance company says it devalues the car too much to leave it as is.
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Location:
Sydney NSW
Registered:
July 2004
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Wed, 07 September 2005 22:53
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I reccomend don't claim anything, and get the front ender fixed yourself (doing as much as you can yourself so save a bit of cash) then sell the car on. If the hail damage isnt that visible, you should be able to sell it for a decent price.
To claim is going to cost you about $1400 bux anyway, may as well throw in another 1500 and sell it for what its worth.
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Location:
eastern suburbs, melbourne
Registered:
March 2005
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Wed, 07 September 2005 23:03
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another story of how insurance is screwing the people.
i say fuck insurance.
they have so many ways to get out that its not worth it. i know 2 people who dont have insurance at all cos they have been screwed over so many times. i only have 3rd party incase i hit a merc, lol.
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Location:
Castle Hill
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Wed, 07 September 2005 23:37
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yeah insurance companys are fkd!
When I had a minor acco with my car they wrote it off cause they wanted to fix all the little things that were already rooted, like a broken grille clip on the headlight on the opposite side to the acco side meant the whole headlight had to be replaced, one clip on the grille missing meant brand new grille, and a toyota badge that I got for free from the wrecker that was on the grille had to be replaced cause they wouldnt just transfer it to the new grille! They wont fix a car unless they fix everything, its shithouse! But if the damage is that bad-to them- then the car would be cheap to buy back, mine was $150, so minus my excess and I got like $1700 back and fixed the car myself with that.
When my car was written off, I got any rego left on it back, and a refund on some of my CTP insurance too.
I rekon your best bet would be to let them write the car off (it will only be a "Total Loss" so you just have to fix it and then get it blueslipped again, dont have to worry about getting all reports and shit saying it is safe for road again like with a proper write off.) get the money from the insurance company, buy the car back, get ya rego and CTP money back, tell ya GF to live without A/C to cut repair bills and fix the damage yourself, get a blueslip and start again!
Just dont go back to the same insurance company unless it is completely fixed 100%, I fixed mine with mismatched panels and they told me to get stuffed! just do it all over the phone and when they ask if there is any damage over $500 say no.
But be warned: more than likely if she has another acco. and goes with comprehensive insurance again, then this whole shitfight will repeat itself, to avoid this, loose the car and start fresh, or just go with 3rd party which I think would be the smart thing, then she will save like $1500 a year in insurance(and with the money saved she can get the A/C installed again), and never have to worry about these problems again! and you can keep the dealer warranty.
Just my ideas!
Goodluck with it all! the insurance company isnt AAMI is it?cause they are the ones who fkd me over!
Cheers.
-Whitchy-
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Australia
Registered:
November 2003
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Thu, 08 September 2005 01:24
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Anyone who hates insurance companies, or has been screwed by an insurance company, just doesn't know how to deal with them.
9 times out of 10, you'll end up better off if you work out a good deal.
Big T, call the insurance company, ask them if the car would be legally re-registerable if they wrote it off.
Get this in writing.
There are 2 types of write offs.
1) Insurance writeoff, where its not economical to repair the car
2) Statutory (sp?) writeoff, where the car has been damaged beyond repair (ie, chassis rail bent, chassis twisted etc)
You can re-register an insurance write off, but not the other one.
Then find out how much they will pay out, and how much they will sell you the wreck for. Then bargain with that price.
My insurance company wanted $2000 for my wreck, I counter-offered with $1500, they met half way with $1750.
Then you can do the repairs yourself, and then get the car reinsured and re-registered.
The other option is to not use insurance and at all, and to pay for the repairs yourself (and any repairs to the other guys car).
I was going to do this myself, but after a 10min call to my insurance company, they recommended that it wasn't the best option, as it would definately cost me more in the long run (due to expensive parts on the car I hit)
But, the ball is in YOUR court (or your g.f court as it is).
Its HER car, HER insurance policy.
SHE decides what happens.
DON'T get bullied by the insurance company.
If they are a decent company, they will have a free lawyer type section, where you can call them, and discuss whats is happening.
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Location:
Melbourne, Victoria, Aust...
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Thu, 08 September 2005 02:07
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Was the hail damage there when she bought it from the dealer? If it was, why were they selling it hail damaged? Was it cheap?
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Location:
Melb
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Thu, 08 September 2005 02:59
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there doesn't seem to be anything dodgy.
If you were to insure someone, would you pay out one claim for two different types of damage to the car?
Otherwise liek someone mentioned before, you could have some damage on the car previously.. then have another bing.. Then claim it as one.. Who's being the dodgy one?
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Thu, 08 September 2005 11:58
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| LiL_MiC wrote on Thu, 08 September 2005 12:59 |
there doesn't seem to be anything dodgy.
If you were to insure someone, would you pay out one claim for two different types of damage to the car?
Otherwise liek someone mentioned before, you could have some damage on the car previously.. then have another bing.. Then claim it as one.. Who's being the dodgy one?
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I have no problem paying out 2 claims... its the fact that they want to take 2 excess fees, increase the premium twice, lower the no-claim bonus twice and treat everything like they're separate EXCEPT when it comes to assessing the dmg for write off. They seem to conveniently bunch this figure together.
Anyways... i managed to talk to the assesor this morning. He wasn't very helpful (jerk) so i had to go around him and to the boss. The assessor had actually already put in the paperwork to write the car off WITHOUT my gf's persmission. She specifically said she'd like more time to think about it and it was already at the auction yard. So i had to get them to reverse the write off claim and now they're taking it to be PROPERLY assessed for the dmg.
Worst comes to worst... we'll claim for the hail dmg, then i'll buy the parts and fix it up myself. I'll just have to wait and see.
Eddie.
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Thu, 08 September 2005 12:15
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Oh and Cruzsida, that was exactly the info i was after... thanks for the reply mate... i do definately agree that going through the insurance company is far better than trying to fight them. One person against a massive company... the odds just don't stack up.
The car is an Insurance write off as well so it is viable to take the claim money and buy back the wreck. However, they said the car would be auctioned off, so the price wouldn't be set. They gave me a figure of $1500 to buy it back but it could go higher...
Seeing as there is only one party involved (our car) we don't have to worry about fixing up another car. It's just getting difficult to see how much each option would cost without the proper dmg assessment.
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Registered:
November 2003
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Sat, 10 September 2005 05:21
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Normally in these cases the rego plates and the unexpired portion of the rego are yours...depends on the terms of your policy ...the car goes to auction without them...with front end damage and hail you will be surprised how little they get(seldom over 30% of payout) and the insurance company still has to pay for assessment transport and a commission to the auction house..if the car is that good? go to the auction and bid...with the ability to put the plates back on and maybe drive? the thing away..but it sounds to me like you take the money and run...forget the low ks and unexpired warrenty...can that be transferred or refunded?? Should the No claim bonus be effected ?Some companies have the lifetime max retained under any circumstances(keeps you coming back) whilst others will not count hail losses..
Take it from me that after self repairs and hail damage remaining the car will be worth a lot less..and any new insurer will be very uncooperative...most will not even insure if there is pre existing damage..do not even think about not telling or being evasive...There is a perfectly lawful data base which insurance companies contribute to on T/losses and they also access the auction houses...if another claim occurs and they get wind of your actions .. you are screwed..no cover ...which could be very cruel if you are at fault and you/g-f could easily be charged with attempted fraud..How do I know?...I am one of those Insurance arseholes ..  Cheers...
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Location:
Melb
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Sat, 10 September 2005 09:53
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Two excesses and two drops in rating's not unusual either. ..Otherwise i could go nuts and have 6 accidents .. then claim it all as one and only lose one rating and excess.
Writing off you car by adding up the two claims together is a bit of a grey area though.
Maybe an idea to repair the hail damage yourself and then claiming the rest?
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Location:
Toronto, Downtown
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Sat, 10 September 2005 10:40
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i had a few bingles with my old car and with nrma my no claim bonus couldnt drop more than 5% in one insurance year so i made 3 claims and my no claim only dropped 5%
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I Supported Toymods
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
December 2002
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Sat, 10 September 2005 11:14
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Personally I think this is bull$hit... if the hail damage was so minor that you hadn't noticed it before then it probably wasn't problem enough to complain about and get fixed.
Tell that you are not claiming the hail damage, you are claiming the accident damage... the hail damage is none of their concern.
If they still won't play fair then take the car off them and take it down to one of those paintless dent removal places and get a quote for repair of the hail damage... if its as minor as you say they can probably fix it for a couple of hundred.
Note: My comments are based on the hail damage being so minor that it is not visible to the untrained eye.
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: Insurance company trying to write off car
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Sat, 10 September 2005 12:50
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Thanks to everyone that replied. We've managed to come to a solution that benefits everyone The car will be fully repaired under 2 claims after much debating and weighing up costs/figures.
Eddie.
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