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Car Accident Advice
ForeverAddickted
Posts: 94,313
Frustratingly my wife's car got a knock last Wednesday (she was about to turn into a road, car came out of it, wasnt paying attention and went into the side of her). Difficult to tell on images alone but was hoping for a small bit of advice from anyone potentially in the Insurance trade or who have had similar incidents.
Its a 2018 Hyundai Kona which she has gotten extremely attached to and is getting herself in an emotional mess as someone she works with believes its going to be a write off - If you try to wind down the window you can hear a crunching sound as it gets lower so the door has certainly been dented (as can be clearly seen), whilst there is a small dent on the pillar when you open the door.
Its a 2018 Hyundai Kona which she has gotten extremely attached to and is getting herself in an emotional mess as someone she works with believes its going to be a write off - If you try to wind down the window you can hear a crunching sound as it gets lower so the door has certainly been dented (as can be clearly seen), whilst there is a small dent on the pillar when you open the door.
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My car was written off having similar damage but it was a 2010 model.
Not sure the insurance company would want to write of a 2018 model though3 -
Yeah the age of the car is whats leaving me hopeful - She only purchased it last August for £13k.blackpool72 said:My car was written off having similar damage but it was a 2010 model.
Not sure the insurance company would want to write of a 2018 model though
Should also add that she spoke with the Garage yesterday who advised that they've had one estimator come around and they were waiting for a second as well... So is something else thats got her a bit worried.0 -
Hopefully they will repair it.ForeverAddickted said:
Yeah the age of the car is whats leaving me hopeful - She only purchased it last August for £13kblackpool72 said:My car was written off having similar damage but it was a 2010 model.
Not sure the insurance company would want to write of a 2018 model though
£13k is a lot of money to write off.1 -
My advice would be to contact a very good panelbeater to see what advice they give you. Good luck.2
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Unless the shell's suffered a lot of damage, they should be able to repair it.
My missus did the whole of one side of her 2 year old Qashqai a couple of years ago, when she drove too close to a parked truck with a hook sticking out. Did front and rear wing panels and both door skins. Not sure how much the repair was in total but the parts and paint were over £3k. Insurance company didn't even question it.
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Yeah, really don't think thats a right off. I've had a few prangs over the years. Most costly one was a Jaguar XE which was only 4 years old & had c£2.5k of damage and off the road for 2 weeks. Van tried getting through a very narrow gap & scratched/ dented all down one side.1
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Yeah there's definitely minor damage on the rear Passenger dooraddick1956 said:
As far as I can see it is 1 or 2 doors depending on there being a proper panel beater available for rear door repair.golfaddick said:Yeah, really don't think thats a right off. I've had a few prangs over the years. Most costly one was a Jaguar XE which was only 4 years old & had c£2.5k of damage and off the road for 2 weeks. Van tried getting through a very narrow gap & scratched/ dented all down one side.
The door seal if it is metal needs replacing. It could be plastic.
Much depends on the B post between the doors being ok and the floor pan being ripple free from damage via the impact. Check those out.
Couldnt see any damage to the floor, but of course you dont know what might be wrong underneath the vehicle as someone went into the back of her old car on the M25, couldnt see any damage but still needed repair
Looks like there is a slight dent on the B post (if its where I think you mean) which is visible when you open the driver door0 -
Unless it's unsafe, it's simply economics - if the repair cost is higher than the pre-accident value minus the salvage value, they'll pay you the latter.
I'd say at a £13k value, the insurers will very likely have it repaired, but the other option if it's not economical to repair (and again assuming nothing structural) is to find out if you might be able to get it repaired cheaper yourself (got any mates who may be able to get a second hand door off a breaker etc?), and if so, you offer to knock the salvage value off the settlement, and then repair it yourselves/through a mate.
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This was the other dent that Ive previously mentioned which looks to be more on the frame of the car rather than either door
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If there's anything that will cause it to be a write-off, it's that.ForeverAddickted said:This was the other dent that Ive previously mentioned which looks to be more on the frame of the car rather than either door7 - Sponsored links:
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If you source the parts yourself you can get it done a lot cheaper if you know somebody who can do it. But no point if it isn't a write off and it would be surprising if a 2018 car was that.North Lower Neil said:Unless it's unsafe, it's simply economics - if the repair cost is higher than the pre-accident value minus the salvage value, they'll pay you the latter.
I'd say at a £13k value, the insurers will very likely have it repaired, but the other option if it's not economical to repair (and again assuming nothing structural) is to find out if you might be able to get it repaired cheaper yourself (got any mates who may be able to get a second hand door off a breaker etc?), and if so, you offer to knock the salvage value off the settlement, and then repair it yourselves/through a mate.0 -
If it's a Constructive loss then that could be an option - any constructive loss that is repaired would be classed as S or N - S is structural that can be repaired (Actual loss cannot be repaired because it will not be re-registered by DVLA). Category N is non-structural that is still uneconomic to repair.North Lower Neil said:Unless it's unsafe, it's simply economics - if the repair cost is higher than the pre-accident value minus the salvage value, they'll pay you the latter.
I'd say at a £13k value, the insurers will very likely have it repaired, but the other option if it's not economical to repair (and again assuming nothing structural) is to find out if you might be able to get it repaired cheaper yourself (got any mates who may be able to get a second hand door off a breaker etc?), and if so, you offer to knock the salvage value off the settlement, and then repair it yourselves/through a mate.
The caveat - the used value of an N category, and especially an S category, would plummet! I really don't see the value is personally salvaging a write-off.0 -
I tend to agree in most cases but it's an option if there is that sentimental attachment.bobmunro said:
If it's a Constructive loss then that could be an option - any constructive loss that is repaired would be classed as S or N - S is structural that can be repaired (Actual loss cannot be repaired because it will not be re-registered by DVLA). Category N is non-structural that is still uneconomic to repair.North Lower Neil said:Unless it's unsafe, it's simply economics - if the repair cost is higher than the pre-accident value minus the salvage value, they'll pay you the latter.
I'd say at a £13k value, the insurers will very likely have it repaired, but the other option if it's not economical to repair (and again assuming nothing structural) is to find out if you might be able to get it repaired cheaper yourself (got any mates who may be able to get a second hand door off a breaker etc?), and if so, you offer to knock the salvage value off the settlement, and then repair it yourselves/through a mate.
The caveat - the used value of an N category, and especially an S category, would plummet! I really don't see the value is personally salvaging a write-off.
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Yeah thats the dent thats worrying mebobmunro said:
If there's anything that will cause it to be a write-off, it's that.ForeverAddickted said:This was the other dent that Ive previously mentioned which looks to be more on the frame of the car rather than either door0 -
Always assumed that any dents there, it is a write off on safety grounds. Might be different in modern cars though?
Blimey she must of been hit quite hard. Hope she was not too shaken up mate?1 -
Yeah she wasnt too bad, had a bit of an emotional moment afterwards and a few times since.soapy_jones said:Always assumed that any dents there, it is a write off on safety grounds. Might be different in modern cars though?
Blimey she must of been hit quite hard. Hope she was not too shaken up mate?
Its just frustrating we're in that limbo period now where we're just waiting for further news (Car was collected on Friday)
Ironically she was on the phone to me at the time (coming through the Apple CarPlay) and I didnt even hear any impact, was just talking and all of a sudden she was saying she had to put the phone down because someone had hit her0 -
Modern cars are designed to protect you which means with crumple zones etc... they are easier to write off.soapy_jones said:Always assumed that any dents there, it is a write off on safety grounds. Might be different in modern cars though?
Blimey she must of been hit quite hard. Hope she was not too shaken up mate?0 -
Do you know what mate, at the end of the day it’s a lump of metal. As long as she’s ok, that’s the main thing. You can always buy another motorForeverAddickted said:
Yeah she wasnt too bad, had a bit of an emotional moment afterwards and a few times since.soapy_jones said:Always assumed that any dents there, it is a write off on safety grounds. Might be different in modern cars though?
Blimey she must of been hit quite hard. Hope she was not too shaken up mate?
Its just frustrating we're in that limbo period now where we're just waiting for further news (Car was collected on Friday)
Ironically she was on the phone to me at the time (coming through the Apple CarPlay) and I didnt even hear any impact, was just talking and all of a sudden she was saying she had to put the phone down because someone had hit her10 -
Yeah I know... Her last car got to the end of its days and was only able to get this one thanks to inheritance so doesnt help, she had a close relationship with her Nan so is of the mind she brought it for herDaveMehmet said:
Do you know what mate, at the end of the day it’s a lump of metal. As long as she’s ok, that’s the main thing. You can always buy another motorForeverAddickted said:
Yeah she wasnt too bad, had a bit of an emotional moment afterwards and a few times since.soapy_jones said:Always assumed that any dents there, it is a write off on safety grounds. Might be different in modern cars though?
Blimey she must of been hit quite hard. Hope she was not too shaken up mate?
Its just frustrating we're in that limbo period now where we're just waiting for further news (Car was collected on Friday)
Ironically she was on the phone to me at the time (coming through the Apple CarPlay) and I didnt even hear any impact, was just talking and all of a sudden she was saying she had to put the phone down because someone had hit her0 -
Brother in law in a 3 month old Qashqai got t boned at keston traffic lights by a delivery driver in an A class Merc car. He drove it home, police didn't object. Damage was worse than your good lady's car but the b pillar was bent and the insurers wrote it off. I'm sure her Nan would not want her grandaughter driving a safety compromised car. If they do repair it, i would sell it especially if it's reclassified.2
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Have you tried buffing it out with T-Cut?10
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Ridiculous idea.SantaClaus said:Have you tried buffing it out with T-Cut?
A 300ml bottle of T-Cut will cost £6, whereas a 500g tub of this is only £3.99.
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Try turning it off and then turning it on again.1
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Did you perhaps mean this for the ‘Electric Cars’ thread??!! 😉Penfolds Perm said:Try turning it off and then turning it on again.0 -
I got shunted 5 years ago in a car that was only worth about a grand. The garage assigned to do the work asked me if I wanted to keep it and did it under the insurance when I said yes. I'm sure it won't be a write off - garages need the work and will be flexible to get it.0
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You can see that the metal on the right is actually creased rather than dented (the paint splitting like that is a dead give away) so it may not be repairable in a safe manner.ForeverAddickted said:This was the other dent that Ive previously mentioned which looks to be more on the frame of the car rather than either door
As for the doors, most garages and insurance Cos will go down the replace rather than repair road.3 -
So looks like we're be entering squeeky bum time.
My wife has spoken with the Garage this morning, repairs are going to come to £6k (new doors instead of repairing the old) which is just over the automatically repaired value meaning they'll need authorisation from the Insurance Company...
As a few of you have suggested the "B" Pillar is the decisive bit, the garage feel they can repair it but arent 100% confident so have said if given the all clear to attempt repair they'll do so, the moment they dont think it can be done though, they'll stop and the car will be written off.
The one good thing is they've valued the car at £12k which is the sort of price we'd been wanting to hear.
Really appreciate everyone's advice on the matter!!0 -
Who are you insured with? At £6k and not 100% confident that they can successfully repair I'd say very borderline insurers will agree to repair (if indeed they agree the value at 12k). Fingers crossed.0
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when it does get written off, dont accept the first settlement offer from your insurer.
instead do a search on auto-trader for same make and model of car, and make sure you have Trade Only selected and not public sales.
These cars will usually be for sale for more than what you are offered
Send that link to the insurer when you decline their offer and state that this is the cost of replacing your car like for like.2 -
Agreed. At that figure for the repair (and assuming they can fix the B pillar) then I would say probably write-off. I think most insurers use 50-60% of the car value as a repair cost as the cut-off point for write-off. £6k with a question mark over the structural damage is very borderline and my guess is a write-off.Rob7Lee said:Who are you insured with? At £6k and not 100% confident that they can successfully repair I'd say very borderline insurers will agree to repair (if indeed they agree the value at 12k). Fingers crossed.1
