INSURANCE VALUATION

[LONGSIGH]

Hi, i am new to this forum and I am not sure where to post this..please forgive me if this is the wrong place! I am hoping somebody might be able to help me.....my wife was sitting in our 1997 A4 1.8 at a junction when a golf hit the back of the car and the golf drivers insurance company has said that it is now a write off, the trouble is that i cant get them too add the value off all the suspension modifications that were done at TSR PERFORMANCE to the final value of the car unless i can show them 3 to 5 adverts of A4's with similar modifications..if i can then they said that they might be able to raise their offer from a top book price of £1250, that sounds a lot but it was mint and i have spent a fortune on new tyres..brand new calipers/discs/pads/guide pins/hoses...new exhaust and catalytic converter etc etc plus the suspension!

this is a list of the suspension parts
ANTI ROLL BAR KIT
KONIS SHOCKS
EIBACH PROGRESSIVE SPRINGS
4 TOP ARMS
I spoke to TSR and they said it would cost about £2000 to buy and fit that.
so to cut a long story short can anyone point me to any avertisments of A4's of 1997/8 vintage that have these mods and is reflected in the price.
cheers

 

[Oranoco]

Whether they like it or not the insurer has an obligation under law to return you to the state you were in prior to the accident. Provide adverts of similar cars for the base price and then adverts for the modified parts. Tell them this is the figure you will accept. They will likely say no. Tell them you decline their offer and if they don't make a reasonable offer you will go to the insurance ombudsman.

I did this with my old XR2i when it was rear ended. Cheeky twats offered me £500. I declined and told them I wanted £3000. They came up to £700. I threatened to take the matter up with the ombudsman and they offered £2600 which I took, then broke the good bits that survived for an additional £900.

It's an uphill fight and don't expect satisfaction quickly, i think it took me almost 6 months. Good luck

 

[Broken Byzan]

Unless you have gauranteed value on your policy, it's just a 1998 audi A4. In which case £1250 is a good price sorry to say.

 

[LONGSIGH]

Many thanks for the replys...i now wish i had insured my car with an agreed price..i wont make that mistake again!

 

[aragorn]

agreed price or not, your claiming off the other blokes insurance, so as Oranoco says, they have an obligation to sort it.

If you want it sorted quickly, one option might be to accept their reduced offer, but tell them you want the car back as well, that way you have the parts you can sell on.

 

[LONGSIGH]

i have just spoke to them and told them to that if i dont get a decent offer i will take it to the ombudsman and i will also be seeking compensation for distress and inconveniance....so i am now waiting for a responce off them...heres hoping!

 

[skyinsurance]

A specialist insurer would cover the modifications on a like for like basis but only up until the threshold write off. The modifications may have cost money but they may not necessarily have increased the value of the vehicle, eg I've spent £12k+ on my 1988 Mr2, I'd value it at £5k tops!

Ollie
Sky Insurance

Modified Car Insurance

 

[aragorn]

Thats fine when claiming off your own policy, but surely its a different scenario when hes claiming off someone elses?

 

[skyinsurance]

Thats fine when claiming off your own policy, but surely its a different scenario when hes claiming off someone elses?

No insurer is going to value the car at the purchase cost + modification cost + modification fitting cost

 

[Oranoco]

No insurer is going to value the car at the purchase cost + modification cost + modification fitting cost

Of course they won't and I doubt anybody would expect that. What the OP is entitled to however is a fair payout taking into consideration the modified parts. If I had claimed for my Fiesta at full price + mods it would have been substantially more than the 3000 I was chasing.

In this case if it were my vehicle I would be after about £2200 for the car and salvage retention.

 

[LONGSIGH]

The insurance company have given me £1250 and have let me keep the car,so that will have to do..the next thing i have to decide is either to sell the car for salvage or as a category C repairable on ebay or sell it for parts myself as it has some new parts plus that lovely suspension setup but that might take some time, anybody got any ideas as to what i might get as a cat C repairable on ebay.

 

[HibiscusS4]

It should not be cat C or D, if the payout is not agreed as the total loss value and is just compensation or the cost of repair. I dont think they have the power to cat C it if they do not take it away.

 

[LONGSIGH]

hmmmmm not sure what to think about that...i am not very wise when it comes to insurance and the laws about accident write offs.
but i am hoping i can claw some money back from the car either selling it as spares or repairs or stripping the car for parts and selling bits on ebay..