Is there any way to appeal a write off category

[sausage]

Any way to challenge a category after it has just been issued? (last week)



My Lupo got Cat B based on some photos I sent and the insurance seemed unwilling to sell me the salvage unless i agreed to it being parts only. It should be Cat S as far as i'm concerned but was more keen to get it back for the good bits on it than challenge the category.

Edit pics:

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[welshpug]

looks like the B pillar has moved, so I'd imagine cat B to be about right, have they picked it up?

if so then that's it, you wont get it back without a breakers licence.

[Rich]

Yea, given the age and value of the car that is going to be a CAT B write off sadly.

[sausage]

OK so the age and value factors in quite heavily then rather than just the actual damage. Seems a bit unfair to old cars but still. You meant A pillar though right?

It's mine I wanted it for the parts.

[mk2cossie]

Bottom of the A post/sill/floorpan being obviously bent from those pics will be the reason for them giving it that category I would imagine.

Seems a bit odd they won't let you keep it for spares

[sausage]

I have it for parts. I wrongly assumed the category reflected the damage and nothing to do with value and age. No problem, now I know.

[Rich]

Jan 15, 2020 20:51:51 GMT sausage said:

I have it for parts. I wrongly assumed the category reflected the damage and nothing to do with value and age. No problem, now I know.

It’s damage and also value and age. Factor all three in sadly.

[matbrojoe]

The insurance category system is a industry code rather than a legal requirement. there's no legal reason why a category b car cannot be put back on the road, it's just that uk insurance companies have all agreed that they will not sell cars that have been categorised a or b on an arbitrary system that they have invented for repair, and under this system such cars will not be sold to anyone other then licensed breakers. I believe their prime motivation was to stop badly damaged cars being bought for their identity and used to 'ring' a similar stolen one.

There's no reason an insurance company can't let an owner keep the salvage as part of the settlement though, other than the company's own internal policy on this matter. under the industry wide salvage code they can't sell certain categorised vehicles to anyone other than a licensed breaker, but there is a loophole to let the original owner keep it if the company wants to.

You insurance company may well have a company policy of not letting the insured party keep the salvage, but you can negotiate with them and if you do this, don't be fobbed off with the 'it's category b, we can't let you have it back because the law' argument.

Ultimately with any claim, the vehicle is still yours until you accept the insurance companies offer to effectively buy it off you.

[igor]

Many years ago I had the misfortune to be involved in a collision resulting in the insurance company writing off my vehicle. When I called them to make the claim I said, "I'm keeping the car. What is the procedure?" They reckoned that hauling the wreck into their yard would cost them more than the salvage was worth so they were happy to let me have it. They paid out $644, I got the wreck back, and I bought a similar car with lower mileage, four new tyres and half a tank of juice for $800.

[Waxoyling Lyrical]

A customer of ours recently bought a 2016 Nissan Leaf from a breakers/auction, which has damage to the front bumper and whole of the nearside (mostly relatively minor dents). It also came to us on a recovery truck with the offside front tyre punctured and hanging off the rim.

He was asking if we could get a certificate to verify it's been repaired, but looking on DVLA, it still has MOT until November, so I'm not even sure if it's actually been declared as a write-off as such, and under which Category.

Is there any way of finding this out?

[dodgerover]

HPI check.

[Waxoyling Lyrical]

Thanks, I'll advise the customer of this.

[sausage]

My crashed Lupo still has MOT until Jan 2021 as it had passed 3 days before the accident, so don't use an MOT as any guide about accident history. My understanding is (from insurance company) that DVLA wont issue a new log book on it if i sold it on. I wont as i am breaking it for parts as i now have my other Lupo TDI on the road.

[Waxoyling Lyrical]

Thanks, I'll let the customer know about this also.