Uneconomic Repair

securespark

securespark

Joined
11 Jan 2004
Messages
42,733
Reaction score
2,633
Country
United Kingdom
My Mum has a Golf just like this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volkswagen-Golf-1-9TDI-PD-130bhp-2002-GT-/113042537493

It is slightly older (51 plate) and slightly higher mileage (97K) but importantly, is not in such good condition.

She was hit by someone coming out of a driveway, causing damage to every panel on the offside and scuffing both alloys.

We have not had absolute confirmation, but the insurance company think it may well be a write-off.

What would you estimate the minimum cost of repairs at?

Do you think they could be right?
 
Links in this post may contain affiliate links for which DIYnot may be compensated.
Sponsored Links
Almost certainly - 17 years old - worth nothing to them.

You can buy it for peanuts deducted from your insurance payout if you want.
 
For sure I think they will write the car off. ....professional repairs will be much more than the vehicles value.
I do appreciate the car is of value to your Mum of course and it could be possible to make the car passable by using doors etc from a breakers. However any professional paint work will be very expensive.
I'd keep a look out for another chariot, I'm afraid.
John :)
 
OK. The insurance company has written it off. Repairs were valued at £2K. The ceiling for repairs was set at £890.

The insurance company has told her it is "cosmetically damaged" and put a Cat N marker on the vehicle and informed the DVLA.

My Mum has asked for the car to be retained/ returned. The insurance company has limited insurance to Third Party only until the car is issued with a new MOT. They say she is "legally required" to have a new MOT inspection to prove to the insurance company that the vehicle is still roadworthy. To me, this smacks of being a cheapskate. The insurance company, rather than inspect the vehicle themselves and declare it fit, want her to pay for a new MOT.Also, as far as I can ascertain, it is not a "legal" requirement at all, but is in the T's and c's of some ins co's, but not all do this.

However, this does not quite make sense as they have already looked at it from a repair point of view, so presumably know what needs doing to repair it and if they have concluded the damage is cosmetic only, the existing MOT should stand. Please note there are no crumpled, torn or sharp areas of bodywork, so the accident damage should not be an issue as far as the MOT is concerned.

Having said all of this, the ins co has got Mum by the short and curlies as she will not be fully comp until the new MOT is in place.

They have not formally agreed an amount that will be paid to my Mum, but have suggested a rough figure. My Mum is in dispute over the figures and her treatment by the ins co. Basically she has lost out through no fault of her own (it was a no-fault collision on her part), while the other driver, having a newer and more expensive car, has had repairs to the value of £5K and is soon to be on the road again.

Advice from her mechanic is that he could carry out the repairs for much less than the £2K estimated by the ins co's repair shop, but that it would not be worth doing. He advises bargaining for a better "valuation" from the insurance company and setting that against any future resale or trade-in value.
Could I ask your thoughts, please?
 
Sponsored Links
They need to pay her the cost of equivalent replacement. Does she really want the hassle of a bashed up car?
 
Take the money and buy a newer car. Car can't be worth £1000 so is it worth arguing over.
 
Same thing happened to me. Car smashed up by someone else, car was old and it was written off. Bought it back for pennies but had to go to a specialist garage somewhere in Tottenham to check that it was still roadworthy & to make sure the vin number was correct as well as it not being a cut up job for the insurance company. Kept the car with it's glorious dent for another year and bought a newer replacement in my own time rather than have the stress of panic buying so I could get a car for work.
 
What have they offered her, I would think it'd cost maybe £500-800 to replace assuming in reasonable nick.
 
She is still haggling with the ins.co. They have agreed the insurance is there to put her in the position she would have been before the crash, so she is waiting for a decision from them regarding a payout.

In the meantime, she has fallen in love with her hire car! A 1.4 TSI Golf Match Edition BMT, 125PS.

I have been looking round for one second hand, but am confused as I cannot find out what equipment is standard and what are options. Volkswagen customer services told me to ring a dealer and the dealer is not sure and suggested VCS....

Here's what I understand about the Golf Match Edition.

The Golf Match Edition replaced the Golf Match. As far as I can tell, all Golf Matches I can find are registered in 2015. Most of the petrol ones have a 1.4 TSI 122PS engine, in band D (123g/km).
Some are labelled as BMT S/S (Blue Motion Technologies, Stop/Start). Some Match (as opposed to the Match Edition) models have the newer 1.4 TSI, rated at 125 PS, in band C, which drops to £30 instead of £120. These engines have emissions of 120g/km.

Some Match models I found have a 125 PS engine but are still band D (123g/km), so it is very confusing.

As far as I can tell, all Golf Match Edition models I can find are from 2016 onwards.

My Mum finds certain aspects of her hire car appealing. She likes the seat height adjustment, folding mirrors and the Nav and parking tech. Her car has also heated seats (which she would like in the winter).

A dealer told me that the Match Edition is the same as the Match, apart from the lower emissions of the engine, and it has front parking sensors and Nav where the Match doesn't.

But I have found several Match Edition models without Nav or folding mirrors (or at least, their specs did not include them.
I also understand that some items of equipment (I know not which) only come fitted when the original purchaser specifies a "pack", of which I gather from the interwebby that there are three: Winter Pack, Convenience Pack and Mirror Pack.

Is there anyone out there who knows what the exact base spec. of a Golf Match Edition is?

VW can't!!!!

Cheers, guys.
 
I suspect the payout is minimal compared to the cost of a new car. 17 year old Golf, high mileage, poor condition. Not going to break 3 figures.
 
Have been doing some reading and have discovered that standard equipment on the Match Edition includes some gear normally included in the "packs" or individually as optional equipment.

Nav, folding mirrors with puddle lights, dimming RV mirror, auto headlights and wipers are included as standard in the Golf Match Edition spec.

The option worth getting, looking at VW forums, is the Winter Pack, with heated front seats and washer jets and seat height adjustment, but that may be standard, I don't know.
 
I see. I won't tell you (yet........) so you accuse me of being scared??
Very silly.

The insurance company said they are prepared to put her in the position (financially, anyway) that she was before her (no-fault) crash.
Before the crash, she had a vehicle that was not Cat N and which did not "need" an MOT, apart from not being extensively damaged.
For her to have an identical vehicle that is not Cat N, would cost more than £500.
Edit for addition.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Sponsored Links
Back
Top