Insurance -- does it have to be a write off?

[RG]

Originally Posted by Sorted

My Choice of Repairer is different to what you call Choice of Repair

Choice of Repairer is in fact that - you have Choice of "ANY" Repairer you want to use

Not Choice of Repairer with conditions as long as its in our Authorised Repair Network - that is misleading

My definition of choice is the same as what you'll find in a dictionary, the ability to choose between multiple items.

To 99% of the population this is more than good enough, to the other 1% (myself included) there is Shannons etc.

Before this goes any further I will point out that it is rather pointless all this speculation, as I said earlier, as there has been no pics of said damage. We don't even know what model it is we are talking about, he says 98 Fairmont and that could be either an AU or an EL. Another thing that will affect market value therefore affecting the point at which damage is deemed a financial write off.

Facts first, opinion later.

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by RG

Facts first, opinion later.

Since when has that been the rule??

[GT0132]

Originally Posted by RG

I love all the expert opinions.

I would of thought it quite hard to give anywhere near an accurate opinion at all considering that the only info given is that there is damage to a door. Not even a photo, for all any of the so called "experts" here giving away free advice know the damage could be quite substantial.

I had scrape in my BA GT 2 years ago LH rear door and dog leg - not being careful pulling out of my apartment car space and scrapped a concrete pillar.

What looked like an easy repair to me (a panelbeating novice) ended up being quoted from repairers at $2,200 and the car was away for a week.

Now assuming your car is an AU (could be an EL) it would be worth around $8 grand. That being the case I'd suggest the insurance companies desire to write off is probably the sensible thing to do gicbveb that if repairs are 3 grand that is a fair % of the vehicles worth.

The issue you'd have is whether they pay you fair value for it. This is why I will always comprehensively insure as at least you have a predetermined value if someone does hit you and it is a write off.

[Eleanor]

Originally Posted by Sorted

LTDHO we request assessors reports all the time, can't see you reason as how it can not be useful? If the assessors report is the reason why the car is a write off then the client is entitled to see that.

Its not the insurer's car, its the client's car - many people who work in insurance don't seem to know the difference.

Also many insurers are in the habit of not giving a copy of the repair invoice to the insured so they actually know whats been repaired on the car - this again is an act of an insurer not knowing who's car it is.

We have had many cars that have been deemed write offs by insurers over these Hail Claims and even though the assessor has deemed them a write off we have had the cars repaired and back on the road as requested by our clients.

We find that the quote as supplied by the preferred repairer is too high which pushes the vehicle into the write off category.

Client obtains a cheaper quote for repairs and therefore balance sways back that the car is more ecominical to repair than write off

Win for the insurance company and win for the client.

We work on behalf of the client and not that of the or agent of the insurer like you do so we have a different way of thinking..............................

I wish this had of been the case for me when my EL Ghia was written off a few weeks ago.

I had even sourced another body with all necessary spare parts that I was going to give to the repairer. This would have knocked about $1800 of the repair quote but Suncorp still wanted to write the car off.

I insisted I wanted the car repaired but they insisted that it was now theirs and it was going to be written off. I took my complaint as high up the chain as I could get but I was still fobbed off by some arrogant department manager.

Now I am still trying to track the car through the auctions so I can buy it back.

[Yaw]

Originally Posted by Sorted

Also watch out for rogue insurers like Racv, Gio, Aami and the like that if they write your vehicle off they keep the balance of the registration that maybe you just paid? - not 100 % sure if the all do that be I will assume.

Ahh that would be EVERY insurer because legally the rego goes with the car.
When you sell a car the balance of the rego goes with the car. (which is essentially what happens when a car is written off, you get fair market value)

You really are putting a lot of misleading info out there mate.

Originally Posted by Sorted

Alot of smash repairers are flexible in price and quote higher if an insurer is involved as they know the assessor will reduce the quote. This is the reason they ask of it's a cash job or through an insurer.

So how much is this quote for this minor damage?

No once again this info is incorrect. The differnce is usually a cheap job compared to a complete job that can be relied upon. If the job is cheaper, its because corners are being cut not prices.
Kind of like the differnce between a cubic zirconia and a diamond.

[Yaw]

Originally Posted by Sorted

You have your view on them and i have my view.........and many repairers have the same view as myself - no choice of repairer pffft

Guess that would be on the Assessors report? and there would be one of these around if GIO are writing off the vehicle.......

AAMI have a "repair center" you take your car to their "repair center" they get 5 or so of their authorised repairers to go to this "repair center" and quote on the car - then AAMI select the cheapest out of thier 5 to repair the car - the insured's car that has the damage does not get to see the quote so they dont know how much the repair costs are

If GIO have done similar for dinlochavo he would have no idea what they have quoted for repairs therefore if he has a copy of the assessors report this would not only have the repair costs and other information on there which is the reason why GIO want to write the car off.

Anyway going around in circles as we have no dollar value

Cost of Repairs =
Write off Value Offered by GIO =
Will GIO keep the balance of the Reg?

You can really see the attitude of those that work for an insurer here lol

You can really see the sort of "sorted" information you are peddling.

This is copied and pasted from the AAMI PDS page 22.
The repair
We choose the repairer and arrange the repair for you. To do this, we
ordinarily obtain two independent, competitive quotations from repairers we
recommend. If you want, you can choose a repairer to provide one of the
quotes.
Once our assessor has reviewed the quotations and what is necessary to
properly repair your car, we select the repairer:
who submitted the more competitive and complete quote, and
this is the repairer who then repairs your car.
We keep you informed of the progress of the repair and advise you when your
car is ready for collection.

As you can plainly see above, it is not what you state.

For anyone that wants to check on how thier insurer works, Simply download and read the PDS from that insurers web site.

[Sorted]

Originally Posted by Yaw

Ahh that would be EVERY insurer because legally the rego goes with the car.
When you sell a car the balance of the rego goes with the car. (which is essentially what happens when a car is written off, you get fair market value)

You really are putting a lot of misleading info out there mate.

Who is misleading now - i know for FACT that Allianz rebate the balance of the registration to the owner on write offs - this is not taken into account for the market vlaue of the car

Originally Posted by Yaw

No once again this info is incorrect. The differnce is usually a cheap job compared to a complete job that can be relied upon. If the job is cheaper, its because corners are being cut not prices.
Kind of like the differnce between a cubic zirconia and a diamond.

Again the information i give is FACT - its the different between recommended retail price and a discount - same job discounted price - even same repairer in some instances - the insurer's Assessors will even agreed on the Cheaper Price and Gaurantee the Work as per their policy guidelines

[Yaw]

Originally Posted by Sorted

Who is misleading now - i know for FACT that Allianz rebate the balance of the registration to the owner on write offs - this is not taken into account for the market vlaue of the car

I can tell you for FACT, this is not the case, as when I have to settle an Allianz Total Loss, I always ask for the rego refund in part of thier proof of loss. And they supply it to me. This therfore shows that Allianz do in fact also do this. as further proof, here is a copy and paste of the Allianz PDS regarding the subject. page 45.
(rego refund is part of salvage)

11. Salvage of your vehicle when it is a total loss
If your vehicle is a total loss and we have agreed to pay
the market value or agreed value for your vehicle:
• the wreckage of your vehicle will become our
property, and
• we will keep the proceeds of any salvage sale.

Originally Posted by Sorted

Again the information i give is FACT - its the different between recommended retail price and a discount - same job discounted price - even same repairer in some instances - the insurer's Assessors will even agreed on the Cheaper Price and Gaurantee the Work as per their policy guidelines

Again.....no, this is simply not the case.
I have personally seen lots of examples where a cheaper quote has been rejected because it is NOT a complete job. Most insurers offer a life time warranty on repair work they authorise. A few dollars saved at assessment aint worth having to redo the job later.


EDIT,
Sorted, I think we have have hijacked this thread enough, for the sake of the poster and not wanting the thread closed I will leave my comments at that.

[Sorted]

You have very different dealings with insurers than I do in my trade, then again i work for the client not for the insurer, i think outside the square and get results to benefit the client not the insurer.

Yep just leave it at that

[foxtrot3]

Hi considering the replacment of an el would be about $2000+ or an au $6000+ on just a quick look on ebay and its not your insurance company ask for a payout on what it would cost to replace not on the book value then ask if they will repair it. Cheers MD

[OLDFORDNUT]

when they payout on an unenomical to repair claim they put it straight on the write off register even if you buy back salvage rites which means you cant get it repaired and back on road as its not a repairable write off its a stat write off, i have just this last month done this thinking i will repair it myself and was in the process of getting a new guard and headlight when last week i got a letter from QLD transport dept telling me it can not be driven on the road again.

[brendo83]

Originally Posted by OLDFORDNUT

when they payout on an unenomical to repair claim they put it straight on the write off register even if you buy back salvage rites which means you cant get it repaired and back on road as its not a repairable write off its a stat write off, i have just this last month done this thinking i will repair it myself and was in the process of getting a new guard and headlight when last week i got a letter from QLD transport dept telling me it can not be driven on the road again.

Insurance companies will not automatically make a car a statutory write-off, If they did there would be no such thing as a repairable write-off.
If you thought your car was repairable you should say something to your insurance company, perhaps they made a mistake.

[au adam]

Originally Posted by LTDHO

Yeah real good idea [/sarcasm]

Bout as good as you comment eh?

[The G6ET Spot]

The easiest way would be to take the car to a repairer of your choice and IF they are able to repair it for less than the write off costs.

Then present that to the insurance company. the if you are still unhappy, remember the insurance company is acting on behalf of the other party NOT you and have no hold over you at all.

If the car is repairable and the insurance company still wants to write it off, get the quote and put a civil claim on the other party through the local court.

[MAV50L]

My 4x4 was involved in a not at fault accident in NSW last year.
I claimed throughthe person at faults insurance as the OP has done. It was Allianz.
The vehicle was deemed a total loss so I recevied my payout which was market value-salvage value.
I kept the vehicle and it WAS NOT listed as a repairable write off.
I was told by the insurance company that they couldnt list it as it was only financialy a total loss and as I wasnt insured with them they had no claim to the vehilce to list it.
So I took my $5k , bought a new front end for it and repaired it myself in my driveway and all is cool. Nothing has been listed , the vehicle is still registered and in my hands.
Before anyone has a dig about me seeling a written off vehicle on the sly later on , it wont be happening as I will be buried in my truck.

[au adam]

Originally Posted by MAV50L

My 4x4 was involved in a not at fault accident in NSW last year.
I claimed throughthe person at faults insurance as the OP has done. It was Allianz.
The vehicle was deemed a total loss so I recevied my payout which was market value-salvage value.
I kept the vehicle and it WAS NOT listed as a repairable write off.
I was told by the insurance company that they couldnt list it as it was only financialy a total loss and as I wasnt insured with them they had no claim to the vehilce to list it.
So I took my $5k , bought a new front end for it and repaired it myself in my driveway and all is cool. Nothing has been listed , the vehicle is still registered and in my hands.
Before anyone has a dig about me seeling a written off vehicle on the sly later on , it wont be happening as I will be buried in my truck.

Same thing happed to me a few years ago although i got paid out and then sold the car to my panel beater.