2007-10-30 10:34:59 · 20 answers · asked by Mel 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Insurance & Registration
Yes , but if it costs more to repair than its market value , you will have to pay the rest.
Direct Line did this to me, but they gave me the money and then sold me the car for one pound.
I repaired the car myself and saved the labour costs and made some money out of it.
2007-10-30 10:56:22 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
It depends on what Category write off it is, if it is either A or B you cannot do anything because these are vehicles that are now deemed illegal to go on the road due to the extent of the damage. Some insurers will allow a repair on a Cat C but not all of them so you would need to talk to the engineer that inspected your car. If it is a Cat D this is known as an economic write off and basically just means that the repairs come to a higher value than the vehicle itself and you can be given the option to buy the "salvage" of the vehicle and then repair it yourself. You have every right to get your car independently inspected however be prepared to cover the cost of this yourself. Insurers will rarely write a car off for the sake of it so if your insurers are telling you it can't go back on the road then they are very likely telling the truth.
2007-10-30 10:49:44 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nope.
The law mandates (in most states) that if the repairs to the vehicle equal or exceed 75% of the cars actual cash value then the insurance company has to total loss the vehicle.
Sometimes the insurance company will sell the salvage back to you or settle with you for less than 75% and give you the car. Then you do what ever you want to with it. If the cost to repair exceeds the money the insurance company gave you - then you have to pay the rest out of pocket.
2007-10-30 14:37:03 · answer #3 · answered by Boots 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sadly, you basically assign all rights to the insurance company in that regard, you can have an independent party evaluate the damages, and if the repair figure obtained is the same or less than what the insurance is willing to pay out you have gained nothing, except the costs YOU have to pay for the independent estimate. 'Fair Market Value' is what the courts look at, and if the vehicle costs more than that sum to fix, you are out of luck.
The only exception might be in the case of a rare and collectible vehicle that for whatever reason MIGHT bring an extremely high price at sale once restored... highly unlikely in 99.9% of cases.
2007-10-31 22:18:33 · answer #4 · answered by Blitzpup 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the reason the car is being classed as a write off is that it costs more than about 70% of the value of the car
you can not demand a repair but you can buy it back at an agreed value get it repaired your self then get an engineers report along with a new mot and you will be able to tax and drive it
2007-11-03 06:40:13 · answer #5 · answered by Chris T 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can demand till the sun freezes but once the repair costs exceed the value of the car, or a set percentage of that value, then it's game over. The insurance company has no choice but to comply with state law. Besides, it isn't reasonable to expect them to pay more for repairs than the car is worth -- YOU wouldn't do it.
2007-10-30 13:36:24 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No - if you read your insurance policy it will advise you on this. There is probably a section under "Damage to your car" which states that the company may either "Repair/ replace your car OR pay you an amount of cash". As it is the insurer's choice you cannot insist on which they do.
You should also note that you should be able to get a good deal on a new car as you have no part-ex to worry about.
2007-10-31 04:26:45 · answer #7 · answered by welcome news 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. If the damage to your vehicle is more than the value your vehicle will be deemed a total loss. Insurance companies base that on the fair market value of your vehicle in your are. Also, they only pay you Actual cash value for your vehicle as well. You can ask to retain salvage and if you feel that you can repair it and want to invest the additional money that is not owed to you by the insurance that is your choice. Your insurance company will have to report it to the DMV to advise them your vehicle was salvaged and you will have a salvaged title.
2007-10-30 11:36:38 · answer #8 · answered by g-girl 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No you are not. If they wish to write it off then they feel/know repairing it is more than it is worth. You can tell them to total it out and you wish to keep the car. They will then deduct whatever from your settlement and you can use it to repair the car as you see fit. Usually tho, with a salvage title, it has to pass a very rigorous inspection to make sure it is road worthy and before you can license it. I wouldn't want to ride with you in a car like that or drive next to you.
2007-10-30 10:45:29 · answer #9 · answered by boxersdodrool 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You can ask for a reassessment of the cost of repairs versus the actual cash value of the car. You can ask that another estimator look at your vehicle to see if the cost to repair can be defrayed enough to allow repair. You cannot demand they repair a vehicle no matter what the cost. Of course certain structural damage cannot be repaired safely, meaning the vehicle could never be certified road worthy again.
2007-10-30 12:24:57 · answer #10 · answered by Fred C 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I bought back my car after my daughter had wrecked it. I got it repaired. Got an independant engineer to inspect and pass it as roadworthy and reinsured it with the same company. i also bought a very good pair of shoes. My wife wrote it off in an accident the next year. It was not her fault and thanfully no one was hurt in either accident. In honesty I do not think it was actually worth the trouble
2007-10-30 10:48:30 · answer #11 · answered by Scouse 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋