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I Am Absolutely Gutted


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I will chip in with my experience too :(

sorry to hear about the accident ... not a nice thing to be faced with especially when you did nothing wrong.

2 years ago another car backed out and revered on a busy main road managed to hit me b-pillar and all the way back to the rear liht (I was still moving not stationary when that happened.) The car was my Ford Probe, which I had as a run around car at the time.

Since the car had a quarter panel damage that is when the costs go up ... and they will not repair it as it always goes to £1000s£ just because welding cutting is involved ... although the other driver admited fault at the point of accident later at their insurance said that it was not tjeir fault.

My trade insurance acted faultlesly and made them change their mind and in 2 months all around I had a pay off, but my car written off as CAT C. Mind you I was still driving the car in the mean time as it was fully drivable, it was only cosmetic damage.

Anyhow I was told the "common practice about buying the car back" has changed.

If the car is written off by the other party insurer they have not right to get the car from you as they never insured your car. So they pay you off and keep an amound from the pay off so you have the car.

If the car is written off by your insurance (where the car was insured on) it is a 95% of the cases that you will not be able to buy the car back from them as there is a clause in their terms and conditions that the car does not belong to you after the pay off. I hope this is not the case for you and things will be easy. But please check if you were planning to keep the car and claim, because the communication with the insurer will take for ages!

I was lucky by the fact that my insurer hired a 3rd party specialised dealing with my claim, it was all based in UK and all sorted very quickly and satisfactory, I was contacted always by them before I felt the need to contact them.

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I will chip in with my experience too :(

sorry to hear about the accident ... not a nice thing to be faced with especially when you did nothing wrong.

2 years ago another car backed out and revered on a busy main road managed to hit me b-pillar and all the way back to the rear liht (I was still moving not stationary when that happened.) The car was my Ford Probe, which I had as a run around car at the time.

Since the car had a quarter panel damage that is when the costs go up ... and they will not repair it as it always goes to £1000s£ just because welding cutting is involved ... although the other driver admited fault at the point of accident later at their insurance said that it was not tjeir fault.

My trade insurance acted faultlesly and made them change their mind and in 2 months all around I had a pay off, but my car written off as CAT C. Mind you I was still driving the car in the mean time as it was fully drivable, it was only cosmetic damage.

Anyhow I was told the "common practice about buying the car back" has changed.

If the car is written off by the other party insurer they have not right to get the car from you as they never insured your car. So they pay you off and keep an amound from the pay off so you have the car.

If the car is written off by your insurance (where the car was insured on) it is a 95% of the cases that you will not be able to buy the car back from them as there is a clause in their terms and conditions that the car does not belong to you after the pay off. I hope this is not the case for you and things will be easy. But please check if you were planning to keep the car and claim, because the communication with the insurer will take for ages!

I was lucky by the fact that my insurer hired a 3rd party specialised dealing with my claim, it was all based in UK and all sorted very quickly and satisfactory, I was contacted always by them before I felt the need to contact them

I think that is not strictly true about buying the car back. Before my insurance reviewed my second quote for the repairs. They advised me that the car would most probably be declared a write off and that I had the opportunity to buy the car back from the insurance company at scrap value (20%) of the cars normal value, for a car thats worth between 2-3k.

But just make sure you get in there quick, when my insurance took my car. The report came back a write off and they automatically arranged pick up of the car by a salvage company. You have got to get in there quick if you wish to keep the car otherwise it will be collected and never see it again. I have been very lucky to keep mine and collect it from the insurance approved garage.

Mine is booked in for repair tomorrow and should take 5 days for the repair to be done, replacing bonnet, bumper, slam panel and radiator. Fingers crossed the radiator is replaced with another 27mm core rad. Cant wait to get it back next week.

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Dean glad you got the car saved and not salvaged. :)

It all depends on the small print of the insurance so better before someone makes a claim have a look and avoid the risk of loosing a car they like to keep... assuming that it can be bought back. Best do some research to avoid many phonecalls afterwards :)

By the way I thought you never had the claim submitted with your insurance how on earth they arranged to pick up the car for salvage without it being a write off?

Cheers

Vasilis

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Dean glad you got the car saved and not salvaged. :)

It all depends on the small print of the insurance so better before someone makes a claim have a look and avoid the risk of loosing a car they like to keep... assuming that it can be bought back. Best do some research to avoid many phonecalls afterwards :)

By the way I thought you never had the claim submitted with your insurance how on earth they arranged to pick up the car for salvage without it being a write off?

Cheers

Vasilis

The accident was my fault mate, I didnt have the funds to repair my own car and pay for the other persons. So I had no choice but to go through my insurance.

I had to get two quotes in order to take my car to a third party garage. First quote I got was from a friend who owns a bodyshop, he came out and had a look at my car and drafted up a quote for me to send off to the insurance if needed. In the mean time, I did not know of any other bodyshops to look at my car so I didnt have a choice but for the insurance to come and pick up my car and take it away to their garge.

They assessed it and deemed it a write off. However in the mean time I wasnt happy with this as I knew that my car could easily be put back on the road. Just a few parts and again on the road. So I sent in the quote my friends bodyshop gave me and insurance accepted it and payed out, minus my excess. So it was down to me to remove my car from insurance approved garage. Called in another favour and another friend with a mechanical workshop / car sales and used the recovery truck to pick it up and store it until tonight when im taking it to be repaired.

So even though insurance companies garage say its a write off, its worth getting a second opinion. Insurance companies look at it as, it needs this and this. Brand new parts from main dealer. Rather than replacing parts from another vehicle. The insurance report from my car, they were replacing parts that did not need to be replaced and was mnot even broken/damaged such as headlights, fog lights, wheel arch liners, the bumper reinforcement bar (which I know is not bent as I have previously removed the bumper to have a look. 4 things need to be replaced. Bonnet, bumper, slam panel where horns bolt on - middle bar unbolts, and radiator) the grill i have got my original standard lexus grill rather than the sport which will do for the time being.

As soon as the garage had said to insurance company its a cat D write off, the insurance automatically took control and arranged for the car to be taken away (without me even knowing) its only because I had an email come through from insurance company stating they arranged collection that I then got straight on the phone to them and said I will pick the car up. Very naughty of the insurance company to do that without the legal owners consent. I would have thought the insurance would have given you the choice to ask what you as the owner want done with the car.

Sorry for the essay lol. And I do appologise to the person who's thread this was, do not want to hijack your thread.

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Dean I think that adds valuable knowledge though to the Thread's owner as it gives a full image of how most of the companies work, it is like a step by step guide :)

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Dean I think that adds valuable knowledge though to the Thread's owner as it gives a full image of how most of the companies work, it is like a step by step guide :)

lol I hope the guy involved in this thread does get his car repaired. I was gutted about my car and it was my own fault. I really feel for him as it wasnt his fault.

Tonight has been a pleasure to drive my car once again, had to deliver it to the body shop which is less than a mile from where i stored the car. I love driving it, even if it was looking a mess.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Shaking my head at the notion that it was the fault of the police for chasing a car being driven by a scumbag who had nicked it. You sure it wasn't the fault of the blonde woman with big boobs who the thief looked at as he entered the road, so losing concentration momentarily? Or the milkman who decided to do an early delivery and made the thief steer round him too fast? ****. No wonder this country is up the Swanee. Tell you what, maybe it was my fault for not being there and seeing the thief stealing the car and shouting 'Stop! thief' thereby deterring him. Sue me!

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1 Month on still doing battle with the insurance company. I promise will update you all in due time. Meanwhile I have built concrete off street parking for my cars now in the back garden, cost me an arm and a leg! So for now the IS300 is resting under a car cover *safely* away from the public street.

It was midnight when it happened down a quiet suburban street... nothing interesting to look at I am sure. If anyone so happened to be walking on the road, I am sure they would have been killed. But I am annoyed by the fact that the police sent me a standard letter to say this is a complex crime and it could take sometime to solve??!!! Eeek I do recall the suspect was taken handcuffed into the back of the police car. Probably complex because he was let off with a caution and some community service and now he is back on the crime spree.

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My Toyota Carina was hit up the back end many years ago and the Insurance Company wrote it off.

The fella from the Insurance Company then said that it would be a shame to write the car off as it was in such good condition before the smack, so, would I be happy if they used 2nd hand parts instead of new to repair it.

I said that as long as it looked as good as it did then yes go ahead.

They did and it was an absolutely brilliant job at a third of the price.

Might be worth mentioning that idea to your Insurance Company and body shop people and see what they say.

Good Luck

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Don't even mention the channel4 show, my insurance/car reg details/mobile no were sold on within 1 week of the insurance claim registered, I have been getting threatening regular every 2 weeks calls from a salvage yard claiming to be acting on behalf of my insurance company and asking if my car is ready to be towed away, and I repeat this every 2 weeks with the same caller ID. No need to repeat what I tell them.

I am still going through the insurance route and exploring different options, thanks everyone for the suggestions and concern. I promise when the car is fixed i will definitely update.

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  • 2 months later...

I did promise an update, finally after nearly 4 months off the road and battles with the insurance company, my IS300 is finally back on the road today ! Very happy indeed. In that time, we have build off street parking for the cars. So no more parking on the road. So a happy conclusion to this thread.

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am not sure the way the law works in UK but if the stolen car was being pursued by the Police then sure the Police could be held accountable for your cars damage and you dont have to tell your insurance company about this. I say this because regardless of if it was your fault or not your premuims will go up next time you insure your car so worth getting free advice from citizens advice with regards to where you Legally stand on this matter. you could argue if the police did not pursue this stolen car, your car would have been safe and the damage was caused by a police pursue chase. all though i did contract law in uni, i did not take things further with reagrds to law so wont be of any much help but you seem to have a legal case here against the police which i think you can claim for compensation/damages from the police force dept and could use that money to repair the car if no chasis damage has been done. thereby not writing it off and not telling your insurance company and saving your premiums going up which will be a win win for you but thats only if you have a legal case against the police on this matter. Good luck

This just about sums you up really :whistling: Unbeliveable.... Lets dissect shall we?

you could argue if the police did not pursue this stolen car, your car would have been safe

If the police didn't pursue stolen cars, then NO car would be safe - as it'd be free reign to steal any car, since there'd be no comeback for doing so

the damage was caused by a police pursue chase

No, the damage was caused by thieves who steal cars and think they can drive...

all though i did contract law in uni, i did not take things further with reagrds to law so wont be of any much help but you seem to have a legal case here

Contradiction

i think you can claim for compensation/damages from the police force dept

Again, herein lies the problem with this country. Everybody thinks they are entitled to something and can get it by claiming compensation or suing people.

________________________________________________

Stevlee - glad to see it's all fixed, I'd be gutted as you too. Friend of mine recently went through a very similar thing, except his car was hit, whilst parked, by a drunk driver. Fortunately, the car that was being driven was left at the side of the road, only a couple hundred yards away, after the driver had been arrested and detained by police. Because of that, my friend was able to claim for his car from the insurance of the drunk driver (luckily, the drunk's insurance paid out, even though his insurance was invalidated by him driving whilst drunk. Hefty fine for that man, and a ban for drink driving too no doubt)

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Thanks for the advise everyone, I wont be making claims against the police. I will pursue the route of Motor Insurance Bureau, although I would be over the moon just to get 1p per month from that criminal who crashed into me with an uninsured stolen car. I know my insurance will go up, I did a quote already, its around £110 per year more. I can afford it.... I am just over the moon getting the car back, although I am very luck since the crash missed the A pillar and the passenger door took the brunt of the hit instead. Drove it over 90 miles to bring it home today. The only thing is I notice the steering wheel on the motorway is slightly off center. During the repair it was taken to a tracking place to realign, they said nothing is bent underneath. Just wonder if anyone know if I see Tony at WIM can he fix this?

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Great stuff! I'm glad this story has a happy ending. Glad you got your beloved IS300 back. Another Lexus fights to get back on the streets ;-)

The workmanship of the repair work looks excellent. Did they replace both doors as well as the front fender?

Could you post some more pics of the car now that she is back to her former glory?

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Good you sorted it out in the end stevlee.

@matt

No point getting into a discussion with someone who has not read law in his life. So before you start ranting your usual BS i suggest you read some law books first. I have.

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Items replaced were front wing, wing mirror, mud guard, both doors, both alloys + new Goodyear F1 A2 tyres since both were punctured in the accident. The rear arch needed filler since only a small part was damaged. It was so luck the stolen car missed the A frame and also the rear quarter, otherwise it is a guarantee scrap.

This is the other picture I took of the car on the re-paired side after I picked it up.

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Good you sorted it out in the end stevlee.

@matt

No point getting into a discussion with someone who has not read law in his life. So before you start ranting your usual BS i suggest you read some law books first. I have.

Oh, really? Because you know my life do you? I suggest you get your facts right before suggesting you know what it is you're talking about.

Whether I have read law or not is by the by. The fact is, you think you, or someone else in this predicament, is entitled to compensation from the police for doing their job and enforcing law. At the very least, that is morally wrong. But you wouldn't know would you, as you've only read contract law, haven't you? I mean, you said it yourself here;

Quote

all though i did contract law in uni, i did not take things further with reagrds to law so wont be of any much help

So you cannot offer advice on this situation, as you are not educated to do so. So perhaps you should re-read what you write before casting aspersion on what others do or say....

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yes i know you have not read a law book in your life before. prove me wrong on this matt. can the public claim from the police dept or local council if they are deemed at fault? Yes. Three years ago my sister claimed damages from the Police/council due to them breaking her front door. they were looking to make an arrest and totally got the street name wrong on the arrest warranty and smashed her door in only to find out the street name they had was wrong now my sister has a home insurance which covers everything from fire to accidental damages and Item loss but I advised her not to claim from her insurance which she could have, but rather go to the police station make a statement and speak directly to one of the inpectors as to what has just taken place at her house. the inspector confirmed they were at fault, the police paid to have her and kids housed in a hotel for 2weeks with all meals paid for whilst her home was sealed off and they paid to have a new door and locks fitted after 2 weeks. I know your next post will say oh your sisters issue is different from that of stevlee's but what I am trying to drum into your head is, its not immoral to claim from the police if they happend to influence a situation which results in loss of life or loss/damage of pulic property. So dont think the police are immune from being held accountable. they are public servants at the end of the day and any thing they do should be in favour of protecting life and property and not the other way round becuse they wanted to catch the bad guy. Yes Iam not a qualified Lawyer by profession hence i suggested for Stevlee to speak to citezens advice or his local council for more information as to where he stands. And I am very well educated thank you.

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Hahaha, you said it:

your sisters issue is different from that of stevlee's

And you're quite correct - it is completely different. In fact the only qualifying link is that the police were involved. Other than that, it's apples and oranges.

As for thinking the police aren't immune from being held accountable - I fully agree. The police are only human beings, and as such they are liable to held accountable for their actions. However, this isn't pertinent to Steve's situation either - it wasn't the police that made the drivers of the stolen car hit Steves car; it was the car thieves. So the only person accountable for the damage to Steve's car, is the driver of the stolen car. Likewise, talking about actions that result in loss of life are entirely different to damage to property. I for one know, for fact - not speculation, like yourself - that the police WILL call off a vehicle chase if the risks to life and well being of the public's health, grow too high. And I commend them for doing so. A person being run over (by either a cop or a thief) isn't worth their life for a car. However, damage to another car, is very inconsequential. Not to mention the fact we all (or at least I assume we all) have insurance to cover events like this.

Let me ask you, if your car was stolen (and we all know just how much you love your car, so please, don't play it down), you would be happy for the police to NOT pursue the thieves, and let them get away? Because that's what will happen if people, en masse, take your advice, and sue the police when something like this happens. Do you understand what cause and effect is? Of course you do; you're well educated (you even said so yourself!). For ion there is an equal and opposite reaction; so when people start suing the police for damage that might have been inflicted on their car during a police chase, what do you think will happen? Well first of all, taxes will go up, as the police is not a business; it's tax payer funded. So taxes will increase to cover shortfalls in revenue and funding created by paying out for lawsuits. The second thing that will happen, is the police will stop chasing stolen cars. "Oh no they won't" I can hear you cry! Oh yes, they will. Why? Because it would be not only in the Police Commission's interest to not pursue the thieves (as in, should something happen to open them up to a lawsuit, what better way to avoid that than by avoiding the action that could lead to it; prevention rather than cure), but it will also be deemed to be in the public's (ie, the taxpayer) interest also, as they are the ones that foot the bill for the forthcoming lawsuit.

Now, I think I pay enough tax, and enough insurance, and I, along with others, would not like it to go up unnecessarily (of course it will go up, but let's not add fuel to the fire). And I for one, as I'm sure others will also, would like the police to pursue suspects and perpetrators if my car was stolen (and having had a car stolen, and recovered by the police, I actually think they do a damn fine job)

Oh, and please don't suggest for even one second you know me. Please present your "facts" relating to what I have or haven't read. Of course, you won't present any evidence, as you cannot; literally or physically. Instead you will ignore it, and bring up something else completely unrelated, as you invariably do everytime you are called out. And, until such time as you can present factual proof of my reading history, your statement is nothing more than speculation; which (as I think I've said before), means you are NOT educated to claim fact to.

Good day to you, sir ;)

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