My fathers mini campervan, a 2006 Suzuki Wagon R Wheelhome conversion with pop top, has been broken into. They shattered the sidelight window and put a screwdriver hole in the door. No other damage.

The car was dropped at the repairers on Thursday, he received a text (!) yesterday saying it was to be written off and offering £850.

He called insurers and refused valuation (as it was based on a car, not camper). The insurers would not budge, so he asked for car back to repair privately. The insurers cannot confirm the location of the car – it may have been shipped off for scrapping already (!). They were due to call back this morning at 9am to confirm…

I have a rather stressed 77 year old father, who has had continual heart episodes for the past 8 months…

It seems utterly bonkers they can have shipped it off for scrapping – without V5, without permission, and full of my fathers personal effects and camping gear….

How also do you go about proving value when there are none for sale at the moment? I just went on eBay and looked at past sales…

What sort of policy is it on? Specialist or standard car-type policy? Is it insured for a specific value?

They can’t basically!
He has to accept an offer, etc.
He also must be allowed access to remove possessions at an agreed time/location.

Policy is ‘standard’ car policy. Insured for £4500.

They can’t basically!

You and me both – but as I said I have overly polite and stressed father who is unable to get an answer. He will get there, and I suspect it is hidden at the back of the yard, but…

The car was dropped at the repairers on Thursday…

….and, if it was me, the repairers would be getting a personal visit today to establish it’s current location.

WTF. They can’t scrap it. That would be theft!

and, if it was me, the repairers would be getting a personal visit today to establish it’s current location.

I am trying to work out if brother in law can take my father over at the end of his shift today. In his police uniform still… 😉

matt_outandabout – Member
Policy is ‘standard’ car policy. Insured for £4500.

Did the insurers insure it as a modified campervan or as the equivalent car? Was the value an agreed value or just what was entered onto the insurance quote? (As in you can insure your car for any value but you’ll still only get ‘market value’ bac.)

Which insurer btw?

Was it declared as a conversion on the policy or just insured as a Suzuki Wagon R ?

If the modifications weren’t declared, then they will only pay out for the value of the standard car, regardless of what value was stated by the insured when they took out the policy.

Having said that, they can’t scrap it without agreement and acceptance of an offer. So if he wants it back, it’s his to take. Once they locate it anyway.

Fingers crossed you get it back. Will it still be insured to drive it back? Should be until the payment has been made.

Make sure you get a complaint into the ombudsman as this is ridiculous.

Which reminds me I need to call Admiral Law and speak to a manager about the utterly useless person who has been dealing with my case for 2 years now and has not done a single thing.

matt_outandabout – Member

Policy is ‘standard’ car policy. Insured for £4500.

Be careful using that figure. Often the figure you put in has no real affect as it’s actually only covered to ‘martket value’. Time to trawl through the policy documents. If it is indeed insured for an agreed value then obviously they can jog on with the current settlement – again this agreement will be in the documents.

The fact it’s a conversion using a standard car policy (were the mods all stated and cover agreed?) doesn’t bode well though – even my car’s exhaust isn’t covered as it’s non-standard.

No idea what’s going on with the actual scrappage bit though!

If the modifications weren’t declared, then they will only pay out for the value of the standard car, regardless of what value was stated by the insured when they took out the policy.

As above, even if the mods are stated they aren’t necessarily covered.

Did the insurers insure it as a modified campervan or as the equivalent car?

It is a from new campervan, not a conversion. Wheelhome have their vans ‘Type Approved’ (I am at limit of what I know on that). It states it is campervan on the policy.

Edit: ‘Single Vehicle Approval Scheme’ from new.

http://www.wheelhome.info/vikestian

If there are modifications on the ‘car’ that the insurers haven’t specifically covered then your pop is on shaky ground. He’ll be lucky to get a payout at all.

That said, the insurers seem to be going down the road of paying, so the fact they think they can make it disappear with his chattels inside is very bizarre.

Time to get them on speakerphone and interject when it gets too silly. And, as above, visit the repairer and get the full story from them. If they have disposed of it on the insurers say-so you need that in writing for the visit to the onbudsman

As said above, it is not dodgy conversion, is all notified as campervan on V5 and insurance.

The repairers have “valued” it, not insurers it seems. The insurer is Equity Red Star via Caravan and Camping Club member insurance. Repairers are Arnold Clark.

Priority is finding the thing today…

Financial Ombudsman advice on valuations of vehicles for insurance purposes is your friend. Have a Google for that. They haven’t got a leg to stand on offering £850.

I’d be telling them they are taking the piss so much you’re not interested in any further “negotiations” on the payout and you want to refer straight to the Ombudsman.

Here you go:
http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/motor-valuation.html#2

Specifically:
“In most cases, we assess the market value as the retail price which the consumer would have had to pay for a comparable vehicle at a reputable dealer, immediately before the date of the damage or theft.”

Don’t let them fob you off with either private ads or different spec.

Repairers are Arnold Clark.

Oh. Probably won’t be able to find their own asses with a flashlight, let alone a customer’s van.

Repairers are Arnold Clark.

Priority is finding the thing today…

Oooft! Made a bad situation a thousand times worse by adding Arnold into the mix. Best of luck.

Just ring up the insurers and tell them he’s not going to claim for the damage, and get the car back.

Then take it somewhere local for a quote/fix to be paid privately.

Arnold Clark don’t have that many accident repair centres though, so that narrows it down quite a lot.

Worth a call to the insurer to make sure they don’t think they are just valuing a standard Wagon R, not having (or caring about) that extra knowledge could be making quite a difference. Unofortunately having seen Arnold Clarks repair pricing, there’s still a good chance it’s a write-off.

b r – Member

Just ring up the insurers and tell them he’s not going to claim for the damage, and get the car back.

Then take it somewhere local for a quote/fix to be paid privately.

This is likely the winning option

My mates car was stolen by the insurance company, it took a long time to get it sorted out but when it finally did he made a lot of money on it. If you don’t get on with the call center drop a recorded delivery letter to the CEO pointing out he is personally responsible for the theft of the vehicle.

I had a similar issue, it will end up at a Copart auction site. In any case they had to deliver the vehicle back to me

I reckon someone at Arnold Clark wants a nice camper conversion on his/her drive.

It’s NOT their property its yours. Play merry hell with them. Ask for it back. You don’t have to accept first offer or any. Threaten you’ll go to the insurance ombudsmen and ask for it back asap. If they say its already been scrapped, ask for this in writing with confirmation of scrap/DVLA.

As for Arnold Clark. I imagine Google has a few hits.

I reckon someone at Arnold Clark wants a nice camper conversion on his/her drive.

This +1. If the repair is limited to a door quarter light and the door, a self fitted recycled door would be my preferred route.

There’s a good repair place in Kennet who I am sure would be able to help once you have it back.

matt_outandabout – Member

Repairers are Arnold Clark

Aren’t these lot the Dave Hinde of the car world?!

Good Luck OP!

Can we have some pics once this is resolved! I am very intrigues to see a camper van based on a Wagon R! Sounds great!

any news OP?

Car is safely back at my dads. A visit from him and my brother in law in his coppers uniform = car being delivered to his house within a couple of hours, nicely valeted as well it seems…

Argument with insurance will resume tomorrow…

Result! Bloody Shysters….

I should add – repairers claim insurers had not asked for vehicle to be returned, insurers claim repairers didn’t reply to calls/email….

but its AC! never believe a word AC say

Guy at work had his car nicked, but coppers found it the next day. He went to see it I the police compound and there was nothing wrong with it, aside from needing a new set of locks (thieves had robbed house to get keys).

Repair quote was £18500, which not surprisingly was the write off value for the insurance co. He told em where to go and actually got them to just replace the locks rather than bring it back to showroom quality.

Don’t think it went well for the garage once the loss adjuster had been to see it.

insurers claim repairers didn’t reply to calls/email….

Well, that has a ring of truth…

Arnold Clark once told me I needed to change the gas in my aircon, as it gets full of bacteria.

No relevance to the OP, I just thought I’d add it for colour.

Once the lock is fixed you might not need a new door, you can just put one of those armaplate things over it to cover the damage, also gives a tiny bit of a deterrent to the next opportunist with a screwdriver in their pocket.