Car is insurance write off - they want hire car back - Chat Forum

Re: Car is insurance write off - they want hire car back

Flaperon — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 09:35:34 +0000

Have a read through your policy document. I pay an extra £20/year for a guaranteed hire car in the event mine is stolen or written off.

Re: Car is insurance write off - they want hire car back

andyl — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 09:05:12 +0000

If the hire car was from a separate company arranged by your insurance company (or a company they appoint) then you should be keeping the car until you have received the payment cheque (and you normally get a couple of days for the cheque to clear/find a new car etc).

If it's from the garage the car is at then as soon as they deem the car a total loss their job is done.

If you want the car back act quickly. I knew ours was a write-of so wouldn't let them take it to the garage and got them to come out and inspect at our house. Car would not run and has a bent shell.

When the insurance company write the car off the policy on that car ends. Your policy is then put on hold and you can switch the cover to a new car (paying any additional costs). If the car is safe and drivable and roadworthy then you may well be able to reinsure it (paying any additional costs). If it is cat C then it may need a VIC check but that is not a worry until the tax is about to expire IIRC. You may want to get a new MOT to check for anything dangerous.

Re: Car is insurance write off - they want hire car back

dude — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 08:44:17 +0000

I have had a car written off for a small crack in the bumper and a bent tailpipe on the exhaust. Got car back, bit of fibreglass and a new backbox and the car is still going round today, 7 years later. So it might still be road worthy, just the cost of a new bumper, repairing a dent in the rear quarter, or any number of cosmetic reasons why they have written it off.

Re: Car is insurance write off - they want hire car back

cynic-al — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 08:40:13 +0000

Blimey do people ignore even the OP these days?

Re: Car is insurance write off - they want hire car back

niksnr — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 08:32:25 +0000

If the car is not road worthy then not only is your insurance invalid but your are also committing an offence. If you happen to be involved in another accident (your fault or not) expect the strong arm of the law (both crown and civil) to come down on you hard. I know the garage would want they're courtesy car back. Is it not possible for your wife to contact insurance company on your behalf? They usually don't mind if they have permission of policyholder. An insurance company's obligation is to put you in same situation you were in before the incident happened. Whether that is through financial compensation or sourcing a new vehicle, the choice is theirs. Explain once the car goes back they have not satisfied neither.

Re: Car is insurance write off - they want hire car back

br — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 07:46:28 +0000

Hmmmm.... what car for shopping/child/MTB duties that's a bit out of the ordinary? Thinking a Volvo 850 T5...

You'll be lucky to find a decent one, they ended production nearly 20 years ago.

Re: Car is insurance write off - they want hire car back

IanW — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 07:25:50 +0000

Hire car provided as a add on benefit regardless of fault = fixed time 14/21 days
Courtesy car provided by repairing garage = for the duration of repairs, no repairs , no car.
Hire car provided by at fault third party = until you have been paid or your car is fixed.

Depends which of the above is providing your temporary car.

Re: Car is insurance write off - they want hire car back

bigblackshed — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 00:02:23 +0000

OX.

YGM.

Re: Car is insurance write off - they want hire car back

user-removed — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 23:24:58 +0000

Glad you got sorted for transport Ox.

My car got written off last year - fortunately it happened in front of a p. olice car so there wfind no shenanigans.It was declared a total loss by an independent assessor and I got a hire car for three weeks which initially feels like plenty time to find a replacement but I still ended up buying a car on the last day of the free three weeks!

Re: Car is insurance write off - they want hire car back

dave_rudabar — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 23:22:31 +0000

DOn't bother with the 850 T5, get the 850 R and pretend you're a police motorway patrol from the 90s :D