Hi,
I have a 1985 e30, 323i, 72Kmiles in mint condition, correction this morning it was. A neighbour has managed to reverse into my drivers door so hard that the panel is bent around some bar in the door just above the running strip. this is not going to pop out or pull out. I'll be gutted if anotherwise perfectly awesome car is written off by the insurers.
What is anybodies experience of making insurance claims on e30s?
I really want to claim as people driving into stuff, hard, whilst parking makes me worry about their skills and would like to hit them in their wallets. This sentiment is compounded by my missus yaris having it's bumper cracked within the last week and witnessing an elderly person trying to park. well she/he stoved in her NS rear door on the front of the 4x4, then reversed out into a Lorry, then fled the scene!
If the insurers decide to write it off, I can in theory buy it off them and fix it myself? I see new doors would cost around $580 off realoem.com so call it £400 in the Uk then paint it up.
Cheers for any insight.
Fitting a scrapie/new door?
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daimlerman
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Secondhand door for £20,may even get lucky and find one the same colour,half an hour to fit and bill the other driver!
Youth is wasted on the young.
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Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member
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UK insurers will definitely write off the car, but just hang on to it if you do go down the insurance route. They won't be chasing after it to get you to pay.
It's not in your neighbours interest to have an insurance claim made against him, so try to get a decent cash offer, and actual payment, out of him.
It's not in your neighbours interest to have an insurance claim made against him, so try to get a decent cash offer, and actual payment, out of him.
I'm not likely to be selling it on any time soon. but good point.
going down the write off route looks pretty un-attractive and could drag on and on. So I hope to be able to do a cash settlement. the old girl lives in a house>£500K so hopefully will be able to stump up. Her note eludes towards a non-insurance route. annoyingly it is me that is going to have to bugger about sorting out the problem that she caused.
I found a naked door, how tricky is it to transfer across all the door internals. the lock is currently very stiff so i'm a bit worried that something has been crushed inside too.
Anyone know of a good bodyshop in north essex?
cheers
going down the write off route looks pretty un-attractive and could drag on and on. So I hope to be able to do a cash settlement. the old girl lives in a house>£500K so hopefully will be able to stump up. Her note eludes towards a non-insurance route. annoyingly it is me that is going to have to bugger about sorting out the problem that she caused.
I found a naked door, how tricky is it to transfer across all the door internals. the lock is currently very stiff so i'm a bit worried that something has been crushed inside too.
Anyone know of a good bodyshop in north essex?
cheers
I think there is a difference between writing the car off through excessive accident damage and the insurance company deeming it 'beyond economical repair' The latter usually coming into play when the book value of the car is fairly low due to the car's age etc. I would imagine this would be the case with yours?
This might make a difference in relation to the insurance record, but I could be completely wrong...
This might make a difference in relation to the insurance record, but I could be completely wrong...
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Banjo1981
- E30 Zone Regular
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- Location: Birminghamy goodness.
If it get's written off for that it'll more than likely be a Cat D or C, these are both repairable but the car will still be logged on MIAFTR (Motor Insurers Anti Fraud & Theft Register) as a write off. Given the damage it would be possible to as we term it "retain the salvage" the price of which will be deducted from the settlement.
Basically it works like this:
D = Repairable: Repairs are approx 60% (varies from insurer to insurer) of the vehicle value
C = Repairable: Repairs are more than the value of the vehicle
B = Break: Major damage, not repairable but can be used for spares
A = Cube: Fooked. To be smashed into a cube never to see the light of day.
Cat D&C can be retained but Cat C will have to go through a VIC check I believe
Cat B generally can't be retained by Joe Public
Cat A cubed
Repair costing is usually worked out on a system called Audatex (i think that's it) which uses standardised repair times. Insurers tend not to take into account things like 2nd hand parts unless you get a resonable engineer.
You're defo looking at a D or C, it just depends on how much hassle you want as to which route you go. Generally we try to settle claims like this ASAP as they're fairly easy.
Hope this helps.
Ant
Basically it works like this:
D = Repairable: Repairs are approx 60% (varies from insurer to insurer) of the vehicle value
C = Repairable: Repairs are more than the value of the vehicle
B = Break: Major damage, not repairable but can be used for spares
A = Cube: Fooked. To be smashed into a cube never to see the light of day.
Cat D&C can be retained but Cat C will have to go through a VIC check I believe
Cat B generally can't be retained by Joe Public
Cat A cubed
Repair costing is usually worked out on a system called Audatex (i think that's it) which uses standardised repair times. Insurers tend not to take into account things like 2nd hand parts unless you get a resonable engineer.
You're defo looking at a D or C, it just depends on how much hassle you want as to which route you go. Generally we try to settle claims like this ASAP as they're fairly easy.
Hope this helps.
Ant
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daimlerman
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Door internals are straightforward,if fiddly to transfer. I would remove the door card,lookout for the screw cunningly hidden behind the mirror switch!,peel off the plastic sheet and then you can see what you are doing.Only ordinary hand tools are needed,nothing special.Do not disturb the hinge bolts,remove the pins instead.The door will not fall off,it will need lifting off the lower hinge. The entire job should take no more than an hour or two.djezd wrote:I'm not likely to be selling it on any time soon. but good point.
going down the write off route looks pretty un-attractive and could drag on and on. So I hope to be able to do a cash settlement. the old girl lives in a house>£500K so hopefully will be able to stump up. Her note eludes towards a non-insurance route. annoyingly it is me that is going to have to bugger about sorting out the problem that she caused.
I found a naked door, how tricky is it to transfer across all the door internals. the lock is currently very stiff so i'm a bit worried that something has been crushed inside too.
Anyone know of a good bodyshop in north essex?
cheers
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E30BeemerLad
- Married to the E30 Zone
- Posts: 16806
- Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2005 11:00 pm
- Location: Norfolk
You are better off trying to sort something out with the old girl.
So that things go a bit smoother, it is worth getting a sensible estimate from a bodyshop for the fitting and spraying of a second hand door (with you supplying the door). That way you have something concrete to go back to her with and it will avoid guestimating you need £200 from her and then the situation turning sour a few weeks later when you go back asking for more.
When going to the bodyshop, tell them you are not interested in getting referred out for a credit hire vehicle etc as that will ultimately end up involving her insurers. Just tell the bodyshop you want a proper quote which will be accurate and not subject to silly inflation later on and tell them it is a private cash job and you should get a sensible quote.
As said by one of the posters above, if the insurers get involved it will end up on MIAFTR and will affect any future resale, plus you will also end up in a lenghty squabble to get a decent "market value" for the car out of them before they deduct the salvage value.
Keep us posted on what happens
So that things go a bit smoother, it is worth getting a sensible estimate from a bodyshop for the fitting and spraying of a second hand door (with you supplying the door). That way you have something concrete to go back to her with and it will avoid guestimating you need £200 from her and then the situation turning sour a few weeks later when you go back asking for more.
When going to the bodyshop, tell them you are not interested in getting referred out for a credit hire vehicle etc as that will ultimately end up involving her insurers. Just tell the bodyshop you want a proper quote which will be accurate and not subject to silly inflation later on and tell them it is a private cash job and you should get a sensible quote.
As said by one of the posters above, if the insurers get involved it will end up on MIAFTR and will affect any future resale, plus you will also end up in a lenghty squabble to get a decent "market value" for the car out of them before they deduct the salvage value.
Keep us posted on what happens
She only seemed interested in going down the insurance route. it was her first claim ever, and rightly thought i've forked out all these years.
The estimate was sent to the insurers yesterday at approx. £800. which is irritatingly close to the market value...or rather hard to argue it much higher than that I guess. Although i saw a guy sell a better spec. 1/2 mileage of mine for £4k. which is a good effort.
What is a sensible market value for e30 323i auto, 1985, 72000 miles, MOT to sept09 tax until end of May. The rest of the body work is rust free. it gets 36mpg on a motorway (at a sat nav. 70 mph) run just to give you an idea of it's health.
cheers
The estimate was sent to the insurers yesterday at approx. £800. which is irritatingly close to the market value...or rather hard to argue it much higher than that I guess. Although i saw a guy sell a better spec. 1/2 mileage of mine for £4k. which is a good effort.
What is a sensible market value for e30 323i auto, 1985, 72000 miles, MOT to sept09 tax until end of May. The rest of the body work is rust free. it gets 36mpg on a motorway (at a sat nav. 70 mph) run just to give you an idea of it's health.
cheers
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daimlerman
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Result!! Well done.djezd wrote:Happily the car has been repaired by the insurance company, with a new door and they needed to respray the front wing too. So it is looking slightly better than before!