If insurance company says Cat B writeoff can they change it?

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Feb 04, 09 12:42 am

Just picked up this car today which is a cat B write off , I was expecting an absolute wreck, but this car has escaped any real structural damage. It hit another car , impact is in the middle front. Bonnet, grille, bumper, one indicator, wing, and front part of inner wing. Car starts and drives perfectly. A new slam panel and some bolt-on parts, and this car will be right as rain, but can I call the insurance company and say 'hey what are you DOING putting this on a Cat B? (cannot be returned to the road) it should be D or at very worst, C. The documents have NOT been sent off to DVLA yet.

Anyone in the know?

Car is a 1975, one owner, 47,000 miles and is immaculate inside and good underneath. Criminal to send it to the crusher.

Ivor · Post by **Ivor** » Wed Feb 04, 09 9:58 am

Will, first of all, are you sure there is no other energy transfer/remote damage?

All door shuts bang on and no little crinkles in the roof? Sorry if I'm teaching grandmother, but I had to ask! I 'm sure you are also aware that the insurance company wants nothing to do with it and the government/ DVLA wants it off the road.

You need to contact the engineer who signed the salvage release form and see if you can renegotiate the category as the car is rare/classic.

However, with the advent of PAS 125 (kitemark) and all the other restrictions, there is a determined effort being made to take cars like this off the road rather than seeing them being repaired, particularly outside of the approved repairer networks.

I've seen six month old Lexus's and Mercedes-Benz's written off with minimal damage because 23 air bags have gone off, but otherwise the car is perfectly serviceable.

In my opinion it's a crying shame and ecologically unsound , but the number of badly repaired cars out there has forced the government's hand on this.

May I suggest that you get a friend with an approved bodyshop (doesn't have to be PAS 125, as long as there is some sort of official approval, such as from the vehicle manufacturer) to contact the insurance company, then you might be in with a chance.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Feb 04, 09 11:16 am

hi yes the impact has been absorbed by all the soft metal , bonnet, radiator support panel, rad, fan, and the doors shut perfectly . I am waiting for a callback from the claims handler.

I met up with the cars owner yesterday, a 75 year old lady and she was not badly injured. (from the accident I mean) When I told her I was sure the car could be repaired and put back on the road one day, here eyes lit up. She was so fond of this car having had it since new. 34 years.

I also have virtually all the parts (n.o.s) in stock to repair this car.

Hoping that we can say something like .. the ascessor could not acess the damage fully as the bonnet would not open, but i have now opened the bonnet and the damage is less than first estimated.

hoping that makes it sound like Im' not undermining the ascessor too much

Cannonball · Post by **Cannonball** » Wed Feb 04, 09 11:21 am

would be a first if you can sort that i cant even get v5.s through with the correct info on them,

andyrob · Post by **andyrob** » Wed Feb 04, 09 12:50 pm

yes a car can be changed from a b usualy to a c, but the car has to be 're-neged' from a b to a c & this takes place between the salavge operator & the insurance company BEFORE the car is cleared by the insurance company & sold to the salavge operator, which in turn for they dispose of it , you can try ringing the insurance company but got you've got more chance of bri being 6 ft tall

Ivor · Post by **Ivor** » Wed Feb 04, 09 1:11 pm

Thanks for that Andy, perhaps I'm a bit out of date these days...could Will speak to the salvage guy then?

andyrob · Post by **andyrob** » Wed Feb 04, 09 2:23 pm

he can only try, but i doubt he could change it, besides once the car is clear with the insurance as 'COD' cert of destruction will have been issued for the salavge company to send to the dvlc, buts its worth a call

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Wed Feb 04, 09 3:15 pm

well after a few calls back and forth between the lady's insurance company, and the ascessors, we agreed on a Cat C. (fingers crossed ) So when I have fixeded the damage I need to get the car inspected then it should be back on the road.

Ivor · Post by **Ivor** » Wed Feb 04, 09 3:31 pm

That's very promising news Will, the old Datsun looks pretty sound, it would be a shame to bin it.

andyrob · Post by **andyrob** » Wed Feb 04, 09 5:14 pm

result will , the car must not have been cleared by the insurance company yet ?