Buying My Car Back from Insurance after Being Listed on Written-off Vehicles Register (WOVR)

El Grande on 08/03/2019 - 23:02
Last edited 08/03/2019 - 23:02

I had an artificial snow can explode in one of our cars before Christmas. It hit the windscreen and cracked it. The foam went everywhere. My excess was $650 and new windscreen was $900 so I thought might as well use the insurance and I will get it detailed from them too. I called them and they sent out O'Brien the next day and replaced the windscreen. I called them back about detailing and they asked me to get 2 quotes and send it to them. One was about $1000 the other was $1500. There was also panel damage which was about $200 from the car dealer. I sent the quotes in.

I got a call from the insurance saying they are going to send the assessor to check the car. The assessor asked us to take the car to their upholstery guy who valued the repairs at $19000. The insurance has decided to write off the car and give me the agreed value $14000 (Its worth about $16500 if I buy another one). I had paid VicRoads Rego and Insurance 20 days before the incident which I will not get back (about $2000).

I called the assessor back to complain and he said we are not going to pay $5000 more than what we think its worth to fix it. I said but I can have it fixed for $1200-1700. He said you can always buy the car back from us for $2500 but It will go on the Written-off Vehicles Register (WOVR). I called 2 scrap places and they offered me $600 and $1500 for it. So if I can't get it to pass VIV inspection the best I can do is $1500 so a $1000 loss.

Now structurally there is no damage to the car. I will need to do the VIV inspection and road worthy again. Is it worth the risk? Why would VicRoad care if the seats have stains? Both the people who called me from insurance said not to go after it as its a lot of hassle. The car is a 2014 Subaru Impreza Hatch with 43,000 Kms. I don't know what is the best thing to do here.

Poll Options

  • 4
    Take the $$$
  • 27
    Buy the Car Back
  • 0
    Other
Automotive

Comments

  • altomic on 08/03/2019 - 23:13
    -1

    get $14000 from the insurance

    buy the car back for $2500
    new windscreen + upholstery clean for ~$2000
    Vehicle Identity Validation (VIV) - $523
    roadworthy - between $100 and $150
    rego - $816.50 (max for Metropolitan area -high risk zone)

    • El Grande on 08/03/2019 - 23:35

      Insurance has already paid for the windscreen. Will Vicroads accept a detailing job to be enough to clear VIV?

      Insurance said everything will need to be retested, airbags, seat belts and so on which will cost a lot of money.

      • Kangal on 09/03/2019 - 01:40

        Firstly, just for curiosity sake what model was the car (eg 2015 Toyota Corolla)??

        So you get +$14,000 money, and spend -$6,000 for the car, and now minus +$1,000 for the windshield…. that leaves you with +$9,000 in your pocket.

        Let's say you're right, and you lost -$2,000 from the insurance based on the actual value of your car. Not to mention that you've probably spent -$2,000 for the insurance coverage over the years.

        That means overall, you have gained +$5,000 from insurance due to this event. Sure, your car now has a WOVR record and the inside is somewhat tardy… but it's a good deal regardless.

        edit: If anything treat the car like a beater, and do a hand-me-down for your kids/siblings/niece/nephew/friends (especially since it's hard to sell a car which has a record on PPSR).

        • El Grande on 09/03/2019 - 02:44

          I intend to use it as a beater.

          I believe it should cost me $6000 but the costs could blow out if they want everything to be tested and certified. The insurance lady said if it would cost them $19000 then it would cost me more.

          Its 14000 - 6000 (car+works) - $2000 (Insurance+rego) - $650 (excess) = $5250 back. The car is worth nothing now. The windscreen is free. I think the balance of Rego might come with the car. I will need to double check. But that's the best case scenario. My fear is spending that money and not being able to get it registered because of some technicality.

  • El Grande on 08/03/2019 - 23:46

    Another thing they told me was I might end up spending $7-8000 + $2,500 for the car but if I try to sell it no one would buy a car that is on the Written-off Vehicles Register (WOVR). Also the police will keep pulling me over all the time. I don't know why they are so hell bent on scraping it. We have been driving it since December.

    I don't want to sell it. It's a good car and if it cost me $2,500 to buy + $1500 to fix + $1000 to re register I am happy to drive it to its grave. But if I have to sell it would I be able to get more than scrap value for it?

    • spackbace on 09/03/2019 - 00:19

      But if I have to sell it would I be able to get more than scrap value for it?

      Only if they don't do a ppsr check. Some people don't.

      • El Grande on 09/03/2019 - 02:49

        I was told you have to legally mention its a write off? Is that true?

        • pegaxs on 09/03/2019 - 09:31
          +2

          Yes. But the law is grey. I'll try and find it again, but it's worded something like "you have to inform the buyer if they ask". If they do ask and you say "no" and they find out later that it was, it could be considered fraud. If they didn't ask, then you didn't answer and it becomes caveat emptor.

          If you are buying it from a car yard, then yes, it has to be noted that the vehicle was a repairable write off, either on the vehicle or/and on the contract paperwork.

          • stevtom27 on 30/03/2019 - 03:13

            @pegaxs: Its a checkbox on the transfer form. You literally have to declare it hasnt been written off

    • Amaris on 09/03/2019 - 02:09

      I'm sure you'll be able to more than scrap value but obviously not market price for a similar car that's not in the register.

  • WreckTangle on 09/03/2019 - 07:48
    +1

    How come you can’t get a refund on the Vicroads rego, is this because insurance company would own the car?

    • [Deactivated] on 09/03/2019 - 10:35

      Yes

  • djkelly69 on 09/03/2019 - 07:49
    +6

    Doesn't sound like it will be an issue for you, but should note some (most?) insurance companies won't insure a repaired write off.

    • [Deactivated] on 09/03/2019 - 09:18

      out of curiosity can you still get 3rd party insurance at least?

      • El Grande on 12/03/2019 - 13:11

        Third party Yes. Comprehensive No.

  • Ryanek on 09/03/2019 - 09:35
    +3

    I can't offer advice, but thanks for posting so I know never to buy artificial snow in a can.

    • El Grande on 12/03/2019 - 13:11

      I was thinking the same. Any aerosol can, can explode. Which is why they aren't allowed on planes. It was hot on that day with the car parked on the road.

  • bloom on 09/03/2019 - 10:16
    +1

    Still confused how a fake snow can write off a car!?

    • xuqi on 09/03/2019 - 12:44
      +1

      "The assessor asked us to take the car to their upholstery guy who valued the repairs at $19000."

      • bloom on 09/03/2019 - 13:07
        +1

        Yet two detailers quoted $1-1.5k
        How's this guy quoted more than 10x that

        • xuqi on 09/03/2019 - 13:13
          +1

          Detailing alone may not be enough to clean/repair the damage, hence the insurance assessor asking that the car be taken to an upholstery specialist.

  • Glider on 09/03/2019 - 13:04

    Was there any clarification from the insurance assessor that tells you why there's such a big difference in quotes?

    I suppose insurance is saying they're actually going to replace the entire interior rather than clean it? New seats, carpet, door trims, roof liner etc?

    I would be concerned at that price that insurance thinks they may need to replace some of the electrics in the dash that you aren't considering?

    • El Grande on 12/03/2019 - 13:08

      Yes. they said replace the whole interior.

  • itsdougie on 09/03/2019 - 15:52
    +1

    my partner recently wrote off her subaru in a flood, she drove it for a couple weeks but with a knock in the engine. Insurance wrote it off and she got paid out, the pay out was not enough to buy the same car in the same condition, paint colour, kms even after we squeezed extra $ from them. We bought the vehicle back as a WOVR. It was a fair bit of mucking around but eventually we got it re-registered after applying to RMS to repair, getting it certified by a repairer (turned out to be a loose spark plug and a faulty coil, cheap fix) and long waits at RMS. Driving around fine now.

  • cheaplee on 09/03/2019 - 20:16

    Forget the insurance. Pay the $2000, take the windscreen. It cost you some money, but stuff like this usually does. At least you will keep a car you know on good nick

    • El Grande on 12/03/2019 - 13:12

      Too late. The claim has been finalised.

  • El Grande on 21/03/2019 - 12:41

    Update: Went to a mechanic what does WOVR cars and VIV Certificates. He said because its chemicals that leaked in the car it will need a toxicity report. There is no way to test that, as the liquid seeped into the seats, the interior will need to be changed. Since that is too expensive (which is why the insurance is writing off the car) the car will most likely be scrapped once sold. So I decided to not buy it back.

    • Euphemistic on 30/03/2019 - 21:49

      Fair enough, but another option is to buy another same model wreck and transfer the interior.

      The car will most likely end up at a wreckers where they sell the interior bits to another unsuspecting buyer anyway.

      • El Grande on 08/04/2019 - 13:30

        Yeah but fake snow is not toxic. People spray it on each other and around their homes. It's just the insurance has marked it as such. It's not worth spending money on a written off car as when you go to sell it you won't get anything for it. If it goes in an accident you will get nothing and so on. It's just that it was a shame to let a good car with low Km's go to scrap just because the interior was dirty.

        • Euphemistic on 08/04/2019 - 16:29

          Then it would be well worth buying it back and having a relaiblr car that you won’t lose much in deprecation on.

          • El Grande on 09/04/2019 - 11:36

            @Euphemistic: Which is why I posted initially but I can't get the certification without paying for a new interior. A vicroads registered mechanic can do the dodgy thing and re certify it but they won't do it for me. It's not worth the trouble.

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