Had an Accident. What to do next? Write OFF or Repairable?

4kbargain on 16/05/2019 - 23:11
Last edited 17/05/2019 - 09:48

Hi All,
I had an accident today. I T-Boned a guy who didnt stop on STOP sign. I did brake hard when I saw the car but still hit him.

We exchanged details. No AIR BAGS deployed.

There was a TOW truck just behind us. He towed my vehicle. He gave me the details of tow company. According to him(tow guy), my car is write off.

I have a virgin comprehensive car insurance obtained from the deal posted on ozbargain. I already made a claim with my insurance and provided all the details.

How long do insurance company normally take to inspect my car and decide if it is Repairable or Writeoff?

What are the things I must be carefull about?

HONDA HRV Purchased Feb 2018.

car pic:
https://imgur.com/gallery/3GFbOZE

https://imgur.com/gallery/XyFgGVS

Thank You

Automotive

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 16/05/2019 - 23:20
    +5

    I ain't falling for this sh!t.

    Edit: dang

    Edit 2: always believe a tow truck driver

  • AdosHouse on 16/05/2019 - 23:24

    No airbags deployed? At all?

    Insurance companies normally take up to a week.

    • 4kbargain on 16/05/2019 - 23:27

      Yeah, everyone was surprised as no airbags deployed.

      • AdosHouse on 16/05/2019 - 23:29

        I had a car hit me from behind at a roundabout once, I was front of the line, she was second, she was watching traffic on the roundabout and not me, she saw a stupidly small gap, hit accelerator but only had a few metres between me and her, and she STILL copped the airbag to the face.

        Anyway, see about a rental car while insurance works their stuff out. Do you have new-for-old on your policy?

        • 4kbargain on 16/05/2019 - 23:39

          Yes, I do have New for Old on my policy. I have a witness and my dashcam footage to prove the guy at fault.

          Damage was pretty bad, there was leakage and so on. Lucky no injury to both drivers.

          • AdosHouse on 16/05/2019 - 23:42
            +3

            @4kbargain: Well if you have New for Old, pray for a write-off. Last thing you want is a heavily repaired car, now worth a lot less.

            Go to the tow yard and smack the airbag sensor with a hammer, that'll help your chances.

        • srsparky on 16/05/2019 - 23:42

          Maybe airbags have a stupid sensor, so if you do something stupid they punch you in the face…

          • AdosHouse on 16/05/2019 - 23:43
            +1

            @srsparky: Mate if that was true, hundreds of thousands would go off every day.

  • savage bargain on 16/05/2019 - 23:28
    -1

    MS paint diagram?

  • [Deactivated] on 16/05/2019 - 23:41
    +5

    i think ozbargain has changed to ozsmashrepairs

  • [Deactivated] on 16/05/2019 - 23:43

    Hard to tell from that picture. Since it is such a new car, they may not write it off.

    If airbags didn't deploy, the impact may not be as bad as the panel damage suggests.

    If it is only the exterior that's a bonnet, headlights, grill, bumper and probably radiator.

    It may cost $12k to repair and could actually be under the threshold to write off.

    • AdosHouse on 16/05/2019 - 23:44

      Which would severely suck to have that repaired.

      • [Deactivated] on 16/05/2019 - 23:45

        Yup.

        I had a stone chip on my bonnet within a week of ownership. Was hoping for a write off on that so I would definitely want this to be a write off.

      • 4kbargain on 16/05/2019 - 23:46

        Yeah just worried that I had to drive a heavily repaired car. just after driving 1 year and especially when you are not at fault.

        • [Deactivated] on 16/05/2019 - 23:50

          Your comment mentions new-for-old.

          Whatever the outcome, you're getting a new car.

          • 4kbargain on 16/05/2019 - 23:52

            @[Deactivated]: According to their website:

            With Price Saver Comprehensive cover, if your car is written off in the first 24 months or 40,000kms (whichever is earlier), we’ll sort you out.

            • [Deactivated] on 17/05/2019 - 00:02

              @4kbargain: Mmm. Not quite the same as my policy.

              My new for old policy states that all parts damaged as part of an accident has to be replaced with new. Ie no panel beating, etc. Therefore the cost of repairs are a lot higher.

            • pjetson on 17/05/2019 - 08:44
              +1

              @4kbargain:

              we’ll sort you out

              I don't think I like the sound of "being sorted out" by my insurance company.

    • 4kbargain on 17/05/2019 - 09:53

      more pics:
      https://imgur.com/gallery/XyFgGVS

  • [Deactivated] on 16/05/2019 - 23:48
    +10

    I feel like this is a participation award* and I feel disgusted giving it out but…

    Here's an award for having comprehensive insurance and a dashcam.

    *Not an actual award

    • spackbace on 17/05/2019 - 00:01

      Gold star? ⭐⭐

      • [Deactivated] on 17/05/2019 - 00:03

        ✡️ I'll even call it a mitzvah.

        • ronnknee on 17/05/2019 - 00:27

          Gifting one month of OzBargain Premium to OP.

  • apsilon on 17/05/2019 - 06:12

    Unlikely to be a write off though hard to tell from one pic. The fact it's fairly new, air bags didn't deploy, and you have new for old means the repair is going to have to cost more than a new car for them to write it off. My guess is it'll be about $16k repair. You should know within a week.

    • 4kbargain on 17/05/2019 - 07:16

      Most likely, I would have to drive the heavily repaired car then.

      I am curious of what would happen to my honda warranty. Will it be void? Can Honda say NO to any problems later on.

      Too bad, when you are not at fault and have to go through this.

      • apsilon on 17/05/2019 - 08:16

        Getting into a big grey area there. It really depends on your insurer and what they allow. This is why there's more to insurance than simply going with the cheapest one you can find. Honda won't automatically void your warranty but you could still run into issues.

        eg say your insurer is one of those that insists on the cheapest repair possible and will authorise the use of non genuine or even refurbished parts. Your radiator gets replaced but it's not up to spec and the engine overheats and cracks the head. Honda is unlikely to warranty the engine because it wasn't there part or fault that led to the failure. So you'd have to argue it out with your insurer. Unlikely but not impossible scenario.

        Bottom line is know what you're paying for with your insurer and call them and discuss your concerns. Odds are it'll be fine.

  • Euphemistic on 17/05/2019 - 07:20

    If the airbags didn’t deploy then maybe the chassis hasn’t been impacted. If the chassis is fine, then it’s just panel/cosmetic damage and easy to repair. Ie all bolt on stuff, no welding. Either way, hope for write off and a new one.

  • crashloaded on 17/05/2019 - 07:54
    +4

    Yeah doesn't look like a write off to me unless the chassis is bent. Next time continue acceleration until the engine blows up to confirm write off.

    • altomic on 17/05/2019 - 08:47
      +2

      User name checks out

    • 4kbargain on 17/05/2019 - 09:47

      I have attached more photos. Is your assessment still same?

      https://imgur.com/gallery/XyFgGVS

      • crashloaded on 17/05/2019 - 09:56
        +1

        Though it looks bad, the parts to repair are cheaper than writing it off. For a car of that age anyway. The main considerations will be chassis, radiator and any mounts that are not repairable. If the car was older it might be a write off but for a 18 model I'd say no.

        • 4kbargain on 17/05/2019 - 09:58

          Oh No!
          It seems like you are right.

          • crashloaded on 17/05/2019 - 10:04

            @4kbargain: It sucks because they don't take into consideration that you lose value on a car that's been in an accident. I'm not sure if it's easy to tell if a car has been crashed these days but a good mechanic can usually tell.

            • [Deactivated] on 17/05/2019 - 10:40

              @crashloaded: Just don't sell it on OzBargain, a well informed prosumer community that always checks PPSR before purchase, does an independant mechanical inspection and is insured from the moment the transaction for the vehicle is complete.

  • public-secret on 30/05/2019 - 13:15
    +2

    I was involved in a similar situation last June with my 2018 CX-5 Akera. At that time my car was just a month old and I qualify for a new car replacement if the car was deemed for a write-off according to the NRMA comprehensive policy I was holding. Both the front airbags deployed during the collision and the panels were heavily damaged. After an inspection by the car mechanic at the smash repair shop and an NRMA assessor, they decided the car is not a write-off since my car was insured for 46,300 and the repair costs are only 20k. I wasn't happy and escalated the case to Insurance Australia Group citing all the safety aspects of the car including all the fancy sensors used in the radar cruise control, adaptive headlamps, smart city braking, driver attention, lane departure etc. I even raised concerns about the ANCAP safety rating after the repair. To my surprise, the IAG assessor came back to me with a letter from Mazda Australia confirming if all the repairs are done using genuine Mazda parts by an authorised repairer, the 5-star ratings still hold. I had no choice but to go with the repair. I even scheduled an inspection with a Mazda service center to check the parts were genuine and they confirmed the same. I still drive the car and honestly can't find any difference.

    In a nutshell, it is highly unlikely to be considered for a write-off unless the car is compromised structurally. Otherwise, the repair costs should approach 70%-80% of the insured value.

    • 4kbargain on 30/05/2019 - 15:17

      According to my repairer, the costs are going to be around 20k aswell. But assessor from insurance company inspected the vehicle today and will inform me about the results on latest by Monday.

      Surprisingly my airbags weren't deployed and they quoted the vehicle repair near of the new car value.
      Lets see how the assessor responds.

      • public-secret on 30/05/2019 - 23:28

        Wait for the assessment from the insurance company. At the first look, my repairer estimated the damage was worth 35k+. In that case it would've been a write-off. After checking thoroughly, they identified the parts to be replaced and gave me list breaking down the cost including the repair fees. It was just above 20k+. For a new car, they find repair as the cheaper option. How much did you insure it for?

        • 4kbargain on 31/05/2019 - 06:42

          Mine was insured for market value.

          That 20k quote was from repairer to Insurance company. When I called the insurance customer care this monday, she told me it looks like a write off but final decision is made after the assessor assessment, which happened yesterday. I am waiting for his call now.

          It does have new for old option. As my car is less than 2 years old, I would get a new car if my car is written off.

  • 4kbargain on 03/06/2019 - 10:34

    My car is a total loss. Assessor said, it costs too much to repair the car, so they will write it off.

    They have asked the payout letter from my finance company.

    Now how does the things usually work?

  • apsilon on 03/06/2019 - 11:30
    +1

    Are HRVs much cheaper than I thought? Surely they'd be more than $20k? Anyway, jackpot IMO.

    No idea on how new for old replacement actually works. Just make sure they don't try and pay you market or even agreed value. If you can't get the same model car for the payout amount then you're actually out of pocket. Of course if you don't want the same car again then it could work in your favour

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