Post Accident Motor Vehicle Assessment

nemisis on 25/11/2020 - 18:02

Hi.

Looking at getting an independent assessment on damage to my car - does anyone know any conservative assessors?

Insurer: Big Name Insurance Co. (starts with N)
Crash Repairer: Non-partner
Assessor: Sub contractor for "Big Name Insurance Co." OR possibly works for Big Name Insurance Co.

What happened: Not at fault accident where third party failed to give way. Crashed doing between 40-60km/ph head on into there side. Air bags did not deploy.

Tow Truck Driver 1: "Car front has shifted….that's a write off"
Tow Truck Driver 2: opened the bonnet on-site - "chassis has a kink in it….not sure if it's repairable or write-off"

I managed to get the parts cost from the crash repair guy (he was quoting 15K for parts alone). He also stated the front end had "shifted"

A quick set of mathematics, I have the insurer expenses anywhere from 25-30k. Market value (red book) of car is 23K at the high end.

Assessor wants to do some tests before giving me a final answer. So in short, does anyone know any conservative assessors whom I may need if they decide they want to repair it.

Automotive

Comments

  • 87percent on 25/11/2020 - 18:08

    Take it to your preferred repairer and get them to check it out

  • oscargamer on 25/11/2020 - 18:09
    +1

    Are you looking at getting the car repaired rather than written off?

    • nemisis on 25/11/2020 - 18:10
      +1

      I would prefer written off. I don't want to drive a car that has had it's chassis kinked or "shifted".

      • oscargamer on 25/11/2020 - 18:12
        +15

        Good.

        Just wait until your insurer gets back to you……Until then, just grab a cold one and worry about something else.

        You are worse than my wife. Unless she is stressing about something, she doesn't know what to do with herself. Flame me for telling the truth………….i dare you

        • nemisis on 25/11/2020 - 18:13

          What % do they work from when working out if a car is written off? Besides the safety aspects.

          • oscargamer on 25/11/2020 - 18:13
            +5

            @nemisis: read this bit "grab a cold one and worry about something else."

            and they don't worry about the safety for one second - all about the $$

            • mskeggs on 25/11/2020 - 18:51

              @oscargamer: Don’t worry yet is probably good advice.
              Consider if it is a close thing, they will do better writing it off and selling the wreck than repairing.

            • raistlin on 25/11/2020 - 18:55

              @oscargamer: Of course they worry about the safety, do you not think they'd be held liable if they put a dangerous car back on the road?

              Especially if it's a large insurance company, they've got their reputation to be concerned about.

              • oscargamer on 25/11/2020 - 19:06
                +5

                @raistlin: If the car is repaired, then it is deemed to be roadworthy, therefore 'safe'.

                You are giving WAY too much credit to insurance scum, sorry companies.

                • raistlin on 25/11/2020 - 20:47

                  @oscargamer: You're missing the point.

                  If the car is repaired and it shouldn't have been roadworthy, which is usually the case if there's heavy structural damage, if the insurance company fails to write it off and then it somehow was to cause injury or death in the future due to the failure to write it off, the insurance company would be held liable.

                  This would cause damage to both their bottom line, and their reputation, and to big companies nothing is more important than protecting their brand.

              • nubzy on 25/11/2020 - 20:39
                +2

                @raistlin: You should see the type of repairs which these insurers, yes even the so called 'premium insurers' allow back on the roads, absolutely disgusting. The insurance companies are all scum and will do anything they can to save a buck, even if it means compromising safety and destroying resale value for the owner. They prey on the fact that most people are ignorant or won't look hard enough to spot the defects, but if you have an eye for detail you will see it and trying to get everything rectified to a professional standard will take months if not years and cause endless stress. Its not fun dealing with repairs if you actually have half a clue about what goes on and want your car returned to as close to pre-accident condition as possible.

                • raistlin on 25/11/2020 - 20:52
                  -2

                  @nubzy: You realize it's panel beaters that repair cars and not insurers, right?

                  And you appear to be more concerned about the quality of cosmetic repairs than the structural damage of the OP's post.

          • [Deactivated] on 25/11/2020 - 19:04
            +1

            @nemisis: It's out of your hands.

            What difference does it make if anyone here told you 1% or 99%?

            (… other than "emotional preparedness".)

  • John Kimble on 25/11/2020 - 18:31

    What happened to the second party?

    • nemisis on 25/11/2020 - 18:45

      What do you mean?

      • John Kimble on 25/11/2020 - 18:51

        What happened: Not at fault accident where third party failed to give way.

        You mentioned a third party. You are one party. Who was the second party?

        • nemisis on 25/11/2020 - 20:29

          There is never a second party.

          • John Kimble on 25/11/2020 - 20:35

            @nemisis: How so? It skips from first to third does it?

            • TransportPosters on 26/11/2020 - 09:21

              @John Kimble: I believe "second party" is someone who would be with the "first party" in some way. In this instance, "third party" is someone outside of the same vehicle as the first party.

        • Ayanami on 26/11/2020 - 11:20

          The insurer.

  • Godric on 25/11/2020 - 18:36
    +1

    MS Paint Submission required

    • RM on 25/11/2020 - 18:58

      Hmmm… Not sure… This isn't a who's at fault post…

  • mskeggs on 25/11/2020 - 18:49

    If the air bags didn’t deploy at 40km+ t-bone I wouldn’t be buying that model again!

    • pegaxs on 25/11/2020 - 19:04
      +3

      Not how airbags work. It's a deceleration thing, not a speed thing. Hitting nose on to the side of a vehicle absorbs a lot of the impact in crumpling the cars up. Airbags are the car's last ditch attempt to save the occupants. If the car doesn't think it needs it, it wont fire them. Firing airbags off when you don't want/need them too can do serious damage to the people in the vehicle.

      • pharkurnell on 25/11/2020 - 19:10

        60k's and chassis taking some impact, I'd still expect airbags to shit themselves. thats still a lot of shock for the driver to take.

        • brendanm on 25/11/2020 - 19:59
          +1

          As above, certain g forces make air bags go off. Air bags didn't go off, because they didn't need to.

        • Euphemistic on 26/11/2020 - 11:50

          The vehicle impact speed may have been less than the travel speed if the OP jumped on the brakes before impact.

          That the pillows didn’t deploy is indicative the crash is more complex that a head on at 40-60.

          • mlbrooke on 26/11/2020 - 12:50

            @Euphemistic: The difference is that a head-on at 40-60 km would also include the impact of the speed of the car crashing into you as well….. so more likely a 70-90 km equivalent accident in the OP's situation. A T-Bone accident with a car is likely to be a fairly forgiving crash all things considered.

  • AndyC1 on 25/11/2020 - 20:14
    +1

    Hope you have a replacement car while it's being assessed and being written off or fixed. If you don't then check out https://www.right2drive.com.au/how-it-works to see if you qualify.

    • nemisis on 25/11/2020 - 20:28

      I have one in my policy. Thanks.

  • nemisis on 25/11/2020 - 20:29

    So..any suggestions for an independent assessor?

  • Noblejoker on 26/11/2020 - 11:53
    +1

    As above - have a cup of coffee and wait
    Labour is often the higher part of a repair cost
    If parts alone are anything like $15K then the total will be $30K and > market value
    The reason it is slower and being double checked is because your chosen crash repairer is non-preferred
    So they will check his work/costs closely before committing

    Spend your time researching the Market Value of your vehicle and get a good argument ready for it's value
    Don't forget km, condition, accessories etc
    Get ready to bargain the value N??A are notorious at low-ball first offers

  • OzHunterNSW on 26/11/2020 - 11:58
    -1

    Just go to any repair shop who will simply provide a quote for you… obtain three!

    • nemisis on 26/11/2020 - 12:58
      +1

      You want me to tow a crashed vehicle around to 3 crash repairs?

  • HeWhoKnows on 26/11/2020 - 21:32
    -1

    Dear Sherlock Holmes

    Im sorry to say but you have NO IDEA!

    Just wait for the answer from your insurer and then negotiate a better outcome if appropriate.

  • nemisis on 04/12/2020 - 15:51

    Update - write off. Thanks again.

    • sharka on 04/12/2020 - 15:58

      Excellent! Are they giving you the insured value or market value?

      • nemisis on 04/12/2020 - 18:50

        The PAV price was determined at market value. The cost of repairs/salvage vs PAV was very tight so they decided to total loss it.

        My car was new and falls within the 2 year window for "new car replacement". So it will be a new car. Going through that process now.

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