** UPDATE to the update** They're paying out!

Hi guys

After a miserable weekend's camping, my girlfriend and I decided to leave early and get home for some proper food.

However on the way out of the car park my beloved golf came cheek to cheek with a speeding Hyundai Getz and now it's all wrong shaped  :cry:

I'm not sure how bad the damage is under the hood, but I had to cut through the bumper & arch and then hammer the wing away from the wheel in order to make enough clearance to drive







The only pics of under the bonnet are pre accident at the minute, so I've circled the bent bit on this old photo



She drives fine and doesn't pull to either side - I'm just petrified the insurance will right it off, what do you reckon?    :dontknow:

i wouldnt have thought so but i cant be sure.
i think it depends on how much you've valued it at on your policy. if the repair costs more then they write it off.
i hope it goes ok 4 ya mate. stupid hyundai's

I had an argument with a steel post at 30mph damaging the front bumper (clipper), driveshaft, wishbones etc - the car was not driveable but mine was written off as a Cat D - ie repairs being more expensive than they deemed the car was worth…the problem being that approved insurance repairers will always replace rather than repair….the front bumper alone was quoted as being ?700  8O

They wrote it off and I bought it back off them - my Dad did the repairs and I get to drive it again!!!

Don't worry if they do write it off - it will only be for financial reasons and you will still get your car back - I ended up ?400 up!

Hope that helps….  :dontknow:

Rach  

how can you buy it back off them? and do the still pay you out?
hmmm interesting to know

They will call you and tell you if its a write off or not if it is you pay the excess and then you can buy it back off them, they told me mine was a write off when the hood got slashed i just got a cheaper quote from a none vw garage for a new hood and they accepted it vw ?985 a local car trimmer ?400 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm  lot of difference.
My sis in law has just done it on an m reg 106 got the car back and ?450 not bad going.
Ask them if they say its written off when they call you.

They originally told me it was worth ?700 but after sending them the cab buying guide from here as well as about 50 adverts for GTi cabs (none less than ?1500) they eventually offered me ?1500 for the car…less the excess…less 15% (I think) of the car's value (?275) to buy it back…I ended up with around ?800, ?400 of which I used for parts and re-MOTing etc….

Rach

our lasses karmann was a lot worse than that, k reg and it bent in exactly same places! they shouldn't write it off for pics you posted.  if they dont u can easily bend back drivers side chasis with a big tree and a bit of rope. ring your insurers up mate and ask them.
good luck,
paul

Well, she's going in to the repair center for inspection at 11 tomorrow, so I should have a clearer idea then.

TBH I've had another proper look over the weekend, and it doesn't look too promising - everything's an inch or two further to the right (as you look at it) then it should be and the fron t engine mount type thing is well twisted.

Still, hope springs eternal - I'll let you know how she goes.

Well, according to the garage - it' going to be a total loss write-off.

I've had a couple of weeks to come to terms with this as it's dragged on, but I have to say I'm gutted.

Now I have to figure out what to do for the best. (My excess was maxed to bring the price down - which will obviosly take a chunk out of any money I get)

Do I:

A: buy it back get it put back right by a garage, probably at huge personal cost

B: buy it back and run it as is (it doesn't pull either way under braking or accelleration etc)

C: buy it back and rip it to bits for spares to put towards another car (apart from the front, it's pretty much mint)

D: take the money and run - whatever it is what they may offer

E: get another Golfie or look elsewhere seeing as I've become really attached to this one in the past year or so and I'm not sure I could drive another (especially floppy top) straight away.

Any serious advice/thoughts you guys could offer would be gratefully received - it feels a bit like a death in the family right now  

can u not get a second opinion??
if it was me i'd buy it back. it shouldnt cost too much!
shame that is mate, i'm gutted for ya aswell

Hi I had a second opinion, I'm just waiting for the final quote to come through - but the guy reckons it will have to be jigged back in to shape, if I'm lucky, otherwise it's new front panel and straightening it a side at a time, which will be mega expensive - plus it's metallic paint and it all adds up. Sadly i'm not well financially endowed at the moment  

Hmm, I'd be gutted too. *BUT*, what if the repair changes the way she drives? Then you will have spent the money and have a car that doesn't drive the same as before anyway. If it needs that much work, I'd consider buying it back, using it for parts, and buying a replacement. No car you replace her with will be the same, but it'll have its own personality. Eg, when I test-drove a smaller-engined cabby a few months back, the gears were amazingly smooth (I thought mine were perfect until I drove this car!).

You can use the replacement parts to fix anything not quite right with a new car and sell the rest off to other needy Mk1 owners.

Lets hope it is a wright of so you can muy one of these

fiat126 said

Let 's hope it is a writ e-of f so you can buy one of these :

It's amusing that you've got nothing better to do than post pictures of Fiats; really, it is. If angering the odd Golf forum-dweller floats your boat, go ahead. Why not eh? If you love Fiats, good on ya mate. Personal taste and all that. I come on here for the odd bit of advice myself. Sometimes, I know a smidgeon about a problem and can even offer advice. That feels great! I reckon I can offer you some too. You're never going to get a decent job if you don't know the basics of the English language. You might be better off spending your time learning about syntax and spelling. Come back when I can understand what you mean without having to figure it out like a puzzle and then you might convince me to buy a Fiat Panda 4x4 convertible, if they exist. Maybe you can find one for me.

You may be on to somthing there
this is your fiat 4x4

http://www.4x4news.co.uk/n/020107.jpg

See? Reading skills also required. Con-ver-ti-ble please.

I agree with The_Chocoholic.  Buy it back but use it for parts.  You probably will never know the full extent of the damage or what parts have been weakened etc.  If you break it yourself and replace it with a similar car, keep what spares you need and make a few quid on the rest.  TBH I really wouldn't trust a car with a twisted chassis.  A real shame, looked a stunner pre accident.

ew said

I agree with The_Chocoholic.  Buy it back but use it for parts.  You probably will never know the full extent of the damage or what parts have been weakened etc.  If you break it yourself and replace it with a similar car, keep what spares you need and make a few quid on the rest.  TBH I really wouldn't trust a car with a twisted chassis.  A real shame, looked a stunner pre accident.

 :y: Agree 100 %

if you can get upto sunny maltby mate might be able to help a bit, that chassis pillar that has twisted is gonna bend cos of engine mount.  if you have spent loads on the car and its 'your car' its worth doing like, you dont have to pay daft money. them pics show it will straighten up. they made you any offers yet? worth working our how much it owes you against what they offer.  im no insurance expert (never claimed in 11 years (im old)) but dont they like barter or summat? :dontknow:

Never accept first price they offer, so i have been told