Hit from behind

[craigwalton]

Unfortunately my beloved Mk2 Scirocco was hit from behind today whilst I was giving way at a junction.

I was doing 0-1 mph at the time and I'd estimate the driver behind was around 10 mph. So a bit of a jolt, but no injuries in either car thankfully. Don't think there will be any bother proving who the blame lies with as I have dash cam footage (only front facing, but still). The other driver has suggested we might settle outside of insurance depending on the cost to repair (but I reckon it'll be pricier than they think).

The damage which I've noticed so far is:
- rear bumper significantly bent
- RHS taillight lens cracked and detaching
- rear metal bodywork below number plate dented/crumpled
- metalwork on the inside of the boot where the bumper bolts onto is crumpled slightly
- tailgate aperture slightly deformed, but tailgate still closes and seals

https://youtube.com/shorts/k9GwDLlwtGE? ... TcO30l6atl

Has anyone here got experience with getting things like this repaired? Or any takes on whether the insurer will even want to repair it? In particular, the damage to the metalwork and chassis. And does anyone have an opinion on whether I should cancel my MOT test which is scheduled in 6 days' time? I don't think there are sharp edges or that any suspension/seatbelt mounting points are damaged.

Pics: https://lensdump.com/a/N0TwT

Thanks all.

[GT_II]

I feel for you, a rear end shunt was often at the back of my mind when my Scirocco almost seemed to become invisible to some drivers, with very close following distances.

Unfortunately, I fear a proper repair to insurance standards is not straightforward. I would take the car to a bodyshop asap to get their opinion. My guess is, unless you have a strong agreed value, the insurance company will opt to write the car off. In part this is due to the high cost of parts & labour, but also takes account the significant amount they can recoup from selling the car as damaged repairable.

I know people sometimes buy back the car from the insurers and arrange their own lower cost repair, but the car would then be lumbered with a Cat N or Cat S write-off.

Regarding the MOT, the only failure point is likely to be the broken rear light lens. If you can flex it back into place, a fast-setting gap-filling adhesive like Loctite 3090 should hopefully provide a decent repair. There's also the possibility the tester will decide to note the bodywork damage as an advisory

[craigwalton]

Thanks mate, appreciate your insight and advice.

The only quote I’ve received so far is £1500+VAT for labour alone. Another shop won’t touch older cars like this.

Unfortunately it’s with Direct Line and I don’t have an agreed upon valuation. They said it is uneconomical to repair, so I’ve got a call booked with an engineer of theirs to discuss valuation and my options. The car is very sentimental to me so definitely don’t want it going to salvage or scrap. Would be willing to live with it being a category something so long as it doesn’t shoot the premiums way up.

Thanks for the advice on the taillight, I reckon I can make a temporary fix. Not fussed if they mark bodywork damage as an advisory.

Was meant to be my fiancée and I’s wedding car in a months time so terrible timing!

[GT_II]

Hopefully enough time to sort out something before the wedding - hope you have a great day.

Bear in mind the market value should be the typical price you'd pay to buy a car of the same condition and mileage from a reputable motor dealer, not the trade-in or private sale value. So it's worth checking out Sciroccos for sale on Car & Classic, Auto Trader, etc., as well as auction results, etc. See:

https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/ ... write-offs

"The market value is the price the vehicle would have sold for at a reputable dealership just before it was damaged or stolen."

[craigwalton]

This is really useful info, thanks. Can see there’s a lot of useful resources and case studies on the ombudsman’s website. Will make sure I’m well versed in this and collect some examples of other Mk2 Sciroccos for sale/sold ahead of the call on Monday, plus any receipts of part replacements etc. (though the insurance policy is for no modification, so I always fit OEM-like parts).

I’ve got the taillight looking better now - once I undid 2 of the nuts from the light housing studs through the bent rear panel, the light housing was able to relax back into its natural shape, making lens repair easier.

[craigwalton]

Passed the MOT (with an advisory about rear damage).

I submitted an estimate from a crash repair garage for ~£3400 in an attempt to get a cash in lieu of repair settlement (which the insurer initially seemed open to), but unfortunately as this is deemed structural damage, the insurer now says they won't do cash in lieu of repair.
Direct Line value the car at £5200. I reckon the fact that Direct Line were in hot water with the regulator recently is why they didn't try to lowball the value https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/ ... write-offs
Salvage value (cost for me to buy it back from them) is £832 (16%).
If I choose to accept a total loss and buy it back from them (£4368 payment), it'll be a category S write off.

Direct Line said that given I've got a valid MOT from after the crash, they'd still insure it on the existing policy and they don't ask about cat S write offs so it shouldn't affect my premiums (though this was just communicated verbally and I've read some things which contradict this). I've read conflicting info about how easy/expensive cat S cars are to insure in the UK - if anyone has any experience I'd love to know!

Another possible option is to go further back in the claims process (back to the claims department instead of engineering department) and choose to "use your own garage" (which I'd pay an excess for). But it is still unclear whether they'd agree to pay for the repairs, or just decide to treat it as a total loss again.

[GT_II]

I can't see why they wouldn't agree to a repair at your own garage - it saves them money and any risk associated with the repair is then yours. That should then avoid a Cat S designation. But then, they may think differently.

An easy way to test out the effect of Cat S on insurance premiums would be to filter a popular car model or two for sale on Autotrader by age and mileage, then pick out two cars of the same spec, one with Cat S and one without, then run them both through a comparison site with your details