Insurance write of Cats and damage.

[Keith66]

Hi All

Not really a TR thing, but it could be so do we have any insurance industry professionals on here?

I don’t have an issue but there does seem to be an insurance industry problem I don’t understand.

Now in my “other” car life I like messing around with old Rovers N MG’s. I say old but say 1990 to 2005 ish.

I was perusing the CoPart web site the other day, as you do, and came across this early 90’s 214 SEi. The notes said starts and drives and it had minimal looking damage, nice spec and its quite rare (84 taxed).

But the gobsmacking part is someone has decided WAAYYY to bad to repair.

So bad it’s a Cat B write off.

Now the definition of a Cat B write off is where the structural damage to the vehicle’s chassis and structural frame is deemed so severe that the are never permitted to return to the road.

I mean really? I suppose it could be a one off oddity, but there are 2 other Rover 25’s with similarly limited damage that are also Cat B’s.

Now I know they might be pointless to repair economically but that’s not what cat B means as the definition says it should be so bad structurally is can’t be safely repaired.

And how many of out TR's come under the catagory of an uneconomic restoration.

Oh by the way there were more pic's on CoPart and this was the only damage shown.

Any body with any idea what this is all about?

Cheers  Keith

 

[Macleesh]

Could it be something to do with the nature of the accident it was involved with, I believe any vehicle associated with an accident where someone dies may not return to the road?

[RobH]

I understand that this is due to the cursory way the survey is often done these days- basically just a tick-the-box form from a quick visual, sometimes even just from photos rather than a physical  check.  The person doing the survey is paid by the insurance company and time is money.

You don't have to accept what the insurance company says and can challenge the assessment but you would need to hire your own engineer to do another survey and prepare a report. I'm not sure how that would work if you don't actually own the car though. 

[DRD]

There may be unseen structural damage to the chassis or bodyshell. Once you have that then it's probably terminal. 

[Michael Mckiernan]

Used to be that when we had a car come to us for repair the insurance company would send a agent/engineer to check the damage.

Then with the advent of mobile phone camera's , we where asked to take a few pics and send them in.

Had a 7 year old seat that was hit in the o/s/r , bent the tail gate a bit and smashed the light unit.

Insurance said it was a uneconomical repair , paid the customer out , we bent the tailgate straight and fitted a new light

didn't even need any paint. 

Guy was well pleased. Used the car for a couple of years the gave it to his son to learn in....

[Keith66]

On 4/25/2024 at 2:28 PM, DRD said:

There may be unseen structural damage to the chassis or bodyshell. Once you have that then it's probably terminal. 

In reality no damage is ever terminal, uneconomic sure, but if its man made it can be repaired, though at a cost and as i said he many TR's have been restored from a far worse condition than the pictured 214SEi, mine certainly was way way way wores.

As was the bangers and cash Mini Cooper S pictured.

Cheers  Keith 

 

 

[John Bracher]

Anyone ever watched Graveyard Carz???

 

Where there's a will (or the $$) there's a way.......!!!