So, much to my dismay, I got rear-ended on Saturday coming back up from Wollongong. Very sad to see my car in this condition (will post photos) but alas, it has opened my eyes to some real problems that need addressing if this gets fixed up. These include:

Gearbox persistantly sitting in 4th. flushed, filter changed, re-learn procedure done but nothing has helped (when I flushed the box I had 2 chunks of wave spring come out with it).

Timing belt is overdue and needs to be done very soon. The original owner changed it at 121, is now on 223.

Split in the front driver side brake line, slowly leaking fluid.

Front lower control arm bushes are completely gone.

Brake rotors and pads are stuffed, front and back.

Oil smell coming from the engine after any long drive.

Lifters sound like WW3 every time I start the car cold.

Tyres are pretty poor as well.

So, in short, I am hoping that the car gets written off.

The damage done is not too severe but the rear bumper bar, beaver panel and boot lid are stuffed. The scuff panel in the boot is also cracked. Do you think it will get written off, or is this fixable? Also, if it gets written off, how much do you think I will get paid out? 1996 te Altera, 223km and 1 month of rego left. Do my mechanical issues have anything to do with my chances of getting written off? Will it impact my potential payout? Any feedback would be good.

http://s1145.photobucket.com/albums/o510/dreggzy/IMAG0120.jpg

(mods, I didn't know where to post this so feel free to move it if need be)

I would say its a possibility, but don't get your hopes up.

My hopes are way up!!

With a car of that era, I would say that a small scratch is enough to write it off. Mechanical condition will have no bearing on the issue at all. The problem with writing it off is that they will pay at the most the insured value (depending on who you insure with) or alternatively the market value.

Either way, you are up for probably a heap more money to get another car. This costs YOU. If you were going to buy another car anyway, great - you don't have to worry about getting rid of your old car, ut if you were intending to keep it and drive it into the ground, the ground has suddenly come up to meet you and you are forced to buy another car, ready or not.

Oh jesus...this one i may be praying for a write off tbh...sounds like its passed it's time mate. It really depends on the assessor (if they get one out to look at it anyway)

The car at fault was with real insurance if that helps. I am with AAMI. 3rd party. What do you think market value may be? All things considered.

I'd make sure the other driver was at fault, and that his insurance company knows he was. Best in writing from the other driver.
You need to contact his insurance company regarding any pay out, and I imagine it will be market value as per Redbook, or some such insurance company insider publication. It won't be much. Not enough to go out and buy another Magna.

Also contact your insurence company, they may be able to give some good advice.

I've known people unwilling to wait for an insurance company payout to go and get the car repaired on their own money, then be unhappy with the payout. Small Claims Court to the rescue, sue the other driver for the difference.

Redbook says " Private Price Guide $1,500 - $3,300" but I imagine the insurance company will pay less.

About 95% chance it'll be write-off. Insurance jobs always cost more than private panel beating work.

They'll quote for using new parts (unless unavailable - then they use 2nd hand parts) and then they'll have to quote the actual work itself - including spray painting.

Account for an easy $2000-2500 quote. I suspect your boot floor is also damaged if you need a new bootlid as well. Unless you argue they will most likely write your car off. When TJ's with $1500 worth of damage (if you don't go through insurance) are sitting at pickles waiting to be scraped then I don't have much hope for 16 year old TE magna worth at best 2.5k.

Just to illustrate. My mum's new impreza rs had a rear ender and the damage was $1900 worth. The parts only cost $600. The rest was the work they needed to do! (removing old, refitting new, spraying from primer) and the accident was purely the bumper (boot was fine).

Also - you can probably argue for the payout as well. Remember it's an offer so you can ask for more if you can prove the car is worth more. Your car is in the lower end with km's I'd expect around 260-270km for the car.

Gearbox persistantly sitting in 4th. flushed, filter changed, re-learn procedure done but nothing has helped (when I flushed the box I had 2 chunks of wave spring come out with it).
Timing belt is overdue and needs to be done very soon. The original owner changed it at 121, is now on 223.
Split in the front driver side brake line, slowly leaking fluid.
Front lower control arm bushes are completely gone.
Brake rotors and pads are stuffed, front and back.
Oil smell coming from the engine after any long drive.
Lifters sound like WW3 every time I start the car cold.
Tyres are pretty poor as well.

So, in short, I am hoping that the car gets written off.



lol Haven't really kept up with the repair side of things have you?
You're looking at a few $K to fix the car before the accident, would be better if it was written off and you put that money plus payout towards something better.

I was told by my insurance co, when someone hit me (back when I had my run of 3 people hitting my car before the first incident was repaired), that because someone hit you, their insurance HAD to repair your car, they cannot just write it off. This could be wrong, but it was what I was told.

My KH Verada revieved a quoted $5500 worth of repairs. This was last year, and would legitimately approach the resale value of the car. But it was still repaired.

Mike

I was told by my insurance co, when someone hit me (back when I had my run of 3 people hitting my car before the first incident was repaired), that because someone hit you, their insurance HAD to repair your car, they cannot just write it off. This could be wrong, but it was what I was told.

My KH Verada revieved a quoted $5500 worth of repairs. This was last year, and would legitimately approach the resale value of the car. But it was still repaired.

Mike

Not usually, especially in a heavy rear-ender. Once the floorpan is creased, writeoff is almost certainly a given. Costs to straighten out the car start rising rapidly if the car is bent underneath

lol Haven't really kept up with the repair side of things have you?
You're looking at a few $K to fix the car before the accident, would be better if it was written off and you put that money plus payout towards something better.

Well I did. I tried to keep up as much as I could. The gearbox was only diagnosed last week when this problem developed. I also started to notice that it was going through fluid quickly, so I took it to my mates shop which is a brake specialist and he spotted the leak. He let me know about the pads and rotors which I was going to do this weekend anyway. For the oil smell issue, I suspected cam seals and crank seal, so I was letting that go till I do the timing belt, which was booked in for Thursday. Tyres are crap because the plan was to buy some 18's. Just rotated and aligned them yesterday morning putting my near perfect tyres on the front and the crap ones (they are around 20-30%) at the back. The bushes.... well fair enough, I neglected that (which was the cause of my issue from my previous thread if you recall) because frankly my list was too massive for anything else and I can't afford it. Would have to wait a couple of weks for that.

Keep an eye out for a parting-out thread because if it gets written off I will be buying it back and flogging my custom bits!

As for the value, I just looked at redbook and a '98 tf altera (mine is a te altera) with 210-350k is worth $1300-3400 so I want the high end of that and will fight to the death for it. I will not take any less than $2500 and if need be, it will end up in the courts because none of this crap was my fault and I deserve to be happy with what I am paid out for.

I would be seing it as a write off 99% as well. Stitching on new rear panels and paint and blend should be worth more than the car..

dreggzy if you part out can i call dibs on the bonnet and boot with spoiler pleeeaze?
i had the tf same colour as yours with the white bonnet and black bar that was at the bathurst cruise and thornleigh yesterday

Yeah man. It will get parted out in due course if it gets written off.

I don't want to turn this into a for sale thread out of infraction fears for both of us but I wont forget your dibs.

Yeah, fair enough. Sometimes a whole bunch of stuff goes wrong and you're left scratching your head trying to work out which problem to tackle first.

It's going to take a while to sort out what happens next, so all you people lining up for parts, just be patient.

sorry to hear you got liberaced as you have third party aami should help you cliam as they hit you
have you made a police report or did police attend all helps with insurrance

sorry to hear you got liberaced as you have third party aami should help you cliam as they hit you
have you made a police report or did police attend all helps with insurrance

Police on scene. 3 car accident. A brand new Lexus was the meat in the sandwich so they called the cops. At least, being in front helped things damage wise. If it were a direct hit I wouldnt be driving it

in vic the lexus pays for your car

in vic the lexus pays for your car

That sucks.

Still waiting for this guy to make his claim. I have a feeling this is going to be a saga

in vic the lexus pays for your car

That would only be if the lexus hit him before the car behind hit the Lexus. It comes down to who hit someone from behind first. The same rule applies in NSW and Queensland,, not sure about other states.

For starters you do not need to wait for the other party to make a claim, if you are also insured, you can claim under your own insurance. If not I believe you can make a claim yourself as he/she has to give insurnace details at the time of the accident

Secondly, yes I have a KF Xi here with a dent in the front left guard, was a write off but then again I have seen much worse repaired. No one here can made a guess based on what you have said here, you have not put up photos. It really depends on what he damage is. One of my staff recently had the back of his KF hit, was quater panel damage on one side as well as boot lid, rear panel and rear bar, was repaired

Third Party with AAMI..

Because you have third party it's difficult. You're coverage is not for you and only third parties.

So..

You can get a quote from a repairer stating whether the vehicle is repairable or not, if so how much etc.

Then contact either parties insurance.

How many bumps did you feel..?
Did the guy behind you hit you and then get hit again..?

Send me a PM.. I'm still on holiday from work however I am back in the country So I'll help if I can..

SuFz

I'd make sure the other driver was at fault, and that his insurance company knows he was. Best in writing from the other driver.
You need to contact his insurance company regarding any pay out, and I imagine it will be market value as per Redbook, or some such insurance company insider publication. It won't be much. Not enough to go out and buy another Magna.

Also contact your insurence company, they may be able to give some good advice.

I've known people unwilling to wait for an insurance company payout to go and get the car repaired on their own money, then be unhappy with the payout. Small Claims Court to the rescue, sue the other driver for the difference.

Redbook says " Private Price Guide $1,500 - $3,300" but I imagine the insurance company will pay less.

Redbook's values are about as good as a guess based on my experience. For reference, my old GTV was quoted as being worth like $5000-7000 or some bullshit value with my lower than average k's on Redbook. I was prepared to fight hard if they offered me that. They called me and offered me a touch under $11,000, first offer. That was market value. I think I might have had a bit of insider help on that one (;P) but still, there's no way they would have offered me Redbook's insanely low value. I wouldn't sell my car privately for any less than $9-10,000, let alone 5-7! And as said, you can argue with them on the offer they give you. Be aware though if you end up making them get someone else to do the quote, it will be final. If the new quote is lower you're ****ed.

EDIT: Actually that last bit about the second quote might not apply to your situation, I'm not an expert just recounting what happened with my accident.

Thanks Jake. Appreciate it. I hope I can get 5 but I doubt it. I would be happy with $3500 even if the car is worth less, it is worth a shitload to me. Blood, sweat and tears don't have a price tag.

For starters you do not need to wait for the other party to make a claim, if you are also insured, you can claim under your own insurance. If not I believe you can make a claim yourself as he/she has to give insurnace details at the time of the accident

Secondly, yes I have a KF Xi here with a dent in the front left guard, was a write off but then again I have seen much worse repaired. No one here can made a guess based on what you have said here, you have not put up photos. It really depends on what he damage is. One of my staff recently had the back of his KF hit, was quater panel damage on one side as well as boot lid, rear panel and rear bar, was repaired

Now with photo

I would be getting those tail lights out very fast to be honest, all it will take is for the other person to state that they did not see your brake lights as they were white, I know of at least 2 people here in Vic who have had claims denied because of non ADR compliant lights, one had a set of very tinted lights and another those clear lights. Both cases the person who hit the car stated that the car stopped fast and no brake lights could be seen. While it is up to you to leave a safe distance it is also up to you to have working and LEGAL brake lights which in this case they are not

Thanks Mal. They are working and legal. The brake lights are red as they should be. The reverse lights are white and the indicators are orange.

A car ran up the back of the car behind me anyway which got me. My brake lights are irrelevant. Will remove before taking it to the repairer in any case.

Thanks Mal. They are working and legal. The brake lights are red as they should be. The reverse lights are white and the indicators are orange.

A car ran up the back of the car behind me anyway which got me. My brake lights are irrelevant. Will remove before taking it to the repairer in any case.

Are they ADR/e-marked?

They are definitely not ADR compliant. For starters - the reflector's are clear - by law these need to be red.

Regardless of which - the driver should've maintained a clear distance and when that distance was decreasing then they should've slowed down. Put back your stock headlights (your word against the person who hit you) and fight it out because regardless if you had non-ADR compliant lights or not, the driver that hit you should've still maintained a proper safe distance behind you. When that distance began to decrease it is their responsibility to slow down. Failure to not see a braking light is seldom an excuse unless of course of the lighting conditions were poor and they can only rely on seeing your lights.

As for writeoff or not - I'm still about 90% sure they will write the car off. If you go through insurance then they will utilise new parts (if possible) due to having to offer a lifetime warranty for repairs. The rear bumper can still be purchased from Mitsubishi and is around $300 from memory, reo (beaver) bar at the back will also be damaged so you're up for anouther $250 approx there. The bending of the reinforcement bar (reo/beaver) could've also bent or broken the tips of the rails. Judging by the gap between the boot and the bumper I suspect the rear floor pan is damaged as well? Fixing that alone can near 1k. So if you parts alone could reach $600, add-on spraying a new bumper from primer (easy $450) plus labour being charged at around $100/hour - the damage bill could easily escalate to $1500 or more. At such price they will probably write the car off.

Edit: I also recommend you black out your plates mate. There are people on this forum who work for insurance companies and located in your state. You may not want them to find out everything you've said (i.e. admitting to having clear taillights which are not ADR compliant - whether you knew they are or not). Not saying anyone will dob you in but just for your own sake.

They are definitely not ADR compliant. For starters - the reflector's are clear - by law these need to be red.

Regardless of which - the driver should've maintained a clear distance and when that distance was decreasing then they should've slowed down. Put back your stock headlights (your word against the person who hit you) and fight it out because regardless if you had non-ADR compliant lights or not, the driver that hit you should've still maintained a proper safe distance behind you. When that distance began to decrease it is their responsibility to slow down. Failure to not see a braking light is seldom an excuse unless of course of the lighting conditions were poor and they can only rely on seeing your lights.

As for writeoff or not - I'm still about 90% sure they will write the car off. If you go through insurance then they will utilise new parts (if possible) due to having to offer a lifetime warranty for repairs. The rear bumper can still be purchased from Mitsubishi and is around $300 from memory, reo (beaver) bar at the back will also be damaged so you're up for anouther $250 approx there. The bending of the reinforcement bar (reo/beaver) could've also bent or broken the tips of the rails. Judging by the gap between the boot and the bumper I suspect the rear floor pan is damaged as well? Fixing that alone can near 1k. So if you parts alone could reach $600, add-on spraying a new bumper from primer (easy $450) plus labour being charged at around $100/hour - the damage bill could easily escalate to $1500 or more. At such price they will probably write the car off.

Edit: I also recommend you black out your plates mate. There are people on this forum who work for insurance companies and located in your state. You may not want them to find out everything you've said (i.e. admitting to having clear taillights which are not ADR compliant - whether you knew they are or not). Not saying anyone will dob you in but just for your own sake.

Thanks for the tip kovac. I care little about the insurance company knowing I had those lights. Police on scene told me they were legal and did a defect report on my car. Clean as a whistle. I will be removing them because if it gets fixed I would rather my stock lights get damaged than my clear ones. Not by any means trying to defraud/trick the insurance company.

Beaver panel has been damaged, 1 rail tip has broken, another is bent 90 degrees. My floor pan (which is presumably where my spare goes) is slightly bent. there is a crack about 3 inches long but it is still watertight. The bootlid has a dent in the inside panel (will take a photo). not too bad, but if they fix the car, I want that done too. Hmmm, what else is there... I think that about covers it. Will book it into the panelbeater this week and update then.

Until then, please do keep the feedback coming. Its all very helpful.

Beaver panel has been damaged, 1 rail tip has broken, another is bent 90 degrees. My floor pan (which is presumably where my spare goes) is slightly bent. there is a crack about 3 inches long but it is still watertight. The bootlid has a dent in the inside panel (will take a photo). not too bad, but if they fix the car, I want that done too. Hmmm, what else is there... I think that about covers it. Will book it into the panelbeater this week and update then.


I would definitely be ready to recieve a payout from the insurance company. With the chassis rails being bent and the floorpan being damaged - the costs to repair will significantly escalate - likely beyond the value of the car.

A car I hit a year ago, had similar damage. The boot floor wasn't even damaged - only the panel what meets the bootlid was pushed in and the quote was over $3000 from the panel beaters. Unlike yours that bumper was salvageable. Unless you push for it - I suspect they're going to write this off. So start doing some research on the value of your car or prepare a letter on why you beleive its worth X amount. You don't have to accept the insurance payout instead you can seek damages against the driver - currently they have chosen to remove liability from themselves via using their insurance company. If you don't think you're being fairly compensated then you have a 3rd party review the case - i.e. a magistrate.

Just to show how easily they write off these cars:
http://www.pickles.com.au/damaged/item/-/details/06-98--Mitsubishi--Magna--TF-Altera--Sedan/252321786

That car has almost the same damage as you have and it's 2 years newer too. Currently waiting to be sold off a repairable writeoff.

Thats great. Thanks heaps for that. Now to work out how much the car is worth....

sorry to hear about this mate

doesent look too damaged, but still hope they repair it
also last year my TF was offered 5000 trade in value, i dont know but yours may be lower than this
also if its fate is a write off and sent to the wrecking yard, tell me and i will see if i can nab some parts off

Thanks John. I am hoping for $3500. Can't imagine any more than that.

As for parts, back of the line mate. It will come

Were you on the cruise Sat night? I was following a maroon sedan with clear lights and the brake lights, especially the passenger side was a pale pink. I thought it was way too light to avoid defecting.

Nah man not me. I came to say hello but disappeared before you left. My lights are very red. They light up the whole section they are meant to. If mine were pink I would change them.

A word of warning with these lights, as magna pi said before these lights can cause you trouble. I had red reflectors on my bumper bar but took them off after the prang. You need to watch out for these things and find ways around getting defected.

Ah, easy. I have also had a dropkick neighbour stuck paying out a claim after someone run up the back of him.

Reason: Other car claimed the huge chrome sticker on the rear screen in direct sunlight caused significant visual impairment and the "lewd" text, "Show us your pink bits" caused some uncontrollable feelings of horror due to its obscenity..

Dont know whether he wasn't willing to fight it as hard as the other parties insurance company, but they felt it was enough of a reason to deny the claim.

Thanks John. I am hoping for $3500. Can't imagine any more than that.

As for parts, back of the line mate. It will come

hey if you get a payout new TE/TF OR other model?

Get a KH Xi ;)

Haha I want to. I would be keen on a gtvi. Probably best to leave this technical in this thread. I will kick off another thread in the members lounge when I have confirmation of what is happening.

Update: took it to the panel beater today. The beaver panel and reinforcement bar are both stuffed. The rear bumper is obviously not repairable. There is $3150 worth of damage. I will know next week if the car stays or goes so keep tuned...

Deffo write off with that much damage.

Also whats a beaver panel

Thin piece of metal that sits behind the rear bumper.

Oh the cross member

Just find a panel beater that likes you and tell him that you think it would be better to be written off.
He will then add a full body respray onto the price, and it's instantly written off.

Yeah its a goner. It just stresses me now because of that 1% chance. Also want to know what I'm going to get but that's anyone's guess.

Oh the cross member

Nope, the beaver panel is just a thin sheet of vertical metal between the floor pan and the rear bumper. In a crash, the plastic bumper gets pushed in, the reinforcing bar in the bumper gets pushed in, which pushes in the beaver panel, which then crinkles the horizontal floor pan that makes up the boot floor. I've fixed up such damage, quite easy. Heavy hammer, bog, paint, new bumper. Probably not a solid repair, but the car looked untouched. Not as an insurance job though, they need to guarantee the structural integrity of the tail end. lol

for that money it's a writeoff anyway..... They will only repair it if your car has a market value of double that. This is ok. Take to court, get 10,000 in damages and buy a ralliart, win.

for that money it's a writeoff anyway..... They will only repair it if your car has a market value of double that. This is ok. Take to court, get 10,000 in damages and buy a ralliart, win.

or a KE/KF Verada!!!

for that money it's a writeoff anyway..... They will only repair it if your car has a market value of double that. This is ok. Take to court, get 10,000 in damages and buy a ralliart, win.

If it was that easy, I have a TS wagon some (insured) driver is welcome to crash into the back of. lol

$3k for that? I forgot how expensive insurance work is! In all honesty - if you had connections you could get that repaired for easy $1300.

That's going straight to the salvage auction house. I'll be browsing pickles for your ride :P

Your car's value is probably around the $3000 mark. Insurance companies will use either Redbook and/or Glasses valuation services. It is then your job to bargain, refuse or accept the offer. If you refuse their offer then you seek damages against the driver themselves via the small claims court.

Well the car in my opinion is worth $3000. Just because I bought it for less doesnt mean that the value is set at that price. I have also added my own value to the car, thereby making it worth more in sentimental value to me. Now it has been damaged, that value is erased. A court will hopefully look favourably upon that and I can recover damages from the owner directly. Just a quick thought. Will have to research it.

Btw morsolo, mcs-xi and mykhverada have convinced me that a kh rada is the way to go. May look into others as well depending on the payout and salvage money. More threads will come. Once again, please keep this one technical.

$3k for that? I forgot how expensive insurance work is! In all honesty - if you had connections you could get that repaired for easy $1300.

That's going straight to the salvage auction house. I'll be browsing pickles for your ride :P

Your car's value is probably around the $3000 mark. Insurance companies will use either Redbook and/or Glasses valuation services. It is then your job to bargain, refuse or accept the offer. If you refuse their offer then you seek damages against the driver themselves via the small claims court.

Yep. Local court is the name in NSW. Same thing. I will bargain it to at least $2500 then persue the driver directly for the rest.

My panelbeater quoted 900-1100 to repair privately. I think I will do it myself. Hammer, bit of timber, New bar, bit of bog.

They have to build in a little bit of leverage for if something goes wrong with the repair or there are additional works, (apprentice spills paint, fry up in paint) etc etc. They win most times lol

Another update: the insurance company will not pay me a cent until their insured has paid his excess, had his car assessed, and has been repaired. I disagree with this big time. They are telling me to go through my insurer. Fat chance! If I dont have a timetable for my cars assessment, I will send a letter of demand off to the insurer and driver. I respond poorly to tactics like this. I will not let them win.

Another update: the insurance company will not pay me a cent until their insured has paid his excess, had his car assessed, and has been repaired. I disagree with this big time. They are telling me to go through my insurer. Fat chance! If I dont have a timetable for my cars assessment, I will send a letter of demand off to the insurer and driver. I respond poorly to tactics like this. I will not let them win.

Oh man insurance companies are f wits! they will delay as long as possible. But in reality if you go through your insurer you lose your no claim bonus =/ which i think is horse shit

If you are not at fault and have the at fault party's details, you can go through your own insurance company. They will often authorise the repair or payout and then pursue the other party on your behalf. This is what happened when I was backed into. It was all assessed and repaired within 7 days. All done through my own insurance. Real Insurance - highly recommended.

Quick question, you may have already said this, but are you covered 3rd party or Comp? If its comp, you should not wait, nor have any dealings with anyone other than your own insurance co.

My car got ridden off from hail damage - re purchased for cheaper then drinks on saturday night!!

If you are not at fault and have the at fault party's details, you can go through your own insurance company. They will often authorise the repair or payout and then pursue the other party on your behalf. This is what happened when I was backed into. It was all assessed and repaired within 7 days. All done through my own insurance. Real Insurance - highly recommended.

If you're their client you will be all sorted quickly. If you're a third party, not so lucky. I'm not their customer, so.... Not interested. Will speak to Aami again and see where I go. If no luck, I might have to take it a few steps further.

Quick question, you may have already said this, but are you covered 3rd party or Comp? If its comp, you should not wait, nor have any dealings with anyone other than your own insurance co.

3rd party for me.

Start writing your letter of demand now, don't waste time.
If you get 3 quotes for repairs they will have a hard time arguing with that.
Speak to AAMI, but I don't know how much help they will be.
Don't sit around waiting for them to ignore you, get moving or you'll die of old age waiting.

Okay.. There's a lot of BS going on in this thread.

1) Find out who the TPI (Third Party Insurer) is and find out his claim number and details.

2) Contact them and enquire on the current stage of the claim.

3) If the other vehicle has been assessed, you can request that your vehicle be assessed.

If you are having an issue.. Send me a PM and I'll see if I can help.

SuFz

Okay.. There's a lot of BS going on in this thread.

1) Find out who the TPI (Third Party Insurer) is and find out his claim number and details.

2) Contact them and enquire on the current stage of the claim.

3) If the other vehicle has been assessed, you can request that your vehicle be assessed.

If you are having an issue.. Send me a PM and I'll see if I can help.

SuFz

Got in contact with the other party. They are doing the same thing as me. I am writing the demand letters on the weekend. I have 2 quotes but haven't had a chance to get a 3rd. 2 should be enough?

Sufz, mate I would love your help. I hear you are in the insurance game and this would be helpful.

So.. Who's the TP insured with..?

SuFz

Shannons IIRC but they are waiting for the at fault driver for the time being.

G'day,
Bit late in the day..... But saw the actual damage, on Saturday night. you will be looking at a write off, start nagging the insurance company and get the cheque for your agreed value not theirs. Don't forget to include the cost of a AMC///NSW sticker these are getting quite rare and add value :-). Serious side insurance takes a number of weeks to get their act together, if not resolved in 2-3 weeks keep phoning them email and copy fair trading. Hope you get a nice GTVi (Like a KW so you can join me in the AWD club)

What car I get depends on what kind of money I get back.

Monday, shit gets serious. Demand letters will go out. Going legal if I'm not happy with their responses. My car looks like an unfunny joke and I'm over it.

You'll find you won't get much. your car sadly has a very low market value

for that money it's a writeoff anyway..... They will only repair it if your car has a market value of double that.

Not always the case, I had a '90 N13 Pulsar Vector which copped a biff up the arse in April '09 (bootlid, bar, reo, beaver, bootfloor, taillamps and quarter-panel damage), my quotes were between $2900 and $3200 (insured for $3650 agreed value) and it got fixed. I thought it was most certainly going to be a write-off.
I think it all comes down to the assessor and the mood he/she is in... and how clean your car is (I'm sure that helped in getting mine repaired - it was pristine..)

You'll find you won't get much. your car sadly has a very low market value

I know :(

As many of the NSW boys know, my car means a hell of a lot to me. It might not be much but damn it was special. seeing it now it just looks like any other te. It was a pleasure to drive despite its many faults :(. It was my car and I demand retribution for it being destroyed.

Shannons IIRC but they are waiting for the at fault driver for the time being.

If they're with Shannon's.. I may be able to assist.. I get back to the office on Monday.. PM me the claim number and I'll see what I can do.

SuFz

No worries. They dont have a claim number with shannons. They are waiting for the at fault driver before claiming with their own insurers. I think they are giving it to the end of the week. Will send the real claim number through. Thanks sufz

The last thing I got told by my panel shop when 2 of the magnas in the family got hit was that once it reached 75% of market value they generally call it a write off.
That was a couple of years ago now, not sure if it is still the case.
Good luck.

The last thing I got told by my panel shop when 2 of the magnas in the family got hit was that once it reached 75% of market value they generally call it a write off.
That was a couple of years ago now, not sure if it is still the case.
Good luck.
That's still the case, but the person doing the quote has a hell of a lot of pull.

Typical insurance job quotes are 2-3x higher than a normal private job, so if the damage to your car isn't too bad and you want to keep it, but it's approaching/on that 75% mark, just talk to your panel beater and get them to drop the price of the quote down enough that it should be repaired.

My Auto Ralliart's quote had the option of being either: A) 50-60% of it's market value meaning a good chance of repair or B) 70-80% of it's market value meaning certain write-off, depending on whether or not i wanted to keep it and what my panel beater recommended. Considering just too many things were bent, it was decided to just quote it high and buy another Magna instead of worrying about reselling a Ralliart that's not 100% perfect. I would later find out this is apparently common, but at the time i figured all the Ralliarts left on the road should be 100% or not be on the road at all.


The thing dreggzy's going through right now is the exact reason i always have comprehensive on any cars, no matter if they're worth $2k or $20k. It's just so worth it when you don't have to wait months without a car.
Better to just get some money and let the companies sort it out while you buy another car.

so mate, whats the news with your car???

Waiting on the other party with her insurance details (this is the one on my side, not the guy at fault). The guy at fault has not paid his excess, so he is lying to me on a few grounds. Real Insurance continues to stuff me around. I can't seem to catch a break here.

Unfortunately this can happens when you rely on them fessing up to their insurance and paying their excess. You won't get squat until they pay their excess. If you're so inclined, then give hr a bit more time or start claiming damages against her. She legally is liable for the damage she caused and needs to pay. She has nominated her insurance to cover her liability but if you're not happy with that arrangement then you seek a 3rd party (i.e. a magistrate) to decide the outcome.

This is when you write a letter of demand. Do a google search on how to do a legally valid letter of demand and make sure you send it via Registerred post with sign on delivery. This ensure that you have proof the person received the letter. You tell them why they are liable, the cost for the repair (attach the quote) and the date you expect payment by or you will have no other option but to take the matter to court.

Then start looking the costs of going to court. Should be less than $100 as its a small claims court. Do your research and you won't need legal representation. However you will need patience as the process can take some time and if the defendant claims to not be able to make a lump sum (financial hardship) then by law she is able to pay you via a payment plan - I knew someone that was paying like $5 a week for 3 years because of an accident they had :rant:

You may actually be better off going to court lol - the law will not care about whether the car is written off or not, it's about reimbursing you for the damages the driver caused. So if you have a quote or two that says the damage is $3200 to fix then that's how much she owes you. You get that money and you can keep the car. Sell the good bits off, claim back rego, and give the rest to the wreckers and you've made a bit of profit ;)

Haha don't worry about that. I have written so many demands its not funny. I work in a law firm as a senior litigation and dispute resolution paralegal. I've got the legal part down pat. Cost in NSW is $87. Worth it imo but let's see how we go with insurance first.

At fault driver is a he. Other not at fault driver is a she.

The car will be parted out if I can't fix it myself.