Looking for advice after a crash

Hi all,

After finally getting my van back from the garage someone decided to turn down a road without looking for oncoming vehicles - I was about half a metre away when he swung across the road to cut the corner and as you can see from the pics it didn't end too well! He has admitted fault to my insurers and I am told that they will be in touch tomorrow to arrange for someone to visit on Monday.

I have never been through this process before so i was hoping to get some general advice and do's/don'ts from anyone willing to help.

- Assuming they can repair it (no idea how likely this is) then i assume they find somewhere to do it and bring it back shiny and fixed (im probably wrong here?)

- Because of the age of the van and the availability of parts / people who can fix them - how on earth do they put a value on the damage?

- If they decide its not worth fixing....how do they go about valuing it? Its such a mixed bag when looking at the prices online (mint looking ones with rust everywhere underneath and ones that look a bit beaten up but run well and have no hidden demons), seems like it would be a hard job to find like for like.

Pics below. The front wheels don't turn, the accelerator pedal came off and as you can see from the door its all a bit crumpled. Desperately hoping she's fixable!

Cheers,

 

Hope you and yours are ok?

So sorry to read this, and while I have little knowledge about the insurance/claim process, I’m pretty sure that it is all fixable as all parts are readily available and there are lots of folk who rebuild them.

Hope it all gets sorted for you and you have your lovely bus back on the road as soon as possible x

 

Looks pretty substantial damage, what kind of policy do you have? Agreed value??

 

Awful - hope everyones well ...

Apart from the obvious damage to the front , the`A` post and floor (chassis bent ?? ) it looks like the geometry / front chassis axle has been affected

If they write it off make sure you get an assurance you can buy it back and get the work done by someone who knows EXACTLY what they`ll be repairing . There`s some real tossers out there selling themselves as `classic specialists` ...

Hope it goes well ..

 

Where do you live,someone near you might be able to recommend a repair shop .

 

First things first is your health.
Anything is fixable it just costs time and money tbh.
Rule no1 is dont let the van out of your possession. By the time storage fees are added it will be written off.
Keep the van and take the cash if you can then get it booked in with a very good classic repair place it doesn't have to be a vw specialist just someone who understands old cars

Good luck

 

The floor has probably moved as you braked so the pedal jammed so now the front wheels are now braked ??? or something has moved a smidge and the master cylinder rod has put the brakes on, Dont look to bad, @davidoft will fix it if down south or @Flakey up cheshire way, who I cant remember the name change

 

Ouch, looks like it was quite a whack good luck with the insurers!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Start doing your own research for reputable VW repairers with good reviews. If the insurance company do agree to pay for the repairs stipulate it goes to your nominated repairers.

Start to look at the price of replacement parts as at first glance the van is going to need a complete front offside wheel arch, a new drivers door a new front clip, a new deformation panel, a new front bumper, possibly front section of chassis repair where steering box mounts, Inner front valance, front valance just to name a few parts. There could be damage to the ‘B’ post and side panel too.

Check under the van to see if the pitman arm is jammed or steering box damaged or if the wheel is wedged into the inner arch.

From personal experience I found that when I washed and polished the car before the assessor turned up it made a better impression that the car was worth fixing. I also stated I would be willing to accept the use of quality second hand parts to keep the repair costs down.

Good luck fella and I feel your pain.

 

All ok thanks, bit of a painful foot but seeing how it is tomorrow before braving a+e!

Based in North London (Barnet). We've had a pretty bad run of garages offering to do stuff but being crap - would be very grateful for recommendations.

My policy is through a broker (Barry Grainger?) and the underwriter is kinetic. When I set up the policy (originally marker study via BG) I said how much I paid for it but I've spent about 6k on it since then and renewed the policy through BG but transferred it to someone else with a better price. No clue how much any of this counts for if we are going via the at-fault driver?

Thanks for the help all.

 

Has it had a front panel on before ? Looks like its had a lower early section on a late panel and indicator holes done? Both areas seem to have come apart easy who fitted it !!!

 

On the plus side the door came out and not up, the door hasn't gone up and bent the roof. It needs a classic VW person, the glass is intact, the quarter light is intact. If bent the parts to fit will be a few quid !!

 

This is why you must get an agreed valuation when you take out insurance....

It also shows what happens when you lower a bay and rendering the bumper useless.....

 

On the split screen forum someone bought back a split that the insurance company had written off. Did all the work then the DVLA stated that becouse it was a WO it could only be used as spares or scrapped so he cant use it on the road.

 

If you haven’t got an agreed valuation, you may need to fight your corner with adverts for similar vans. My son had to do all the work for the insurance company when he crashed his Japanese import Integra a few years back. I guess our vans are less niche but they won’t want to do the leg-work themselves.

 

Health comes before van. Get yourself checked over at A&E or your GP. As well as the foot, you may have experienced whiplash which may not be obvious right now.

 

Pretty sure I put the price I paid when I insured it - if I'm claiming on his (the driver who hit me) insurance does that mean it's capped at that value regardless of anything I have had done since?

Appreciate I may have been a bit niave here. Gutted!

 

Its your van, whatever happens even if not to your liking they cant take it without your say so, remember that.