whats your views on buying a caravan back off the insurance

[kezia932]

I am sort of in a dilemma my caravan is in a repairs workshop due to a wheel coming off the quote given will probably write the caravan off the caravan is repairable if I supply my own parts which is coming in less than the quote friends are telling me even thou the caravan is in nice condition it will be classed as a cat D if I receive a settlement in lieu .this would be ok but I got told the insurance may end once a payment is sent out to me is this true.

Will I no longer have insurance????

The caravan is well worth repairing but I have been told it’s only worth scrap value due to how much it would cost to repair due to the inflated quotation which is ridiculously high the market value of the van is higher than the quote I have been told I may get a payment in lieu if I ask and get all parts and get it repaired cheaper than the quote given by the repairer.

The quote is not the fault of the repair shop it’s just they have to get quoted on all new parts

My quote with research comes in a lot less if I supply and then they fit. But this would mean I would need payment off the insurance so I can source and pay for the parts .is it really worth the hassle.

The only reason I am looking is that I still like the van and its difficult these days to find a good clean and its 99% damp free van.

I have been told even thou if a payment is send i could have trouble getting insurance on a cat d there are reasons why the wheel came off but it wasn't my fault .

I have been told the value will be affected even if it’s repaired to a high standard with a cat d against it if the insurance did repair it would the same still apply above will it still be uninsurable once the policy ends.

Should I except the market value or take a risk and try and get it fixed I just don't know what to do.

Any supporting information on what’s the best plan of action i should take would be appreciated

What’s the difference in dealers selling a cats d as it will be registered on cris and someone may get insurance on this, but if I had a payment and still had it fixed at a proper work shop where would I stand as anyone been in this position and what it back due to it being a good van but then is faced with not knowing what lies ahead if I except to get it repaired with the money off the insurance I think enless the insurance sells it back to me say for £500 as the quote is 5 times as high I think I would be on a loser if I paid more for a caravan that needs a bit of work to get it road worthy again .

And the fear of not having insurance on a caravan these days it’s not worth the risk

I really need some good advise on what I should be doing next .

what happens if they try sell it to the repairer without asking me first or giving them first refusal what the difference here do they have different rights than myself .they will only do what I plan get and to get it fixed using cheaper parts with new ,there intention would be to sell it on mine would be to carry on using it once its fixed i could use it without insurance but then if someone stole it what then,

 

any reply's would be great .

 

:-D :-D :-D

[PJay]

Will be interested to hear others replies.

Yes if you accept the insurance money, and the van is written off, then the van is no longer insured. Depending on the value and the cost of repair , you can insist on having the repair done. I did this once on a car, that the garage said was a write off, but as the cost was about the value of the car, I insisted on the repair.kept the car for a few years afterwards.

The car was a Ford Capri (at the time the latest model), and a typical boy racer type, I believe one of the guys at the garage wanted it. When I did sell it, it went to a young fellow

Must say I loved that car, but with no power steering, I realised how hard it was to drive, when I got one with power steering ! Not sure I could get in and out of it these days!!

[derek pringle]

hi kezia932,

How soon do you have to decide?

My gut feeling would be to have a quick look at private sales and see what you could get for circa the same money or a bit more for betterment. If I could get a good van with a clean record/service history then I would be tempted to take the money off the insurers. People say cars and things are not the same after MAJOR repairs and you will still have a recorded write off, meaning I suspect you would need to just keep the van

til the end of its life, can't imagine too many buyers chomping at the bit. IF you like the van enough and really do not want to change then that is a personal decision and not a dispassionate one.

Best of luck to you in whichever decision you make

derek

[StuartO]

I discovered when I had an accident with a motorcycle that insurers operate a standard formula when deciding whether to write a vehicle off and i suspect its the same or similar with cars and MHs. 

 

Insurers have a standing arrangements with scrap yards to sell written off motorcycles for 33% of the book value and the scrap dealer pays that knowing that on a swings and roundabouts basis they will be able to make a profit on the salvage parts.  When the insurer gets the repair estimate they do a simple sum to work out whether writing the vehicle off will cost them less than the repair.  Repair estimates are only estimates and repair costs will increase if there is hidden damage, so insurers will often write the vehicle off if the repair estimate is anywhere close to the write off cost to them.  Repair parts are often quite expensive compared with ordinary service parts; the manufacturers know they have a captive market for accident repair parts and charge accordingly. 

 

Vehicles are therefore often written off with relatively little damage.  The insurers only ever pay market value (less the 33% or whatever they get from the scrap yard) so the most they ever pay for a claim is 67% of book value.  If you want to keep the vehicle and repair it yourself they will want you to pay the 33% which they would otherwise get from the scrap yard.

 

I was lucky with my motorcycle because the loss adjuster agreed a generous valuation of the bike and I could get a mate to rebuild the bike for less than commercial rates.  The insurance company even agreed not to record the bike as a Category D write off - but they were adamant about the 33% discount I had to accept for keeping the bike.

 

Hope this background knowledge helps.  The percentage charge for keeping a caravan might be different from motorcycles but don't expect the insurer to allow you to keep it for a token sum; they will know exactly what the scrap yard will pay and charge you accordingly.

 

[Keithl]

Hi Kezia,

 

A tip I was given many years ago when an old Mini I had was badly damaged was to accept a cash payment off the insurers as a contribution towards the cost of the repairs and hence the vehicle was not written off and no comment was made on the log book.

 

I wonder if you can do the same here?

 

PS It also meant the insurance was not cancelled as is the case with a write off!

 

Keith.

[kezia932]

apparently if the insurance repairs it don't get a category against it but if i get a payment in settlement in lieu and then used the same repairer to carry out the work i would then need to get an independent inspection to clarify its been done satisfactory.