T5 written off in a crash yesterday any tips on insurance etc

[ardvark]

Hi there,
We had an awful experience yesterday when a driver who has admitted liability drove straight into our t5 Cali it has been written off and is at the reclamation yard. We are trying to get as much as our stuff out of the van but as we were on holiday and now not in the area are having to do it remotely. Any tips on what we should salvage and how to deal
With the insurance company would be great. It’s heart breaking but the family are all ok which is the main thing and we have our beloved van to thank for saving us all. As you can imagine we have invested a lot into the van so want to claim as much as possible
Thanks

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Hi there,
We had an awful experience yesterday when a driver who has admitted liability drove straight into our t5 Cali it has been written off and is at the reclamation yard. We are trying to get as much as our stuff out of the van but as we were on holiday and now not in the area are having to do it remotely. Any tips on what we should salvage and how to deal
With the insurance company would be great. It’s heart breaking but the family are all ok which is the main thing and we have our beloved van to thank for saving us all. As you can imagine we have invested a lot into the van so want to claim as much as possible
Thanks

That’s awful for you @ardvark, hopefully nobody was injured.
I’m no expert but I imagine that you can remove all of your possessions and possibly any accessories you’ve added but all standard equipment must be left in the vehicle until your insurer settles your claim. If it is a write off you could possibly buy it back from your insurer and salvage parts or they may put it on the CoPart auction site where you could bid for it.

 

[Ladymuck]

No advice but very sorry to hear about your van, glad you are all ok

 

[Ozzy Pete]

You should be able to take out of your van what is NOT factory fitted or is not listed on your proposal .
Because it wasn’t your fault then the other company will be responsible. Obviously they will want to pay as little as possible but I would WBAC would give you a realistic valuation. Would be a winner to buy it back from the insurance company but you would have to be quick with your intentions.

 

[Meoncoast]

t5 Cali it has been written off and is at the reclamation yard.

When I had a car written off (pre-Cali) it took several weeks for the insurance company to confirm it had been written off so are you sure it is beyond repair given your accident was only a day ago.
When we were hit up the rear in our 1st Cali the 3rd party were trying to settle the claim by pushing for a cheap no VW repair shop - So I am sure the 3rd party will pushing to settle the claim as cheaply as possible for them. You may need your insurance company legal cover to fight your corner. Check the value of your van on WBAC and look in the ads on here for its replacement value. Glad you are all ok but this will be out of pocket due to this accident.

 

[Ozzy Pete]

What was the age and mileage of your van? And it is quite right what meoncoast said about being a right off. Although you would be far bettering off if it was written off as future valuation figures will be rock bottom. So would definitely push to get it written off.

 

[Borris]

How awful for you all. I hope you are all OK. Thank goodness your Cali kept you all safe.

I assume that you are planning to replace your van with another Cali therefore my advice would be to strip all accessories and personal effects. You will only have to buy again if you don't.

Re the insurance settlement, you must do your home work on what your van was worth prior to the accident. The third party's insurance company will want to minimise their outlay so aren't likely to help you or be over generous. Find as many advertisements for similar Calis of roughly the same age and mileage. Compile a file containing comprehensive details of each example's condition and options to compare to yours. This is all good ammunition for when the insurance settlement offer is made. Also do a WeBuyAnyCar valuation based on pre accident condition. It may also be worth getting a rough written valuation from a VW California dealer. All this info will enable you to reach a good idea of where that insurance settlement figure should be. They are bound to make you a low offer at first so arm yourself and expect that. Fight your corner and present them with a copy of your research to support your demand for a more realistic value.

Good luck.

 

[pluc99]

Horrible news! Follow Borris' advice on preparing yourself. I rejected the first 2 offers outright before settling for more than 2x the original one and in retrospect I think they got the better of me even so

Out of curiosity, does total write off means it's irreparably trashed or simply that the repairs would cost more than book value? If the latter then I would consider having some estimates done.

 

[GrannyJen]

All financial considerations aside, if you need any help getting stuff out and back home, I'm only a few miles down the A27 from you. Horrible thing to happen, we are a community, you are not alone so if anything I can do then pm me.

 

[andyinluton]

Take our absolutely anything you can remove, carpets, seat covers, bike rack even the awning if you can.

Get printing copies of adverts from here and autotrader, if you spot a similar spec / mileage / age van , there’s nothing to stop you suggesting to the insurers that they buy it for you.
If they won’t , you have then at least demonstrated to them what it would cost to replace your van & they would be hard pushed to argue against the figure as a settlement.

 

[ardvark]

When I had a car written off (pre-Cali) it took several weeks for the insurance company to confirm it had been written off so are you sure it is beyond repair given your accident was only a day ago.
When we were hit up the rear in our 1st Cali the 3rd party were trying to settle the claim by pushing for a cheap no VW repair shop - So I am sure the 3rd party will pushing to settle the claim as cheaply as possible for them. You may need your insurance company legal cover to fight your corner. Check the value of your van on WBAC and look in the ads on here for its replacement value. Glad you are all ok but this will be out of pocket due to this accident.

Unfortunately it is it was written off at the scene thanks so much for your advice. It’s all very difficult at the mo

 

[ardvark]

Take our absolutely anything you can remove, carpets, seat covers, bike rack even the awning if you can.

Get printing copies of adverts from here and autotrader, if you spot a similar spec / mileage / age van , there’s nothing to stop you suggesting to the insurers that they buy it for you.
If they won’t , you have then at least demonstrated to them what it would cost to replace your van & they would be hard pushed to argue against the figure as a settlement.

Thanks so much. We are trying to but we have got home and the van is four hours away in Norfolk think we might have to trek up tomorrow as it is being taken away on tuesday

 

[ardvark]

All financial considerations aside, if you need any help getting stuff out and back home, I'm only a few miles down the A27 from you. Horrible thing to happen, we are a community, you are not alone so if anything I can do then pm me.

This is so sweet of you. Thanks so much for coming forward with this very kind post

 

[ardvark]

Horrible news! Follow Borris' advice on preparing yourself. I rejected the first 2 offers outright before settling for more than 2x the original one and in retrospect I think they got the better of me even so

Out of curiosity, does total write off means it's irreparably trashed or simply that the repairs would cost more than book value? If the latter then I would consider having some estimates done.

Unfortunately it’s very bad I won’t post a picture as it’s very distressing. Will get to work with looking similar vans. They are pretty hard to find

 

[ardvark]

How awful for you all. I hope you are all OK. Thank goodness your Cali kept you all safe.

I assume that you are planning to replace your van with another Cali therefore my advice would be to strip all accessories and personal effects. You will only have to buy again if you don't.

Re the insurance settlement, you must do your home work on what your van was worth prior to the accident. The third party's insurance company will want to minimise their outlay so aren't likely to help you or be over generous. Find as many advertisements for similar Calis of roughly the same age and mileage. Compile a file containing comprehensive details of each example's condition and options to compare to yours. This is all good ammunition for when the insurance settlement offer is made. Also do a WeBuyAnyCar valuation based on pre accident condition. It may also be worth getting a rough written valuation from a VW California dealer. All this info will enable you to reach a good idea of where that insurance settlement figure should be. They are bound to make you a low offer at first so arm yourself and expect that. Fight your corner and present them with a copy of your research to support your demand for a more realistic value.

Good luck.

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply with this info. It’s so sad that when it’s not your fault at all so much work and effort has to be put in. We are still shaken up so am finding it all very difficult but so grateful we are all safe . Thanks again

 

[ardvark]

That’s awful for you @ardvark, hopefully nobody was injured.
I’m no expert but I imagine that you can remove all of your possessions and possibly any accessories you’ve added but all standard equipment must be left in the vehicle until your insurer settles your claim. If it is a write off you could possibly buy it back from your insurer and salvage parts or they may put it on the CoPart auction site where you could bid for it.

Hi there
We are all ok just bruised and shaken few cuts and whiplash type stuff but all four of us in one piece so very grateful. Thanks for the advice

 

[ardvark]

What was the age and mileage of your van? And it is quite right what meoncoast said about being a right off. Although you would be far bettering off if it was written off as future valuation figures will be rock bottom. So would definitely push to get it written off.

Hi the mileage was about 77000 and was written off at the scene

 

[Ozzy Pete]

Hi the mileage was about 77000 and was written off at the scene

What year would that be? As distressing as it may seem you and your family are all safe and that’s the most important thing. As far as being compensated for the vehicle you really don’t need to worry too much if you don’t cave in too soon with a silly first or second offer they make you.Stick it out....You will get another vehicle and probably better than your old one. Plus compensation for lost holidays and injuries you have all sustained. You won’t lose any NCB and hopefully will not be out of pocket in any way.

 

[SusiBus]

Hi the mileage was about 77000 and was written off at the scene

Who made the decision at the scene that it was a write off?
It would be more usual for the vehicle to be taken to the nearest garage, then an insurance assessor will be called, maybe a week or two weeks later to assess whether vehicle was repairable or not.

 

[Borris]

Who made the decision at the scene that it was a write off?
It would be more usual for the vehicle to be taken to the nearest garage, then an insurance assessor will be called, maybe a week or two weeks later to assess whether vehicle was repairable or not.

Yes, I was thinking that too.

 

[Azteccamper]

Who made the decision at the scene that it was a write off?
It would be more usual for the vehicle to be taken to the nearest garage, then an insurance assessor will be called, maybe a week or two weeks later to assess whether vehicle was repairable or not.

To be fair this is true. But, as @ardvark has stated, the Cali was in a mess and it doesn’t need an assessor to sometimes state the obvious. I am sure that their insurers will inform him either way shortly. It took less than 24 hrs with my wife’s car.

 

[CaliforniaBen]

A vehicle would not be written off at the scene, who told you this ? An accessor would need to see the vehicle before it being written off

 

[Ozzy Pete]

Yes, I was thinking that too.

Only the assessor can make that decision not a garage.

 

[GrannyJen]

This is so sweet of you. Thanks so much for coming forward with this very kind post

Not very nice. Shock, injury, hurt and pain, the loss of a vehicle and all the disruption that goes with it.

Happy to help if I can.

 

[Perfectos]

Do not let the V5 out of your possession
Nor agree to the vehicle being sold to trade or a reclaim company

It is very important to state that you own the vehicle until a settlement is accepted by you

It is normal strong arm practice for an insurance co to sell a vehicle in their charge (they do not own) before making an offer
I.e the Insurance co get the money in the bank form the salvage co to offset any future offer to yourself.

Get the vehicle assessed

The third party will be charged storage and recovery and they will dispose of your vehicle as quickly as possible (at your future expense)if you let them

DO NOT let that vehicle be disposed of by the third party insurer

YOU own it until you agree to an offer

I promise you It will compromise your future offer if the vehicle has gone.

If you are not confident in handling the claim get a reputable claim co. On the case to claim back every penny, damages and lost holiday etc

You must state in writing that you do not wish for the Vehicle to leave your ownership until after an offer has been accepted (I.e you still own it subject to an offer being accepted)

I sincerely hope the vehicle has not already been sold for salvage / repair if it has kick up an almighty stink

Remember you own that Van and it has a value (even written off) in parts IRO 10k +