[Man in the Car]

can I take out the interior as its excellent or does the car have to be complete?.

That is normally something that would need to be negotiated before accepting the settlement. They might accept you doing so if you were to get another Mini interior to fit in its place, but really, once an offer is accepted, the vehicle including all its fittings and accessories becomes the property of the insurance company.

.....And #I do not think you have to give them all the keys and fobs either ..........Do not forget to ask for the certificate that is required when a car is scrapped

I can't see why anyone would feel the need to retain the keys and plips - the insurance company will ask for them as they are added value for the salvage - the locks and alarm system don't have much value to a breaker without them.

As the car has been written off by the insurance company, and they are paying out, it becomes their property, so a copy of the certificate of destruction will be issued to the insurance company (it may not be issued for a while - it will probably go through a salvage auction and then sit in a breakers for some months.

The insurance company will require the complete V5C, so once it has been taken, the tax disc should be returned to DVLA Swansea. It should be accompanied by a completed form V14, and a covering letter stating that the vehicle has been declared a total loss by the insurance company, and that it and the V5C have been passed to them (and giving the company details in the letter). Failing to do this could result in problems if the insurer or ultimate buyer of the salvage don't do their paperwork correctly.

 

[dadragon]

Somethings afoot!!. My Mum rang the salvage company for pickup and they said the insurance company have put a hold on the collection. The insurance have rang my Mum and said they may have been a bit hasty in their decision and are sending out an engineer today between 11 am and 1pm. If he thinks the car is worth more they may send another cheque to bump up the offer!!. It's not the first of April is it?
Regards DaDragon

 

[plezier]

Nope not April the 1st but you have not rolled over as they expected so they have entered "damage limitation exercise mode" they rely upon bullying customers into accepting their way as they can make more money this way.

They certainly don't like when a customer stands up for them selves that's for sure. When my car was written off I transferred the policy to another car butt hat was years ago it looks like they don't do that now...................... more money for them again and stuff the customer.

 

[Man in the Car]

When my car was written off I transferred the policy to another car butt hat was years ago it looks like they don't do that now

It varies from one company to another. On the whole it is the cheapjack insurers who have a fixed term for a policy and won't transfer it to another vehicle and don't give refunds of unused premium - robbing people like this is how they manage to make themselves look cheaper than the rest. You gets what you pay for!

Most of the reputable companies will transfer the existing policy to the replacement car (with a refund/extra premium as appropriate) or will refund the balance of the premium upon cancellation of the policy (although there is often an administration/cancellation fee).

 

[unimatrix1066]

You have to stick to your guns with insurers, complain and ask for names etc , I found this out after I changed vans from a 25 to a zr as they would not cover the zr.
They offered me 100 pounds refund and was told to take out a new policy, I got quotes cheaper elsewhere so cancelled and asked for refund which I was told was now 60.00 so I kicked up and they gave in. Not a lot of money just the principle though

 

[dadragon]

Thanks for all your input people. We are just playing the waiting game now as the engineer turned up later than promised and it was really chucking it down, even though he was an independent engineer he was shocked when I told him what they had offered, in fact he was amazed at the car and how good it was!!. He took loads and loads of pictures to show not just the damage but the quality of the interior, mileage, tyre depth which were all 6mm +. He immediately requested vehicle retention for my Mum and couldn't see why it was initially refused. The negative was, we both checked under the car as I spotted that the back of the subframe was bent due to the strange angle that the tree was growing, it was leaning back so impacted the bottom of the car more than the top, so avoided breaking the back screen. He even agreed with me that it could be repaired but was not financially viable for the insurance. Will keep you updated.
Regards DaDragon

 

[Express Valeter]

Removing the odd part as you have so far will probably go unnoticed.

Removing the interior is likely to cause issues. At the end of the day it will either be a salvage company that have bought it directly from the insurer (so they have paid money for it to be complete) or it will be salvaged to be sold at auction.

I wouldn't be removing the interior without the salvage companies or insurers permission. If salvage, they will no doubt want some recompense for it.

Given the fact that the cars owner has been treated badly I think I would be inclined to remove as much as possible including the engine! If they complain afterwards what are they going to do? - bring the car back & say reinstate all the bits? I doubt it.
Maybe find some old grotty seats somewhere & bung them in!

 

[dadragon]

It's finally resolved!!!. The insurance have give my Mum another £900 pound towards the original £1500 cheque that was sent, not the £3000 that it was insured for but a better result. The salvage company are coming on Monday to pick up the car, we were offered buy back but they wanted £375 off the bill, bit much I thought!!. My Mum wasn't prepared to give them that and she doesn't want me to take out the interior, wrong move I think but it is her choice. just glad it's over but I'm not looking forward to seeing the big smiles on the truck driver when he sees what he's getting, oh it was finally declared a CAT C write off. Thanks everyone.
Regards DaDragon