I am seeking advice a "letter of diminuition" if anyone can help.
Following an incident when my Passat was reversed into I am now pursuing uninsured losses following the repair. Damage was limited to replacement of a wing and part of front bumper, headlight etc.
The loss of earnings has proved straightforward but the letter of diminuition is a new on me.
Basically the other drivers insurance company has accepted that my Passat has a lesser value now it has been repaired following damage and if I can produce the above letter which outlines what the Passat was worth with no damage and what is now worth with fully repaired damage should I decide to get rid of it, then they will make an offer about the difference between the 2 figures.
The dealers I visited at the weekend in order to get a PX price were not too helpful, they dont take repaired cars in PX but would have offered x if I had not admitted the fact. However they would not put this in writing.
Does anyone know anyone who offers a service to provide these letters (business opportunity here methinks) or has anyone gone through this and can offer some tips
as always
Mark
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I am seeking advice a "letter of diminuition" if anyone can help. Following an incident when my Passat was reversed into I am now pursuing uninsured losses following the repair. Damage was limited to replacement of a wing and part of front bumper, headlight etc. The loss of earnings has proved straightforward but the letter of diminuition is a new on me. Basically the other drivers insurance company has accepted that my Passat has a lesser value now it has been repaired following damage and if I can produce the above letter which outlines what the Passat was worth with no damage and what is now worth with fully repaired damage should I decide to get rid of it, then they will make an offer about the difference between the 2 figures.
Is any part of the repair visible? if so then its been repaired poorly and I would insist that it was put right.
The dealers I visited at the weekend in order to get a PX price were not too helpful, they dont take repaired cars in PX
That surprises me, most dealers will take a car that has had minor repairs, still got visible damage, barely functions, etc in part exchange, but they adjust the PX value by the ammount that it would cost them to put the car to rights. I know, I've PX'd enough scruffy motors over the years.
but would have offered x if I had not admitted the fact. However they would not put this in writing. Does anyone know anyone who offers a service to provide these letters (business opportunity here methinks)
Hardly, I'd charge you almost as much for the letter as the diminuition is.
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I read often, only post occasionally
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Mark, if the damage was relatively minor and was repaired by a VW repair shop or similar then you may struggle to obtain a meaningful sum for diminution of value. The principle was established some years ago but would usually relate to a high-value make/model, as opposed to the run-of-the-mill cars that most of us drive. If you really want to pursue it then your best bet is to find (Yellow Pages?) and instruct a qualified motor engineer conversant with accident damage and ask him to examine the car and to provide you with his written opinion as to whether there is a valid claim in your case and, if so, the amount he is prepared to justify. You will have to pay him, of course, but you should be able to recover his fee as part of your claim - but there is the risk that he will come up with little or nothing by way of lost value, in which case I don't think the TP insurers will want to know! You could consult a dealership, but if the matter becomes bogged down and you are heading for the Small Claims Court then I suggest that the opinion of a 'specialist' will be more persuasive than what is, in effect, a used car salesman.
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