My BMW 318ci was 'wrote off' back in March 2009 after a small bump on the motorway.
It had been snowing, and the car spun round slowly, bumping into the central reservation, then spinning again onto the hard shoulder.
Now, the only damage visible was all 4 light were smashed in, and a slight dent to the bodywork above the front left wheel.
I was insured by Direct Line, and the garage who had a look at the car said it was cost more than what the car's worth, to repair it.
All my personal belongings (worth around £100) were never given back to me.
Now,I thought this sounded suspicious. I'm still paying off the finance for the car nearly 1 YEAR on.
I also completed a Vehicle Identity Check, and the results confused me.
Now, my car wrote off around MARCH 2009;
on the vehicle check it says the DATE OF LIABILITY is 01 09 2010
How is this possible, if it's "wrote off" ?
Its also says VEHICLE STATUS = LICENCE NOT DUE
Can ANYONE make sense of this for me.
Thanks
Joe
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Joe, With the upmost respect, your car was 'written' off :-)
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Your written off car has been bought by someone, repaired, and put back on the road.
Simples!
Edited by Galaxy on 14/01/2010 at 16:54
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Date of liability = expiry date of the current tax disc or SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification).
So it's probably been retaxed, and back on road.
What was the write-off category? www.autocheck.co.uk/write-off-categories-scrapped-...l
Category D = A damaged vehicle which the insurer has decided not to repair, but which could be repaired and returned to the road.
Edited by BigJohnD on 14/01/2010 at 16:59
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I assume the 'date of liability' matches on the DVLA site as well? If it does, it seems 'your' car is still being used (or at least is road legal & taxed etc.)
It depends on 'wrote off' means really - it may well be that it means 'uneconomic to repair' in insurance terms, but still able to be repaired & made road legal.
What I would query is why you weren't given the option (or even told about) to buy back the car if this was the case & why your personal items weren't returned.
I also assume from what you say, the compensation from the insurance policy wasn't enough to cover the outstanding finance? In which case, a repairable 'written off' car may have been a better & cheaper option for you.
You must immediately get in touch with your insurer & clarify.
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DL will have considered the car not worth repairing and so paid you off (which you must have agreed to). It is then their car. They would have sold it on to a salvage company who probably auctioned it and someone bought it, fixed the lights and put it back on the road. Nothing wrong aor illeagal about that, happening every day to hundreds of cars.
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The insurance co priced up new parts for the repair which made it uneconomical hence the car written off. They then sold the car on and it was repaired using a mixture of new parts, used parts, panel beaters skill, paint and labour.
The ultimate in recycling if you like.
The issue seems to be that you're still paying the finance after being paid out by the insurance co, so its a lesson learned (or not), finance on a depreciating asset (!) is a mugs game.
;o)
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a mixture of new parts used parts panel beaters skill paint and labour.
>
Labour is usually the big element in repairs, so someone has bought it and fixed it themselves - possibly a mechanic doing it as a lunchtime job (done it myself a few times!).
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the only damage visible was all 4 lights smashed in, and a slight dent to the bodywork above the front left wheel
Are you sure that was the only damage? If it hit the central reservation, it may have damaged metalwork behind the bumpers, or damaged suspension. It sounds very slight for the assessor to deem it too costly to repair.
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I had a Datsun Sunny that was written off after being hit by a bus that jumped a red light. I was quite surprised when one day I was in a line of traffic behind my old car.
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many yrs ago my father had an austin a35 van , with windows in the sides , one sunday afternoon a wagon lost its load and crushed whole the rear/sides etc ,
suprizingly it was parked on a car park 6 mths late , same ft end , but back to a van at the rear , a definate cut n shut
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