Hail damaged C5 potential write off

I'd tell them to send an assessor and inspect the car where it is.

Not a good to look to insist a P plater drive a unroadworthy car to make their life easier.

As a parent, I would disallow my inexperienced child to drive the car.

Just sayin.
 
robmac said:
Glass is sometimes part of the turret structural bracing. And without glass installed the roof may no longer be structurally sound.
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oh come now! aside from any legal aspects, there is no way a car isnt structurally safe to be driven without glass in it! bonded glass or not.

we arent talking about thrashing round a WRC course. just driving for an inspection.
 
alexander said:
oh come now! aside from any legal aspects, there is no way a car isnt structurally safe to be driven without glass in it! bonded glass or not.

we arent talking about thrashing round a WRC course. just driving for an inspection.
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The VACC don't agree with you. Nor do I.

And I know the link only refers to the front, by applying logic it probably applies to the rear as well.
 
Perhaps surprisingly, my mates Holden panel van use to fill up with exhaust fumes in a instant if you drove with the window part of the tail gate up. Maybe the powers-that-be have related concerns.
 
Did he have front windows down as well? Keep blower fan on full blast and don't open any windows to prevent air being sucked in from the rear...
 
My concern is the definition of cosmetic and structural. that a RWC tester will judge. Certainly there are several golf ball size dimples on the folded sides of the turret, which could be deemed a structural component as opposed to the flat section of the roof which could be judged cosmetic.
David, my chat with the insurance co. indicated that it couldnt be "mostly"written off. If they judge it as a loss then the car falls to thier hands with an option to buy the wreck and chance my luck with a RWC tester whose definition (above) may not go my way.

Anyway, this is just an update with further decisions to be made down the road. This is where we are today. "D" day will be some weeks away yet, I would expect.
I must say that I'm glad I asked for your thoughts, as they have provided a range of possibilities to explore.
 
Armidillo said:
Did he have front windows down as well? Keep blower fan on full blast and don't open any windows to prevent air being sucked in from the rear...
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If I remember correctly, none of those things worked but your C5 may well have the same problem. It's not the kind of problem you need to have a work around for.
 
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Good idea David. Crash the car and see how it survives the accident. Collect the insured value and perhaps look for another C5...and perhaps another hailstorm if further research dictates.

John
 
Dimpled golf balls slice through the air better....C5 with turf.....'Lawn Green'.......pay the actors equity fee?

Will add some comments later as I am late for an appointment.

I will do a download a download of info and you will be able to make a calculated decision that is based on facts,rather than emotions.

Remember though ...t is your situation & money....not mine.....so please do as you see fit.
 
Okay.You have entered into a contract...agreed to pay the policy in monthly payments.

You have made a claim...or intending to........you cannot make a claim then cancel the policy...THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN.

I would suggest considering the following if possible & should it 'sit' with yourselves.

1 Accept the final payout ....which will pay outstanding insurance balance + the excess.


2.Buy back the car if at all possible.

3.Replace rearscreen/tailgate.

4.Insure car with Third Party Property.

The above will allow the following........!.Reduce Insurance Premiums drastically for your Son..the case used to be that for every 2 years of no claim the Policy would reduce by 1 step.[sorry cant remember correct term.Class???...category??]
That will ,in the next 4 to 6 years likely reduce son's premium to the cat 1or 2 -depending on what type of car your son buys down the track.
So ,your son is covered,has a 'Lawn Green' rocket that cannot really depreciate much more & he will not shed any tears if any one 'treads on his lawn.
What it also does it significantly is reduce his expenses drastically from say a new increase in comp. policy...lets say $2,000 in first year to ??/$1600......then say $1200....to maybe.....$800.............If correct a total of $5600.00.
So when he comes out the other side of the tunnel he ,more than likely be able to buy a really neat car with the $$ he has saved......provided he put it in his piggy bank....maybe along the way he might see a straight wagon with dead motor or trans & do a transplant.
Meanwhile the payout figure can be directed where you deem fit.
For many years I have strongly suggested to many people to insure for
Reason being is than market value can fluctuate....drop like a bomb....therefore leaving you way out of pocket PLUS when your car is valued assesors look at car...deduct cost of damage PLUS deduct the cost of any other repairs deemed necessary to bring your car back to current market value[cmv]
If you have a vehicle I strongly suggest that it's real value is what is worth is how much it is going to replace same.
Some months ago I suggested to a guy to insure his cost for its replacement cost......Coupe of months he took a suicidal kangaroo out.....it was going to cost $8,000 to replace the vehicle that they gave him $4,500 for.

Please be advised that I am not involved in any insurance company.That the figures suggested can/will vary.That the information is NOT intended to defraud anyone in anyway shape or form.I strongly advise to cover all of the bases & boundaries with your insurance Co.That the intent of the above info is based on much personal experience & that the above are points for consideration for whosoever reads same & that no responsibility is expressed or implied and can only be taken as a point of consideration.

STORY-''How to buy something with the money you saved.''

Lady enters the home....it is late afternoon....Hubby ...veged out on the couch after long week of double shifts.Hubby stirs....sits up...wipes his eyes....."Hi Sweetheart...How was your day ?''

''Fabulous......look what I bought today.....a massive bargain''....as she took a large box out a carry bag.
Upon opening the box and removing an amazing red dress Hubby is awestruck.

''WOW sweetheart THAT IS AWESOME......BUT HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO AFFORD THAT''.....continuing he inquired "That is stunning ...how were you able to afford that.....you know we are having trouble making ends meet...what is your secret''

''Well she replied with massive smile....I knew you would be concerned about the money.....I noticed it months & months ago......no way I can afford that ...In my heart i always knew it was mine so I kept looking at it every week hoping no-one had bought 'MY DRESS'.......while racking my brains searching for a way to buy it.''

"Well today as I walked by the shop to check on MY DRESS, I could not believe my eyes......MY DRESS was marked down from $800.00 to $400.00......SO I BOUGHT IT WITH THE MONEY I SAVED''
 
I've been following this and have the following advice.

First up I started and owned Dawes Motor Underwriting Group. We specialised in very high value vehicles. Read Ferrari/Lambo etc.

What I would do and did for our clients is/was;

Settle the loss on a cash payment basis in lieu of repairs. This keeps the vehicle out of the WOVR, meaning it can be driven as is, repaired or junked at the the clients discretion.

This will also mean (if you negotiate well) you won't have to pay the balance of the premium.

Obviously taking this route the Insurer won't pay the full value, you do need to use a bit of carrot here, but you end up with your car, a bunch of money and the car is still legally your's and doesn't need a roadworthy.

You win, the insurer wins and everyone goes home happy.

You replace the rear window and drive on.

The missing window is in the tailgate and is not considered structural, so doesn't impact insurance or roadworthyness but I would expect any workshop doing a RWC to expect it to have glass in the opening.

Now I'm off to deliver one of our 4 hail damaged cars to the PDR man.

David,

Feel free to PM me and I'll give you my phone number if you want to discuss it.
 
Ok here's an update of where things stand at the moment.
Firstly, thanks to all for your thoughts and especially to Zuffen with whom I had a chat.
No money has changed hands yet but the insurance company and I have agreed on the following outcomes.
1. Rear window replaced at no cost under glass cover. A trap for O'briens was that the tailgate changed in 2004 and they brought out the wrong size and it wouldn't fit. Once it was replaced the car was drive able again.
2. I get to keep the car for $500 salvage. (It has about $400 worth of current registration)
3. Car remains registered so no RWC required.
4. Gio insures it for third party.

So I guess I'm relieved rather than "happy" with the end result in that the car can still be used. It doesn't look wonderful but mechanically it is in great nick.
No doubt it will be replaced at some point but there is now no urgency to do so.
The delay in settlement has been a deliberate ploy on my part to keep the comprehensive insurance going for as long as possible as I have to pay that out anyway. The time taken helped me negotiate with the company as they didn't want to be so cooperative at first. It also allowed use of the car for my son's girlfriend's relief teacher work during the term. (If they insisted on talking the car as they initially wanted she would have lost 8 weeks work )

The bottom line....

I get a full payout minus salvage, premium owing and excess which totals about $3000 or nearly half the insured amount.
 
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I had a c5 written off last year;extensive hail damage and smashed windscreen. Lucky me also,at same time.2 xantia turbo's,one a ct. The xantias only had hail damage but i had the option of keeping both which are now only on 3rd party. They stuck a sticker on the c5. I had option of keeping the c5 but with the sticker not worth the hassle. Got paid out and bought another one,Andy.
 
Good result David, I was only thinking of you yesterday and wondering how it went.

I've just finished negotiating a partial payout with Shannon's.

On our EvoVIII they repaired everything except the bonnet as it's alloy and beyond saving.

They were more than hopeless and didn't even try to find a bonnet, either new or used, to replace the damaged bonnet.

They left the task of finding a bonnet to me and I found one in the States that we could get here by shipping to Phoenix where a friend would then ship it to me as the supplier doesn't ship outside the lower 48.

My total cost of a new bonnet was $2,500.00 plus they had to paint it and fit it.

They just deposited $3,900 in our account. No idea where all the extra money came from as painting it would be around $350.00 plus $50.00 to fit the bonnet.

I'm not complaining but it took a lot of cajoling (like starting on Dispute Resolution) to make them play the game but it's a nice result.

Now to fit a Carbon Fibre bonnet for around $1,000.00 and the rest goes into more mods on the car!
.
 
You do not of course need to make a claim but you will be unable to insure it for anything other than third party property until you fix it up dents and all... if it's not too beat up pointless dent removal might turn it into a clunker to be unsold for half price. Consider also surrendering the rego and wrecking it... but I personally hate trashing cars... too many are abused and disposed of these days.
 
My cheque deposited today.

I'm sorry about your losses David and Zuffen as your cars are more intrinsically valuable than mine.
I'd just like to say thanks to you both for your help. It gave me a bit of a backbone when dealing with the big end of town.

Oh, and the car has a letter from VicRoads (dated before the cheque) saying that it's on their register as a write off but the car can be driven as long as it's roadworthy. No RWC required if I think it's OK. And I do.
If/when I sell it I must declare in writing that it is on their register.

The car continues as a daily driver for my son and gf and will run for the rest of the year until a suitable C5 is up for sale. Or is that a separate thread?

So that is the end of the saga. if you've followed the thread then there is some information within that could help others in the future. I hope so.
A salutary lesson here. Don't be afraid to ask.
 
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Hi :)
Glad to hear some happy results. My friends old man has been paid out for his C5 this week so it will come up at the auctions in Newcastle area soon I guess. He got a good price for it IMHO so it might pay to have an agreed value policy.
If anyone is interested in the car contact me for information. I have not seen it so cannot comment on the damage.
Jaahn
 
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