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Model specific boards => Golf mk5 => Topic started by: p3eps on 06 April 2009, 20:54
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So...
It was Friday the 13th March - and my mate had a couple of tickets for the Man Utd v Liverpool game at Old Trafford. Lucky me!
He'd already flown down earlier in the week for the Wednesday game against Inter Milan - so I decided to drive down from Aberdeen on my own to meet him. We were supposed to be having an executive meal all expenses paid at night, then heading to the game on Saturday - then I would take him back up the road.
I set off at about 8.30am and made my way down the road. As I passed Glasgow, the traffic started getting a bit busier. We kept speeding up, then slowing down, speeding up.. slowing down (you get the drift!) One minute we're at 70, then its down to 30 etc.
About 25 miles past Glasgow now, and we've been doing the same speed up / slow down for the last 3 or 4 miles. The car infront of me slows down at a normal pace, so I apply my brakes. I look in my rear view mirror and all I see is FEAR on the guy behinds face. He tries to swerve past me on my inside (I'm in the fast lane) and he doesn't quite make it. He must've struck me at about 50-60mph and caught my passanger rear corner. He fires me into a spin, and whilst spinning I catch the back of a van giving it a gentle tap.... before slamming into the central reservation barrier nose first.
I sit for a minute thinking 'what the f**k' to myself. Thankfully the truck behind managed to stop, and blocked the rest of the carrigeway. I get out (shaking) and speak to the truck driver. A minute or two later, the guy who hit me comes walking up from his car (a few hundred yards down the road) and said 'I'm sorry - I wasn't paying attention. I looked up and you were braking - there was nothing I could do'. Normally I thought I'd lamp someone that crashed into me - but to be honest I was so shocked I didn't say anything! I was just glad to be walking after looking at my car.
I called 999 as my car was blocking half the road, and we got the usual police and ambulance. We were both breathalised and after giving statements were taken to hospital for a check over. Apart from a bit of whiplash I felt fine at the time... probably due to the adrenaline. I made a few calls, and one of them was to 'accident exchange'. They managed to get me a Golf GTI as a courtesy car within a few hours, and I carried on my journey - arriving about 7 hours late... missing my free meal!
The next day was horrible as I was in quite alot of pain - and to top it off, United got THRASHED 1-4! I had to drive home again in the afternoon - and by this time I was very nervous constantly looking in my mirrors and my back and neck were really aching. About 6 hours later I was finally home. The next day I went to the doctor and got some anti inflamitory type pills and advised to take plenty of paracetamol get some physio. For the last 3 weeks I've been taking pills non stop and am due back for my second session of physio tomorrow. I feel alot better now, but still struggle to lift my hands above my head - and turning my head still hurts.
As part of my insurance I needed a Police Reference number and to state if anyone had been charged for the accident. When I called the police they told me no one had been charged.
Today I found out that my car has been estimated at £18,320 for the repair - and likely to go up after they get started - hence making it a total loss.
My poor car that I spent sooooo much time looking after / cleaning / polishing / waxing is gone... and to top it off I finally got my ED30 plaque delivered last Saturday (the irony!!!) :sick:
Now I need to negotiate a settlement - but to be honest the thing thats really pi55ing me off is the fact that this guy has clearly admitted not paying attention to me, the witnesses and the police - yet has not been charged. He's totally ruined my last 3+ weeks, put me in a lot of pain, and is likely to end up costing me a fortune... yet all thats going to happen is hes going to lose his no claims bonus. My bosses daughter ran into someone who was indicating the wrong way at a roundabout the other day at about 5mph and was charged for that! Where is the justice??
On another note... JVC KD-AVX44 stereo, JVC KS-PD100 iPod adapter, CanBus adapter pre wired for VW, Mk5 Single DIN mounting kit all for sale :tongue: !!!
(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z92/p3eps/IMAG0017.jpg)
(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z92/p3eps/IMAG0018.jpg)
(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z92/p3eps/IMAG0019.jpg)
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A few more pics from the local VW Repair compound today:
(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z92/p3eps/IMAG0024.jpg)
(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z92/p3eps/IMAG0025.jpg)
(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z92/p3eps/IMAG0026.jpg)
I'm guessing someones just 'plonked' that lower grill ontop as it was lying on the ground - as theres no way it got up there itself!
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Gutted for you mate :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:
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Gutted for you mate those pics are horrible hope the insurance don't mess you around and you get a decent and quick settlement. what car was it that hit you?
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Gutted for you mate those pics are horrible hope the insurance don't mess you around and you get a decent and quick settlement. what car was it that hit you?
The guy was driving a '55 Passat - so it gave me a fair thump. I'm just lucky I was in a nice solid VW and not some French p1sh - otherwise I'd have been alot worse off!
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Nooooooo ! Terrible !!
Whiplash and not being able to turn your head without pain is horrible ..... but it does get better - it just takes time.
The Police not reporting anyone is not unusual if no one comes forward as witnesses - or they are not exactly useful / contradict each other - and the other driver kept their mouth shut when interviewed. My wife was nearly killed a few years back whilst cycling and it was obvious that it wasn't her fault (she was cycling around a big roundabout and a car just drove straight over the give way and onto the roundabout into her. He was trying to 'beat' the lorry he had seen behind her and admitted fault but with no witnesses the police wouldn't prosecute :angry:) It's not so much the Police - who would often give things a run at court - but the CPS who dictate charging standards .... and their ideas sometimes seem very strange!
If you have details of any witnesses make sure the police have them. Just because they haven't summonsed the other driver yet doesn't mean they won't - they have 6 months to do it.
Hopefully you will get a good payout for the Edition 30 and be able to get something else that gives the same degree of fun - be that another Ed 30 or something else :smiley:
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glad you're in one piece mate!
gutted about the car though :cry:
i take it the chassis is bent at the rear as looking at the pictures it looks like you'd need a new rear axle, new quarter panel, some wheels, front end etc etc and you'd be back on the road
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The guy behind me in the truck witnessed the full thing - but the cops that turned up were normal cops, not traffic cops as there was another accident further down the road (apparently why we were slowing down!). I do have his details though - and I'm guessing the police do too. A few folk have said that they probably don't want to bother with all the paperwork - hence haven't issued any charges.
Someone has also advised me to write to the supervisor of their station and ask why the guy hasn't been charged. Clearly he wasn't paying 'due course and attention'!
My rear suspension was about 300 yards down the road. The repair consists of a new body shell, plus almost every panel is damaged in one way or another. None of the doors line up, and the rear seats are actually buckled!
I have to say I felt very sad this afternoon at the compound after removing all my stuff. I gave her a wee pat before I left :cry:
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wow!! looking at the pictures there seems to be very little damage to most of the shell :undecided: i guess its a lot more obvious up close
can't imagine how you feel to be honest :sad:
i'd certainly pursue some sort of claim / conviction against the guy who hit you :angry:
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That's just shocking.................................. 4:1 to Liverpool!!!
Joking aside though, your car took a fair hit so all things considered you are very lucky. I hope you don't end up too much out of pocket and you get yourself something equally nice when the money comes through.
Have they brought the car back to Aberdeen? I couldn't recognise if it was Specialists bodyshop or not.
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The guy behind me in the truck witnessed the full thing - but the cops that turned up were normal cops, not traffic cops as there was another accident further down the road (apparently why we were slowing down!). I do have his details though - and I'm guessing the police do too. A few folk have said that they probably don't want to bother with all the paperwork - hence haven't issued any charges.
Someone has also advised me to write to the supervisor of their station and ask why the guy hasn't been charged. Clearly he wasn't paying 'due course and attention'!
Traffic cops or normal cops they should still report it the same way and include all the details. Reporting someone - or recommending it be done later - is no more paperwork at all .... whoever said that doesn't know how easy it is. The report takes quite a while - reporting only 2 lines of writing ....
These things can take time to sort. A police 'process' unit will normally want statements from all witnesses in writing before deciding whether to summons. They will take their statements into account and the recommendations of the reporting officers. The report books can take a week or so to get to the right dept and then people have to be written to.
A quick phone call will hopefully get you a point of contact to talk to about it. I would try ringing before writing as it takes you less time and will hopefully get the same result.
FWIW I speak with a fair degree of knowledge on reporting collisions - 7 years as a Traffic officer :wink: .... and a fellow Ed 30 owner ....
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Sorry to hear that peeps. :cry:
It is hard for me to see a car like that let alone you. Your neck will get better in time and you just have to thank your lucky stars he wasn't in a lorry and that there was no-one in your rear seats at the time.
Hope you get it sorted soon and rejoin the GTI fold :smiley:
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Yep... back up at Specialist. Spent a few hours in there removing my stereo / roadpilot etc. Its the first time I've seen the car since I left it 3 weeks ago in the middle of the motorway.
I still have the officers name and also my accident number... should I try calling that station and enquire as to why there have been no charges? I know it sounds petty wanting the guy charged - but why should he get away with it!?
I'm glad there was no one else in the car with me - especially in the back - as I'd end up feeling guilty for them... even though it wasn't my fault!
I don't know what I'm going to get next... was thinking about an S3 perhaps :evil:
On the other hand - maybe a 1990 Landrover Defender or something! I wouldn't need to worry about parking it at the other end of the car park in Tescos, and would save myself a few quid!
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Christ mate! looked like a nasty one, still no one was seriously hurt and I do hope that justice will be done. Hope all goes well with the claim and that Accident Exchange behave themselves.
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WOW!
Good to hear you are not seriously hurt though, although need time to recover.
The car looks really bad, and since I have the same car/colour, but 5 door, its a reminder for me to drive calm. Then again, the worst thing about all this is, it wasnt even your fault. It was all because of some careless idiot not watching the road in front of him.
Dont let him get away with it. Chase it as much as you can. I mean, whats the worst that can happen now??
Best of luck.
On a sidenote - can you also not claim for your injury??
Im sure you can, as my ss in law was hit from behind once, and put a claim foward and she was awarded over £1k for her ack inhury - similar to yours.
Try one of the accident claim companies you see on TV - a no win no fee thingy - Im sure you'll get some extra for your injury. Worth a shot aint it?
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WOW!
Good to hear you are not seriously hurt though, although need time to recover.
The car looks really bad, and since I have the same car/colour, but 5 door, its a reminder for me to drive calm. Then again, the worst thing about all this is, it wasnt even your fault. It was all because of some careless idiot not watching the road in front of him.
Dont let him get away with it. Chase it as much as you can. I mean, whats the worst that can happen now??
Best of luck.
On a sidenote - can you also not claim for your injury??
Im sure you can, as my ss in law was hit from behind once, and put a claim foward and she was awarded over £1k for her ack inhury - similar to yours.
Try one of the accident claim companies you see on TV - a no win no fee thingy - Im sure you'll get some extra for your injury. Worth a shot aint it?
Accident Exchange will deal with that too.
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Accident Exchange will deal with that too.
Yeah - they've put me in touch with a solicitor who will claim for personal injury, as well as claiming their fees / car hire back for them.
Martz - have you used them before or something?
So far they seem pretty good... they got me back on the road quickly when my own insurance company told me to get a train home!
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Gutted for you but glad that you were able to walk away from this - as has been said before cars can be replaced body parts can't.
Maybe you will stick to watching the Dandies (even though we are pish just now!!!) in future instead of going to Old Trafford :wink:
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Gutted for you.Make sure you get compo for the injury.I ended up with £1900 for my rear end shunt. But...further advice,next time DON'T get a steel grey car.Before getting my RED ED30 I had a grey Corolla T Sport and twice got hit from behind and was told by the garage that they were always getting cars of that colour in and figured that the colour isn't particularly "visible". It kind of blends in with its surroundings which you can imagine to be true when you think about it!
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I dont know how much experience youve got with defenders but if you want any advice etc just PM me. My GTI is the first "car" ive had as all my previous motors have been defenders or landies of some form or other!! Although if you value your back/arse get an S3!!!!
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Gutted for you.Make sure you get compo for the injury.I ended up with £1900 for my rear end shunt. But...further advice,next time DON'T get a steel grey car.Before getting my RED ED30 I had a grey Corolla T Sport and twice got hit from behind and was told by the garage that they were always getting cars of that colour in and figured that the colour isn't particularly "visible". It kind of blends in with its surroundings which you can imagine to be true when you think about it!
Rubbish its because Grey is more popular :grin:
P3eps.... Great to walk away is all I can say. Get the guy for every penny and order a MK6 GTi :laugh:
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Yeah get a Mk6 GTI! :D
And sorry for your loss! Punishment for road "accidents" caused by lack of care and attention should be harsher. I know this isn't the right place for a rant, but that's what the gov should be doing rather than lowering speed limits, which is just going to cause more accidents.
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Gutted for you.Make sure you get compo for the injury.I ended up with £1900 for my rear end shunt. But...further advice,next time DON'T get a steel grey car.Before getting my RED ED30 I had a grey Corolla T Sport and twice got hit from behind and was told by the garage that they were always getting cars of that colour in and figured that the colour isn't particularly "visible". It kind of blends in with its surroundings which you can imagine to be true when you think about it!
Rubbish its because Grey is more popular :grin:
P3eps.... Great to walk away is all I can say. Get the guy for every penny and order a MK6 GTi :laugh:
Don't think its rubbish at all.Makes perfect sense to me.And clearly the dealer believed it to be the case.
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Nasty shunt and sorry about the ED30 :sick:. Just glad that you are ok though. :smiley:
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Just seen the pics of your Ed30 - very sad :sad:
At least you didn't suffer any lasting injuries and man U will probably still win the premiership by at least 4 - 6 points !!!
It seems the police don't get involved much in RTC prosecutions these days and are happy to lets drivers go knock for knock. If I were you I would instruct a firm of solicitors to act for you (eg Winns: http://www.winnsolicitors.com/) and let them recover all costs and claim compensation from the offending driver. That way, you are unlikely to lose any of your own NCB and at least it should put you back in the position you were before the accident. A mate of mine has just done this, when he was stationary and hit by another car - using Winns and isn't even going through his own insurance company (although he has to notify them).
Good luck in getting it sorted and in finding a suitable new motor :wink:
Cass
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Nasty shunt and sorry about the ED30 :sick:. Just glad that you are ok though. :smiley:
x1... Shows how strong these cars are. My brother had a guy drive in to him in the rain in his Mk4 and both him and his wife walked out of it. Put it this way he was glad he wasn't in his previous car which was a Peugeot 306!
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sorry to hear about your accident and glad your recovering if a bit slowly, i`ve used accident exchange and found them to be very good.
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sorry to hear about your accident and glad your recovering if a bit slowly, i`ve used accident exchange and found them to be very good.
Oh yeah and forgot to mention my brother used Accident Exchange too and they were very good! Hope things get sprted quickly!
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Actually brings a tear to your eye looing at the car....
Echo what eveyone else has said and just be glad you walked out. Despite all the critisisms and niggles that we all have with the MK5 build quality (squeaks quality of plastics etc), it's good so see they haven't skimped where it matters - the safety cell. The car took one hell of a knock looking at it and you just waked away (albeit with a lot of neck discomfort). Like you said, be thankful that you were in a German car.
My brother ran into the rear of a Saab last year at about 10-15 mph (Saab braked to avoid a tos*er that drove across in front of him) and my brother couldn't react in time. He was in a Renault Clio (albeit a standard model). You should have seen the state of his car. It was nearly a write off, new bonnet, wings, lights, grills bumper, slam panel, radiator etc.). the Saab, just a scuffed bumper !
Hope you feel better soon and get something better to replace the ED with (if that's at all possible).
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:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:
OMG that car - it hurts looking at it
P3eps.... Great to walk away is all I can say.
This is the most important thing. You were lucky enough to survive.
The fact that the guy didn't see you - this is why for the last month, I 'flash' my brakes. If I'm in a queue and there's a car a distance behind me that's gonna join my queue, I flash the brakes three times (even though I'm stationary). If I go round a corner and have to brake because of something unexpected (usually another queue), again, I'll flash my brakes when I'm slowing down (press the brake pedal three times to slow the car to a stop rather than pressing it continuously).
Dunno if it works but it helps ease my mind a little - the flashing red lights should hopefully alert the driver behind
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dude it pains me to see that,
the car will never be the same even if they do all the repairs, wont feel the same
i was happy to watch the match tho being a liverpool fan, even if we aint gunnna win the league
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Thanks for all the kind words guys...
Its nice to get some sympathy from some folk who are as passionate (and some ALOT more!) about their lovely cars!
Its just such a horrible feeling that through no fault of your own some idiot has totalled my perfect car and has got away with it scott free. The likelyhood is that I'm going to end up thousands out of pocket, and although the physical pain will go away, I'll probably never be the same again. Theres also the mental side - in that I'm paranoid even driving to work now and constanly scared that someone will hit me again. I'm sure I'll get over this eventually though.
Today I got a letter from the guys insurance saying the inspector states the car is beyond economic repair. They are prepared to pay £13,000 and they think I should be able to get another £3,000 by selling the 'salvage' - which will remain my property.
WTF?!?!
I've never had a real accident before (apart from reversing into a parked van!) so I don't know how these things work. What I expected was some negotiations, and then a cheque for the amount - and they keep the car? How come I'm getting dumped with a knackered car and a cr@p amount? They also state that once I receive the cheque, any storage costs for the car will be my responsibility.
I'll call Accident Exchange tomorrow, and hopefully they can sort this all out for me.
For those who are mentioning componsation for injuries etc - Accident Exchange take care of all that as part of their service, and have supplied me with a 'no win no fee' solicitor who will try and claim everything back for me... but thanks for all your help.
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Just for you information mate, have a scout through Autotrader and get E30's of a similar spec to yours for price comparison. This will back up your arguement mate.
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Saw this post a few days back but was too angry to post anything that wouldn't have included copious amounts of expletives :angry: The £13k offer is a joke although if this happenned to me, I've got GAP insurance that would bridge the amount back to the £28.5k that I paid originally. My Ed30 was shunted in the back last April by some w8nke8r who wasn't looking where he was going and I stil haven't managed to get the issue sorted :angry: It was a fairly big hit, but with minimal damage surprisingly. Hope you get a decent payout for your injuries and your car. :wink:
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Lesson learned - I'll definately be taking GAP insurance next time I buy a new car.
Time to have a search through the websites and get some screen dumps of similar cars incase I need to send them on (good idea!)
I think finding an '07 plate with 9000 miles on the clock will be practically impossible though.
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vw website - highest prices :wink:
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vw website - highest prices :wink:
I have a few screen dumps from there already! I'd be looking at £17500 - 18k to get a direct replacement from VW.
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Just wanting to give you a bit of advice mate - I work in claims and deal with Accident Exchange on a daily basis
First and fore most, the police do not have a duty to report the accident unless someone sustains an injury. As long as they attend the scene of the accident and clear up the debris, that is their job done.
In terms of offer, you will get offered the trade value for the car. Because you are still the owner of the vehicle, they will deduct a salvage value based on the amount of damage. This is then deducted from the settlement due to there still being value on the car. Wheels, tyres, interior, head unit, engine, exhaust, etc
Obviously, its not very convenient having an extremely damaged vehicle on your drive so I would say to them that you will sell to a salvage yard and anything less than £3k that they offer you should be covered by the at fault insurers.
In terms of accident exchange, you need to be very careful. They are currently on the verge of administration due to situations like this. They make themselves sound like the good guys by giving you a like for like car quickly, etc. What people dont realise are insurers are catching onto this, and when Accident Exchange send the bill to the insurance company for £xxx per day, the insurers are disputing the amount charged, need for like for like vehicle, etc and it can end up with you needing to attend court and them pursuing you for the money. The reason I say this is I work for an insurance company and specialise in these claims, defending against accident exchange. Not in terms of the personal injury but the "credit hire" aspect.
Who is the company that insures the guy that hit you?
If you want anymore information or want to discuss it in more detail, drop me a PM and I will help you out if possible mate.
Hope the recovery goes OK and you get the settlement your after.
All the best :cool:
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vw website - highest prices :wink:
I have a few screen dumps from there already! I'd be looking at £17500 - 18k to get a direct replacement from VW.
Thats more like it :smiley:
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They are prepared to pay £13,000 and they think I should be able to get another £3,000 by selling the 'salvage' - which will remain my property.
I've always been told to reject the first offer - they deliberately come in low to see if you'll go for it.
Reject the first offer and then make sure you can get evidence of the price of similarly-specced cars to show them.
They *should* come back at you with a better offer.
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In terms of offer, you will get offered the trade value for the car. Because you are still the owner of the vehicle, they will deduct a salvage value based on the amount of damage. This is then deducted from the settlement due to there still being value on the car. Wheels, tyres, interior, head unit, engine, exhaust, etc
Obviously, its not very convenient having an extremely damaged vehicle on your drive so I would say to them that you will sell to a salvage yard and anything less than £3k that they offer you should be covered by the at fault insurers.
Who is the company that insures the guy that hit you?
Thanks for that...
The guys insurance is Fortis.
What you're saying is that I need to tell them that I want them to sell the scrap car to the salvage yard? Am I still able to go back to them and say that the £13k + the estimated £3k for scrap only makes £16k... and I want more like £18k?
A few folk at work mentioned haggling for better offers and not taking the first offer - but the letter from Fortis says the cheque will follow in the post. No one has ever mentioned that I get lumbered with a duff car!!
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Yes, they will make you a duff offer to start with (at the end of the day, they have nothing to lose)
I would call them and say that you are accepting the cheque on an interim basis (basically means you are not accepting it as full and final settlement and will find examples to prove it is worth more)
then find as many examples as possible on autotrader, pistonheads, etc
They will then have no option to raise their offer. I would throw them lines such as
"my vehicle is a limited edition and holds a stronger book value than most cars"
"it was a mint example with low mileage, full service history, etc"
"threaten to make a complaint against the company if neccessary because that tends to scare them into an increase"
In terms of salvage, ring them and tell them you dont want it because there are no salvage yards near you and you have nowhere to store it. some insurance companies will then retain the salvage. if they are unwilling to do so, I would ask them whether they will cover the shortfall if you fail to get £3k for the salvage at a salvage yard.
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Yes, they will make you a duff offer to start with (at the end of the day, they have nothing to lose)
I would call them and say that you are accepting the cheque on an interim basis (basically means you are not accepting it as full and final settlement and will find examples to prove it is worth more)
then find as many examples as possible on autotrader, pistonheads, etc
They will then have no option to raise their offer. I would throw them lines such as
"my vehicle is a limited edition and holds a stronger book value than most cars"
"it was a mint example with low mileage, full service history, etc"
"threaten to make a complaint against the company if neccessary because that tends to scare them into an increase"
In terms of salvage, ring them and tell them you dont want it because there are no salvage yards near you and you have nowhere to store it. some insurance companies will then retain the salvage. if they are unwilling to do so, I would ask them whether they will cover the shortfall if you fail to get £3k for the salvage at a salvage yard.
Some very sound advice from 'Electic'. Sorry this has happened to your car but at least you weren't badly hurt! :wink: Glad we took out the 'Gap insurance' now; just hope never to have to use it!
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Some very sound advice from 'Electic'. Sorry this has happened to your car but at least you weren't badly hurt! :wink: Glad we took out the 'Gap insurance' now; just hope never to have to use it!
Cheers mate
It is nice to give something back to the forum after all the advice and questions I have had :cool:
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Cheers mate
It is nice to give something back to the forum after all the advice and questions I have had :cool:
Yeah - thanks for that! Having never been in an accident its nice to have someone who knows what they're talking about around!
I called Accident Exchange today - and told them that I didn't want a wrecked car!!!
The lady on the phone was very nice and said that they can arrange to have the car salvaged for me and get me the money for it. I told her even with their £13k and £3k that I was looking for more than £16k. She asked me to send in examples of cars etc (which I'd already done last night) and then said she'd find the email I sent in and get it linked. She'd then contact the guys insurance and tell them that I need more.
She asked if I always buy from a main dealer - which I said YES. She said this is good because if I buy from a main dealer, then the price will be more. I told her that I bought that car new for a few pence less than £25k about 20 months ago, and that I need about £18 for a decent replacement. I also explained that after buying a repaired write off car (wasn't listed in HPI) that I'll never buy a second hand car again, and that I'll be buying a brand new one. She advised me not to cash their cheque for the time being (if I get one!) and they'd get back to me soon.
I'll save all your lines for later when they come back to me with the next crummy offer!
If I do threaten to make a complaint - who is it I say I'm complaining to by the way?!
I wish I'd taken GAP insurance - but as they gave me 1 year free, I didn't see the need! I'll definately be taking it on my next car!
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Hey mate
Not had anything back today but should hear tomorrow. Will IM you mate. :smiley:
Martz :cool:
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Cheers mate
It is nice to give something back to the forum after all the advice and questions I have had :cool:
Yeah - thanks for that! Having never been in an accident its nice to have someone who knows what they're talking about around!
I called Accident Exchange today - and told them that I didn't want a wrecked car!!!
The lady on the phone was very nice and said that they can arrange to have the car salvaged for me and get me the money for it. I told her even with their £13k and £3k that I was looking for more than £16k. She asked me to send in examples of cars etc (which I'd already done last night) and then said she'd find the email I sent in and get it linked. She'd then contact the guys insurance and tell them that I need more.
She asked if I always buy from a main dealer - which I said YES. She said this is good because if I buy from a main dealer, then the price will be more. I told her that I bought that car new for a few pence less than £25k about 20 months ago, and that I need about £18 for a decent replacement. I also explained that after buying a repaired write off car (wasn't listed in HPI) that I'll never buy a second hand car again, and that I'll be buying a brand new one. She advised me not to cash their cheque for the time being (if I get one!) and they'd get back to me soon.
I'll save all your lines for later when they come back to me with the next crummy offer!
If I do threaten to make a complaint - who is it I say I'm complaining to by the way?!
I wish I'd taken GAP insurance - but as they gave me 1 year free, I didn't see the need! I'll definately be taking it on my next car!
The term that scares them the most is " complaint to the FOS" which is the financial ombudsman service which is basically the indpendent complaint settling service in the insuranxce industry. explain that they said if you sent examples then they would increase there offer and they havent so you feel like you have been lied to. they will do anything to stop you going to the FOS as it is a bad reflection on a company.
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sorry for your loss dude.
I tried this threat of financial ombudsman service with my girlfriends claim when they werent playing ball, which didnt seem to work. the f*ckers sent a cheque anyway, so we returned it. They bumped the offer up a bit, and even after writing 3 letters over 3 months, we just took the money in the end. so hold your ground!
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Very sad end to a great car BUT at least you walked away.Good luck with the claim & as from the other posts hang on untill you get something you'r happy with. :wink:
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oh man that sucks ballz big time. so sad to se the car like that.
Just seen this thread and not read all 5 pages so if anyone else has mentioned VW's secret plan to reduce the number of Ed30's on the road already then please forgive me.
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Well... so far nothing has happened since my last post about 3 weeks ago!!
I applied to get my number plate back about 4 weeks ago, but have recently had a letter from the DVLA saying I can't get my number as the car is a total loss. I now have to supply them with a letter from the insurance company stating they have no interest in my reg, and also an engineers report. Odd considering I'm being left with the salvage!!
I've asked Accident Exchange to sell the salvage for me - but I can't get money until I pass on my V5 - which I can't do until I get my reg back! I've been waiting almost 2 weeks for these 'no interest' letters despite phoning / emailing them every 2 days! According to the lady today, they should be on my door mat when I get home :shocked:
As for my £13060 offer - I told them I wasn't accepting it. Accident Exchange are telling me its as good as I'll get and its a great offer (£16325 including salvage value) as the book price is £15725 and I'm getting an extra £500 for condition etc... but what they don't say is that the £15725 is for a 24000 mile car - not 9600!
Getting severly pi55ed off with getting the run around!!
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Thats really bad news.Sorry. :angry: :cry: :cry:
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Did the car have any optional extra's fitted? If so ask if the price book price they have given you reflects the fact that the car has these extra's fitted.
Insurance, including car insurance, is meant to "return the policy holder to a position he enjoyed prior to the accident occuring."
Another angle to try is, "You are aware that the current difference in your offer makes it worthwhile for me to find a solicitor to argue this point".
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Things are moving along now a bit - slowly though!
I've decided to take Accident Exchange totally out of the equation, and deal directly with the guys insurance... since I was getting nowhere with them. Now that they've taken their hire car back, they couldn't care less.
I sent away a letter of complaint with a heap of used car examples, a few different valuations etc - so hopefully I'll hear from them. If I don't hear in a few days then I'll have to send it again by recorded delivery to make sure that it didn't accidently get lost!!
I've got my reg plate back - so I can now try and get a cheque for the salvage of my vehicle. At least thats something I suppose.
Yesterday I got a letter from my 'no win no fee' solicitor saying they are now in a position to make a claim, and that the 3rd party has admitted liability - and has offered £1000 compensation. To be honest I've forked out more than £300 on therapy, a taxi from the accident, my reg transfer, and other bits and bobs - so thats only really £700 compensation. I got told to write to them and advise how I want to proceed.
I've still got pain when I turn my neck (almost 2 months later) and my left hand keeps going numb all the time. My therapist said I likely have nerve damage and will probably never get rid of that. I tried playing golf on Thursday, but had to give up after the second hole as my neck was too sore!
I don't know what sort of figure I'm entitled to, but £1000 sounds a bit pathetic considering I was hit at about 60mph, and am still suffering for it. I have a friend who got hit when sitting still at traffic lights (5-10mph) and got almost £5k for it.
I don't suppose it helps my case that I'm not a hypocondriac and haven't taken any days off work! I've tried my best to soldier on, and just take it easy at work - but in my last 10 years of working I must've had about 5 sick days - so taking days off for a sore neck / back isn't really in my nature!!!
If anyone can give me an idea of what I'd be entitled to, it would help me when I write back to the solicitor. I realise every case is different... but at least it might help me with a ballpark number!
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DO NOT accept £1000.
First offers are usually poor.
My sis in law was hit from behind a few years back. It was only a slight shunt, and the car only needed a rear bumper replaced - but it was enough to give her neck pain. Even she got £1.5k just for that - whereas your case is much more serious.
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My dad had a van wing mirror hit his shoulder as was out running, not a similar situation but had limited use of his shoulder as you do and was paid about £8k.
I would get a good solicitor on board as they can usually justify their cost with some good examples of previous cases. From what I have read I wouldnt settle for less than 10k esp if your not going to be able to play golf again :embarassed:
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I have finally got a cheque for my salvage now - so at least thats something. I'm scared to cash it though, incase thats considered accepting the payment? I've been told not to cash the £13060 insurance cheque as that IS considered accepting the offer.
I got a letter from the solicitor again after telling them I didn't want to accept the £1000 compensation. They told me they wouldn't recommend the £1000 offer anyway as its just really for people who want a quick settlement. Now they're going to look at my medical records etc and continue pushing. The only problem is that I haven't been off my work, and have only been to the doctor once! I've just been suffering in silence!!! I should maybe try and go this week, just to get checked over again so that at least they're aware I'm still in pain etc.
If anyone is interested, I have the ED30 gear knob with the leather gaiter for sale in the classified interior section!!
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It does not mean anything if you have had time off or not. It is the extent of the injury, pain suffered, and potential ongoing injury issues.
I was involved in a serious motorcycle accident around 7 years ago, completely wiped out by a Royalmail van pulling out of a junction without looking. Spent 5 months off work, multiple fractures, and ultimately permanant damage to my thumb ligaments, where I was still holding the bar, trapped under the bike, as it finally came to rest against a lampost, approx 40-0 in 1 sec, serious braking retardation!
Anyway, my legal policy appointed solicitor, got all the material issue dealt with in 2 months, ie bike payment for write off, equipment damage payment etc. Then after 16 months and multiple medicals he suggested I take the offer of £1500 for the injuries, and that was the best I would get.
I was gutted at the amount, so webbed up, complained to the practice partners, they agreed to consult a QC, who after reviewing the case suggested the payment was in region of 20 to 25K, all of a sudden my 'expert solicitor' upped his game. Bottom line was after 5 years settled for 22K, and the winner was the solictors whose fees topped 25K, reclaimed from 3rd party. All these injuries are covered by compensation guidelines, and an amount is alloted for each type of injury, within a band, so ask your brief what the guideline range is for your type of injury, but a syou are still in pain, I suggest further medical investigation is needed.
So dont give up, your injuries are worth more, do your homework and if not happy complain and keep complaining. Keep every scrap of paper you send or receive, and make notes of any telephone conversation, it's amazing how important those details are.
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Next update!
After about a month and a half of waiting - and I've jumped up another £540 yesterday!
I decided to leave Accident Exchange out of the equation as they were doing nothing to help me at all - and go straight for the guys insurance company.
I sent them a letter with all my issues, and a heap of printouts from the VW used site of similar spec ED30's with similar miles etc. The problem is that I had under 10k miles on an '07 plate - and that seems to be impossible to find! The printouts ranged from £17000 - £18500.
I finally got another cheque yesterday for £540 which was supposed to take me to £17000. Heres where it gets stupid though!
2 months+ ago they gave me the first figures. £13060 for the payment, and £3265 for the salvage. They told me that the salvage was my responsibility after I receive the cheque, and that any charges for keeping the salvage at the garage were my responsibility too. Obviously the first thing I did was have Accident Exchange sell the salvage for me, and got a cheque for £3265.
Now that the valuation has gone up to £17000 instead of the original £16325, they're telling me that the salvage value has gone up too! How am I supposed to get this extra £145 back now since I've already sold the salvage?! Obviously if I'd kept it, I'd have a pretty hefty bill from the garage it was sitting at!!
I wrote out another letter last night to send back (exciting Saturday night I know!), so I'll probably have to wait another month until I hear about that one! I'm not really in a hurry anymore as I've put a deposit down on a Scirocco R, which I'm not likely to see until December! I'm currently borrowing my mates girlfriends Smart Car - as she's living in Norway just now! Not the ideal mode of transport when you're used to a big beefy Golf and paranoid about being run into... but hey, it gets me from A to B on the days I can't steal my gf's BMW!
The injury claim has gone nowhere since last time. I did make a trip to the doctor, who is making arrangements for me to have physio. Just as well I can't play golf as I couldnt get the clubs in the back of the Smart car anyway!!!
(http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/4854/73626.png)
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So jealous of you getting the 'Rocco R. EVO have a preview of it I was reading last month. I really want one.
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So jealous of you getting the 'Rocco R. EVO have a preview of it I was reading last month. I really want one.
Its funny because it was in every magazine last month (June issues) as previews and what it will be like etc - and then there has been NOTHING since! I've joined the Scirocconet.co.uk forums hoping to get updates and more pics as they come out, but there has been nothing in the last 4 weeks!
I suppose I'll have to wait until September before theres anything concrete - like an official spec / options list / price.My deposit is fully refundable, so if I change my mind, I get my cash back. Looking at that pic though... why would I change my mind :wink:
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:cry: Thats a shame, nice wee touches you done to it like the rear tints.
Your team got beat 4-1, Your car got smashed up :sad: Not much luck. could be worse you could support Aberdeen or Shellick. :evil:
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Its now 5 months on - and the footy season has started again!
I've now got £16855 for my car so far, but am still holding out for a bit more!
I'm due to see an orthopedic surgeon in a week to get a full assessment of my injuries, and then he'll send his report onto the insurance company to start the ball rolling for my personal injury claim.
Leaving here in an hour to make my way to The Theatre Of Dreams for tomorrows game... lets hope my journey is incident free - and the result is better than my last home game!!!!
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Come on you Blues!!! :grin: :grin: :grin:
hope you get your new ride sorted soon mate.. :wink: and your team get relegated.. :tongue:
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Well...
Its now NINE months later - and I've finally settled with the insurance!
The cheque should be in the post in the next few days. :smiley:
Its not nearly as much as everyone says I should get - but then most people I speak to are probably adding zero's onto their exagerated amounts!
For the car I got £17500 - which I'm really happy with. Its gone from £16325 to £17500 - so thats an achievement!
My injuries are no more - I have full movement of my neck now and I no longer have pains in my arm / hand. I've been attending weekly physio for the last 3 months or so, and each time I went I came out feeling slightly better. I still have neck exercises that I need to do a couple of times a day to make sure I don't go backwards, but it takes a minute or two here an there when I'm sitting at work or watching telly!
The third party insurers have paid off all my physio sessions - which was almost £1000.
For compensation I got £3200.
I asked my solicitor for honest advice as she deals with this stuff on a regular basis. She said that what we need to remember is that I haven't had a single day off work because of this. It took me 6 months to actually start physio! She said if I'd been a fraudster, I'd have probably got more - eg. taken months off work sick, been to the doctor every week etc... but I'm not like that! A lot of people who get £10000 are actually getting £4k of that back as 'loss of earnings'.
At the end of the day, I wasn't badly hurt thanks for a very well built car!
Hopefully in another few months, I'll have myself another very well built car in its place!
Thanks to everyone for their advice and support over the last few months. I'm glad I'm getting another Golf as it means I can hang around here for another couple of years! :laugh:
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Great news.Can't wait to see the new car. :smiley:
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Great news.Can't wait to see the new car. :smiley:
+1 :smiley:
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I'll bet it makes you appreciate life and loved ones all the more.
Really glad YOU are getting better (couldn't care less about ED30's, coloured in bloaters).
The new Golf R should be a belter.
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Man oh man - these pictures bring tears to my eyes.
Glad you're okay though. Some police decisions really do seem bizarre.
This isn't an advertising campaign (ha), I do know a good solicitor who can act for you if you like. He's a friend of mine (lawyer as a friend, what next ha) but he's a decent enough bloke.
M
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Glad you got it sorted.
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Sorry to hear that mate I bet ypu wished you had lamped him now. Make sure you put a claim in for the whiplash least you will get something back for the pain and inconvenience.