K5Project:
also make sure your you tell your insurer as if you have a bump and it comes out when they re do there checks they prob won’t pay out
I once bought a astra that had been stolen, and part stripped,the guy I bought it off, got it at a salvage auction with all the bits. he put it back together , and I bought it . some time later it was stolen again and wrecked. ins company said they weren’t paying as they had already paid out once and as far as they were concerned it was a write off.i pointed out that although they knew its history they still took my money . they paid ! that particular car must have been jinxed ,as about 3 month later I got a call from Sheffield police . " your car has been recovered and is in our pound ,can you arrange to collect it " seems it had been repaired (again!!) and had then been involved in a minor collision and the youth driving it having been apprehended admitted to stealing it. the police contacted me as I was still the last registered owner . I declined their offer.
B1 GGK:
From whichcarcheck.co.uk/insuranc … gories.htm
Insurance Loss Categories - Quick reference
- Category A - Must be crushed. All of it.
- Category B - Vehicle may not be returned to road but parts may be sold.
Not strictly true, I’ll have to go off and find the thread on Passionford.com where someone explains how a Cat B car has been put back on the road, along with the explanation of why the categories are not law, there is no reason that you couldn’t put a Cat B car back on the road, as long as the repairs have been completed to the required standard to pass whichever test is required for the car to do so.
but you’ll go through hell trying to get the dvla to register it…,
SuffolkLad:
B1 GGK:
From whichcarcheck.co.uk/insuranc … gories.htm
Insurance Loss Categories - Quick reference
- Category A - Must be crushed. All of it.
- Category B - Vehicle may not be returned to road but parts may be sold.
Not strictly true, I’ll have to go off and find the thread on Passionford.com where someone explains how a Cat B car has been put back on the road, along with the explanation of why the categories are not law, there is no reason that you couldn’t put a Cat B car back on the road, as long as the repairs have been completed to the required standard to pass whichever test is required for the car to do so.
When I worked on recovery I knew the Cat system like the back of my hand.
You are correct in that it’s not strictly true, even a Cat A can be put back on the road if it passes the necessary tests.
With a Cat A or B, the aspect that may not return to the road is the vehicles original identity, which may include the frame/chassis, engine no’, reg no’ etc. It’s not that it cannot return to the road legally, it’s just that you’re gonna struggle to find legally compliant insurance.
I’ve seen some very imaginative methods used to put Cat vehicles back on the road legally, because as you have pointed out, the insurance industry’s ‘Cat’ labelling system has very little foundation in law.
P.S. Some of the posts on this thread have me PMSWL.
As unpleasant as the thought is, but its factual, one of the reasons cat A’s are to be crushed is that they often contain human tissue.
For some unknown reason the DVLA changed the rules last year CAT B can now be returned to the roads!! which isn’t good as a B means serious structural damage were as Cat c and Cat d are cost against value based classification rather than amount of damage (had a cat c that was keyed down both sides window smashed and stereo stolen because it was old it ended up as a cat c, were as had a 3 year old astra on cat d had new bonnet wings headlights front slam panel and had to be jigged! work that one out!!)
It’s because insurance companies base the cost on quotes from ‘approved bodyshops’ using OEM parts. Take it to a local garage and you can get it fixed for a fraction of the price. Normally a good idea to buy it back from the insurance and get it fixed yourself (if its an older car).
sonflowerinwales:
- Does the Cat D have to be notified to the new owner on purchase?
Only if they ask. You’re not obliged to disclose if you’re acting in a private capacity.
sonflowerinwales:
- Where is this information recorded?
HPI check will reveal it but its not on the V5.
sonflowerinwales:
- More importantly, does she have to notify her insurance company of the cars status?
No, but its value will be affected. Therefore that payout will be adjusted. That should technically make it cheaper to insure but in reality they’ll probably use it as an opportunity to load. The fact they’ve already paid out is a red herring. The pay out lots of stuff all the time, doesn’t prejudice your ability to continue claiming.
Conor:
Cat C you need to be more wary of as there’s usually structural/suspension/steering damage involved with that.
Not necessarily. I buy a lot for work and I’ve had D you wouldn’t fix and C you could MOT that day.