Cupra 290 Black totalled - advice please

Why didn't you have gap insurance on a car that costs more than you have saved up in the bank ?

Gap insurance with my regular insurance was 170£ i snapped there hands off for 3yrs cover..

Nothing you can do , they will up there offer a few %

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You could try the "replace the vehicle with an equivalent" approach to the insurers stating that their offer is unrealistic.

Suggest talking to an independent Vehicle Assessor. My suggestion is daviesandgray.co.uk they can give you an independent valuation and report if necessary. More importantly they can talk through the options and give advice.

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Most insurers if they are any good will allow you to refuse the first one especially if you can prove the value via autotrader, etc.

My neighbours got lucky, Tesco gave him top whack although it was the third party covering the cost as a lorry wrote it off delivering to my mate

Good luck

Sorry to hear of your misfortune ganticus, and I hope that you, and anyone else who may have been in the car weren’t injured.

It’s always in the insurer’s best interests to settle the claim for as little as possible, so they’ll pretty much always start with their lowest offer. This won’t be their final offer, so don’t accept it; push for something that’ll enable you to get a car that’s as as close to a like for like replacement as possible. Also, ask them how they’ve calculated their settlement figure, as that may make it easier for you to challenge the figure if you don’t think it’s realistic (e.g. if their figure is for a standard car with no options, and yours was a highly spec’d model).

If there are only 2 similar cars within the Seat dealer network, I’d also check sources such as Auto Trader for similar vehicles to get a range of values that you can go back to your insurer with to negotiate a realistic settlement value. Also, do a bit of research and see if there are any other ‘official’ motor trade resources on the internet that will give garage resale values (may be someone on this forum has access to CAP or Glasses Guide and can help you here?).

I know that hindsight’s a wonderful thing, but for what it costs, GAP insurance is a really worthwhile investment and a bit of a no brainer, provided you don’t buy it from the dealer and pay their exorbitant prices.

Good luck. I hope it all works out OK for you.

ganticus said:

Morning all,

Could do with some advice please.

Hit black ice just before the New Year and then straight in to a brick wall. The Contis didn't stand a chance. Absolutely gutted. First ever accident. I have received a settlement offer which I haven't accepted yet. It isn't derisory, but it feels short.

There are only 2 Seat dealers nationally selling the equivalent car. Neither entertained what the insurer offered (and I don't have gap insurance). In fact, they didn't budge on their asking prices at all.

I have referred the matter back to the insurer to see if I can get an increase on the valuation to a figure more reflective of the 'market value', as the Ombudsman advises.

If they don't flex, what do I do?

1) Dip in to savings to make up the difference and get a like-for-like replacement?

2) Pay a little more for a base model new Cupra from an online broker (without buckets as I can't afford them).

3) If I choose 2 above, what do I do in the interim? Get a short term lease or buy a clapped out banger?

4) Other options??

At the moment, I am scratching around for transport with the help of the wider family. I loved the Cupra. It ticked all the boxes, so I do not want to get a different, more affordable car.

Advice appreciated.

Click to expand...

I used glass guide/ Parker's when mine was almost written off.
I put in all the details of the car milage options e.t.c and it provided me with an a valuation.

Well it actually gave me a few based on type of sale.



https://imgur.com/Kpb2upN
Because the damage cost was quite high I used the valuation prevent it from being written off.

The cost was of the damage was under the threshold for write off based on the valuations.

This combined with ads from autotrader meant that we could both agree on the value of the car.

This was around October 2017

Not wanting to rub salt in the wound but GAP insurance can be obtained from many places and more often than not, cheaper than what that dealer offers. Next time you / we are in a position to require GAP insurance, just Google.it and you'll find many brokers that will offer it for a more reasonable price.

Hi,
You insurer would need to be convinced that you need a higher settlement in order to replace your vehicle. They normally ask for adverts of similar cars for sale etc.
Hope you manage to get it sorted amicably.
Regards,
Dan.

ganticus said:

Thanks for the replies.

LM Barrett83 - I was under the impression that only trades people could access the glass guide/Parkers. If this is not the case, could you send me further info/links please?

I was told by the repairer that their estimate would be in the region of £11-13K so he felt he would have to call it a write off. He said the suspension was damaged, as was the A-frame. But the car is worth 7k more than that, according to Autotrader, Parkers and Whatcar so its a little fishy!

Click to expand...

Hi mate,

The glass guide 'yes' but with the parkers guide you can get a free valuation based on reg. If you pay £3.49 you could get a one off where by you could specify the exact options fitted to your car.

The image linked in my last post was from parkers.
It worked for me as the damage was at a similar cost. I went through seat ensurance but my insurance company is esure.

I didn't have gap either but I was a month away from the end of my 24 month lease.

Issue I had was a 6 month wait until my new lease order arrived.

So I didn't want a pay out I wanted to stay in my lease (with an extension)as the alternative may have meant no car for 6 months.

It took 2 months to repair through seat ensurance and I got a courtesy car whilst it was being repaired.

It'll obviously depend on the age, milage and condition too.

Hmmm. You're covered for market value, yet they won't pay the price similar cars are on the market for.

Funny how market forces only work one way.