damaged/repairable?

[FASTER]

just found a seat leon 1.8t in blue early model with 20k on the clock its had a smash needs the folowing
wing
bonnet
suspension
the guy says the a pillar is damaged too.

just want a cheap cupra turbo so heres my questions

Whats a a pillar? where is it?
how many listings ie catorgoies is there interms of write offs? a- b -c etc
whats the score with getting them roadworthy again?
What will the insurance be like do they need to know it had an accident?
body work is easy not sure on chassis tho (is there people who check these out for damage?)
big job?
worth the money as ill mod stuff as i go along
thanks guys

 

[Don]

Personally if a pillar has gone, I wouldn't touch it. Pillars are the bits that hold the roof on, and provide roll-ove protected (along with general structural rigidity).

 

[FASTER]

is that not B pillar? thats what i said but he said its at the bottom under of the car the wheel and suspesion hit it not seen it so dont really know

 

[wrc]

correct me if i,m wrong!
the A pillar is the section bye the front windowscreen,
the B pillar is the section behind the front doors
not too sure what the back section is called, could be C

 

[vroomtshh]

correct me if i,m wrong!
the A pillar is the section bye the front windowscreen,
the B pillar is the section behind the front doors
not too sure what the back section is called, could be C

Got it in one. Help yourself to a sweety out the tin!

 

[ALEX**]

the reason it was probably a write off is the damage to the a pillar.

i would not touch it.

just save up and buy a decent one

 

[tris]

i dont think i would fell safe driving a car after a big smash
so i would give this 1 a miss

 

[flashbsd]

its probably a cat d which means the insurance company deosnt even think its worth repairing!

barge pole and a very long one at that

 

[Reg]

For those saying don't touch it, you may be right in this case, but for the wrong reasons.


Faster - please don't take offence to this, but if you don't know without asking what the 'A' pillar is, don't even think about taking on a write-off. Without knowing a great deal about it, and lots of people in the right places, it will cost you far more time and effort than is worth while.

However, if you do have the right contacts, buying a damaged repairable can be fine. You just need to know what you are getting yourself into. Work can be done to a car which looks totally wrecked that will make it just as strong as when it left the factory. The most important thing is the man who puts it ona jig to pull it all straight and true, knows where to cut and where to weld. Cars with a big crease in the roof can be put straight with some effort.

Just for reference, there are 4 catagories of Write off. Cat A & B are very similar, both meaning the chassis must be crushed, and certain parts may be removed and used again. Cat C & D are both insurance write-offs, because it would not be ecomomically viable to fix that vehicle using new parts at dealer prices (like the insurance firm would). At original parts prices, and some labour rates around £100 per hour, its not surprising. It does not mean the car is too far gone to be use again, IF IT IS DONE CORRECTLY.

A very good friend of mine has over the years straightened out a lot of smashed cars, and made good money out of it. and I don't mean by hiding the fact either. My BMW was a Cat D write off 6 months into its life. It had a heavy front offside impact, and having seen the pictures, I would have said it was gone for good. But not so, it was straightened and put back together using original BMW parts, and is probably better than a mass produced non-smashed car, because every geometry setting and angle was set exactly, not just to 'within tolerance' as it would have been at the factory.

It used to be (a long time ago) that a smashed motor could have a really thorough inspection, like a monster MOT, that would say it was as good as new, and remove it from the register. But nowasays, that is not possible, so when you do an HPI check, it will show as having been registered as a write-off forever. Not something to hide, just be aware of.

 

[SHADY-NINJA]

For those saying don't touch it, you may be right in this case, but for the wrong reasons.


Faster - please don't take offence to this, but if you don't know without asking what the 'A' pillar is, don't even think about taking on a write-off. Without knowing a great deal about it, and lots of people in the right places, it will cost you far more time and effort than is worth while.

However, if you do have the right contacts, buying a damaged repairable can be fine. You just need to know what you are getting yourself into. Work can be done to a car which looks totally wrecked that will make it just as strong as when it left the factory. The most important thing is the man who puts it ona jig to pull it all straight and true, knows where to cut and where to weld. Cars with a big crease in the roof can be put straight with some effort.

Just for reference, there are 4 catagories of Write off. Cat A & B are very similar, both meaning the chassis must be crushed, and certain parts may be removed and used again. Cat C & D are both insurance write-offs, because it would not be ecomomically viable to fix that vehicle using new parts at dealer prices (like the insurance firm would). At original parts prices, and some labour rates around £100 per hour, its not surprising. It does not mean the car is too far gone to be use again, IF IT IS DONE CORRECTLY.

A very good friend of mine has over the years straightened out a lot of smashed cars, and made good money out of it. and I don't mean by hiding the fact either. My BMW was a Cat D write off 6 months into its life. It had a heavy front offside impact, and having seen the pictures, I would have said it was gone for good. But not so, it was straightened and put back together using original BMW parts, and is probably better than a mass produced non-smashed car, because every geometry setting and angle was set exactly, not just to 'within tolerance' as it would have been at the factory.

It used to be (a long time ago) that a smashed motor could have a really thorough inspection, like a monster MOT, that would say it was as good as new, and remove it from the register. But nowasays, that is not possible, so when you do an HPI check, it will show as having been registered as a write-off forever. Not something to hide, just be aware of.

bang on right, you are.
to add a bit of notes, MR Faster, if you dont really understand the ropes of buying crashed cars try looking for the ones that are stolen an recovered. these are the crem-de-lacrem of buying salvage and is always what i look for most of the time.
the most repair you might ever need are door locks ignition barrel and a decent clean up to the car.
my seat toledo as you can see here was bought at salvage. it had a front accident. but was fully loaded.
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=69528

 

[SHADY-NINJA]

but try to show some pics first