Estimated repair cost?...

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NullChips
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Estimated repair cost?...

Post by NullChips »

Hi everyone,

Recently messed up and got myself in the unfortunate position of an at fault accident. Unfortunately, the insurer's approve garage consider this to be a write off, but I'm headed out to get some quotes from a couple of local body shops soon, where the cost of a courtesy car won't need to be factored in as it won't be needed. As far as I can tell, only bodywork and my pride have been hurt in this incident, with the car still driveable and no mechanical issues as far as I can see. Obviously, it will be taken to a garage to make sure there's nothing else that needs putting right that I can't see.

I'd quite like to keep this car, as other than this, it was in pretty much mint condition with only just ticking over 30000 miles on an 07 reg, so plenty of life left in it. One option I'm considering as well as getting an insurance quote is getting a quote for having it done privately if it's still considered a write off and buying it back from the insurance. If anyone here could give me a guess as to how much this repair could likely cost me/insurance, it would be much appreciated.

The parts that I can clearly see will need replacing are:
Bumper with appropriate grilles.
Driver side fender
Headlight
Foglight (maybe? - no cracks in it and it still works fine, but knocked out of position).
Bumper reinforcement bar

Alloys were already scraped by the previous owner and I'm happy to keep them as is. All the impact was contained to the drivers side front corner.

Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/hYCQLTXdfqrTYAqt7

I know this is a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string' question, but any estimates and help would be very much appreciated so I know what to expect. Cheers
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iichel
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Re: Estimated repair cost?...

Post by iichel »

A write off for this? Hmmmmm....

If you're able to source some used parts in colour (or color, unsure which is en-GB and which is en-US) you'll be doing fine:
- Front bumper with grills 150
- Front fender 100
- Headlight 50
-------------------+
400 pound
And a bit of labour for putting on the parts.
NullChips
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Re: Estimated repair cost?...

Post by NullChips »

iichel wrote: Sat Apr 17, 2021 10:47 am A write off for this? Hmmmmm....

If you're able to source some used parts in colour (or color, unsure which is en-GB and which is en-US) you'll be doing fine:
- Front bumper with grills 150
- Front fender 100
- Headlight 50
-------------------+
400 pound
And a bit of labour for putting on the parts.
I agree - seems pretty ridiculous. I have a feeling that since the insurance approved garage only took photos and didn't have a look at it in person, they didn't want to risk there being any structural or hidden mechanical damage to the car hence taking it in person to a couple garages next week.

I'm willing to take a hit financially to not have to go through the trouble of finding a new car, so assuming a payout of £2k minus excess and buyback value, I'm hopeful a body shop wouldn't ask for anything more than 3k, especially if I can source the parts myself (even if a respray is needed).
ValleyForge
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Re: Estimated repair cost?...

Post by ValleyForge »

Nothing damaged behind the bumper (AC especially)?
NullChips
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Re: Estimated repair cost?...

Post by NullChips »

ValleyForge wrote: Sun Apr 18, 2021 11:42 am Nothing damaged behind the bumper (AC especially)?
As far as I can see. Obviously I can't see what's hiding, but nothing under the bonnet has been visibly knocked out of place and the chassis still looks dead straight.
NullChips
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Re: Estimated repair cost?...

Post by NullChips »

As an update - Admiral have said they're happy for me to keep the salvage as a Cat N write off. Took it to one of the repair shops this morning whilst I still had insurance on it and got a quote of around £1000 to fix everything bodywork wise up. Only bad news is that they don't have availability till May 10th, but I can live without the car for a month or so if it means I get to keep it. Off to mechanics this Thursday to check that there's nothing more serious that I should know about. Thanks for the help.
Bobupndown
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Re: Estimated repair cost?...

Post by Bobupndown »

Easily fixable, insurance companies crack me up, it would be a sin to scrap that. You could probably bolt the parts on yourself , its not that complicated then just have it painted.
CarbonChaos
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Re: Estimated repair cost?...

Post by CarbonChaos »

Agree with that, if you have any mechanical knowledge this is quite a simple bolt on repair.
Insurance company will declare a car a total loss for anything rather than pay out for repairs especially on older cars
NullChips
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Re: Estimated repair cost?...

Post by NullChips »

Cheers everyone, it's all booked in for repairs in a couple weeks. I'm reasonably mechanically minded, but I've decided to just let the body shop handle everything as it still doesn't add up to the total payout of the insurance and saves me the time/peace of mind.
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