Is it normal for a Clio to Catch Fire in a Crash, Insurance problem

[Harbinger]

Morning All,

Been off for a week after a huge smash last Weds Morning,

Some idiot in a 406 lost it in the rain, entered my lane head on and completely annihilated my Clio then it instantly burst into flames, total loss obviously.

Insurance company are being t***s too, my phone ( new Note 3 ) they are trying not to cover, 2 pairs of glasses and my sunglasses ( expensive ) plus other bits and pieces too, I thought I had an agreed value on the car they are claiming the max payout I can get for the car, Injury claim aside is £1600, which is an utter piss take as they are basing it on a below average condition when the car was infact immaculate, Rsport cars would have bought this off me imo.

Is there anything that can be done to increase the value of the car payout at all? feel completely robbed here I've spent more than this on the car in the last 6 months I've owned it, Insurance company is premium choice.

 

[sburrell93]

When I had a total loss on my last car I just kept refusing their offers. Car was a bit of a heap tbh and they started at about £800, I eventually got around £1500 for it iirc. Don't know what to suggest besides denying their offers and keep pushing them for more.

Ask to speak to managers and stuff. Until they have said they can't offer you a penny more, I'd just keep asking

 

[...]

Firstly sorry to here about your accident and glad your ok .
To have agreed value on a car it will be stated on your policy document with the words agreed value what the value is, on an older vehicle this will have to be substantiated with a self declared form and supporting pics dated and recorded with the insurance co .
If they want any more it will be a specialist report at your cost , that's an agreed value policy.
An insurance Co asks when you take out the policy what your value is , that is not agreed value but if you over inflate it your paying more for a policy for nothing as they use that value to calculate the premium, I am sure sky or green light will be along to confirm.
As for personal possessions in the car you will find that a minefiels , and i can pretty much bet you will get nothing for them . Worse case claim on your house policy .

Next question ,if your hit head on this is a 3rd party issue and not your fault , I'd instruct a legal case management team to handle this for me , i'd be driving around in a loan car and i would be letting them get every penny your due , plus sending any pics of your car and supporting documentation (copies of up to date service bok to substantiate your claim of condition .

they will always start low .

Case management i would have thought would be something you would understand from your work , as where there is liability people will always look to minimise it with low offers .


so in sumary

get your pics and dates they were taken
all invoices from your history file
all service history

copies of adverts from cars of similar mileage condition .
I would have contacted a claims management company its worked well for me every time , and people will **** them off but there are good ones , not the big advert ones (and knowbody should ask you for any money or offer you money upfront)

treat it like a case at work

and try and not be too emotional with it .

 

[Harbinger]

Thanks Harv, I've checked the policy and it doesn't have the word " agreed" it just says Vehicle Value £3500.
Case management isn't something I deal with, I just assess Risk and who was at fault etc and try to rectify for the future, our litigation team would deal with this but the guy is on Pat leave as of last Friday.

I will be trying to get a hire car to get to work but I cannot actually drive at the moment, got bit of a concussion still and my right shoulder is severely swollen and so is my hip ( can't raise my right leg ) but Hospital released me on Saturday after I was able to walk in a straight line and talk, so in a way it's a nice PI claim but I'm so pissed off about this, the stuff in the car was worth well over a grand alone, policy wording limits this to £500 but still they aren't playing ball, all the photos of the car and me with the glasses and sunglasses were actually stored on the phone as I've only just had it and not backed it up properly, my fault there but I couldn't foresee this, guess this is going to be a long one.

I'll look into a case management today,

 

[Paprika123]

Pics?

 

[Simon@SprayShack]

Sorry to hear about your crash mate, and glad your ok. Just out of interest was the injector rail protector intact on the car? So many people rolling around without these (as the bolts and fitment isnt great, i have a low tech solution to keeping it bolted in solid on mine), and in a big head on crash its there for this very reason!

 

[Paprika123]

I will be trying to get a hire car to get to work but I cannot actually drive at the moment, got bit of a concussion still an...

Use the Evora?

 

[Harbinger]

Just seen your Edit, thanks, not too emotional although the guy didn't help me out of a burning car and it was a Samaritan who called the police not him, he was just on the phone speaking in some foreign language, funnily enough it was a taxi driver but he had insurance so that was a relief.
I would like to actually contact the person who made the calls and gave statements too, I'm sure she has made this whole thing a lot easier as I know a lot of people would have just rubbernecked and carried on.

Glad I didn't fit my Sabelt as well. wouldn't be here typing now.

 

[Harbinger]

Sorry to hear about your crash mate, and glad your ok. Just out of interest was the injector rail protector intact on the car? So many people rolling around without these (as the bolts and fitment isnt great, i have a low tech solution to keeping it bolted in solid on mine), and in a big head on crash its there for this very reason!

Fuel Guard was fitted mate, engine bay was completely standard and looked just like it did on delivery day,

And Paprika, Learn to read and read it all before trolling.

 

[Paprika123]

I'm not trolling.

Genuinely why can't you use the Evora?

Your profile states you have two cars yet you are still trying to get a hire car?

 

[Addicted]

Sounds nasty, got any pics? What sort of speed were you both travelling?

Not following the trolling though, why was mentioning the Evora a troll? Because you cant drive atm or?

I have nothing useful to add, but best of luck, insurance companies are a pain to deal with at the best of times!

 

[George182]

Glad you are ok mate...

That's the main thing

 

[Harbinger]

I'm not trolling.

Genuinely why can't you use the Evora?

Your profile states you have two cars yet you are still trying to get a hire car?

Because I cannot f**king sit down in a regular car at the moment let alone something you have to crawl into as well, and the Lotus isn't covered for commuting.

 

[Harbinger]

Sounds nasty, got any pics? What sort of speed were you both travelling?

Not following the trolling though, why was mentioning the Evora a troll? Because you cant drive atm or?

I have nothing useful to add, but best of luck, insurance companies are a pain to deal with at the best of times!

I have no pics of anything past last month when I changed phones, Phone is probably molted and crispy by now, no I cannot even be a passenger in the front, have to sit sideways in the back atm.

Was travelling at 50 ish in a national road, the A322, the other guy god knows what he was doing but has to have been at least the same.

 

[...]

http://www.accidentmanagementuk.com/


someone like that ...... you should not be at work so spend the morning speaking to them .

I have not used them but someone similar , and I had a 42k claim after a head on in my Lexus , they were great lots of communication , and settled the claim well .

 

[BoatNonce]

Fcuk about. Good thing you got out.

 

[...]

also you could up your evora cover and claim it back as a loss , to enable you to have transport , however a management company would have a car on your drive in 2 hours

 

[Harbinger]

also you could up your evora cover and claim it back as a loss , to enable you to have transport , however a management company would have a car on your drive in 2 hours

I can do yeah, but I think it'll take me a lot longer to get in it than a regular car, it's only around £400 PA to cover commuting and tbh as well this has sort of frightened me a little and when I'm all sorted I might get something a bit bigger and safer than a Clio, was bricking it on the way to work this morning.

 

[...]

accidents happen , they are never good in anything , don't let that worry you , else you will end up in a volvo !!

 

[car.crash]

Not the first clio sport I have seen go up in flames after a big head on. My pal had one that went up. A few passengers didn't manage to escape the fire.

 

[Chip-mk1]

Getting yourself into a hire car is a vital part of the tactics of getting them to pay full value for your car.

The moment they pay you out, they no longer owe you a hire car, as its settled, so if you are costing them a few hundred quid a week in car hire, they will have an incentive to settle quickly, where as without that ongoing cost to them they will happily drag their feet forever arguing about the price.

 

[sabian92]

Not the first clio sport I have seen go up in flames after a big head on. My pal had one that went up. A few passengers didn't manage to escape the fire.

Christ on a bike. Must be an awful way to go.

But yeah, somebody hit you so they're at fault. I'd tell your insurance company to bugger off and stop insulting you with pathetic offers - it's in their best interests to pay out as little as possible (obviously) so get a good solicitor on it and claim for EVERYTHING.

 

[Detail Chris]

Not good dude sounds like s**t! All good advice above hope you have a speedy recovery!

 

[Chip-mk1]

Not the first clio sport I have seen go up in flames after a big head on. My pal had one that went up. A few passengers didn't manage to escape the fire.

Sounds like the sort of thing that would make the national press, when and where was it out of interest as Ive never read that one?

 

[car.crash]

Sounds like the sort of thing that would make the national press, when and where was it out of interest as Ive never read that one?

happy now?

http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/new...htclub_worker_saves_lives_after_horror_crash/

 

[MartinR]

Sorry to hear mate. You are one lucky fella, shocking that the other party left you and did not help or phone emergency services.

Speedy recovery.

 

[Chip-mk1]

happy now?

Strange choice of words, as not sure I would say "happy" but am certainly interested to read it.

http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/new...htclub_worker_saves_lives_after_horror_crash/

What a tragic turn of events, RIP

 

[botfch]

Did the police turn up as they do usually take pictures?

Prick should have had him done for driving without due care and attention. I hate taxi drivers like that had one catch the front end of the tractor once ripped the tyre to shreds and drove off, reported it as failing to stop but nothing came of it.

 

[Harbinger]

The Police did turn up as did an ambulance to cart me off, don't recall much of it, just a panic in trying to get out of the car, didn't even feel any pain until I arrived at the hospital and saw myself in the mirror, thankfully my perfect features are intact somehow.
Taxi drivers are a menace as it is, but this does go to show the horrors that happen at 230AM in torrential rain, I've phone insurance company a few minutes ago and they are sending me the "full file" although I'd imagine a bit will be missing.

 

[...]

The Police did turn up as did an ambulance to cart me off, don't recall much of it, just a panic in trying to get out of the car, didn't even feel any pain until I arrived at the hospital and saw myself in the mirror, thankfully my perfect features are intact somehow.
Taxi drivers are a menace as it is, but this does go to show the horrors that happen at 230AM in torrential rain, I've phone insurance company a few minutes ago and they are sending me the "full file" although I'd imagine a bit will be missing.

Just instruct a claims manager end of your problems in reality ... I habe done it a few times and all company fleets use them .... you wont get what they can on tour own .... I turned down the bentley gtc as a hire car in our audi smack as that seemed less than sensible and took an sl

 

[Harbinger]

I have done dude, too busy to attempt it myself, same one you posted they'll be in touch in a few days with whats going on they are also handling my pi claim, they have offered a hire car now until the claim is settled it was a Kia but refused saying it needs to be like for like near 200bhp hatchback they'll call me in the morning regarding this.

 

[Tony Hunter]

Did you still have the fuel rail guard on?

 

[Darius]

Did you still have the fuel rail guard on?

He answered this further up, yes he did

 

[Tony Hunter]

Sorry, didn't read it all.

Thanks

 

[GrahamS]

If you need any advice PM me. I used to be a total loss adjuster.

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

What are they basing their figure on? I find it hard to believe they've more than halved what it says on your policy (even if it isn't an agreed value) - that sounds like b****cks.

 

[GrahamS]

In the mean time. 5, 6 and 11 are important to your argument http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/motor-valuation.html

 

[Ex-User (60778)]

No doubt they will now end up paying out more than if they had just been sensible with their offer in the first place. Sound like a useless insurance company.

 

[GrahamS]

What are they basing their figure on? I find it hard to believe they've more than halved what it says on your policy (even if it isn't an agreed value) - that sounds like b****cks.

What you've written on your policy, unless it's agreed value means nothing. It will be for underwriting purposes and nothing more. The majority of mainstream insurers offer market value which they will base on examples.

It depends on which insurer it is whether they go in with best offer first or a bad one with room to negotiate.

Personally I would go straight to an accident management company as you will be treated like gold and they will deal with the hassle of getting the money back. Also you'd get a reduced rate of retaining salvage if you wanted to do that.

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

Okay, so whats the point in an insurance company asking what the cars worth if they intend on offering you pennies more than f**k all?