shedvan Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I think it is important that your liability to the other vehicles involved in the crash is protected. Those costs could easily be more than the cost to repair your Princess and the protection you have with the insurance policy most be retained. Whether you choose to accept their valuation of the Princess/cost of repairs its crucial that you aren't lumbered with 3rd party costs. Insurance companies will try to limit their costs where they can and your costs are likely to be the ones that they can barter, so you need to demonstrate the realistic cost of buying another Princess on the open market - you may have to do a little research and take some recent historical examples. When I was dealing with the claim on my Polo they can in with a valuation of €400 as a starting point, when I countered that this wasn't a credible offer they rapidly increased this to €800, I was able to direct them to comparable models on sale (age, condition, milage etc.) at this point they said that they would need to look into this further and call me back. Now at this point I did feel that maybe I had pushed it a little too far and perhaps they had been trying to see if I would blink first so unsurprisingly I did begin to squeak a bit! But as it happens they did call back around 15 minutes later and met my valuation. It seems to me that along with ensuring that you retain protection against the 3rd party's costs you also need to be tough (which isn't easy) in negotiations with the assessors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgan84 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I wouldn't give up that easily;you would still have the right to but the 'salvage' back anyway wouldn't you ? PLus you could ask for money instead of repairs - lets face it,they will have to pay its assesment and storage fee's,so getting something back from you is going to actually save them somthing ( not much,but on paper it looks good ).If nothing else,you will get more money breaking it if it came to that sad end,or parts to create another one.I would phone up the place she is at,and ask if you can take your car,as the insurance should be handling it;another option is to say you dispute the opinion of the assesment,and ask for a second opinion from a independant person/company.Maybe a local garage can put in a estimate for much less than the place who came up with the figures mentioned,and will help keep the Princess alive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 Tis a moot point at any rate because they've already cancelled my side of the claim and will only be paying out to the person/s I ran into. They're no longer liable for paying me anything, just ensuring I get my car back safely so I can store and then break or fix it. I never actually started a claim proper, I made that clear with them from the off, I just wanted them to assess whether or not the car was able to be repaired for safe use on the road - which they've assured me it is - and to then make a decision on putting a claim through once they gave me numbers, which they did and I rejected... and also requested to cancel the claim on the information they provided me with. I did feel rather like I'd been bullied into scrapping the car which I think made me retaliate by telling them I want it back to fix it myself... in a way I suppose I shot myself in the foot there, but you live and learn and if there's a next time I at least have this experience to go back to as a point of reference. I could offer so many reasons and excuses for me doing things this way and, probably ,cocking up getting the best outcome but in all honesty I just want my car back so I can fix it, that has been my primary goal throughout. I just have to wait on some answers now as I'm having to communicate via e-mail with the insurer and by extension the assessor as I my work hours clash with their work hours. Up until the actual paying out stage of this claim, it's all gone very smoothly and much in my favour, I think it lulled me into a false sense of security about the fate of my car. But as I've said before, the goal now is to get the car home, incur no further costs, avoid a Category anything status on her and then either repair or break as the situation sees fit. I have free, dry, safe storage for an indefinite period thanks to having a garage at home otherwise I think it would have been an insurance pay out and a scrapped car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crapcarcollector Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 You certainly have the motivation thats for sure. I really hope it works out well for you in the end insurance wise. I never wanted to piss on your bonfire or dampen your spirit. This thread has been a gripping read, In fact if you need any help straightening that leg with a porta power I will come round for a cuppa tea with mine.(depending on where you are of course!). Best of luck, and don't let the bastards grind you down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieselnutjob Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 so are you saying it isn't cat B on the DVLA/insurance/whatever database?that would make a huge difference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volksy Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Are the insurance company stumping up the costs for recovery and storage? Surely that's part of YOUR side of the claim... Have they told you how much it will be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigger Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Is it recorded as it will need to be vic checked before it can go on the road although if it's been classed as Cat B, even if the claims cancelled then your in shit street with it. You need it in writing that there's nothing recorded on record, I have a feeling you've shot yourself in the foot cancelling this claim though, you'll going to cop a massive storage charge if your unlucky and still ended up with a worthless pile of BL tin in the driveway. I would have taken the £1000 or whatever they offered, and walked away from the whole situation and spent the money on a nice Maestro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 I have in writing that no additional fees are incurred and that the car is not recorded on the Total Loss register. Car is coming home on Monday at a cost of £40. I will probably be part exchanging the Princess for a Maestro as I can either afford to repair the Princess or buy a car to get me to work and back, but not both. The Princess will be with an enthusiast and restorer of BL stuff and in the company of at least one brown Ital and one other Princess. For all the doom and gloom, it looks like it's actually turned out okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilko220 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 A fantastic conclusion. Well done for persevering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angrydicky Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Great stuff. Shame you can't afford both, could you pop the Princess in the garage and gradually collect panels while buying a Maestro in the meantime to use as a daily? If you save up cash then in a few months time you could book maybe a week off work and blitz the Princess' bodywork. Well that's what I'd do anyway, but as long as it's going to be saved, I'm happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigger Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Brilliant news!, Good that it's all in writing too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 @Angry: I'd love to keep her and fix her myself, but I may well be able to get a decent reduction on the price of the Maestro I'm off to see and get the Princess restored by the new owner who is a professional restorer with the hinted opportunity to swap back with cash at a later date. The guy with the Maestro has already bought the Maestro back twice after selling it, you see, and he's decided that my Princess should not be allowed to be scrapped and should be saved if possible, or used to help another few live. @trigger: The only reason I have anything in writing is because I was having a nightmare getting through to the insurer on the phone. Eventually, we resorted to e-mail and therefore everything is in writing, which is fantastic news for me. I've gone from fearing the worst to feeling sad about parting with an old friend but happy that she'll have a chance to carry on in some way or other. What a rollercoaster this has been though, and I've learned so many lessons that previously had only been hearsay and rumour to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coalnotdole Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Seems like the best outcome given the circumstances. Even though you've lost out in financial terms at least you've found a way to avoid the cat B and given the car another chance to live on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skattrd Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Glad things are working out for you VA and the Princess will live, albeit elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiny Norman Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Just add to what everyone else is saying, that's as good an outcome as you could have hoped under the circumstances. I've loved reading your resto thread on this car and it's great to hear that it's going to someone who'll hopefully put it back together and keep up the good work you started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Great outcome, all things considered of course. I'm glad the Princess will not go to waste. Enjoy your new Maestro when you take ownership of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted October 28, 2012 Author Share Posted October 28, 2012 Princess comes home tomorrow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 I've just got back from an eventful morning. Turned up at Pentagon Mansfield at the appointed time of 08:30. Gave the flatbed driver a call to let him know, and he then told me that he didn't think I wanted him to move the car because I hadn't called him... which is odd, because I'm fairly sure I had, but maybe I didn't, I have been dropping a few things lately by accident due to having a lot on. So, he then said he could be over in an hour, was I okay to wait? I was... then he called to ask if the Princess really did weigh getting on for 2 tonnes because if it did, it wouldn't fit on his lorry. It does. It wouldn't fit on his lorry. Right. He gave me the number for a friend of his with a bigger truck, but he couldn't come out and even if he did it would have cost me at least £100. Brilliant. Spoke to the guys at Pentagon, explained the situation and they could get the car home for £90, which is what I had to do. Drama I could've done without really. Got to the Princess, pumped the flat tyre up, checked the others, pulled out the choke, turned the key and she sprang into life immediately. That was a fantastic feeling. The crash damage looks nowhere near as bad as I remember it doing when it happened. Stuck her in first, back brakes were a little stuck from being sat with the handbrake on for a month and something was making sloshy noises. Set off and water came pouring out of the passenger foot vent which is usually the drivers side trick. Oh well. Started pulling out and realised I needed to reverse a bit because of having the turning circle of Vatican City and then reverse just refused to happen. Now, I've had the reverse gear selection in the past on this car, but this time she just plain wouldn't go into reverse at all, which is very strange and a bit of a nuisance. Eventually, with the help of the new recovery truck driver, we got her out of the car park and onto the truck then set off home with me following in the Maestro. I had a grin on my face the whole way home. Got back without incident, unloaded, paid the man the money I owed which I only had because the Council had made a surprise payment for some money they owed me (I know!) that I didn't know about and put her away in the garage. It felt good to get her back home. The smell, the feel, the look of the car, it's all just how I want it to be. Now I have to do the important thing of getting it all fixed again so she can return to the road anew but this time, I'm in no rush because I don't have to rely on her as my daily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Bo11ox Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Theres no way a Princess weighs nearly 2 tonnes, I say 1200-1300kg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 I've always been under the impression they weighed just shy of 2 tonnes/tons (I don't know which is correct here). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flat4alfa Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Octane Car Specs, he say Weight: 1089kgs Which is likely the B-series or O-Series and not the E-series or any other contraption. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Bo11ox Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 No way, a Volvo 240 estate is only about 1350kg. I’d bet a 4-cyl manual Princess weighs less than 1200 actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 Well... I didn't like that £50 anyway, probably better of without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitevanman Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 From some dodgy kewi site official base curb weight 1160 kg / 2557 lbs, gross weight GVWR 1565 kg / 3450 lbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 I think from this we can likely conclude that he didn't want to do the job then and/or I was ill informed as to my car's weight. Expensive way to learn it, either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigger Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 What Car? magazine says it weighs 21.3 CWT, what ever that is in English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keef Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 What Car? magazine says it weighs 21.3 CWT, what ever that is in English. 1082 Kg - http://www.convertunits.com/from/cwt/to/kilo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigger Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 There you go then, a little over a ton like fiat4alfa said, and that's from a 1980 issue of the magazine too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Glad you got it home again, quite an event. Onwards and upwards as they say now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Des Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Do you still want the front lamp sending? I actually thought of it today and dug it out from a big messy pile at my unit, then forgot to bring it with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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