Car crash ,insurance claim

Hi hope you can help,

I was involved in a head on collision on a small back road , thank god none of us were hurt and we both agreed it was 50/50. Both cars are written off.
I am a name driver on the car i was driving, it has fully comp insurance to the value of 11,000.
We reported the crash to the guards and this is the first time dealing with an insurance company have a few questions that i hope someone can help with ...
* We are insured through a broker with AXA
* Do you get the value of the car that is on the policy. - excess.
* How long before moneys are generally paid ( it is my wifes car and the only family car)
* What is the role of the assesor ...is it just to see that the car is a write off or is it to try to find blame for example bad driving, poor brakes , tyres ,mechanics , because reading some of the threads it seems you have to argue and try to do a deal with them which i find a bit intimidating.
* Can i take the cd/radio etc out of the car as it is new.

thanks for any help

I was involved in a head on collision on a small back road , thank god none of us were hurt and we both agreed it was 50/50.

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Its possible that your insurance company may not agree with you. The assessors role in determining the sequence of events can be key (sometimes) in determining liability.

Do you get the value of the car that is on the policy. - excess.
What is the role of the assesor ...is it just to see that the car is a write off or is it to try to find blame for example bad driving, poor brakes , tyres ,mechanics

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The value of your vehicle is determined by many things - age, mileage, condition and popularity. The assessor will put a value on what your car was worth prior to being involved in the accident - this may not be what YOU believe it is worth. (I have a car value book - if you want to PM me the details of your vehicle, then I can offer you some idea). It is also his job to inspect tyres, brakes etc and ensure that seatbelts were being worn at the time. He will then seek salvage bids for the remains of your vehicle - so that your insurance company can off-set some of the loss.

Can i take the cd/radio etc out of the car as it is new

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Possibly - depends on the assessor, have a chat with him and ask. If you have the old one, don't see why you couldn't swap them over. You can't remove certain other things - alloys for example - unless you have the steels to replace them with, (car needs wheels to work - so considered to be included in the pre-accident value.)

How long before moneys are generally paid ( it is my wifes car and the only family car)

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This depends on how quickly the assessor and the investigation proceed. If you're comprehensively insured you may be offered a courtesy car - usually max. period of 14 days. Your broker may be able to organise this for you. If your insurance policy doesn't cover you for a hire-car, it's possible that your insurance company can offer you reduced rates thru a hire-car company that they have a deal with.

sad huh

Thanks for all the advice and help,
I've mailed the car details to ACA.
Our broker is closed until Monday so no help there.
I'll post later as to how i get on ....Thanks again

saintstephen said:

Do you get the value of the car that is on the policy. - excess?

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The "pre accident value" will usually be less than what you believe to be the market value. Looking on cbg.ie/carzone.ie/autotrader.ie only gives you the asking prices of cars, not the value or selling prices (and from friends experiences be ready for a low quote even compared to the selling prices).

They pay the "PAV - excess(less if the car went to an axa approved garage but may be too late for this) - scrapage" (by default AXA let you retain ownership [AFAIK - friend mentioned above was insured with AXA, as am I, clearly stated in both policies].
I helped my friend try and fight for a higher PAV - didn't find much luck there!
The scrapage value on the other hand you can haggle over. AXA will/should get three quotes on the scrapage and offer you the highest providing the contact details. Use anything you can to haggle a higher price with the salvage people (any tax left on the car, etc.). Can be a few hundred euro made back here.

As you have fully comp you should be given a replacement car by the garage. AXA should be happy enough to renew this for (upto - its usually far less) 31 days... it'll end once the engineer has reviewed the car and your settlement cheque is ready.

If your currently looking for a replacement might be worth looking at www.axaplus.ie (or http://www.axaplus.ie/cars.htm). Through a third party company (Benchmark Fleet Services Ltd.) they may be able to source a cheaper replacement than you could personally (friend was offered a €4500 car at €3500 through them).

It may be slightly different if you went through a broker as to whats available for your situation. Dig out all the paperwork and see exactly what the story is.

Hi ,
The broker has just rang , AXA are offering 6k pav + 1k salvage = 7k
The car is a 01 hyundai coupe 1.6fx in good condition , the milage is high at 100,000 .
I know the book price for the same car with 55,000 is 9,700e ,so i am dissapointed with this offer , i need an offer of at least 8k total.
I am going to ring the salvage yards tomorrow ,any other tips will be helpful.
Thanks

Hi Stephen,
I have the numbers of a couple of salvage crowds - if you're interested PM me. You could also look on carzone.ie or autotrader.ie to find a similar vehicle, to get a guide to a replacement price in the market place. I thing to bear in mind tho, is that unless you have protected NCB, whatever settlement you receive from your insurance company - you'll end up overtime paying back to them. Might be best to cut and run. Amanda

Hi all,
Just to let you all know how it ended , sold the car to a scrap dealer in galway myself for 1500 ,it was catagory "c" ,and am getting 6k - excess from insurance.
Have to also say that brittons insurance and axa where really helpful to deal with and thanks to all who gave advice on aam ,esp ACA.