hi all, due to an idiot zooming down the middle of a road in a bmw which caused me to swerve out the way into a side road and smashing the curb, my car would not move, it went into gear fine but lifting the clutch would cause some rattling. i got the car recovered by insurance and it’s now in for approval to be repaired, police were on the scene and said that the axle/driveshaft was snapped, i will attach an image where you can see the damage aswell as the ball bearings on the floor. i was wondering if anyone knows if this may total my beloved car, the car is a 2015 fiesta st line, i bought it for 4500 because it was a cat S but it has around 36000 miles, i’m thinking due to the fact it’s a category car it won’t be repaired. any help is appreciated. thanks !

I recently saw a video where a brand new VW with delivery miles, not even pdi'd was in a showroom where there had been a fire and the only damage to the car was that it smelt of smoke, that car was written off and sold at Copart. I would hold out much hope for your car.

1 hour ago, antonvavtar said:

i bought it for 4500 because it was a cat S but it has around 36000 miles,

Well can it be written off twice ?

I'd say the repair cost will be too high so it will be scrapped.

watch this..... 

 

The insurance won't repair that as there's not enough value in it.

Cars can be written off twice as long as they were only N or S the first time.

You can buy it back to repair yourself if desired.  I'm fairly sure that'll be Cat S again as the wishbone is definitely knackered.

Don't expect a big pay out as the car was already cat S.  I'd estimate around £2500-£3000.

The wishbone & shock will be wrecked along with the driveshaft. Those are cheap enough to replace yourself though.  There is the chance of subframe and gearbox damage as well.

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

The wishbone & shock will be wrecked along with the driveshaft.

I've just realised Tom that you and I answered all these same questions on the same car only a few weeks ago. 🤔

 

4 hours ago, unofix said:

I've just realised Tom that you and I answered all these same questions on the same car only a few weeks ago. 🤔

 

nope, just very very bad luck, that car got written off and i bought this car 2 weeks ago, for the same thing to happen lol

5 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

The insurance won't repair that as there's not enough value in it.

Cars can be written off twice as long as they were only N or S the first time.

You can buy it back to repair yourself if desired.  I'm fairly sure that'll be Cat S again as the wishbone is definitely knackered.

Don't expect a big pay out as the car was already cat S.  I'd estimate around £2500-£3000.

The wishbone & shock will be wrecked along with the driveshaft. Those are cheap enough to replace yourself though.  There is the chance of subframe and gearbox damage as well.

so would you recommend i buy the car back and take it to a garage to repair ? if so would you have a ballpark estimate into the costs 

7 hours ago, antonvavtar said:

so would you recommend i buy the car back and take it to a garage to repair ? if so would you have a ballpark estimate into the costs 

If they write it off, that may be the cheapest option to get you back on the road in a decent car.  You'll have to wait for their decision first.

Rough estimate for an independent garage using new aftermarket parts:

Wishbone - £80
Driveshaft - £90
Shock - £100
Drop link - £20
Track rod - £25
Track rod end - £20

Labour - £150

Used alloy wheel & tyre - £75

Basic wheel alignment - £45

Looking at around £600 all in if taken to a garage.  Parts can be sourced more cheaply through eBay (just be aware of fakes) and you could obviously cut out the labour costs by repairing it yourself.  A lot of indy garages will no longer use cheap parts sourced by the customer.

I can't see how badly damaged the front bumper is, but I'm hoping that could just be glued or cable tied for the short term.  I'm also assuming there was no damage to the radiator and that no airbags popped in the impact.

Don't forget you may also have to pay for vehicle transportation unless any of the repair centres near you offer free collection.

 

The easier alternative is to take the payout and just buy another car, though you don't get much car for £3k nowadays.

 

Also worth considering whether the wetbelts have been changed if this has the 1.0 EcoBoost engine.  If not, they will need to be replaced at a cost of over £1000 next year, so that should factor into whether it's worth the cost of putting back on the road now.

As per Tom,

At worst, you need a driveshaft, hub, lower arm, track rod and a new wheel.

All of which are easily available 2nd hand

 

On 2/13/2024 at 10:05 AM, TomsFocus said:

If they write it off, that may be the cheapest option to get you back on the road in a decent car.  You'll have to wait for their decision first.

Rough estimate for an independent garage using new aftermarket parts:

Wishbone - £80
Driveshaft - £90
Shock - £100
Drop link - £20
Track rod - £25
Track rod end - £20

Labour - £150

Used alloy wheel & tyre - £75

Basic wheel alignment - £45

Looking at around £600 all in if taken to a garage.  Parts can be sourced more cheaply through eBay (just be aware of fakes) and you could obviously cut out the labour costs by repairing it yourself.  A lot of indy garages will no longer use cheap parts sourced by the customer.

I can't see how badly damaged the front bumper is, but I'm hoping that could just be glued or cable tied for the short term.  I'm also assuming there was no damage to the radiator and that no airbags popped in the impact.

Don't forget you may also have to pay for vehicle transportation unless any of the repair centres near you offer free collection.

 

The easier alternative is to take the payout and just buy another car, though you don't get much car for £3k nowadays.

 

Also worth considering whether the wetbelts have been changed if this has the 1.0 EcoBoost engine.  If not, they will need to be replaced at a cost of over £1000 next year, so that should factor into whether it's worth the cost of putting back on the road now.

do you know roughly how much it would cost to buy back the car from my insurance in its current state, bearing in mind my excess is £795, would it be economical to buy it back and taking it to a garage? cheers

12 hours ago, antonvavtar said:

do you know roughly how much it would cost to buy back the car from my insurance in its current state, bearing in mind my excess is £795, would it be economical to buy it back and taking it to a garage? cheers

You will have to wait for them to say as the buy back price depends on how much they've estimated their costs to be.

As we're already up to £1400 with your excess and my garage estimate, I don't think there will be an economical option.  The buy back would have to be around £1000 to break even.

Personally, I wouldn't have involved insurance as there were no other vehicles damaged and no injuries.  Would have had it recovered to my home and then dealt with it outside of insurance.  Legally you have done the right thing, but financially it'll cost you now, premium will increase for the next few years as well.  

On 2/20/2024 at 1:11 PM, TomsFocus said:

You will have to wait for them to say as the buy back price depends on how much they've estimated their costs to be.

As we're already up to £1400 with your excess and my garage estimate, I don't think there will be an economical option.  The buy back would have to be around £1000 to break even.

Personally, I wouldn't have involved insurance as there were no other vehicles damaged and no injuries.  Would have had it recovered to my home and then dealt with it outside of insurance.  Legally you have done the right thing, but financially it'll cost you now, premium will increase for the next few years as well.

hi guys, an update, they have decided to write the car off, they offered £6500 for a payout not including my £800 excess, they estimated their repairs at £4500, i’ll attach the parts of the report i got sent, i spoke to a garage and they said they can repair it as long as there is no gearbox damage, which isn’t mentioned in the report. do you guys think i should take the payout or get the car fixed ? thanks

note - it says : the vehicle has sustained a frontal impact, resulting in damage to the following components and associated parts. bumper assembly, right hand fog, wing, front door, wheel, tyre, steering and suspension

I'm genuinely amazed at a £6500 payout for a 9 year old Cat S Fiesta. 😮

Looks like it's only Cat N this time which is interesting.

Did you get a buy back quote?

Personally I'd take the money and buy something else.  Can't see you ever selling it for £6500 with write off status - but given my previous value predictions, maybe I'm not the best person to advise!

That does seem to be a good offer. From a quick glance on AutoTrader there are a few Cat N 2016  Zetec S with asking prices from £3.5-5k or so.

 

Take the money and run, before they come to their senses.

Use some of the money on some further driver training, that way you might not write the next one off. 😉

7 minutes ago, mickywrx said:

Use some of the money on some further driver training, that way you might not write the next one off. 😉

How about fitting a big rubber ring around the bottom?  Bounce right off the kerbs!