Have You Seen That Yaris On Auto Trader?

[Carltona123]

Toyota Yaris 1.5 VVT-i Hybrid T4 5dr CVT just 652 miles on the clock.

Very Light flood damage Cat D £7950

Discuss.

[Raistlin]

Discuss what, there is nothing to see at present, post a few pictures to open a debate.

[FROSTYBALLS]

I would be very surprised if the flood damage was very light and the car has been written off. Interesting article from the AA - http://www.theaa.com/newsroom/news-2012/aa-insurance-warning-flood-damaged-cars.html

[FROSTYBALLS]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201406235240067/sort/default/usedcars/price-to/12000/model/yaris/fuel-type/hybrid/radius/1501/page/1/postcode/b449sj/make/toyota/keywords/T4/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/advert-type/standard-listing?logcode=ucnnp

Majority of cars this dealer has are Cat C's.

[Carltona123]

Discuss what, there is nothing to see at present, post a few pictures to open a debate.

Sorry - didn't know if I was allowed to link to a commercial site. Don't want to get into product placement issues or anything.

You'll find it! Actually looks like someone else already has...

[Carltona123]

Thank you Frostyballs!

[Devon Aygo]

Wouldn't touch it with a barge pole, the insurer has obviously assessed the damage and decided that putting the car back on the road is too risky, water logged wiring harnesses may appear OK after drying but will soon corrode and cause electrical problems as well as the smell of damp that will never clear properly, even in a normal car water inside will write it off and just imagine the risk involved in water logged High voltage items such as the harness and Battery ( under rear seat low down on Yaris ). Finally Toyota update their warranty system with insurance databases and any insurance write of is excluded from any form of warranty ( recalls excluded )

[Mike169]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201406235240067/sort/default/usedcars/price-to/12000/model/yaris/fuel-type/hybrid/radius/1501/page/1/postcode/b449sj/make/toyota/keywords/T4/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/advert-type/standard-listing?logcode=ucnnp

Majority of cars this dealer has are Cat C's.

Hi Frosty.

This dealer is only a mile down the road from me...............what are Cat C's please?

They have a Land Cruiser in there for 18K that caught my eye, just window shopping, probably won't do anything about it but if this dealer has many Cat C's just wondered what he/it is all about?

Mike

[Aceshigh84]

Cat d, deemed uneconomical to repair by insurer. Could just be something like a fender bender and that their approved repairer using official parts will cost in their eyes more than the car is worth (or some percentage thereof). You have the option to buy the car back as scrap and repair yourself, an mot will prove the car is road worthy and away you go.

Cat c, serious damage, accident or otherwise. Insurer won't repair it. If you decide to buy it back as scrap you need to get both an mot and a vehicle identity check from vosa to basically prove that it hasn't been "ringed".

Personally, while I have had cars and accidents where I have done both and then sold on down the line without problems, I would never buy a cat c, and I'd hesitate about a cat d.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Unless you know what you're doing, avoid such cars like the plague!

I've worked for an insurance company in the past and you'd be surprised what can be repaired. If an insurer feels fit to write a car off, then there's a damn good reason.

Saying that, any type of flood damage immediately writes off most, if not all cars. You don't know what nasties were in the water - sewerage, animal excrement from field run off etc. Even if the car only had 6 inches of water inside, it will have got into all the fabrics, carpets, plastic panels behind the dash which even with the best valeting, will return as nasty niffs and pongs that will be impossible to remove.

So far you see the problem. You have a car that is a potential health hazard with all the gunk from the flood water soaked into the seat fabric and carpets and a car that will potentially stink to high heaven if left parked in the sun in summer.

That's before we get on to the potential of damage inside the exhaust, the catalyst, bearings on the outside of the engine. Then you don't know how deep the flood was? All the above is on 1 foot of flood water (6 inches inside). If it were a 3 foot flash flood with the car was bobbing around in a car park for a few days, then the problems are even worse.

You don't know how bad the flooding was. You only have their word it was minor and as you've seen above, even minor flood damage can cause all sorts of future problems.

Personally I'd walk on by and avoid this car. As others have said above too, the warranty is invalidated if the car is written off. You will also have to tell all future insurance companies and some (not all) will restrict cover to third party only and others may restrict the value of what they'd pay out in future claims to reflect it's already significantly lower value.

[RedYarisMan]

Deep Aqua! LOL!

[kithmo]

Notice the picture of the dash, all the warning lights are on. They go off pretty quickly normally, quicker than it takes to point and focus a camera I'd say.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201406235240067/sort/default/usedcars/price-to/12000/model/yaris/fuel-type/hybrid/radius/1501/page/1/postcode/b449sj/make/toyota/keywords/T4/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/advert-type/standard-listing?logcode=ucnnp

Majority of cars this dealer has are Cat C's.

Just looked at the link. They have this 2013 almost brand new Yaris Hybrid with only 650 miles as a Cat D write off. That doesn't stack up to me. A Cat D is usually cosmetic damage where the cost comes to more than 60% of the value. Well even basing that on the value it's for sale at of £8,000, that would indicate the insurers got scared off at over £4,500 of repairs.

Flood damage cars are usually Category B or C at best. Anyone fancy doing a HPI check on this car for a bit of fun? Be curious what it reveals.

[FROSTYBALLS]

DVLA are showing it was first registered on 30th June 2013, and that the tax expired on 16th January 2014 - which presumably was the date it was written off.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Deep Aqua! LOL!

It seems nobody else got that. I thought it was good :)

[FROSTYBALLS]

Yes - though comments haven't come flooding in.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

Cat d, deemed uneconomical to repair by insurer. Could just be something like a fender bender and that their approved repairer using official parts will cost in their eyes more than the car is worth (or some percentage thereof). You have the option to buy the car back as scrap and repair yourself, an mot will prove the car is road worthy and away you go.

Cat c, serious damage, accident or otherwise. Insurer won't repair it. If you decide to buy it back as scrap you need to get both an mot and a vehicle identity check from vosa to basically prove that it hasn't been "ringed".

Personally, while I have had cars and accidents where I have done both and then sold on down the line without problems, I would never buy a cat c, and I'd hesitate about a cat d.

Not quite right.

CAT D are after when the insurer has decided not to repair, although a repair is potentially viable - IE new model with 6-8week parts waiting time means 2 months of courtesy car etc, or vehicle is within the first year of owner ship and covered with a new vehicle replacement promise.

CAT C tend to be behind economical repair.

Some good bargains to be purchased, either CAT C or D, but you MUST know what you're looking at. Back in 2010 I purchased a CAT D vehicle as salvage, repaired it and saved over £5k on list price, it was 6 months old with only 446 miles on the clock! We've still got it and its been fine to date.

There car some CAT C's which should be CAT B's imo though (parts only, can't be returned to the road).

More worryingly though there are some insurance repairs out there which really shouldn't have been repaired in the first place, and these most people won't even know about unless they have a very keen eye.