2010 Auris bodywork advice

[gazzaman28]

Hi all, my Auris is currently in a repair centre in Glasgow awaiting my and the 3rd party's insurance companies sorting out liability (3 weeks with a hire car so far...) following an accident recently. Basically the driver of a parked car opened their door whilst we were driving past and this took out the passenger side mirror and door handle, along with what appears to be a few scratches and dents. I've now been told by my insurance company that it's likely to be a write-off and I'm in limbo as to what to do until this is confirmed. They forwarded me their quotation which is for just over £3000. I asked my Toyota garage to look over it and they've quoted £2400. It appears that they want to replace the door panel, and my local Toyota garage have advised that this may be because of an issue with the door handle fitment, but looking over the photos I can't honestly see where there is any damage to the metal other than scuffs. I'm really concerned that I'm gonna get screwed with bottom book value if they write it off so I'm looking into possible ways of getting the car back from them and getting a minimal repair done, hopefully without being out of pocket. I wasn't planning on selling the car any time soon and am not bothered about getting it back in pristine condition, I just want it back with a working electric mirror and door handle. I've attached part of the quote to read through, if anyone has any experience of this and could advise from the quote and photos as to whether they think the new door is definitely needed that would be brilliant. Cheers :)

AurisQuote.pdf

[FROSTYBALLS]

The quote doesn't include a new door - it includes a new door skin, which is just the outer panel that  covers the door frame.

Depending where the fault is decided to lie, I would be talking to the insurer about whether their approved repairer is the best way to go, or whether the cheaper quote from the Toyota dealer is more cost effective.

Otherwise if the car is written off, presumably it would be classed as uneconomic to repair (ie a Category C or D) rather than unsafe to repair. So you could consider buying it from the insurer as a Cat C/D and organising the repair oneself. It would probably lose the Toyota corrosion warranty. Come re-sale time (ie part exchange), it would be valued as a Cat C/D and value adjusted accordingly.

[gazzaman28]

20 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

The quote doesn't include a new door - it includes a new door skin, which is just the outer panel that  covers the door frame.

So presumably that's just the painted outside visible bit of the door? There's still a lot of expense in buying, fitting and respraying that which I'm wondering if is completely necessary in order to fit a new handle on.

20 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Depending where the fault is decided to lie, I would be talking to the insurer about whether their approved repairer is the best way to go, or whether the cheaper quote from the Toyota dealer is more cost effective.

I will definitely push for this but my concern is if they think a £3000 repair will be deemed a write-off then I'm guessing £2400 is unlikely to have much of a different outcome.

20 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Otherwise if the car is written off, presumably it would be classed as uneconomic to repair (ie a Category C or D) rather than unsafe to repair. So you could consider buying it from the insurer as a Cat C/D and organising the repair oneself. It would probably lose the Toyota corrosion warranty. Come re-sale time (ie part exchange), it would be valued as a Cat C/D and value adjusted accordingly.

The trade-in value of my car is about £4500 and I'm expecting something derisory like £4000 at most in the case of a write-off, even though I can't buy a like-for-like model for anywhere less than £5500. Here's hoping I'm wrong, but I'm reading so many horror stories at the moment.

I'm not hugely fussed about the Cat C or D stigma, as I said I'm happy to run this car into the ground. Likewise the corrosion warranty, it's already on 80k miles and will be over 100k by this time next year, so out of warranty anyway.

Thanks for the response FROSTYBALLS :)

[FROSTYBALLS]

As regards the insurance valuation of the car, there should be some negotiating room. If one can provide examples where buying an equivalent car costs more, that could influence the insurer's valuation. Usually insurance valuations are somewhere between trade price and retail price, which also takes into account the profit a dealer may make. In which case, the Toyota dealer quote may make economic sense.

[Countrylad]

RULE NUMBER ONE: Always reject the insurance company's first write-off offer. They always bid low, just to try it on. They'll probably come back to you within the hour with something acceptable.

RULE NUMBER TWO: Never forget rule number one.

That's exactly how it went with my son-in-law, who dumped his car into a bus a couple of years ago. Mind you, they move fast once they've written off your car - your courtesy car will probably be taken back the same day!

As Frosty says, arm yourself in advance with plenty of evidence from Autotrader.

 

Would I fix it? I don't know. Door locks etc can be fussy perishers once they've had a knock, and then door seals can leak and so forth. As for the door mirror, though, the going rate for a fully-pre-painted complete motorised mirror unit from a third party supplier is about £100. The Toyota dealer, however, is thinking £400.

 

 

 

[Heidfirst]

Have a look in a scrappy or online at salvage firms for a complete door.

Allied in Lomond St. may also be a good place to get a quote from - they used to be (& may still be) esure's preferred repairer.