[rajswiftvdi]

Originally Posted by Fauji

Raj,

I looked at the Picture posted by you. Since the body of the car is intact, you can still look at the option of repairing it.

My concern is both the Aprons damaged. According to my little knowledge, apron fixed cars may have lifelong troubles.

Anyway now this is up to the insurance company's decision, I will update this thread once I receive an update.

[rajswiftvdi]

Guys, as many rightly pointed out in this thread, I had failed to document initial communications with Insurance company.

I got a mail from them saying, car can be repaired and work order is issued. They forgot everything happened with first surveyor, he declared TL and 3+ lakh repair cost stories ..etc.

I called up maruti bodyshop incharge and asked about their estimation. Accroding to him, insurance company asked him, whether this can be repaired within 2L and he conveyed that, "He is not very sure unless he dismantle engine and examine the back portion for any impacts". Also he has apprehension that, once the work started, cost may go up!.

I really dont know, how these accident claims work - unless one is very sure about what needs to be done, how insurance company approve repair? What heppens, if repair cost exceeds initial estimation?.

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by rajswiftvdi

Guys, as many rightly pointed out in this thread, I had failed to document initial communications with Insurance company.

I got a mail from them saying, car can be repaired and work order is issued. They forgot everything happened with first surveyor, he declared TL and 3+ lakh repair cost stories ..etc.

I called up maruti bodyshop incharge and asked about their estimation. Accroding to him, insurance company asked him, whether this can be repaired within 2L and he conveyed that, "He is not very sure unless he dismantle engine and examine the back portion for any impacts". Also he has apprehension that, once the work started, cost may go up!.

I really dont know, how these accident claims work - unless one is very sure about what needs to be done, how insurance company approve repair? What heppens, if repair cost exceeds initial estimation?.

PLEASE call up the insurance company and beat the HELL out of them.

REJECT the work order.

INFORM the Authorised Service Centre and ask them to stop work ASAP.

The estimate will shoot up clearly by a LAC without any doubts.......

Kindly avoid RE-FURBISHING the car, it not going to give you peace of mind, nor any RE-SALE value with the kind of damage the Insurance company does to your cars IDV and to your Pocket...

All the Best...

[PAVAN KADAM]

Got your PM

Its very simple

1) You get only 60% for plastics and rubber parts : Most of the exteriors of the car, including rubber beadings, bumpers, grille, fluid tanks, fans, belts, fluids etc form the MOST EXPENSIVE PARTS of the car. As a matter of fact, even PAINTING comes under this. Imagine yourself paying that 30% from your pocket. Easily around 50K gone from your pocket.

2) Mechanicals, labour and others : All the A/C components, bulbs, Tinkering and small misc., components are paid at 80%. So you have to pay up that 20% from your pocket.

3) There are few things that are not covered by Insurance - so you might have to pay 100% of those costs..

Generally if the estimated amount by the A.S.C is Rs. 2 lacs, the Actuals easily cross 3+ lacs ( Some guys with realtime experience must open out here- I am talking only based on experiences by few of my friends)

Eventually on an average the TOTAL REPAIR COST = 3.50 lacs ( The value of the car when re-sold will not be so much)

You also loose out on No Claim Bonus for the next premium.

So on an average the Insurance company pays up 2 odd lacs for repairs.... WHO's Going to Pay up the REST OF THE MONEY.....????

Talk about money spent from your pocket for the damage repairs.
Money lost out due to No NCB for the next insurance
Interest paid over the EMI's

Where does the ACTUAL VALUE of the car stand.?

You will not even recover 50% of that during Re-Sale......

Think and ACT WISE.... All the Best.

[rajswiftvdi]

Thanks Pavan,

But what is the other way around?. Company is not ready for TL, so if they decide to repair and put 2L, I will have to pay whatever rest (lawfully) right?

[Bullitt]

@ Raj: Tell the MASS guys to reject the work order and stop work ASAP. Clearly inform the insurance company that you are not satisfied with their approach and want them to conduct another survey.

To me, it is starting to look as if the insurance company is trying to influence the MASS into submitting that they can do the repairs under 2.0L. Once that happens, it will be easier for them to pay just the 2.0L and walk away. If the cost of repair exceeds that amount (and it surely will exceed 3.0L) you will find yourself paying through your nose to cover the excess. After all, the MASS guys don't really care who is going to pay for the repairs, as long as they get their money.

Come down hard on the MASS guys. Mince no words in telling them that you need an EXACT estimate of the cost of repair, right down to the last paisa. It is mandatory for them to do so. From my experience of A.S.S with MASS, I can tell you that they take their initial estimates quite seriously, and the SA tries to adhere to that figure as much as possible, to avoid disputes while delivering the car post-service.

Tell them to stop hemming and hawwing, and giving vague answers like "We are not very sure unless we dismantle the car...". Make it clear that they need to consider the WORST CASE SCENARIO and build an estimate accordingly, and that they will not get a single rupee more than that figure. Take this estimate and present it to the insurance surveyor at the time of the survey. You and MASS guys need to be present near the vehicle when the survey is being done. This is because the surveyor will ask for justification for every expense head mentioned on the (new) estimate given by MASS. The MASS guys should be able to give clear and satisfactory justifications for the same; you need to be present there to ensure that they do. After all, it's the job of the surveyor to try and reduce the claim amount as much as possible, it's your job to ensure that you get the maximum possible (in this case, total loss).

If the MASS people give an accurate estimate alongwith satisfactory reasons, and that estimate crosses 3.0L, the surveyor will be convinced and he will declare "total loss". To carry out this exercise, you need to take the MASS as well as the surveyor into confidence.

Do not allow them to take you for a ride. All the best.

P.S. : You haven't mentioned which insurance company this is. It would be great if you can do so, for the benefit of all the people here.

- Bullitt.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by rajswiftvdi

Thanks Pavan,

But what is the other way around?. Company is not ready for TL, so if they decide to repair and put 2L, I will have to pay whatever rest (lawfully) right?

Why not have the workshop give you a complete breakdown of the damage? From the items you had posted on page 1, it doesn't look like any structural damage has taken place. There's a likelihood that the structure may have been damaged, but the only solution to it would be to ask the MASS to assess the complete damage. Worst case they would have to disassemble the front to inspect areas for damage, but that's insignificant when you look at the amounts.

I would suggest you get a complete list of things that will have to be changed in the worst case scenario, have the MASS inspect everything and refine this list, and then choose your options. If there's been no damage to the core structure/frame of the car, you can get it repaired and use it without any worries. If any structural damage is found, you can opt for a total loss.

I don't know about the RC book part, but once you have claimed total loss for a damaged vehicle, the vehicle becomes the property of the insurance company. They may sell the vehicle anywhichway they see fit.

[rajswiftvdi]

bullitt & honeybee - thanks for input.

I got the very first estimate by the MASS.

[Gansan]

IMO if an oppurtunity exists to claim total loss, grab it, period. Consider repairs only if this option is not available. That car can never be restored to it's original shape, whatever the repairs.

[jealousdiamond]

Thats a TOTAL LOSS vehicle , no doubts on that after seeing the estimate(s) . However I failed to even see an entry for the O2 sensor and such things in the list which I bet would have been damaged and cause a hefty amount .

Demand a TL ASAP , else move to IRDA .
BTW, what insurance company is it ?

[mjothi]

Originally Posted by rajswiftvdi

Thanks Pavan,

But what is the other way around?. Company is not ready for TL, so if they decide to repair and put 2L, I will have to pay whatever rest (lawfully) right?

No. Not right.

The initial estimate will be used for the approval, and any consecutive repairs related to accident will have to approved by insurance company till the car is fully done. So, its not like insurance company will provide only the 2Lac initially quoted.

The final bill will be paid by insurance as below.

1. Labour, painting etc will be paid 100%.
2. Metal parts cost - depreciation will be paid by insurance. So, you will be paying the dep part [depends on the age of car]
3. Consumables, nuts, bolts, belts etc will be 100% on you.
4. I am sure insurance will start talking about providing 50% for radiator. Don't agree. Fight it out.
5. Make sure you spend sometime to go through the full list of bill along with the percentage paid by insurance. You need to demand to get such split up. but its worth the pain.

I am not expert to assess if the car is worth to be scraped or restored by seeing this pictures. But in my personal experience,

1. I know its not so easy to get a total loss for the car.
2. The car is not having much damage. A good workmanship is the need of the hour.

I know many will not accept this view.

There is also another option - cash loss.

This means, insurance will give me some estimated money, and you are free to get your car repaired at your own garage of interest.

So, sit and calculate the loss with the car, and without the car. Then take a informed decision.

Good luck.

If you feel that tomorrow you may start doubting for this repair if anything goes wrong, then I would say go for cash-loss. It will give peace of mind.

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by rajswiftvdi

bullitt & honeybee - thanks for input.

I got the very first estimate by the MASS.

3.92 lacs for an ESTIMATE

You will probably end up paying a cool 1 lac and odd on this from your pocket.

There are lot of likely chances that you can find a good Used Swift DDiS for that price in the Market.

ITS A CLEAR CASE OF TOTAL LOSS..

[akas_chauhan]

Originally Posted by rajswiftvdi

Guys, as many rightly pointed out in this thread, I had failed to document initial communications with Insurance company.

I got a mail from them saying, car can be repaired and work order is issued. They forgot everything happened with first surveyor, he declared TL and 3+ lakh repair cost stories ..etc.

I called up maruti bodyshop incharge and asked about their estimation. Accroding to him, insurance company asked him, whether this can be repaired within 2L and he conveyed that, "He is not very sure unless he dismantle engine and examine the back portion for any impacts". Also he has apprehension that, once the work started, cost may go up!.

I really dont know, how these accident claims work - unless one is very sure about what needs to be done, how insurance company approve repair? What heppens, if repair cost exceeds initial estimation?.

Sorry to hear what happened.
I had a accident, where MASS initially estimated 1.25 Lac and when they actually handed over the car bill was 2.8 Lac. I had to pay around 90K for my then 3 year old baleno.

AFter repair it was OK, however power steering gave up. I feel work shop guys changed that. There are still small niggles, however i'm in safer situation, as there was no engine work.

[rajswiftvdi]

Today morning also I called up surveyor and asked him to re-consider the TL option. Evening I got a call that, TL is rejected after his discussion with his corporate people in Chennai.

I have not revealed the insurance company's name so far because I still had hope for TL and thought not to spoil their reputation.

Now I feel cheated, misinformed many things for few bucks by ROYAL SUNDARAM

Accident was a misfortune, but dealing with a company like Royal Sundaram was a nightmare resulted in emotional trauma which suffered more than the accident.

Sent a mail to RS asking them to escalate this matter, also send me the approved estimate with clear split of company and my share.

Also sent a mail to MASS and CC to Maruti to come up with final estimate along with part by part customer share. So thats the amount I gonna pay, when I get the vehicle.

Another question - what if cars met with accidents in past and totalled ask RC back from insurance company?

Vehicle damaged beyond repair? Claim life tax refund - Times Of India

Originally Posted by akas_chauhan

Sorry to hear what happened.
I had a accident, where MASS initially estimated 1.25 Lac and when they actually handed over the car bill was 2.8 Lac. I had to pay around 90K for my then 3 year old baleno.

90K was for plastics\metal or for the things not covered in the estimate?

[libranof1987]

That is a mighty amount for repair; and that just an estimate! Eventually, the SA will say "this was necessary and that had to be repaired too".

In such cases where the estimate itself is running to 3+ lakhs, shouldn't the owner have the right to go in for Total Loss.

I hope repair work has not begun on your car.

Pursue till the highest level; don't let yourself be ripped off by the insurer. The car isn't going to be the same anyway; might as well do the best you can do for yourself.