Insurance money!!!

[rhys]

well its beginning to look that way dan.

Both the mechanic and the assessor said I would need one but neither seemed confident. And i looked up the definition of a write-off for fire on vic roads and they say the damage must be atleast 30cm by 30cm on the fire wall. I dont think it is that big. If I didnt need one that would be AWESOME as it would save me time hassle and money. Im not worried about getting a RWC im fairly sure id pass straight up anyway...

[rhys]

Rego is still valid. But I havent received the pay out yet either despite the confirmation of write off's. I am told that all fire related pay outs require an extra level of approval and hence takes a few days longer but I should expect payment in the next day or two.

Im not holding my breath though for a non write-off listing at vic-roads until the money comes through.

Dan did vic roads contact your mum in any way regarding what had to be done to get back on the road?

[BBQBurner]

That would be nice icing on the cake.

[rhys]

would be perfect. Im fairly sure the car would pass a RWC so that would only cost $80 rather than $500 for a VIV. Then the difference pays for insurance for another year :-)

[TUFED6]

Depends if its a financial write-off or a statutory write-off.

[Dansedgli]

Yep. You wont know shit until the insurance company tells you what is happening.

If my Mum can figure it out Im sure you'll manage.

[rhys]

Ive been reading up on this and have come across many forums which state that while a VIV is $500 in vic the equivalent in NSW is $70!!! Goddamnit. It makes me want to drive to albury get a 'blue slip' then just transfer the rego back to victoria once ive got it. Dont they steal enough money from speeding fines??????

[rhys]

Update:

Car is still not listed as written off, but im still yet to be paid out.

I cancelled booking with FTG Salvage as I got a full Tickford motor from Grant Walker for $350 (normally $595!) and installation will be a further $500.

This means the engine swap/upgrade to Tickford has gone from costing $1500 to only $850 - massive saving :-)

Gonna call the insurance again tomorrow if I havent seen the money by the time im home from uni.

[ronza]

Trust me its not that bad....
I had our AU ute with very very minor damage written off end of last year we were paid out very nicely 11,500 , car was classed as repairable write off i bought car back for 1800 had to have viv , we replaced full tub, door, mudguard and for hell of it did full front end upgrade from AU1 to AU2 suspension and brakes etc, took photos of everything we did and passed viv with flying colours , total cost not including my time $2900 and its the same ute all over again,
same insurance company now puts value at $8000 well worth the time and effort,
Also you dont havta buy everything from wreckers or businesses as long as any parts you buy you take photos of before , during and after fitting also get a simple receipt off seller with chassis/vin number of car it came from and their details with phone number covers all ,

Goodluck mate..

[rhys]

Thanks for the info Ronza, i may just contact you regarding that brake upgrade once im back on the road.

What did they do for the viv, just look over the car like a roady?

[SNR]

I think the VIV process is a bit more involved; per Ronza's post above they need to check the car much more thoroughly to ensure it has been repaired properly and safely, in addition to normal roadworthiness

[rhys]

What I dont understand though is that the damage never made the car un-roadworthy. It was just that the insurance folk didnt want to pay. Its getting repaired anyway, the car was dropped off this arvo and should be done by Monday/Tuesday. I guess I should get them to replace the firewall insulation while they are at it. Anyway, shouldnt this mean they wont spend much time on the car as there was no structural damage?

Dunno why but Ash told me that before he fits the new engine he is gonna spray the block with black engine enamel. I like neat clean engine bays.

[ronza]

Yeah mate i had to take mine to a ford dealership and had to sit in a full filmed and verbal recorded interview before leaving the car for the day, basically a informal staement to say everything was true and correct that i was presenting them, i left the car with them for the day for it to go through every test they do which are (stuff knows what)?????
But i arrived there at 5 pm that night car was still in the service bay and was told all sweet just doing final paperwork, i left there in 40mins all sweet and ready for rwc which it passed with flying colours as after a viv there is nothing they can pick on at roadworthy.

Rego was due so paid that and gave all paperwork at vicroads all was passed and back on road ...

But bw weary they give ya 30days mostly from the day of vicroads letter to have car cleared or rego is suspended!!!


Good luck but remember take heaps of useless photos to be safe!!!!

[rhys]

ok well im yet to receive anything from vicroads to say my car needs a viv, im assuming thats what you saying.

Can any dealership do a VIV or only certain ones? Also is it like a roady where if they find something small they can fix it then pass it?

I wont be taking any photos as im not doing the work but im collecting lots of receipts :-)

[rhys]

Got the car back yesterday. Originally the coolant temp sensor wasnt plugged in which was scary cos i had no idea if it was running well or not. I took it home and because it thought it was really hot (no sensor send it to maximum temp) it was running rich. Made the exhaust sound like a V8 it was popping on deceleration all over the place. But it was also doughy as hell. Firt thing I did today was go to wreckers and get temp sensor plug (sensor was there but that connector was destroyed in fire). Now its all plugged in and driving like a dream. I know its not a big difference but the tickford 4L does seem to be a bit more pokey. Probably a combination from a) the extra KWs from factory and b) going from a 200,000 odd km engine to a 100,000 km engine.

Unfortunately however, the heater core has gone It was always leaking a small amount but they did a pressure test and I reckon that made the leak bigger. Lost 2 litres of coolant on the way home - about 15 minutes. So that has been bypassed and now I have no heater

Been quoted $550 for a mobile guy to come remove dash, new heater core and new evaporator, air con regas and dash re fit.

Not a bad price really as ive done it before and I know its a big job. I would do it my self but since the air con system has to be degassed and regassed I cant. I may remover the dash though so the guy can just do the under work and save me money, will depend if it makes a price difference.

Gas system has to be rewired now, dont really wanna be without my car but the cost of petrol will force that sooner rather than later.

[Dansedgli]

What did the insurance co say about the viv?

[rhys]

Bastards are piss farting around. I called up Thursday last week and they told me the assessor hadnt finalised his paperwork yet despite him telling me that he had. So I called him directly and left a message. I text him on Monday and he said he finshed up all he needed to do. So I called Just Car again today and they told me its now at the next level of investigation and I will be contacted once they are done.

So all this means is that they havent offically written off the car yet which would explain why vicroads website still has me listed as 'not written-off'.

So I expect when they call me about the payment they will inform me what I need to do regarding getting it back on the road. I had a mate tell me of a place in Ringwood that does ViV's and isnt a nazi so good chance ill be taking it there.

[rhys]

FINALLY, progress with insurance. Ive been calling and pestering. They confirmed the car HAD to be listed a repairable writeoff once the claim had been finalised.

However the repair for me came to around $2000 all considered. The payout was going to be $3200 so i was only going to be $1200 better off but I would lose 3 months of rego, need to get a viv and play the game in getting one. There are a few things that I thought would not pass the viv if inspected carefully such as a parcel shelf which had been attacked by a previous owner to fit 6x9 speakers.

So I proclaimed to them that their mechanic and assessor had no idea what they were on about and that I managed to have it fixed professionally for only $2000. I was originally told this didnt matter and the car would be written off anyway.

5 Mins later I get a call back from a manager asking if I had receipts and if it was repaired correctly. I said yes and he said if I send through receipts then I will be re-imbursed and the car wouldnt be written off

So now I dont need to worry about getting a stupid viv, my rego isnt cancelled and now I have a low km ticky motor.

Once the wiring is fixed next week ill gather the receipts and send it off to them, id call this a happy ending to the story :-)

[private9]

FINALLY, progress with insurance. Ive been calling and pestering. They confirmed the car HAD to be listed a repairable writeoff once the claim had been finalised.

However the repair for me came to around $2000 all considered. The payout was going to be $3200 so i was only going to be $1200 better off but I would lose 3 months of rego, need to get a viv and play the game in getting one. There are a few things that I thought would not pass the viv if inspected carefully such as a parcel shelf which had been attacked by a previous owner to fit 6x9 speakers.

So I proclaimed to them that their mechanic and assessor had no idea what they were on about and that I managed to have it fixed professionally for only $2000. I was originally told this didnt matter and the car would be written off anyway.

5 Mins later I get a call back from a manager asking if I had receipts and if it was repaired correctly. I said yes and he said if I send through receipts then I will be re-imbursed and the car wouldnt be written off

So now I dont need to worry about getting a stupid viv, my rego isnt cancelled and now I have a low km ticky motor.

Once the wiring is fixed next week ill gather the receipts and send it off to them, id call this a happy ending to the story :-)

Nice outcome mate, bet you're happy!

Ticky upgrade and repairs all covered by insurance

[InfernalTyrant]

Plus some extra cash. Great outcome, insurance can be a real hassle!

[nstg8a]

good outcome all right, hopefully the insurance genie is still in a good mood when mine gets sorted.

[rhys]

Yep happy with that. Not to mention I gained 2000 reward points on my credit card during the process :-)

nstg8a, what company are you with?

[rhys]

Finally payment was approved this morning. So I should see the money on Monday.

They are paying me $2008 as a cash settlement. Which is weird becuase the copies of the receipts I sent them came to only $1808. Maybe they mis-read a number?

Anyway the good news is that my rego was never cancelled, my insurance policy is still valid even after the payout and the car was never written off.

Its been a long drawn out process but its finally payed off.