Finally.......................MY VAN IS OUT.....piccies inside

Filler foam

DICKIE wrote:Filler foam

what you on about willis

Mario wrote:

DICKIE wrote:Filler foam

what you on about willis

Ask toast mate

Reference your pm mate..will have a word around about the bristol thing..your welcome to stay here on the sunday night but will have to sleep in the living room and we will be off to work on monday morning.

DICKIE wrote:

Mario wrote:

DICKIE wrote:Filler foam

what you on about willis

Ask toast mate

Reference your pm mate..will have a word around about the bristol thing..your welcome to stay here on the sunday night but will have to sleep in the living room and we will be off to work on monday morning.

how far from Brizzle airport is your place matey???

40 or 50 miles

Ive just had a horrible thought about your van mario
If it gets written off and your allowed to buy it back..you will need to go through the dvla and get it reregistered,this is one of the times the ACE guy says they get tested for the 8 point system.
Dont wanna scare you mate but maybe dont do any irs'n before you get it all back on the road

i not sure he will have to reregesrt it . its registerd to him now , it wont need to be regesrterd to the insurance company . they will do it all as one transaction . even though hes buying it back in afiect you wont ever own it . only geessing here but iv had a few and dont remeber haveing to do it . WB will no , he are insurance spod

TOASTIE wrote:i not sure he will have to reregesrt it . its registerd to him now , it wont need to be regesrterd to the insurance company . they will do it all as one transaction . even though hes buying it back in afiect you wont ever own it . only geessing here but iv had a few and dont remeber haveing to do it . WB will no , he are insurance spod

I got a feeling you have to if its written off by the insurance company,they have to tell dvla its written off.
from dvla site..
Vehicle identity check


All cars notified to DVLA as
‘written off’ within salvage categories A, B or C are required to pass
a vehicle identity check (VIC), conducted by the Vehicle and Operator
Services Agency (VOSA), before DVLA will issue a registration
certificate V5C.If a car has been rebuilt as part of the repair
process, this can call the identity of the car into question. When
applying for a VIC you'll be asked to declare whether your car’s
chassis or monocoque body has been replaced or modified in any way. The
information you provide will enable VOSA to decide whether your VIC
application can proceed or whether to refer your car to a DVLA local
office for inspection, where it'll be assessed in line with DVLA’s
rebuild guidelines instead.If a car fails a VIC because its
identity cannot be confirmed, it won't be entitled to retain its
original registration mark. It may, be possible to register the car
with DVLA if evidence of British National Type Approval in the form of
a Minister's Approval Certificate can be produced. This may be obtained
by applying to VOSA for a Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA). However
before doing so, you'll need to obtain an alternative vehicle
identification number (VIN) from the DVLA Local Office.Following a successful IVA inspection and DVLA local office assessment, a 'Q' registration mark will be allocated.

DICKIE wrote:Ive just had a horrible thought about your van mario
If it gets written off and your allowed to buy it back..you will need to go through the dvla and get it reregistered,this is one of the times the ACE guy says they get tested for the 8 point system.
Dont wanna scare you mate but maybe dont do any irs'n before you get it all back on the road

THIS my friend is EXACTLY why i have KEPT all the OG parts
Ive even got a deal in place with gilly on vee zee for a set of standard spindles if needed
IRS kit is sat in my workshop waiting for me to get round to doing it,i just never had the chance so now it will wait.
About the most i will have to do is get my og steering box re-conditioned.......................but, thinkin about it i may get buttfucked on my engine as its a replacement,but that shouldnt bother me too much if i put everything back to standard.

Now ive done all the work once i know what im doing and how it all goes,so am confidant i can get her back to og without too much trouble.


Thanks for bringing it up mate

Mario wrote:

DICKIE wrote:Ive just had a horrible thought about your van mario
If it gets written off and your allowed to buy it back..you will need to go through the dvla and get it reregistered,this is one of the times the ACE guy says they get tested for the 8 point system.
Dont wanna scare you mate but maybe dont do any irs'n before you get it all back on the road

THIS my friend is EXACTLY why i have KEPT all the OG parts
Ive even got a deal in place with gilly on vee zee for a set of standard spindles if needed
IRS kit is sat in my workshop waiting for me to get round to doing it,i just never had the chance so now it will wait.
About the most i will have to do is get my og steering box re-conditioned.......................but, thinkin about it i may get buttfucked on my engine as its a replacement,but that shouldnt bother me too much if i put everything back to standard.

Now ive done all the work once i know what im doing and how it all goes,so am confidant i can get her back to og without too much trouble.


Thanks for bringing it up mate

Good idea mate,wish i could

DICKIE wrote:

TOASTIE wrote:i not sure he will have to reregesrt it . its registerd to him now , it wont need to be regesrterd to the insurance company . they will do it all as one transaction . even though hes buying it back in afiect you wont ever own it . only geessing here but iv had a few and dont remeber haveing to do it . WB will no , he are insurance spod

I got a feeling you have to if its written off by the insurance company,they have to tell dvla its written off.
from dvla site..
Vehicle identity check


All cars notified to DVLA as
‘written off’ within salvage categories A, B or C are required to pass
a vehicle identity check (VIC), conducted by the Vehicle and Operator
Services Agency (VOSA), before DVLA will issue a registration
certificate V5C.If a car has been rebuilt as part of the repair
process, this can call the identity of the car into question. When
applying for a VIC you'll be asked to declare whether your car’s
chassis or monocoque body has been replaced or modified in any way. The
information you provide will enable VOSA to decide whether your VIC
application can proceed or whether to refer your car to a DVLA local
office for inspection, where it'll be assessed in line with DVLA’s
rebuild guidelines instead.If a car fails a VIC because its
identity cannot be confirmed, it won't be entitled to retain its
original registration mark. It may, be possible to register the car
with DVLA if evidence of British National Type Approval in the form of
a Minister's Approval Certificate can be produced. This may be obtained
by applying to VOSA for a Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA). However
before doing so, you'll need to obtain an alternative vehicle
identification number (VIN) from the DVLA Local Office.Following a successful IVA inspection and DVLA local office assessment, a 'Q' registration mark will be allocated.

ive just gotta hope it puts her down as cat D then........
i dont know enough about the different categories,thats my problem

DICKIE wrote:

Mario wrote:

DICKIE wrote:Ive just had a horrible thought about your van mario
If it gets written off and your allowed to buy it back..you will need to go through the dvla and get it reregistered,this is one of the times the ACE guy says they get tested for the 8 point system.
Dont wanna scare you mate but maybe dont do any irs'n before you get it all back on the road

THIS my friend is EXACTLY why i have KEPT all the OG parts
Ive even got a deal in place with gilly on vee zee for a set of standard spindles if needed
IRS kit is sat in my workshop waiting for me to get round to doing it,i just never had the chance so now it will wait.
About the most i will have to do is get my og steering box re-conditioned.......................but, thinkin about it i may get buttfucked on my engine as its a replacement,but that shouldnt bother me too much if i put everything back to standard.

Now ive done all the work once i know what im doing and how it all goes,so am confidant i can get her back to og without too much trouble.


Thanks for bringing it up mate

Good idea mate,wish i could

I asked this question vee zee the other day on the vosa thread..........if you get pulled what can they do if you put the vehicle back to OG before hand...................i never got a reply....

plus how long do you have before you gotta do the test??????

Mate if you do get pulled and i can help in ANY way with OG parts.................all you gotta do is ask mate and i will do all i can with regards to getting my stuff down to you......if they would fit................ie og beem/spidnles etc.............
You know's where i am mate and you have BOTH my fone numbers ALL you gotta do is ask my friend

Mario wrote:

DICKIE wrote:

Mario wrote:

DICKIE wrote:Ive just had a horrible thought about your van mario
If it gets written off and your allowed to buy it back..you will need to go through the dvla and get it reregistered,this is one of the times the ACE guy says they get tested for the 8 point system.
Dont wanna scare you mate but maybe dont do any irs'n before you get it all back on the road

THIS my friend is EXACTLY why i have KEPT all the OG parts
Ive even got a deal in place with gilly on vee zee for a set of standard spindles if needed
IRS kit is sat in my workshop waiting for me to get round to doing it,i just never had the chance so now it will wait.
About the most i will have to do is get my og steering box re-conditioned.......................but, thinkin about it i may get buttfucked on my engine as its a replacement,but that shouldnt bother me too much if i put everything back to standard.

Now ive done all the work once i know what im doing and how it all goes,so am confidant i can get her back to og without too much trouble.


Thanks for bringing it up mate

Good idea mate,wish i could

I asked this question vee zee the other day on the vosa thread..........if you get pulled what can they do if you put the vehicle back to OG before hand...................i never got a reply....

plus how long do you have before you gotta do the test??????

All i know is when one of our work vans got pulled by VOSA,they had to take it to be inspected at the first opportunity possible

Mario wrote:Mate if you do get pulled and i can help in ANY way with OG parts.................all you gotta do is ask mate and i will do all i can with regards to getting my stuff down to you......if they would fit................ie og beem/spidnles etc.............
You know's where i am mate and you have BOTH my fone numbers ALL you gotta do is ask my friend

Cheers matey
Only trouble is i have a steering box raise and IRS..both of which would take ages/money to put back and source og parts for.

If the insurers treat it as a total loss then they will catagorise it as A B C or D
A or B, you cant keep it
C or D you can

The registration will not change, but DVLA will be informed. They've changed the rules a bit since my insurance claims days but there is a process of inspection that teh van will have to go through and I dont know how thorough it is. Less thorough for a cat D than a Cat C I would suggest but I don't know the new process - will find out for you though.

if I was you Mario I would be asking the insurance co to consider a cash in lieu settlement. They may or may not go for it, but basically they make a cash settlement in lieu of repairs and the van wont end up on the register so DVLA wont be informed. You get a bit less money ( hence why its a favourite option for the insurers) but there will be no black mark against the vehicle. Its worth asking the question. Some will, some wont.

DICKIE wrote:

Mario wrote:Mate if you do get pulled and i can help in ANY way with OG parts.................all you gotta do is ask mate and i will do all i can with regards to getting my stuff down to you......if they would fit................ie og beem/spidnles etc.............
You know's where i am mate and you have BOTH my fone numbers ALL you gotta do is ask my friend

Cheers matey
Only trouble is i have a steering box raise and IRS..both of which would take ages/money to put back and source og parts for.

ah fuck i forgot about the irs n raised steering you know where i am tho mate,im ALWAYS glad to help a mate out if i can

weardybeardy wrote:If the insurers treat it as a total loss then they will catagorise it as A B C or D
A or B, you cant keep it
C or D you can

The registration will not change, but DVLA will be informed. They've changed the rules a bit since my insurance claims days but there is a process of inspection that teh van will have to go through and I dont know how thorough it is. Less thorough for a cat D than a Cat C I would suggest but I don't know the new process - will find out for you though.

if I was you Mario I would be asking the insurance co to consider a cash in lieu settlement. They may or may not go for it, but basically they make a cash settlement in lieu of repairs and the van wont end up on the register so DVLA wont be informed. You get a bit less money ( hence why its a favourite option for the insurers) but there will be no black mark against the vehicle. Its worth asking the question. Some will, some wont.

mmmmm cash in lieu................could you explain this to me please Neil?

looks like im gonna have a shitload of work to do then on top of the roof work,depending on the category it ends up being put down to

i got the cash in lieu when that old fart hit my micra . the repiar would of been a grand to do properly and i was insiting if they mend it i want new pannles and every thing as it was a mint 40k one owner car and the bloke had admitted liabilaty . so anyway i asked for cash and would of been very happy with 400 as thats what a payed for it 2 years before , they gave me £800 and i t-cutted 90% of the martks out in 10 minit

TOASTIE wrote:i got the cash in lieu when that old fart hit my micra . the repiar would of been a grand to do properly and i was insiting if they mend it i want new pannles and every thing as it was a mint 40k one owner car and the bloke had admitted liabilaty . so anyway i asked for cash and would of been very happy with 400 as thats what a payed for it 2 years before , they gave me £800 and i t-cutted 90% of the martks out in 10 minit

sounds like i will have to bare this in mind then
specially considering you cant buy new splitty roofs.

The most important thing is making sure that the van stays on your drive. The insurers will offer to get it take to one of their agents and inspected. Refuse. Its still your van you can decide where it goes. You need them to send an assessor out to you and you need to be there to walk him round. You can then assess ho much the assessor knows about classic VW's ( probably fuck all) and talk him through the damage etc. Vehicles that go away for assessment rarely return with everything intact and usually end up with more damage. They may kick up a fuss and it may take longer to get to be assessed, but its worth doing it this way.

Don't talk about any mods you have not disclosed. Failure to disclose a material fact can lead to the policy being voided due to non disclosure. Basically they say - if we had known about this modification when you took out the policy we would not have insured you. They give you your premium back and refuse to deal with the claim.

You need to argue that its repirable. ie can be safely repaired. Because of the roof damage this is going to be key.
Most modern cars with roof damage = reshell which = uneconomic repair, which equals Cat B

Cat B is break for spares and crush the shell. There is no buy back option on a cat B. This isn't down to the insurers its to do with DVLA and there is no negotiation.

So having argued that it can be repaired, the economics come in.
Put simply:
If the cost of repairs are more than the value of the car, then its a Cat C
eg repairs are £10,000 but the car value pre accident is worth £9000.


If the repairs are economic, but when you factor in the value of the salvage its cheaper for the insurance company to write it off, its a Cat D
eg repairs £7000, but the car value pre accident is £9000, but the salvage will fetch £2500, so by writing it off it only costs the insurer £6500.

Once you have argued that it can be repaired safely then you have avoided the possible Cat B situation - which would be the worst for you.

So worst senario now is that it will be a C or D and either way you should get a buy back option on a classic policy.

Get some estimates to show its economically repairable ( if you can). Show repair costs is within 75% of the value of the van. If you have to cost all the parts etc then do it. They will normally want to see something from a bodyshop, so if neccesary cost all the bits and have a word with a local bodyshop to prepare an estimate for doing the work. The estimate needs to stipulate something like - Customer to source / provide all parts- labour only. The insurers will understand that a bodyshop is not going to get involved in sourcing bits for a 50 year old beastie.

You can argue that you need a cash settlement because you need to go buy the bits before the repairer will start. An insurer willl never settle a claim with a split settlement - ie half to you and half to the bodyshop. Its too messy and there may be some comeback on them if the bodyshop goes bust and never completes the work. SO a cash settlement to you is now looking attractive to them.


If you can argue that its repairable you can pretty much guarantee that your insurers don't want it being repaired through their own repair network. They dont want the hassle of you saying it's not been done right etc - so you offer to take a cash payment to cover the repairs. They like this because you will have the hassle of repairing.

They will insist that you supply a fresh MOT before they will provide 'road risk' cover again and their cash offer wont include any element of VAT.

Generally I used to calculate a cash in lieu as follows - repair costs less 10% less VAT.

Mario - give me a call if you need me to clarify anything , need help with letters or need to talk about the process / best way to handle a situation they present you with.

weardybeardy wrote:The most important thing is making sure that the van stays on your drive. The insurers will offer to get it take to one of their agents and inspected. Refuse. Its still your van you can decide where it goes. You need them to send an assessor out to you and you need to be there to walk him round. You can then assess ho much the assessor knows about classic VW's ( probably fuck all) and talk him through the damage etc. Vehicles that go away for assessment rarely return with everything intact and usually end up with more damage. They may kick up a fuss and it may take longer to get to be assessed, but its worth doing it this way.

Don't talk about any mods you have not disclosed. Failure to disclose a material fact can lead to the policy being voided due to non disclosure. Basically they say - if we had known about this modification when you took out the policy we would not have insured you. They give you your premium back and refuse to deal with the claim.

You need to argue that its repirable. ie can be safely repaired. Because of the roof damage this is going to be key.
Most modern cars with roof damage = reshell which = uneconomic repair, which equals Cat B

Cat B is break for spares and crush the shell. There is no buy back option on a cat B. This isn't down to the insurers its to do with DVLA and there is no negotiation.

So having argued that it can be repaired, the economics come in.
Put simply:
If the cost of repairs are more than the value of the car, then its a Cat C
eg repairs are £10,000 but the car value pre accident is worth £9000.


If the repairs are economic, but when you factor in the value of the salvage its cheaper for the insurance company to write it off, its a Cat D
eg repairs £7000, but the car value pre accident is £9000, but the salvage will fetch £2500, so by writing it off it only costs the insurer £6500.

Once you have argued that it can be repaired safely then you have avoided the possible Cat B situation - which would be the worst for you.

So worst senario now is that it will be a C or D and either way you should get a buy back option on a classic policy.

Get some estimates to show its economically repairable ( if you can). Show repair costs is within 75% of the value of the van. If you have to cost all the parts etc then do it. They will normally want to see something from a bodyshop, so if neccesary cost all the bits and have a word with a local bodyshop to prepare an estimate for doing the work. The estimate needs to stipulate something like - Customer to source / provide all parts- labour only. The insurers will understand that a bodyshop is not going to get involved in sourcing bits for a 50 year old beastie.

You can argue that you need a cash settlement because you need to go buy the bits before the repairer will start. An insurer willl never settle a claim with a split settlement - ie half to you and half to the bodyshop. Its too messy and there may be some comeback on them if the bodyshop goes bust and never completes the work. SO a cash settlement to you is now looking attractive to them.


If you can argue that its repairable you can pretty much guarantee that your insurers don't want it being repaired through their own repair network. They dont want the hassle of you saying it's not been done right etc - so you offer to take a cash payment to cover the repairs. They like this because you will have the hassle of repairing.

They will insist that you supply a fresh MOT before they will provide 'road risk' cover again and their cash offer wont include any element of VAT.

Generally I used to calculate a cash in lieu as follows - repair costs less 10% less VAT.

Mario - give me a call if you need me to clarify anything , need help with letters or need to talk about the process / best way to handle a situation they present you with.

Neil you is an absolute star cheers for ALL that^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The assessor WILL be coming around at some point,i am waiting for his phone call to arrange the time/date.
Im glad you wrote that^^^^ cos up here there are NO vee dub specialists in ANY way what so ever,so if i can get cat c or d then i will buy the van back and do the work myself..............
IMHO she IS repairable and i am NOT saying that cos its my van...

ideally i would like them to cat c or d her then let me buy her back salvage with cash settlement.
If i get stuck mate i WILL give you a bell thanks mate i appreciate the offer

really good post neal . fdk is ace yet again

Mario wrote:[

Neil you is an absolute star cheers for ALL that^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The assessor WILL be coming around at some point,i am waiting for his phone call to arrange the time/date.
Im glad you wrote that^^^^ cos up here there are NO vee dub specialists in ANY way what so ever,so if i can get cat c or d then i will buy the van back and do the work myself..............
IMHO she IS repairable and i am NOT saying that cos its my van...

ideally i would like them to cat c or d her then let me buy her back salvage with cash settlement.
If i get stuck mate i WILL give you a bell thanks mate i appreciate the offer

No problem. Happy to help.
One more thing, which is a bit obvious but worth mentioning none the less.

The guy at the insurance company has a job to do, and that is to settle every claim in the most beneficial way for his employers. They employ him/her to SAVE them money.

I would like to think that I was always fair ( Bry will be along in a minute to argue that I'm sure) but there are some people out there who either got less than they might have or had to work a lot harder to get the settlement they did because of the way they behaved.

Don't shout and don't argue however infuriating the process becomes. You don't want to make an enemy of your claims handler. Its worth remembering that they have to go to someone to get your cheque signed and they can't agree something with you that they can't then justify to the cheque signatory. The insurers will value a claim (loss) and if as the policyholder you disagree with the valuation the onus is on the claimant / policyholder to prove that their claim is worth more. You have to do this with some sort of documentary evidence. I used to explain this process to people sometimes in that 'help me to help you' sort of way.

If you get to the stage where you feel yourself starting to argue or raise your voice, then stop and start corresponding in writing. If you do it by email then send the email the day AFTER you typed it when you have had chance to reflect a bit.

TOASTIE wrote:really good post neal . fdk is ace yet again

Now you've made me blush!

weardybeardy wrote:

Mario wrote:[

Neil you is an absolute star cheers for ALL that^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The assessor WILL be coming around at some point,i am waiting for his phone call to arrange the time/date.
Im glad you wrote that^^^^ cos up here there are NO vee dub specialists in ANY way what so ever,so if i can get cat c or d then i will buy the van back and do the work myself..............
IMHO she IS repairable and i am NOT saying that cos its my van...

ideally i would like them to cat c or d her then let me buy her back salvage with cash settlement.
If i get stuck mate i WILL give you a bell thanks mate i appreciate the offer

No problem. Happy to help.
One more thing, which is a bit obvious but worth mentioning none the less.

The guy at the insurance company has a job to do, and that is to settle every claim in the most beneficial way for his employers. They employ him/her to SAVE them money.

I would like to think that I was always fair ( Bry will be along in a minute to argue that I'm sure) but there are some people out there who either got less than they might have or had to work a lot harder to get the settlement they did because of the way they behaved.

Don't shout and don't argue however infuriating the process becomes. You don't want to make an enemy of your claims handler. Its worth remembering that they have to go to someone to get your cheque signed and they can't agree something with you that they can't then justify to the cheque signatory. The insurers will value a claim (loss) and if as the policyholder you disagree with the valuation the onus is on the claimant / policyholder to prove that their claim is worth more. You have to do this with some sort of documentary evidence. I used to explain this process to people sometimes in that 'help me to help you' sort of way.

If you get to the stage where you feel yourself starting to argue or raise your voice, then stop and start corresponding in writing. If you do it by email then send the email the day AFTER you typed it when you have had chance to reflect a bit.

Ive got what your saying matey EVERY time i speak to them i am polite, friendly etc all the good things
i will be same with the assessor even if he turns out to be a numpty like dickie( only jokin dickie )
just gotta sit n wait now for the assessor to phone,ive told Sid if he phones whilst i am out she arranges it with him when i am AT home and NOT at work fingers corrsed now.........