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Cat D.
- Thread starter Typhoon
- Start date
Andy_con
ClioSport Club Member
clio 182
an example, my 182 got hit from behind at speed. due to the amount of panels damaged it cost a lot of ££££ to repair. insurance wouldn't pay to cover all the damage so its now a cat D.
the engine is just fine as it got hit front behind, there is nothing wrong with the car. but its still a cat D.
so depends on why its a cat D really
the engine is just fine as it got hit front behind, there is nothing wrong with the car. but its still a cat D.
so depends on why its a cat D really
Bluebeard
ClioSport Moderator
Whichever has fuel
No structural checks are made mate. They just check it's got the right vin plates on it, it's not a ringer.
The only thing that concerns me with C/D cars is airbags. If I crash, I want to know that the airbags are still in the seat/steering wheel and the warning lights haven't been turned off by a computer or jammed up by resistors.
That's A good point. .
Williams 2
Correct, however the test is actually a check, a 'vehicle identity check' and nothing to do with the standard of repairs. The tester can refuse the test though for whatever reason and effectively fail the car for something totally unrelated.
My mates car failed a VIC check a few years however due to having a flat battery. He wasn't allowed to jump start or charge/replace the battery, the tester just flat out refused the car.
Chrisgti6
ClioSport Club Member
Too many
* Category A - Must be crushed. All of it.
* Category B - Vehicle may not be returned to road but parts may be sold.
* Category C - Repairable. Significant damage. Cost of the repair is more than book value of vehicle at dealer rates. - VIC test required
* Category D - Repairable. Probably non-structural damage. May have been economic to repair, but insurer doesn't want to.
* Category B - Vehicle may not be returned to road but parts may be sold.
* Category C - Repairable. Significant damage. Cost of the repair is more than book value of vehicle at dealer rates. - VIC test required
* Category D - Repairable. Probably non-structural damage. May have been economic to repair, but insurer doesn't want to.
7R
Black 172
Cat A - Applicable where no salvage is available - i.e. burnt out shell
Cat B - Possible structural damage - able to be broken for parts but body shell should be crushed - however DVLA will allow appeal with proof of proper repair
Cat C - Cost of repair exceeds vehicle value
Cat D - Cost of repair exceeds vehicle value less salvage value (or other claims costs i.e. hire vehicle)
Cat B - Possible structural damage - able to be broken for parts but body shell should be crushed - however DVLA will allow appeal with proof of proper repair
Cat C - Cost of repair exceeds vehicle value
Cat D - Cost of repair exceeds vehicle value less salvage value (or other claims costs i.e. hire vehicle)
MarkCup
ClioSport Club Member
Cat D cars can be a bargain...
Our Scenic is cat D. A former motability car, at 2 years and 16k miles old it had a gentle shunt needing a front wing, bumper, and headlight...then for some reason it spent an age in storage; the storage charges soon racked up so the insurers cut their losses and made it a cat D write off. I suspect the OAP that had it passed away and the vehicle and claim got tangled up in their estate.
I ended up buying it fully repaired to an acceptable standard from a trader in Wembley, for £6k.
Book price for that age and mileage is/was £10k at the time.
I may have to give the front bumper a re spray at some point in its life but with £4k in my back pocket, that's no bother at all.
As soon as I got it I gave it to Rentech Mike for a thorough once over...but didn't tell him it was a cat D...and he said nothing at all about it other than the fact that it was a nice tight example.
Our Scenic is cat D. A former motability car, at 2 years and 16k miles old it had a gentle shunt needing a front wing, bumper, and headlight...then for some reason it spent an age in storage; the storage charges soon racked up so the insurers cut their losses and made it a cat D write off. I suspect the OAP that had it passed away and the vehicle and claim got tangled up in their estate.
I ended up buying it fully repaired to an acceptable standard from a trader in Wembley, for £6k.
Book price for that age and mileage is/was £10k at the time.
I may have to give the front bumper a re spray at some point in its life but with £4k in my back pocket, that's no bother at all.
As soon as I got it I gave it to Rentech Mike for a thorough once over...but didn't tell him it was a cat D...and he said nothing at all about it other than the fact that it was a nice tight example.
wouldn't let it bother me, especially a D. the whole system is a joke anyway, i've seen cat A cars back on the road, written off due to flood damage. i sold an A4 last year, declared it as a cat C, it had all the paperwork relating to the claim with it but on a check it came up as clear!!
and you've got to bear in mind stuff that doesn't go through insurance, i sorted this out and by the time it was done unless you knew what you were looking for and started to pull the car apart you couldn't tell it had been done.
and you've got to bear in mind stuff that doesn't go through insurance, i sorted this out and by the time it was done unless you knew what you were looking for and started to pull the car apart you couldn't tell it had been done.
Haha
XC90, 330d, Trophy’s
about 14 years back I had a black 3dr sierra cosworth.
it had belonged to a mates aunt who bought it brand new, she owned it about 2 months and it was then stolen, after a couple of months went by and investigations carried out, the insurance company paid out.
a few months later the car was found in an abandoned barn with no interior and a few minor panel bits missing, long story short but she was offered the car back and it had the parts replaced, but they then classed it as a Cat D and it went on to a Q plate.
she was happy with the car still, continued to use it for a further 12 years and it had only clocked up 40k.
then sold to her nephew/my mate who used it for a summer, then sold it on to me.
shocking difference in value from what it could have fetched, but it was then on 43k, running a 300bhp setup and was in outstanding condition and great fun at the time, purchased by me for a grand total of £2800.
you could have easily sold that with an extra 10k on the price tag if it didn't have that history.
it had belonged to a mates aunt who bought it brand new, she owned it about 2 months and it was then stolen, after a couple of months went by and investigations carried out, the insurance company paid out.
a few months later the car was found in an abandoned barn with no interior and a few minor panel bits missing, long story short but she was offered the car back and it had the parts replaced, but they then classed it as a Cat D and it went on to a Q plate.
she was happy with the car still, continued to use it for a further 12 years and it had only clocked up 40k.
then sold to her nephew/my mate who used it for a summer, then sold it on to me.
shocking difference in value from what it could have fetched, but it was then on 43k, running a 300bhp setup and was in outstanding condition and great fun at the time, purchased by me for a grand total of £2800.
you could have easily sold that with an extra 10k on the price tag if it didn't have that history.
Williams 2
All I would add to this if you do consider a cat C/D car...
They are almost always advertised as 'very light front' or along similar lines, if it's an older cheaper car this could well be true but cars that sell for 4/5k plus will usually not be written off for such minor damage. Not necessarily a bad thing, just means it was slightly more damage than the seller may be implying. In my experience the damage is always downplayed no matter how genuine the seller seems.
For front end damage, look at the 2 chassis 'legs' low down either side of the engine, look for any creases or new seam sealer/paint. These are a tell tale of a heavy front end, have seen many cat d's with this damage though aswell. Also look under the car at wishbones and subframe, are they cleaner/dirtier than the other parts? Also look for the usual coloured marker pen marks that breakers yards always put on the parts they sell.
In the boot, try to remove/lift bits of carpet and trim away wherever possible to see behind panels and any cutting/welding that may have been done. Look at the boot pan and any signs of paint/welding/seam sealer that looks different to the rest on the car.
Some are repaired to a very high standard and are as good as any other car, BUT I have seen some shocking repairs that are potentially dangerous.
You say the ad states 'bodywork' it could well have been just panel damage, but be on the safe side and presume the damage may have been worse, it may save you money on other problems or when you eventually come to sell the car on.
They are almost always advertised as 'very light front' or along similar lines, if it's an older cheaper car this could well be true but cars that sell for 4/5k plus will usually not be written off for such minor damage. Not necessarily a bad thing, just means it was slightly more damage than the seller may be implying. In my experience the damage is always downplayed no matter how genuine the seller seems.
For front end damage, look at the 2 chassis 'legs' low down either side of the engine, look for any creases or new seam sealer/paint. These are a tell tale of a heavy front end, have seen many cat d's with this damage though aswell. Also look under the car at wishbones and subframe, are they cleaner/dirtier than the other parts? Also look for the usual coloured marker pen marks that breakers yards always put on the parts they sell.
In the boot, try to remove/lift bits of carpet and trim away wherever possible to see behind panels and any cutting/welding that may have been done. Look at the boot pan and any signs of paint/welding/seam sealer that looks different to the rest on the car.
Some are repaired to a very high standard and are as good as any other car, BUT I have seen some shocking repairs that are potentially dangerous.
You say the ad states 'bodywork' it could well have been just panel damage, but be on the safe side and presume the damage may have been worse, it may save you money on other problems or when you eventually come to sell the car on.
172 Cup
My car is a cat D, apparently a few months after it was new, some jealous prick keyed every panel. It was bought by a guy that worked in a body shop for a cheap price, he repaired all the damage and kept it. My previous car was a cat C, tbh as long as the repair work has been done properly you can get yourself a baragin. Only problem is it won't be worth as much when you come to sell it and it might be a bit more difficult finding a buyer.
Edd
ClioSport Club Member
Ghibli/Boxster/197T
See that just doesn't ring true. A few months after it was new it would be worth what? 10/11k? To write it off surely the cost of repair would need to be 60/70% of that? I'd have thought it would have been sorted out. But I could be completely wrong, it just seems strange for a 10k car to be written off due to being keyed.
I imagine not many sellers will give the real reason their car is a CAT D.
brisa4984
ClioSport Club Member
check with your insurer first if they're are willing to insure you on it.
i stay away from all cat bulshits.
i stay away from all cat bulshits.
A grey one
My car was a Cat D cause it was stolen and recovered, it only had a smashed window and obviously the barrel was a bit dodgy, but I got a low mileage car for next to nothing and nothing else was affected on the car.
Just check it was fixed properly and I don't think theres anything wrong with buying a CatD, bit more wairy on catC's though.
Just check it was fixed properly and I don't think theres anything wrong with buying a CatD, bit more wairy on catC's though.
Bluebeard
ClioSport Moderator
Whichever has fuel
wouldn't let it bother me, especially a D. the whole system is a joke anyway, i've seen cat A cars back on the road, written off due to flood damage. i sold an A4 last year, declared it as a cat C, it had all the paperwork relating to the claim with it but on a check it came up as clear!!
and you've got to bear in mind stuff that doesn't go through insurance, i sorted this out and by the time it was done unless you knew what you were looking for and started to pull the car apart you couldn't tell it had been done.
Whilst I appreciate what you're saying, buying a categorised car blind (as in you haven't seen the damage and have no idea who repaired it and how it was repaired) is a complete lottery.
172 Cup
Yeah, I did think that, but I have no other reason to disbelieve the story. There is no sign of accident damage on the car, so I presume the insurance company must have thought it was more economical for them to sell it on than paying for it to be repaired themselves. I'll never know for sure, but it doesn't really bother me.
