julianev

An update. So after the low initial valuation I wrote a complaint threatening to escalate to the FOS as per https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers/complaints-can-help/insurance/motor-insurance/vehicle-valuations-write-offs, and the second valuation subsequently came in at just under £7K - which both the insurer and I have accepted. They did offer me the option to buy back the vehicle, which I would have done for a Cat N but not a Cat S which is what it got classed as - the rear subframe was twisted, so I can only guess the driver who went into me was on her phone or similar and didn't brake at all to inflict that much damage. Some learnings from the experience: my guess is that the insurer was keen for me to pursue a third party claim as perhaps they get away with low-balling a certain number of valuations direct to the public which they would not be able to do if negotiating with another insurance company. There was also a questionmark raised about whether the FOS would have jurisdiction given they had not sold me a financial service/insurance. Thankfully it didn't come to that, but if it had then my plan would have been to reraise the claim with my own insurer if need be. I'm now on the look-out for another Alphard, and also maybe considering a Delica D5. Thanks to all for all the suggestions and advice on this thread.

Thanks. I did go down the direct settlement route in the end, on the advice of a family member who works in insurance. As I understand it no insurer will pay out for repairs which cost more than the value of the car, as it will be cheaper just to payout the money to buy a replacement. Obviously that depends on a fair valuation for the replacement however, and also doesn't factor how much effort it might be to find a like-for-like replacement in the same condition, mileage etc

Absolutely gutted. The engineer's report has come back and it has been classified as a Category S: apparently it's £7.5K of damage. They are offering me £4K as replacement value ☹️ - I'm getting a second valuation.

Thanks all for the input. So I had the insurer of the Merc phone me today acknowledging their client's full liabilty and offering to settle the claim directly with me rather than via my insurer. Apparently that would mean I would no longer need to declare it as a no-fault claim in future, which otherwise might impact my premiums (which seems a bit nuts as it wasn't my fault...). I have seen some advice on moneysavingexpert recommending this approach, but my concern is that they are going to be acting in the interests of their client rather than me and mainly trying to save as much money as possible on the claim. Has anyone any experience of this before? I'm a bit unclear what the pros and cons are...

OK thanks for all the info @Rojie - much appreciated.

Nope the tailgate no longer opens ☹️

Ah OK, thanks - fingers crossed.

Hi all, This afternoon some idiot in a Mercedes C180 ploughed into the back of my pristine, super reliable 2003 Alphard (only 60K miles). The tailgate and read bumper aren't in a good way but it was still driveable to get back home. Once I got home I initiated the claim against the Merc driver via my insurer, and they are sending a garage to collect the vehicle on Monday. Given the fact it's an older import, I am concerned they might just write off my vehicle rather than try to source a replacement gate and bumper and do the full repair. It is a wonderful car that took me ages to find, so I really want to avoid that scenario if at all possible (that said, I realise it may be unavoidable if the chassis has crumpled). If anyone has been through a similar thing and has any advice to share that would be massively helpful. Thanks a lot. cheers Julian

Hi there, If anyone is looking to transport surfboards or kayaks on the roof of their Alphard then hopefully the following might be helpful. Doing this is more expensive than standard roofbars, but a heck of a lot cheaper than a decent Mercedes Vito or VW Transporter which were my other options. So roofbars for surfboards or kayaks need to be spaced as far apart as possible, otherwise the uplift from wind catching under them at motorway speeds could result in the anchor points being ripped out. After a lot of research online, the best option I could find was Thule artificial gutters - they are a drill through fixing into the roof with support plates to spread the load (there are also various options that use rivnut fixings, but I didn't trust anything without a spreader plate). The downside is that to do this requires the roof liner to be dropped. I was going to try this myself but thankfully thought the better of it and ended up taking the vehicle to Andy at Surrey Sunroofs, who was really great. He dropped the liner, then we had a look inside at the best side or roof mount placement for the anchor points. Due to the roof support bars and door runner structures, a roof mount set slightly in as in the pics looked like the best option - we left a 30cm gap at the back to ensure there was enough overhang for strapping down boards, etc without impeding the tailgate opening. He also additionally bonded the gaskets to ensure that if there is any future rubber shrinkage then the roof will remain fully watertight. The liner then went back up, the air-con and wiring was reconnected and everything looks spotless once more. I attached aerobars from my previous vehicle using a Thule 9512 footpack. I'm super happy with the results. cheers Julian

Thanks a lot Roger.

Hi all, I'm the very happy new owner of a beautifully looked after 60k mileage 2003 2.4 Alphard G, bought the other week off Chris L on this forum. cheers Julian