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[gvo416j R.I.P.]

Hello everyone - not been on here for a while.

My 2BFC Motorhome has been hit for the second time in less than 3 years while parked on the road outside my house.

My insurers will not fight the case for me and will only go as far as getting 60% of my insured value, minus the salvage if I retain the remains. The other drivers insurance have accepted responsibility and sent an assessor round to check the damage, who admits that it will be classed as a write off as "uneconomic to repair". He also told me that the company who he was employed by to do the assessing are already planning to offer a cash settlement but says that their offer will take no account of its rarity, and it will be up to me to have a recognised valuation by an expert to counter their value.

Does anyone on here know of such a person relatively close to Matlock who could perform such a valuation??

I see Dukes sold one of these 2BFCs only yesterday which is actually very handy. Their estimate was only slightly higher than my insured value at £8 - £10 k but the selling price was £15000.

The damage does not look too bad at first glance but the rear corner of the body and the gas bottle compartment is twisted so the access door does not open correctly. The rest of the damage is easily repairable by myself at relatively minor cost - new light panel to fab, new vent and access panel to rear of fridge and plumbing plus some steel to straighten.

The garage I took it to for a repair estimate came up with around £8000 to unrivet and remove the inside and outside panelling and repair/replace the bent aluminium frames in the body corner section plus the other minor scrapes.

[Peter Holden]

Julian Schoolheifer (on here as Rodthroughtheblock) does valuations and is well recognised in the classic car world


Peter

[diffwhine]

The repair itself looks like a pretty standard coachbuilder's repair rather than a normal garage bodyshop repair. What sort of garage gave you that estimate? Was it a normal retail body shop or a more specialist company. By specialist, I mean a commercial coach builder / body repairer.

The sale at Dukes might be your salvation as it is probably the best proof of what a falling market can sustain. I wonder if Julian Shoolheifer would be prepared to give an accurate assessment of the pre accident value without having a good look at the vehicle and I would guess that this means seeing it in person. That would add cost to you to get that professional opinion.

An insurance company will try and take not just the most cost effective way out, but also the easiest way out. If you allow them to continue along the lines as I read it, you could end up getting a 60% pay out of your insured value (you don't say what that actually is) the remains becoming your property, but with a Category S write off flagged against your registration on the national insurance register. That will affect its value in the future should you wish to sell it.

Personally, I would seek advice from a commercial coach builder's bodyshop on the cost of repair if you have not already done so. If you can get that initial estimate down to a more manageable figure on paper, your insurers are less likely to write it off. As a classic vehicle they should be being encouraged not to do this anyway.

Out of interest, do you have an agreed valuation on this? I'm guessing not from what you have posted. Secondly, who is the insurer?

If its not on an agreed valuation, this is perhaps a salutary lesson to us all about the need to have these values formally agreed.

[AlexB]

I see from your location that ou are not a million miles away from Mark Griffiths at Huddersfield Land Rover centre who also gives valuations and is well repsected throughout the Land ROver world

[O7BE16]

Is it worth trying a caravan dealer they would probably use a repair shop that specialises in that sort of repair?

[Supercal2007]

What a shame regarding the accident. All good advice above. From experience I would add one thing. No matter how well respected or known the people /firms named above are, your insurance company could turn round and say " who did this report? Never  heard of them. The valuation is meaningless".
Then of course, when you ask your insurer who they do recognise to do valuations, I bet you the answer is along the lines of " sorry, we  couldn't possibly comment on that".
I really hope you get sorted out with this and let us know what happens.
Thanks, Calum.

[GHOBHW]

such a shame, I've been driving past this parked up for years and years now when I'm going in and out of bakewell. always loved the sight of it.
insane how someone even managed to drive into it, its not like the road is single lane there.

hope you get it all sorted without it going off the road.

[gvo416j R.I.P.]

Totally unbelievable.

Now I have calmed down and got some equilibrium back I will update the thread.

I tried the above suggestions but had no luck.

As said by diffwhine, the auction result came in very handy. The first offer from the insurance by phone was derisory [ £3000 and I keep the vehicle with no record as a write off at the DVLA] . I refused and after he asked my thoughts on what the value was, I mentioned that it was one of only around 50 ever made and that a similar vehicle had just sold by auction at £15000. Cue a long silence, then a few "ah hums" and "we'll get back in touch in a few days".

They sent out an examiner who agreed their was no material damage which would cause any problems regarding notifying DVLA of the accident and after a bit of argument I eventually settled for keeping the vehicle and a payment which met all but a few hundred of the initial estimate.

Me and a mate with the required oxy/acetylene equipment spent a few hours warming up and straightening plus painting the damaged steelwork. Then another day to derivet, straighten the aluminium box body, then rivet back together with some sealant and a small patch round the corner where the panel was ripped - had to use pop rivets rather than solid aluminium but I could live with that. We straightened the aluminium light panel and made a new panel for the brace on it which goes up to the main body, fitted a new reversing light and made the others work again. It was then left for the main painting of the body until it warms up next year.

Fast forward 2 months to Sunday Dec.3rd at 4.00 am and I am woken by the police to say that it has been hit by a hit and run driver. It was not a pretty sight. The FC was partially blocking the footway and had the rear drivers side wheel completely off the road and on the squashed bumper/radiator of a car with the rear body corner through the windscreen of the car.

I am awaiting developments but this is going to take much more squaring up. Again their is no structural damage to the chassis or bodywork, but the damage to the bodywork whilst limited to being outboard of the main chassis rails on the rear and all in the 8 x 4 aluminium panel which forms the side of the body there is some damage to the interior this time with the inner wheel arch, storage compartments and gas compartment all having damage, plus one of the interior wood panels has a foot long rip/split.

Not a happy chappie at present.

[Peter Holden]

Try Julian Schoolheifer (Rod through the block on here).

He is a land rover restorer and proffesional valuer

Peter

[Tom]

That’s just unbelievable. Can’t fathom how people can hit it even once, let alone 3 times!

What’s next then?

[Davidss]

That’s just unbelievable. Can’t fathom how people can hit it even once, let alone 3 times!

It's due to a recent change in the road furniture.
A Mcdonalds was recently built on the other side of the road, slightly 'before' GVO's pad. To facilitate pedestrians crossing the A class road a pair of 'crossing refuges' were placed in the middle of the road. The section of road that is now between the refuges and GVO's pad has always has a slight RH bend in it, placing GVO'S pad on the outside of the curve.
Before the refuges were in place it was easy to make a long gentle RH curve where the apex was close to the white line. Traffic leaving Matlock faced a LH curve and very slightly cut the corner, going closer to the kerb, so the space between incoming and outgoing traffic was maintained.

Now, with the refuges in place, incoming traffic is directed away from the centre line of the road, closer to the kerb.
I find that after passing the refuges I have to make a marked and conscious twist of the steering wheel to the right to avoid my trajectory interfacing with the placement of any vehicles parked roadside outside GVO's pad.

Clearly, on at least three occasions, drivers with various degrees of 'disability' (drink, drugs, lack of attention) have failed this test of spatial awareness.

I suggest the only course of action directly under his control is to stop parking roadside.
The other action is to ask DCC (the Highway Authority) what can be done to minimise the hazard created by the refuges influencing moving traffic. When actioned by private civilians to alter the traffic flow, (parking, speed limits, etc) the HA often ask for details of recent accidents. If those three incidents have been recorded by the Police I'd suggest that part of the support case is fulfilled.

Of course, one has to be aware of unintended consequences, the solution submitted by the council traffic department might be to extend parking limits to cover the area outside GVO's pad, but that would simply be a case of making an unofficial restriction into an official restriction, the situation on the ground would be unchanged, 'you can't park there'.

Regards.