ClubCJ - The CJ Lancer Club

Hi everybody,

First off I hope everyone who experienced the hailstorm in Brisbane yesterday is safe and well.

Unfortunately my car was parked outside at work yesterday and as such almost every panel on my car has multiple dents due to hail.
I'm covered by Just Car and i was wondering if someoone could shed some light on the insurance process and would be able to know whether the car will be written off especially due to the high volume of expected claims of everyone?

Furthermore, in the event that it is written off do I have time to remove all the aftermarket parts from it and put the stock parts back on or will they just take the whole car as is?

It wont be written off from a few hail dints, the car is worth too much and parts are in abundance.
If they do write it off however it would work in your favor, as you can simply buy it back from the insurer for next to nothing and have both your car and your payout.
Give them a call, youll have to fill out some paperwork and theyll eventually get around to booking it in and fixing it (could be a long time with the amount of claims, could be really short too)
hail damage isnt that hard to repair, unless they are very big dints theyll simply pop them out and touch up if necessary

If they do write it off however it would work in your favor, as you can simply buy it back from the insurer for next to nothing and have both your car and your payout.

+1

best scenario ever to a car that is still road worthy/drivable and still have a stack of cash available!


Depending on the wording of your policy you may find that you will have to pay all excess for the claim as there is no other party for your insurer to claim against.

*Disclaimer* This is my experience when dealing with Insurance Companies in NSW. I do not know if it is different in different states.

Ok. The process obviously begins when you lodge a claim. They will organise to have your car assessed by one of their many over worked assessors. This may take some time depending on how busy Just Car is.

The decision to write it off will come from that assessor. He will look at where the damage is. If you have dents on replaceable panels, they will simply replace those panels, that being the easy fix. IF you have dents that are on non replaceable panels (Rear quarter/roof etc) then they will decide if "Repairs will restore the body to as new appearance". If the answer is no ... your car will be written off.

You will have to speak to the company if they would sell it to you as most of them have a process whereby the vehicle goes to auction. If they are flexible, you win. If not ... how good are you at auctions?

You will be given a chance to remove all "NON REPORTED ADDITIONS" prior to them auctioning it. Being that the damage was hail and not an accident, these non declared additions shouldn't void your warranty, but in some cases they may. If you have declared the items as being on the car, they will not allow you to remove them because they will assume you have factored their replacement into your insurance value.

Good luck. Keep us updated with how the process goes for you.

Thanks for the responses so far everybody.

So i just went and had a closer look and i'd say that every panel and doors including both rear quarter panels have dents apart from the wing/rear bumper & diffuser / front bar.

majority of the damage is to the roof and bonnet which i counted approximately 60 dents each.

So going from everyone's responses so far its likely it'll be a repairable write off?

I'm just worried i wont have a chance to take off all the parts because after it gets assessed the car gets taken that was what i was told or is that more for cars that are un-drivable due to collisions.

yuj1n wrote:Im just worried i wont have a chance to take off all the parts because after it gets assessed the car gets taken that was what i was told or is that more for cars that are un-drivable due to collisions.

Many years ago I was involved in an accident that saw my car turned into the letter U. The car was naturally taken from the scene of the accident to a smash repairers yard, assessed, and then moved to the insurance company's yard. I was given an opportunity to go to the Insurance company's yard to remove items that were not listed on my insurance prior to it being auctioned off.

Not sure about hail damage, but my insurance claim after being in a near fatal accident was abit different to what others have quoted on here.

My former vehicle was agreed value and the tow man said that was a very smart thing to do. I was initially asked by the insurance how much dmamaged was caused and did i have a preffered repairer. I said to the girl on the phone that I doubt you will be able to fix anything on it. The tow man said they would come out and assess it where it was, as it was in too bad a state, but they then rang and said it would have to be taken to their assess yard.

A day later they said yes that it was a complete write off but not once did they ever say I could go and take parts off it or be able to buy it back from them.

I had rims in the tray and tools that werent part of the car. I guess some insurance mobs are just different.

HEG51 wrote: but not once did they ever say I could go and take parts off it or be able to buy it back from them. I guess some insurance mobs are just different.

I was never offered an opportunity to purchase either. I was told by NRMA at the time that their policy is that all vehicles are sent to auction and if I wanted to purchase it, I would need to do so there. I was supervised when removing items from the vehicle too as they consider themselves to have "paid" for the car with everything you listed on your insurance papers in your payout.

Generally they do not offer for people to buy back the car. you have to ask.
i always get a friend or partner to drive out so i can pick whatever i need before calling a tow and then telling insurance. again read your T+C's. some give you up to 24 hours to notify them others do not.

It's much easier to remove things like my paddle shifters when you have the time and tools than at a repair yard with someone watching over you puzzled why your taking the airbag out and steering wheel off.

If your car is totaled on the side of the road. take your time.
Have patience, your day probably can't get any worse.

obviously i make sure the car is no longer blocking traffic or a hazard and all actions are safe to perform.

Nothing like a bit of roadside mechanic...A true Jalop.

Hey everybody,

so just an update on the whole situation.
Went to the insurance assessors yesterday and took them about 2 minutes to determine the car was deemed a write off.

Was offered the agreed value or the option of buying the the car back for $11,000.

I chose the agreed value, talking to the insurance guy he told me that the damaged amounted to approximately 15000-20000 as they would need new panels or fix and respray every panel.

So that's it, damn you crazy storm weather.

It is crazy it would cost that much to fix, I know a total respray alone is about $3000 plus the cost of panel and a new roof it quickly adds up. Again this is the problem with insurance. You can probably do the job for a lot less using used panels and a DIY paint job but often they are after the quick fix. It's just a shame a perfectly good car gets scrapped (or ripped apart for spares) just because of a few lumps of ice.

Lancer1993 wrote:It is crazy it would cost that much to fix, I know a total respray alone is about $3000 plus the cost of panel and a new roof it quickly adds up. Again this is the problem with insurance. You can probably do the job for a lot less using used panels and a DIY paint job but often they are after the quick fix. Its just a shame a perfectly good car gets scrapped (or ripped apart for spares) just because of a few lumps of ice.

A good quality repsray of a vehicle will cost a LOT more than $3000. The respray I got for half a car when Mitsu fixed paint blemishes on my Lancer in June was $8000.