dub-love Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 CAT D is not a write off in the technical sense of the word, It is a grading to given to repair status of a vehicle, when they believe it may not be worth repairing the vehicle for several reasons, the may be due to cost of parts etc. A n example of this is that a car is given CAT D due to the parts being too expensive to repair in the eyes of the insurance company, or the parts aren't available. The vehicle can still be repaired using patent parts or 2nd hand parts, the car is not written off but is still given the CAT D tag.Still classed as written off! this is why it reflects the value! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max69vk Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 Still classed as written off! this is why it reflects the value!If the car is repaired with 2nd hand parts its not actually written off as it will fall within the repair limit budget, it will still get CAT D status though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linz Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 (edited) From Checkthatcar.com: -HPI Check Question What do the catagories mean when is a car written off?Answer: Category A: Total burnout. No value left in the vehicle Category B: Break only. Value lies in salvageCategory C: Damage to car is more than total value of carCategory D: Repair would cost almost as much as the vehicle is worth. Better to write off than repair. No comebacks for the insurers* Think if it will cost any more than 75% of the value of the car to repair the insurnace company will right it off. But that's not to say that someone cannot fix it themselves and then sell it on. Edited August 23, 2006 by Linz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max69vk Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 (edited) To add to this a 'stolen & recovered' vehicle can still be classed as CAT D even though the only damage will be a broken door lock & ignition, which would still fall well within the insurers 'repair limit'. Im not trying to get arsey with this whole thread, but in response to the original question : If a car is CAT D is doesn't mean JACK SH*T! Most people dont take notice of it, & people who know what they're on about dont care either. As I have mentioned before it is just another way for an insurance company to 'grade' your vehicle & use it as an excuse to haggle on the value of the car if they require it.Ultimately the onus (sp?) is on the buyer of the car to get it HPI'd & check its history, & TBH if you're spending a lot of money on car you'd be stupid not to! The reason I've said 'most' cars on the road should be classed as CAT D is a reference to amount of cars that are 15years+ old. A 1988 Ford Escort is worth about £500 (if you're lucky), say you have a bash & require a new wing/bumper, new original parts + labour would exceed the value of the car, 2nd hands parts + labour would be about the same value. But there's no way you would claim through the insurance for it, you'd do it yourself! But in theory if this went through insurance this would be classed as CAT D.Now smile everybody, we're half way to the weekend!!!!!!!!! style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumbup:" border="0" alt="thumbup.gif" /> Edited August 23, 2006 by Max69vk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottgroovez Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 Max69vk,What you're saying sounds contradictory. If it's Cat D then the insurers choose to not pay for the repairs, so how can a car repaired through the insurance be a Cat D? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dub-love Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 If the car is repaired with 2nd hand parts its not actually written off as it will fall within the repair limit budget, it will still get CAT D status though!Scenario!I crash my car and its repaired with genuine parts and through insurance, not recorded!I crash my car and its repaired with pattern parts and through insurance, not recorded!I crash my car and its cost of repair is close to market value of the car so it becomes written off! Cat D or CIn no way will a insurance company use 2nd hand parts to fix a car! EG: a friend of mine was hit in the side of his mk1 escort rs2000, it needed a door and 1/4 repair, was written off cat D as the doors are unavailable!He then brought the car back and put a second hand door on and had the 1/4 repaired, car back to its former glory, but is a CAT D! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linz Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 EG: a friend of mine was hit in the side of his mk1 escort rs2000, it needed a door and 1/4 repair, was written off cat D as the doors are unavailable!He then brought the car back and put a second hand door on and had the 1/4 repaired, car back to its former glory, but is a CAT D!Exactly what Cat-D is! The insurance company won't fix it due to the repair value, so right it off, but you are more than entitled to buy it back and fix it up to a road worth standard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max69vk Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 (edited) In no way will a insurance company use 2nd hand parts to fix a car!They do, I've seen it more times than I care to remember & it does happen a lot more than you realise. The owner of the car at the time will be given the option of whether they want it done or not at the time of inspection/repair. This happens often when new parts are no longer available for a vehicle.I cant repeat this enough, CAT-D DOESN'T MEAN J S! Edited August 23, 2006 by Max69vk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottgroovez Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 Still doesn't make it a Cat D as the insurers are repairing the vehicle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dub-love Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 They do, I've seen it more times than I care to remember & it does happen a lot more than you realise. The owner of the car at the time will be given the option of whether they want it done or not at the time of inspection/repair. This happens often when new parts are no longer available for a vehicle.I was a panel beater for 3 years and we NEVER used S/H parts! If body shops are using S/H parts then they must be shoddy a funk! TBH i cant be bothered to continue with this b0llox! think what you like i dont care! style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":coffee:" border="0" alt="coffee.gif" /> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max69vk Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 Category D: REPAIRERWhere the cost of repairs do not exceed the value of the vehicle but either the insurer or the insured does not want to repair the vehicle.Regardless of whether the car is repaired or not, its CAT-D! Its been registered through the insurance company & thats all that matters. The car may not be repaired possibly because the repairs fall within the drivers excess, however the incident by law should/will have been registered through the insurance company.I was a panel beater for 3 years and we NEVER used S/H parts! If body shops are using S/H parts then they TBH i cant be bothered to continue with this b0llox! think what you like i dont care! style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":coffee:" border="0" alt="coffee.gif" />Well we all have different experiences, & I am completely in agreement that its bloody stupid to argue about. can we at least agree on the fact that in reality CAT-D doesn't really mean J S to us 'Joe public'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Posted August 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 Lot's of good stuff there guys, and as always with the motor-world, no two stories and experiences are ever the same.I'll bare all this in mind when looking at my new car but thanks again for all the help.Al style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_phillips95 Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 If you buy the car from a salvage yard ect and repare it then yes you do have to inform the buyer! However if you buy the car as above then as the next owner you do not have to tell the buyer it is recorded! its down to them to do there homework ie: HPI report!Not sure you know what your talking about! no offence but the above is b0llox!Cat D is a write off! if you have a prang in your car and it is insurance repared this is not a Cat D! its just a repare!HPI, AA, or any other data check!As far as im aware you can have the CAT D removed if you have a inspection done, but this is going back a few years so this might not be the case anymore!as far as i have been told the owner of the car has to inform the potential buyer that it is a registered cat d, even if they are the 2nd owner after it has been reapired. Where have you gathered your info? Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dub-love Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 as far as i have been told the owner of the car has to inform the potential buyer that it is a registered cat d, even if they are the 2nd owner after it has been reapired. Where have you gathered your info? DaveDad used to deal in smacked cars and bikes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NBR Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 So let me get this straight...Your sitting in your £6000 car in traffic not moving. And the person behind goes into you. Once inspected by the body shop they give you an estimate of £700 to repair the rear bumper as there is no other damage to the vehicle. And because you go though insurance it becomes a "write off" CAT-D? style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":confused:" border="0" alt="confused.gif" /> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3boy Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 So let me get this straight...Your sitting in your £6000 car in traffic not moving. And the person behind goes into you. Once inspected by the body shop they give you an estimate of £700 to repair the rear bumper as there is no other damage to the vehicle. And because you go though insurance it becomes a "write off" CAT-D? style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":confused:" border="0" alt="confused.gif" />uumm no, if the repair is worth more than the market value of the car then it will be cat D, i think the repair estimate is what the manufacturer would charge to repair the car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max69vk Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 (edited) Cat D doesn't mean its a write off.....Insurance Loss Categories - Quick reference 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. Category D - Repairable. Probably non-structural damage. May have been economic to repair, but insurer doesn't want to. Category X - Repairable. Minor Damage Insurance Loss Categories - In detail Category A The vehicle may not be resold it must be crushed. Severely damaged, total burnout or flood damage with no serviceable parts, or already a stripped out shell. DVLA will require a "Notification of Destruction".Category B The vehicle may not be resold. It will have been damaged beyond economical repair, usually with major structural damage. The DVLA will require "Notification of Destruction" but parts can be removed and sold on.Category C Repairable salvage. Usually applies to vehicles with significant damage and where the cost of repairs exceeds the book value. It can be sold for repair but must have VIC(Vehicle Identity Check) inspection before returning to the road. V5 documents are returned to DVLA and recorded as category C vehicles. You can re-apply for registration on the original identity once the VIC inspection has been done. VIC inspection and re-registration removes the Category C classification, but evidence it was at one time Category C remains on the vehicle's record at the DVLA and so will appear on a vehicle data check.What is a Vehicle Identity Check and how does it work?(taken from the VOSA's site) The Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) has been introduced to help reduce car crime. It is intended to deter criminals from disguising stolen cars with the identity of written off ones. When an insurance company ‘writes off’ a car, (Category A, B or C) they notify DVLA and a VIC marker is placed on the DVLA record. DVLA will not issue a Registration Certificate (V5C) or a Vehicle Licence Reminder (V11) to a car with a VIC marker against it. In order to remove the VIC marker the car needs to be inspected by VOSA to confirm its identity. When the car passes the VIC, the marker is removed. The VIC will be carried out by VOSA. It will involve comparing the car against information held by DVLA, such as the vehicle identification number, make, model, colour and engine number. The VIC will also compare the record of previous accident damage with evidence of damage repair as well as checking other components to confirm the age and identity of the car.Will the VIC confirm that the vehicle is roadworthy? No. The VIC is designed to confirm the identity of the car and does not assess the quality of the repair. You should seek independent expert opinion as to whether the car is roadworthy. If whilst carrying out the check the inspector notices a serious defect which would make the car dangerous to drive, then they will issue a notice which prohibits the car being used. Once it has been made roadworthy the prohibition can be removed.Note: I understand motorbikes falling into this category do not have to undergo a VIC inspection so will warrant close investigation and clarification of identity.Category D Repairable salvage. Minimal damage, probably not structural, but insurer does not want to repair, even though it might be economic to do so. Often stolen and recovered after claim has been paid. Or it maybe a vehicle where parts are difficult to obtain so a quick repair is unlikely. Does not need VIC inspection to return to road. Notification will appear in your vehicle history checkCategory X has been the subject of a claim but minor or very lightly damaged and required minimal repair work. It would not be recorded with the DVLA so would not appear in any Vehicle Data CheckIt appears that there is now a CAT X which I must be fairly recent as it was definately not around a couple of years ago. A little bit strange in that if a car is repaired it can be a Cat -X, but if the same car wasn't for whatever reason (ie owner wants car repaired but wont pay the excess - hence it doesn't get fixed) its a Cat-D! Edited August 24, 2006 by Max69vk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NBR Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 No, only if its gone through the insurance company & a repair has been done through them.Well according to this it does.... this is all abit contradictary(sp?) And as for CAT-D meaning JS... style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":wacko:" border="0" alt="wacko.gif" /> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tshirt2k Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 So let me get this straight...Your sitting in your £6000 car in traffic not moving. And the person behind goes into you. Once inspected by the body shop they give you an estimate of £700 to repair the rear bumper as there is no other damage to the vehicle. And because you go though insurance it becomes a "write off" CAT-D? style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":confused:" border="0" alt="confused.gif" />At the end of the day it depends on wether the assesor "Thinks" it is an economical repair. Its not just Damage and costs of parts and labour, it can also be storage costs and recovery. I know of places that have hiked up the storage costs of the car could be £20/day for 6 months, whilst claims are sorted out. Add that on to the "genuine" parts and labour costs. Then you have a car that would cost more in total to repair than what it would to pay out the insured.Cat D would only show on the log book if someone had sent the logbook back to dvla and told them it had been in an accident.I have a clean logbook, had it with the car when i bought it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penry Posted August 24, 2006 Report Share Posted August 24, 2006 Aarrrrgghhh!!! Here is the truth for you: style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />Cat C is recorded on log book, Cat D is not.Cat D means write off, Cat X means not written off. Cat X is just the way of saying there is nothing wrong with the car e.g. stolen recovered.Cat C and D cars are cheaper because people who don't know what it means are scared - cheaper for you and me who DO know what it means.Cars are given categories depending on how economical they are to repair. Both categories C and D are suitable for return to the road if repaired correctly.Cat A and B are breakers. You can have all the parts you want but they have fundamental structural damage so the shell must be crushed.You cannot take cars off the HPi register ANY MORE. You used to be able to but they scrapped it. There were centres where they did things like chassis measurements etc to make sure car was "straight" if you get what i mean. Thats all I can think of right now style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":lol:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dub-love Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Cat A and B are breakers. You can have all the parts you want but they have fundamental structural damage so the shell must be crushed.Wrong!Cat A has to be crushed! no parts can be sold from the vehicle! style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" /> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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