I have a 2003 Mazda 6, which I have owned for the last 8 or so years.
My wife backed into a truck, and damaged the rear hatch, which we had repaired under insurance with a $500 excess.
It then went in for service, where I spent $1988 on everything from 4 new tyres, some new brake pads and rotors, CV shaft, coolant flush, general service etc.
Then, three weeks later, in the heavy rains on the weekend, I got inside to find the car literally flooded with water.
Assuming it was a leak in the repaired rear hatch, insurance took it back to the repairers for assessment.
Their findings are that it is leaking through the roof rack mounts, and has been for many years, resulting in considerable rust in the frame/chassis.
It has also meant there is water in the electrics somewhere now, which has rendered the car inoperable, and I have been advised it is not worth fixing.
I have been given a price from a wrecker for just $500. The tyres (that have just a few hundred k's on them ) just cost me more than that alone.
What are my options for salvaging the most value I can from my beloved car…
Not Worth Repairing after Just Spending $2500
Comments
Actually, no it wouldn't surprise me, given the prices quoted for bits and pieces I have looked for, over the last few months myself.
$700 for a hatch, $400 for a door, $200 radio display cluster.
I'm assuming you have comprehensive insurance? If so, your insurer will pay you out the market or agreed value of your policy.
You have an option of purchasing the wreck. If you keep it, typically they will take that off the amount they pay you out. So if you think you can get more than whatever wreck value the insurance company offers, keep the wreck, knowing that eventually you'll have to dispose of it.
Their findings are that it is leaking through the roof rack mounts, and has been for many years
I don't think insurance will pay out for something that hasn't been maintained
Correct. Obviously regular mechanical servicing never checks for stuff like that. Something I am now mindful of for the future ;(
Interesting. You may have a case for the internal water damage to have been caused by the rain. The rust is kind of irrelevant.
You had a reasonable expectation that the roof would keep the inside of your car from being flooded which it did not do. It's a bit like if you left the window down, or accidentally left a door unlocked and someone robbed your car and left it open - you should still be covered.
Might be a bit of a fight with them, but definitely worth a shot.
Yes, I have full comprehensive, however I have not been offered anything from insurance. I believe the 'damage' is not classed as an insurable event.
I like your thinking, however it is more a case of water has been entering the vehicle (in smaller amounts) as shown by the rust behind the carpets and panels, but it was the torrential rainfall that literally overflowed the sections the water usually flows inside, and caused it to become apparent (and damaging to the electrics)
had the collision not occurred:
I would have not have just spent $500 reparing the hatch.
however
I would also have not had the insurance company tow the car away and been assessed to find the issue, and extent of damage.So pluses and minuses there…
The main predicament is just spending the $2k on mechanicals.
Had I not just spent that, I would be (I think somewhat) happier in handing it over to a wrecker for $500@Cheap Charlie:
Sorry, maybe I'm missing something from you, but the reason for the leak, the rust and the electrical issues are not caused by the accident. It was caused by a faulty or worn out roof rack mounting. (which is not an insured event).
Please let me know if there is more I'm not seeing…?@Nitro: He's saying that the reason for your insurance claim should not because you had a rusted roof that allows water through, but because you sustained a large amount of water damage to your car from a heavy storm.
It seems unlikely that it would go from not visibly leaking into the car to filling your car with water in a short amount of time due to rust damage, unless some other event happened that caused the damage to worsen considerably in a short amount of time - say a collision and then a heavy storm.
In hindsite, there was at least one occasion I recall, but unfotunately due to other issues (people leaving food etc in there), I never went looking for that sort of cause.
(reply to cheap charlie)Sell it complete on eBay and be honest in your description.
How much did it cost to fix?
Not a simple replacing fuses situation?
An update for anyone interested…
I filed a new claim with insurance, just citing the water damage due to heavy rains (not in relation to the previous repair), and after a new assessment, the car has been written off by insurance.
Their final decision was, whilst there has been long term damage (rusting), the damage that has caused the car to be completely unusable was caused by a singular weather event, and thus covered.
The payout amount however does take in to consideration the prior condition of the car (the rust) but the amount is still a lot more than offered by the wrecker. (just under 5K)Congrats :)
Nice work mate.
Its not much, but swapping your wheels for some other random cheap wheels (from gumtree, wreckers, etc) and then selling your wheels with new tires could help a bit.
It depends on how much space you have and how happy you'd be to break the car apart and sell things individually. You'd be surprised how much money can me made from stripping a car and selling parts, especially if they're in good nick.