If you own a car that is four or five years old, then you may have racked up those kilometres as you went back and forth to work every day. As the weeks and months went by, you knew that the vehicle was depreciating to a certain extent and that today, it is worth a lot less than it was when it was new. You may not have been aware, however, how an insurance company would value your car in relation to its cost of repair, should it be involved in a major accident. Consequently, you may have been told that it is now a "write off" due to a recent, heavy crash. Is this literally the end of the road for your favourite vehicle, or is there something that you can do about it?
Reason for Rejection
As you may know, automotive parts can be very expensive when sourced from a major dealer. It doesn't take much, therefore, for the cost of those components to add up in the event of an accident, and the cost of repair can quickly represent more than the "book" value of the vehicle. This is why insurance companies decide to classify the vehicle as a write-off, even though the damage may not be that severe.
Indeed, some vehicles may be written off even if the damage is nonstructural in any regard. For example, large hailstones can damage every single panel on a vehicle and the car may be written off, even though it's perfectly driveable.
Back on the Road
You may be able to get that car back on the road and reregister it, even if the insurance company has acted in this way. Certainly, some vehicles are not fit to be returned under any circumstances and you will have to be sensible here, but if the vehicle is eligible, then you may decide to go ahead.
Reregistration Process
In your case, you will need to apply for re-registration after you've sourced the parts and repaired the car carefully. Once you've done this, you will need to get permission from the government authority by sending in an application and receiving, in return, the permit. You will then need to take that paper in for a blue-slip inspection at a registered facility so they can be happy that the car is, indeed, roadworthy. Then, once the inspection is complete, you will be able to get the car re-registered and can get behind the wheel once again.
Share23 September 2019
Hi, my name is Katy, and I love to go on long road trips. However, I also know how scary it is to be stuck in the middle of nowhere when your car needs a repair. Because of that, I have figured out which repairs are essential before you go on a long journey. If you are planning a long journey, please explore these posts, tips and ideas. I hope they help you hone on which repairs or services your automobile needs before your next journey. In this blog, I cover everything from services to packing lists and more. Enjoy and thanks for reading!
