Hold on!!

The insurance settlement is there to put you back into the position you were in before the damage occurred...so, first of all, be clear what the real market value of your car is; if you ask your dealer what they would retail your car for if it was in good shape, then knock off a grand, you won't be far off.

That's the market value of your car; the insurance assessor's job is to get the claim value down as much as possible.

In general, insurance companies have a pre-set repair cost:value of car ratio that determines if its a write off - my company is 60%.

So..either the engineer declares it beyond economic repair or he approves the repair - if its the first then he will start with a low offer, you go back with proof of the market value, and make it clear that if you can't agree you'll instruct an assessor of your own ( my wife wrote off her car 2 years back, initial offer from assessor was ?8k and retain ownership and keep what the salvae offers, ended up with ?14k and they took away the car.

At ?16 cost plays ?28k or so value, its right on the borderline. Its really worth being 100% clear whether the assessor is writing it off or repairing it.

Anyway...last July - when we had the flash floods in the South - I had exactly the same problem as you, completely stuffed the engine.

No argument from assessor, had a new engine fitted, good as gold - there's nothing which identifies it as a new engine by the way. The engine alone is nearly ?10k!!!

The engine has to come from Germany, takes 1-2 weeks, then another week to fit.

If you like the car, a new engine isn't going to have any effect on value, so I'd keep it - unlike major crash damage which always leaves the worry of a cresaed bodyshell, mislaligned suspension etc.

One thing which the dealer checked very throughly was whether any water had entered the inside of the car; after the July floods, my dealer - small by BMW standards - had over 60 BMWs and Minis requiring new engines - over half of which had flooded inside. If that had happended , it was a definite write off.

 

The is no preset % on which insurance companies base write offs on as different cars have massively diferent salvage values, it all works on cost of repair plus salvage against the cost of total loss. All that varies depending on the car and the condition it started off in(with regards to its value).

I would go with the new engine, if anything it would be a plus point on such a complicated car. My only thoughts are that if the engine hydraulic locked then that could have had an impact on the gearbox too. Although I would assume as its from the same incident if something did crop up they will cover that too under the claim.

 

Sorry to hear

Of course BMW will not pay for it, but depending on what insurance company you chosen
and in what comprehensiveness you have taken the insurance, the outcome will be accordingly.

Good luck!

 

never thought of the gearbox, and it cant be checked until the new engine is put in can they ? unless they have another way of checking ?? the engineer said the engine has definatley seized but after a new engine and a 'few ancilleries' it will be fine.



Cerbera did these floods happen to your 535d ? if so how does it drive since being repaired, have you had any probs etc etc and 3 weeks from start to finish ??????

 

Just to let you all know ive got my wheels back

Brand new engine turbos and exhaust and it runs like a dream, cant thrash it thou ill have to run it in gently for 1200 miles before the fun really starts with a DMS re-map for starters

I only registered to post this thread, but im hooked now top site with all kinds going on i will be skint by the time all these mods get done