My car is not my car!

[schizodoor 10]

After having an accident in my car last week and subsequently contacting my insurance company repairs I have been told today by my insurance company that my car was written off in January after being involved in an incident. Apparently it was damaged beyond repair and another insurance company paid out to someone other than me!

 

Has anyone heard of anything like this happening before?

 

My insurance people say they're investigating further but meanwhile I'm stuck with an un-repaired car! (that still needs a re-spray!)

[neeeeeeeeeek 10]

How long have you had it? have you checked that all the window glass has the correct car details on and the VIN number plates are correct and not been tampered with? If they are all OK then I imagine the insurance company was duped and once they verify your car is correct they should pay out. Worth checking everything tho while you wait!

[schizodoor 10]

I wouldn't know where to start with all that but its had 2 MOTs and several road taxes since I got it 18 months ago! You can only road tax a car once as far as I know.

[Dark Moomin 10]

I think what Neek is getting at is that either your car, or the other car, is a clone whereby the same VRM has been applied to the wrong car.

 

On your v5 (log book) there should be a chassis number.

 

This will be fixed to plates on your car in severl positions.

 

Usually one in the engine bay and one on a door tread. If that matches up and doesn't look like it has been changed, removed, tampered with it is a good sign that the car matches up and the other person was ripping off the insurers

[schizodoor 10]

I see Dark, thanks, I will check that later. My insurance company said it was consistent mileage to my car and same colour etc.

[Dark Moomin 10]

It could either be a recording error and theother car was 1 digit different in the VRM (often cars of same make and model will be registered together so have very similar VRMs) or one of the car's is dodgy. I really hope its the other one!

 

Oh yes, there maywell be stuff on the net about where the plates should be in your car

[schizodoor 10]

Chassis numbers/VIN are a match so I guess that's good? I found one on door frame and one inside car near windscreen.

[Dark Moomin 10]

as long as they don't look fiddled with I would say it is positive!

 

only other thing you might be able to check is that the v5 is genuine. Don't know what the signs are, but again internet will probably tell you. A cloned car could be given a false V5 which shows the VIN of the original car with the new VRM they have out on.

 

I would go with Neek tho in that it would look like your car is OK and the other one is a scam! Hopefully they will work it out and pay out soon!

[schizodoor 10]

I sent off for the V5 myself as the previous owner didn't send it off in reasonable time. Could this have something to do with it? I'm starting to wonder now.

[Dark Moomin 10]

hard to say, but maybe they were dodgy and cloned the car using the old v5 - never heard of that happening before though. I suppose they wouldn't have to buy tax because it would show as taxed in your name, but if pulled over it might not show as insured... quite odd!

[schizodoor 10]

The weird thing was that my insurance said my car was also insured with Royal Bank of Scotland under another name! They also said I shouldn't have been able to tax it if it had been written off.

[Wolfdancer 10]

This to me sounds like a straight case of cut and shut..................