My black 94 imported WRX was taken from outside parents house last night near Bristol, and chased/recovered this afternoon before I had even noticed it missing (police spotted known herberts in a car they shouldnt be driving, apparently..).

Got usual damage to the door lock (drilled through), some unidentified damage to the roof where they tried to force the door, the steering column where they hotwired, central console where the stereo was ripped out.

I'm more worried about what a night's joyriding has done to my engine though. I'm going to be a few hundred quid out of pocket repairing the damage as is (excess is 500quid..), but for all I know 20,000 miles worth of damage could have been put on the engine last night.

Anyone have experience of claiming this back on insurance? I've already told them I want a specialist subaru garage to repair and inspect the damage instead of "Bob's Cheerful Accident Repairs" or whatever - and they're fine with that - but how would I diagnose/prove any wear or tear to the engine and get it paid for?

'Course - if I end up with a more healthy engine than I started with, then that's a happy bonus, I guess...!

 

Think your dreaming if you think you can claim for that to be honest (engine)

 

I got a Cavalier SRI nicked years ago which was an ex-police car. The police chased it and couldn't catch it till scumbags went into a cul de sac and jumped out while moving. Car crashed into a wall and bust radiator. I got body damage repaired on insurance but they did not want to know when I pointed out engine was knocking. Their attitude was that this was just general wear and tear and no way I could prove otherwise. I had to sell car for about £500 less than it was worth. Insurance is basically a waste of money. Pity cos this Police tuned Cav used to torture RS Turbos!!!

 

How did they hotwire the car to start it ? what security have you got fitted ?

 

None. Only got car 6 weeks ago, it's an import so no security at all - and insurance didnt need CAT 1 in the end.

An alarm and a steering lock was on the list - but too many things to do, too many xmas presents to buy, etc etc....

Ironic thing was that - according to insurance quotes I've got - it was nicked from probably the 'safest' postcode of all locations it's been parked in the last 6 weeks. ****.

 

Im really surprised they would insure you and pay out without an alarm. Not many places would do that nowadays.

 

makes you wonder why we bother to get out of bed to go to work in the morning !!!!!! what these b****rds want is a good kicking.

 

Don't bother claiming - you will lose £500 excess, and pay increased premiums for the next 3-5 years.

 

As already mentioned if the damage isn't to bad don't involve the insurance company. Get it to a quality Scooby specialist and explain your concerns about the engine, etc. If your car has been looked after the engine should be fine, mines had 3 years of driving 'like I stole it and it' and runs as sweet as it did when I bought it .

Hope you sort it out, Wolfie.

 

Same here, Dont claim..Its a bastar* I know but **** happens, Just make sure you find out the little shi** and sort them out!!!

...Get it checked out or sell it and start again!!!!!

 

That's a bold statement.

 

Assuming that the ins co have already been told of this event, they will mark it as a claim regardless of wether they pay out anything on it..... so if they've already been told, might aswell get something out of em....

 

Oh no, Bubba has got his grammar radar out again!

 

I had my STI v5 stolen and recovered last year - but with a blown engine. My insurance company decided the cost of a full rebuild (plus replacing all the interior trim they had ripped off) was uneconomic, so wrote it off.

I know this makes it an open and shut case compared to your car, but if the Scooby specialist finds evidence of problems with your engine, and you have some way of proving it was well maintained prior to being stolen (eg. full service history, support from the garage who serviced it last) you should have a reasonable case for the insurance taking care of it. As ever with insurance companies you will have to push all the way - but they employ whole departments to make claiming difficult so this shouldn't be a surprise!

 

Recorded as a notification, but not a claim if they don't have to pay out - so not strictly true mate

 

As Scud8 says - problem from the insurance companies point of view is that everyone who had a car recovered would claim the engine was now shagged and it needed a rebuild, and honest guv, it was fine before.

Unless you can provide concrete proof the engine was A1 before it was stolen ( for example, if you had just had a rebuild, and done hardly any miles since ) and was now damaged as a result of being hammered you've absolutely no chance.

 

... sadly, you're probably 100% right there. But! I only got it 6 weeks ago, and I do have receipts for a mini-service just before then. Worth a pop I guess, but don't have any great hopes.

At times like these, any nice liberal guardian-friendly theories you have on crime and (corporal!) punishment go out of the window. Two jobless known joyiders from scummy Southmeade in Bristol.... would the world *really* be a poorer place if someone beheaded them?

 

Personally if my MY01 WRX was stolen I'd prefer not to get it back due to probable engine abuse.

If it was recovered I'd sell it and buy another one and I'd also try to avoid an insurance claim if possible.

 

I'm not having a go here, but I just want to point that out to anyone else with no security on their car, that a steering lock would cost you two tanks-worth of petrol. (Indeed, I got a steering lock before I got my import!!).

It's a shame that we the owners have to spend extra money to prevent ******* who don't want to earn money from taking our pride and joys.

Hopefully the limited mileage wont have done any harm - I mean the car is designed to take abuse when all warmed-up, isn't it?

 

common sense tells me get decent security on a scooby, bollox to xmas presents. we all learn by our mistakes, or the mistakes made by the low lives that steal cars.

 

I work for an insurer.... for my sins.

You cant prove or claim for "wear and tear".

Sounds like your best bet is to repair it yourself and sell it ASAP if you really think it has been abused to the point of affecting the engine.

If it is reported and not claimed for it wont be registered as a claim.....simple as that. You have to report the incident by law but you DO NOT have to claim unless you wish to do so. It will be registered as a LOSS which you must declare in the future but this does not have the same effect on your premium as a claim which involves your insurer parting with money and you losing no claims discount.