Yes you can deal with the third parties Insurance company directly, They will be in the same position as your own company in that they won't repair the car, if the repairs are high in comparison with the cars market value. So you would still be faced with a write off. The benefit of dealing with the third parties Insurer is that they won't deduct an excess from the write off payment they make. You might be able to negotiate having the salvage returned to you, with the relevant amount deducted from the claim payout. If you can then get the car repaired yourself out of the claim payout, then that may be a way of keeping the car. Be aware that if you claim from the third parties Insurers, you cannot use the FOS to help with any complaint.

You may be able to do the same with your own Insurers. Ask them to return the salvage, deduct the relevant amount from the claim payout and then you can sort out the repairs yourself. The problem with that option, is that they would deduct the excess and you would have to wait to get this back from the third parties Insurers.

Suggest that you discuss this with your own Insurers first, as sometimes getting salvage back to repair yourself, is not always an option. It depends on the level of damage.

Hi,

Quick background: My car was hit from behind by a Merc. The driver of the Merc has accepted liability for the accident. My insurance company has told me that since cost of repairs exceed the value of vehicle - they will not get it repaired but only pay the value as per glass valuation since that is accepted by FOS. I have tried asking them to get it repaired since they do not have to bear the cost but it will be borne by the Merc's insurance company but as per my insurance company the terms of policy say that they will not pay more than value of car even if third party is at fault.

Query: Can I deal directly with the Merc's insurance company? In that case are there any guidelines that restrict the maximum amount that would pay or can i ask them to get the car repaired? Thanks.

Any help or guidance would be appreciated as dont know how to proceed.