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Specialist Valuations

This service is tailored for High value Classic vehicles , Rare vehicles, and cases where we expect to go to court, and a resolution is not expected to be found with the insurer. The court views independent engineers reports where the vehicle has been physically inspected more favourably than one that has not. £500.

Alternatively we can provide a specialist value report, without the inspection but with testimonials, value and supporting evidence for £350 where you expect resolution without going to court, but will stand favourably with the F.O.S. Allowing you to then speak to your insurer, and bring it to a resolution to clarify this situation.

Specialist valuations are a whole different ball park for insurance companies, the normal process of referring to guide’s they normally use may not be acceptable or available. If you have a Specialist vehicle, the best way of ascertaining the market value is by getting an Engineers report, contact me Due to it being Specialist ,The engineers Fee is £500 this includes physically inspecting the vehicle, creating a comprehensive supporting report detailing how we have obtained the value, and supporting evidence by way of market research and Specialist Testimonials where possible supporting the value.

Service Price
Specialist Vehicle Inspection & Valuation for “agreed market value policy” £500
Specialist Vehicle Valuation (without Inspection) £350

In addition or as a separate service to either of the above we will also negotiate with your insurer on your behalf the fee is £500 plus 10% of any increase from the original offer if you are disputing the insurer’s total loss offer.

In all cases, your insurer “should” but may not re-imburse your expenditure, under the principle of indemnity, you should be in “no better or worse situation” due to the incident, so prior to using either of our services, advise them if they do not agree to the valuation , and you are forced to our services, under the contract they have with you, they are obliged  to re-imburse you!

Prior to using our service, we will give you all the information you need to decide what is your best course of action BEFORE you pay for any service. We want you to be 100% happy with our service, if we do not think it is in your interest, we WILL tell you!

If you are not sure which service is applicable, we will help and guide you through this process. We will also advise what course of action is best suited, should the insurer not agree with the value if a resolution could not be found. The options available to take further are; Go to the FOS or take it to court.

The below information relates solely to specialist vehicles.

We would advise in most cases to go to court. In the event that it goes to court, you are responsible for the cost involved, but when  found in your favour, your insurer would have to pay all fee’s. There are cases where the FOS  can be useful, it is free and no cost to yourself.

Specialist vehicles may well be the following:

IMPORTED VEHICLES

There are guides the insurance industry use’s to value imports, but not all vehicle are in these guides.This guide is called CAP GREY. Alternatively they may have used market research to ascertain the value.

Always ask which  process they have used to value your vehicle, and ask to see their evidence. Carry out research yourself, it must be the same make model year and condition as your vehicle, or the nearest equivalent.

We can do this for you, as we have access to specialist guide’s and trade resources we can contact to validate the valuation. We have specialist knowledge in Japanese Imports, so we know our type C from our type RA Subaru’s, RX7 Infiniti’s , RB26 GTR32 SKYLINES from a RB25 to rarer stuff like the Mazda Eunos Cosmos, you would be surprised how many insurance engineers do not have a clue!  we have had a few Mx5 Eunos and have modified and regularly participate in the MX5nutz Forum.

Whatever the import, We are better placed to know the value, as we love cars, love imports and love modified stuff. We help a team in the TEGIWA Honda Civic Cup. Click Here

Got something NOT from Japan? Well whether it be a Tri Chevy, 55 ,56,57…we know the differences, Corvettes, the same…or pretty much anything else that rolled out of Detroit. First and foremost we are  complete PETROL HEADS! Passionate about cars and anything with wheels.

CLASSIC CARS

Well if you have read the above, you have probably got the gist by now, it doesn’t matter what your vehicle is, We will have a pretty good idea about it, who works on them and who to go to. If you have a classic, you do really really need to have on it on an agreed value policy.

Our speciality is PORSCHE 911’s , or anything else in the PORSCHE range, 964, 993 ,996 or if you have a 901 or 904 ring me! i’l buy it off you, even though I would never be able to afford it!

We participate in PORSCHE forums, one of the best we have found is http://p101tv.com/ run by a gent called Pete , Pete917 on the forums,  who is a wealth of information for all things Porsche.

The market for Porsche is ever changing,  some are appreciating in the market, like the 964 and 993 but have reached a plateau, whilst the 996 has started escalating rapidly and is now being appreciated as being a modern useable classic.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCo706godyM    in fact as of Nov 2021 they had gone up as much as 50+% https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsv00oahj_khttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsv00oahj_k  as of 03.2022, appreciation rates have slowed, but they are still increasing.

Insurance companies do not grasp this, so it is very very important that you use us! Click Here

Austin Cambridge or Moggy Minor? Morgan or Bugatti type 33..we  read classic car magazine’s , and have for a long long time, we subscribe to OCTANE magazine amongst others and keep track of what cars sell for, through classic car auctions, and dealers.

The only way to value classic vehicle ‘s like this is through research, engineers reports, witness statements from the industry who are recognised as experts ( we have developed quite a few contact’s in our time)that are impartial to substantiate the valuation.

MODIFIED VEHICLES

Now this area is Murky, if you have a car and have modified it, you MUST! have declared you mods, or you may have invalidated you policy. ALWAYS DECLARE ALL MODS! You cannot advise your insurer you want more money for the mod’s if you have not declared them! If you have a modified vehicle, it is always best to get an agreed value policy. But it does depend on whether mildly modified or extensive.

MILDLY MODIFIED

If your vehicles is based on a normal everyday car, and you have upgraded the suspension, brakes, engine and put different alloy wheels on, and a different exhaust, even if you have declared them, very very rarely will it increase the value over and above the car upon which it was based.

The insurance company will value in the same way as a normal value  you can still argue it, and we will advise the best way, but click here for how the Financial Ombudsman would handle it if you complained. Click Here

If you have declared them, as long as your mod’s are not a detriment, ie in poor taste (things that would stop most consumers from buying it, awful cheap tacky bodykits, chaved up mobiles,) then if you have fitted them, we would argue the cost of purchase and fitting them, and apply the same rate of depreciating the car has had. Might not be much, but better than nothing, the other option is retain the salvage , and whip the bits off.

HEAVILY MODIFIED

If you have a heavily modified vehicle, it should be on a specialist agreed value policy with everything declared.If you have not done this, and have insured on a normal policy, as long as you have declared them, It then depends on what mods have been done, to view how it would affect the value. To see what the Financial Ombudsman says, click here

You could quite easily spend twenty thousand modifying a car, and yet only marginally increase it’s value,We have dealt with many modified imports, where people have spent a LOT of money, and rarely get it back. If this is you ,your best way forward is To CONTACT  Us to arrange an inspection as the court and the FOS apply more attention to that than anything the insurance company may provide.

MOTORHOMES CARAVANS, LEISURE VEHICLES AND RACE SUPPORT VEHICLES

There are guide’s that can be used, but this again is a very specialist market, I may be able to obtain a value for you being a specialist value please send details via the contact form for a quote. Our advice again is do your research, prior speaking to your insurer.

GOT SOMETHING REALLY ODDBALL?

If it is something like a Pinzgauer or Haflinger, We have specialist in the market.There is very little We have not dealt with or have  had contact with  to assist. It doesn’t matter how odd, we can help.

COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

There are guides for commercial vehicles that we have access to.We can provide a report with market research for £100.

IF YOU PREFER FOR US TO DEAL WITH YOUR CLAIM, WE WILL VALUE AND NEGOTIATE ON YOUR BEHALF WITH YOUR INSURER FOR £250.

If we don’t think we can increase more than my fee, we will advise you not to use our services.