AUTOM OG@rT ts 27 - Friday, January 19, 1990 - North Shore News VY —€ § ICBC weighs pros, cons of writing vehicle off LAST WEEK'S column reviewed [CBC’s claim system and the services it provides for people making claims. This week, we'll see how the system looks after damayed vehicles. While you're off talking to the adjuster, your vehicle will be introduced to an estimator in the drive-in part of the building called the “tube.”” The estimator will inspect your vehicle and determine the extent of the damage. A form is filled out listing the parts required and the number of hours of bodyshop labor necessary ta do the job, plus the hourly rate which ICBC will pay. {f your vehicle has suf- fered relatively minor dam- age, you should be able to drive it in for the inspection, and drive it off to the body shop of your choice for the repairs. If the damages are severe, your pride and joy may arrive and leave via tow truck. There can be delays in get- ting these ‘“non-driveable’’ vehicles into an ICBC claim facility, which may in turn . mean a bit more time to get the estimate completed. What happens when a vehicle is ‘‘written of f?”? An insurance ‘‘fundamen- tal’? is that the insurance company (ICBC or any other company providing the applicable coverage) can determine whether to repair or *‘replace”’ your vehicle. It’s a well-known fact that buying a vehicle piece-by- piece over the parts counter is much more costly than buying the whole product off the sales lot. In cases where the vehicle is obvious- ly damaged beyond repair, it would not be fair to all the people paying for insurance for the company to spend more than the vehicle was worth to have it fixed. But there are some borderline cases where the decision to repair or replace becomes difficult. Some modern vehicles often hide their damage. Expensive components throughout a vehicle can be ruined by what appears to have been a relatively minor accident. On the other hand, badly mangled sheet metal can make a vehicle look far worse than it actually is. How do we determine what can or cannot be repaired? There are three factors that are considered: the market value of the vehicle just before the crash, the value of any salvageable parts, and the cost of repairs. As a rule, if the salvage value and the cost of repairs total more than the value of the car, it will be written off. Rather than ‘replacing’ your vehicle by physically going out and finding you another one, the insurance company will offer you a cash settlement. At ICBC, we determine many cash settlements by us- ing a computer-based system called ‘*Autotrak.'’ This system monitors the asking and selling price for all vehi- ele makes and models around B.C., with con- sideration given to the vehi- cle’s condition. Our goal is to offer you a fair market price. Of course, most vehicles are repairable and, once you have your estimator’s report, you may take your vehicle to the bodyshop of your choice. Before you authorize tepair though, confirm that the shop will do the job at the approved ICBC rate, because anything charged over that amount is your re- AutoTopic Ken Hardie INSURANCE CORPORATION Of BRITISH COUUAIBIA sponsibility. When the work is done, the bodyshop will ask you to sign a form stating that the repairs ere satisfactory. Check your vehicle over carefully before signing, and if there are problems, call your ICBC adjuster. Most body shops will ask you to pay any deductible before they will release your vehi- cle. They will then bill ICBC directly for the rest of the cost. 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