I've recently been in a similar position, I could not get them to increase the valuation other than a couple of hundred. Even though my car was low mileage, fdsh, full mot etc. They seem to go by the valuation guide and stick to it. I presume you have searched all the common car sites? e.g Autotrader, Adtrader, Gumtree, searched google. I had loads of issues with my claim as the garage that declared it a write off lied and caused more damage than when I took it in. They were hoping to get the extra money in repair bills via insurance. I would recommend to anyone who has had a car written off to ask for a list of the items that need repair. Personally from my experience I do not trust any of these kind of garages that have been recommended by insurance companies. In the end the garage had to fix all the damage and I was given a life time warranty and also the car was checked over by an external garage.

One thing I have learnt from all this is make sure you take decent photographs of the damaged vehicle before it is taken away. I have a feeling this is a common occurance with garages putting extra 'damages' on the claim. Easy money for them. Sad to hear but unfortunatley the truth. For the people who replied here, thanks for your advise

Thanks for your help everyone, the garage has admitted liability and they have now said that they will repair the car to the original standard. They will also allow me to keep the courtesy car until the car is fixed. Cheers Mark

Thank you for your reply ericbrother, much appreciated. I'm expecting a call from the insurance tomorrow regarding the incident. I will tell them they have 72 hours to respond otherwise I am going to the police. The garage phoned me and said that the damage was already there. I told him that I have photographs to prove otherwise also the form which was handed to me (from them) only state the car had bumper damage. He said that the person must of made a mistake and missed the other damage. I then told him its funny that they noticed a small scratch on the side of the vehicle then but missed all the other damage. He then went on and said it would of been a write off anyway. Thanks again.

Hi Just wandered whether anyone can offer any advice on the steps I should take. My car was hit a week a go and damage was caused to the front bumper (nothing else). I agreed with the person who hit me that we would go through insurance as he accepted liability. This is where the fun starts.... The insurance company aranged for the car to be collected and I was given a courtsey car. They filled in a sheet stating that the only damage was the front bumper. 2 days later I received a call from insurance saying the car is a write off!!! They listed about 5 different issues e.g bonnet, both lights, bumper, grill etc. I explained that there was no damage to that when they picked up the car. So I decided to go to the garage and have a look. When I turned up there was loads of extra damage:-x Luckily I took a photo before it went so I now have proof before and after the garage. The sheet they left is also proof that it was damaged whilst it was there. My guess was that the garage was hoping that the insurance company would pay out for the repairs so the garage would make loads. But its back fired as they have written it off Now i'm left with no car as the amount they are offering would not allow me to buy a car in similar condition/mileage. Also I have a feeling the courtsey car will be taken back soon so I will be rushed in to getting another. I need my car as I have 2 kids. All because the garage damaged my car. Just wandered what I could do to redeem all the money back that will allow me to get an identical car to the one that was damaged? I have contacted the insurance and told them this is insurance fraud and have supplied photographs and I am waiting for them to review it and get back to me. I just want to be prepared but i'm not sure what to do if they deny it (which i'm sure they will). Should I go to the police as its damage on my vehicle? should I go to the papers as this involves a large insurance company and its obvious this is quite common? Should I take them to small claims? Could I request that I keep the courtsey car for a longer period until I get a replacement car? Any advice would be greatly received. Many thanks p.s I can see why insurance goes up if garages act like this