A few people seem to be worried we are going to loose money please rest assure it was still a bargain we don’t want to return it or get a refund it’s going to make a great parts vehicle and we will utilise the Parts. And remember if you get lemons make lemonade 👌👍
This comment makes me consider that they got a partial refund and kept the asset, due to the costs paid out to collect, and for co-part to dispose; therefore don't worry all.
@@abcxyz820 if I had any refund I would have said so like I said we’re happy to keep it as a parts van the engine alone will cover the cost of the vehicle
Someone official in the DOT needs to be told about this to get it investigated as the system of categorisation has clearly failed. Is there a disclaimer in Coparts Ts and Cs? If not then surely you've got scope to pursue them for misrepresentation of this vehicle.
Hi Lads, I'm a retired Assessor and yes that in my view would have been a breaker if un-economic or in days gone by as Chris said a new shell. I doubt whether shells are available now anyway because of the work involved and amount of tech. packed into new vehicles make it un-viable. I retired early because work was thinning out for independent assessors because the major insurers were dealing with most claims in house from images sent from repairers or recovery yards. Another consideration is that the categories of salvage bring different percentages paid to the insurer. Therefore Cat N might net 25% : Cat S 15% : Cat B 10% so I'm not saying it's happened in this case but the wrong category will give the insurer give a bigger return against the loss. In my day it would be down to the salvage agent to ask the insurer to change the category but Copart are so big I don't think they would bother. I'm sure you will be OK as you say just not as profitable.
As the guy said, it can be repaired if it had been Cat N and the Assessor (and proper old school been there done it Engineers are few and far between now, probably just some snotty nosed twat with an NVQ glanced at the fuzzy pics) then you have a come back, but strip the front out, give it a pull, new flitch A post and chassis leg, 2nd hand non structural parts and it's on the road for about £1500 more than if you'd bought a straight one from a dealer, as an old Assessor that used to enjoy going to Silverlake, SRC, Frys, Charles Trent, etc to look at write offs, talk with people that knew their trade, We all knew Copart was going to be be a nightmare, even before COVID, they didn't really want to deal with anyone face to face, but that's progress😢
They won't. Same happened to me but wasn't as obvious as this. A Cat N being a severe CAT S. No apology and told me to put it back on their site if I want.
I love Rob’s positivity, already looking how he can make the best of a bad situation. If I bought it I would have went to bed and hidden under the covers for a week.
Can you try to return this mess back to copart as its obviously been misrepresented in the photographs , you said they only showed the front quarter of the bonnet area conveniently missing out the serious damage . If you tried to sell a car like that you would end up in court.
Good comment Bruce plus I think both Chris and Rob should become assessors as well as their day job, but I very much doubt they would have enough time in the day best regards to you and have a nice evening 😃👍
Ya, but even if copart did take it back. Rob is going to be out of pocket a days pay minimum. As someone said above, when you get lemons, make lemonade. Im looking forward to finding out how much they paid.
They imaged the entire front quarter, you can clearly see all the damage, you can even see the sill is crumpled. Nothing wrong with the image I'm afraid
as a retired vehicle assessor i can say that someone definately didnt do there job right that van should be a cat B as you stated. love the channel and out of all the youtube salvage repairers you are by someway the most honest and proffesional repairers i watcH. Keep up the good work and i look forward to your next video. Ade
My thoughts are that this has not been assessed in person and has been assessed from some questionable photos. On the positive side at least you have a running 20k miles engine, a key and some parts for a future project. I think maybe a flood damaged body would be something to look out for, around the same age though. Hope Chris will get well soon and thanks Rob for another video. 👍👍
Not a chance anyone been to view that van to catagorize it.and a good plan going forward to keep a look out for a damaged/flood damaged one to sort.great upload guys
Yeah park it up.. it'll come in handy at some point. The private plate is worth a decent few quid if it comes with the van and isn't on retention. Good content
Hello Rob & Chris once .. no way that one should be back on the road, doing so could damage your reputation.. once again you've shown your true professionalism and knowing when to say no.. pretty sure something will turn up u can use the bits on.. I have one if these newer partners I think they're a disaster compared with the older ones.. lots of adblue issues..
Rob do you ever do the video walkaround with the vehicles you're getting? It costs £10 but it's saved me a lot of hassles with some of the cars I've been looking at at copart, you get 10 minutes and you can ask them to start and move it and look at anything you want to on the vehicle. I'm sure I've you'd have done that with this one you would've walked away. As you say, it should clearly be a cat B
I had my car crashed into during covid, damaged the Sill, Door, front wing and rear quarter. Was a 07 Fiesta but the insurer wrote it off from the photos, paid me out and never mentioned a category but got collected to copart in Chester and was listed as CAT B. I had to smash the sill down with a hammer to shut door easily but it still ran and drove for the next few days until I got a replacement. Whoever bought it would have had plenty of parts as every other side of the car was in damaged including the bonnet and front bumper. Just front wing to rear on that one side. Can’t say that’s seen a proper assessor that van and copart should have included pictures of that damage, it’s not hard to miss
Guys, new subscriber here, love your down to earth nature and have been watching a while now but had to comment on this one. As an ex ATA VDA this situation is completely unacceptable, as you said the categorisation process needs a serious over hall, having just made a video of the complete opposite situation here because I simply had to something has got to be done before people are killed having an accident in an improperly repaired vehicle, in this case anything other than a body shell would fold up like an envelope if it was hit again no matter how well it’s was repaired as you have rightly said. Love you work ethic men, keep grinding and all the best. Kev
Surely that itself is a grey area, after all anything can be repaired with enough parts and enough labour, the economic viability is a different matter.
@@81adamlittle Yes but that's the point, nobody is going to spend more money than the car is worth, therefore the risk is that unscrupulous people could fix up a breaker car on the cheap then put it back on the road. Not an expert but that seems like a big concern if we're allowing breaker cars to be put back on the road.
@@XXXLAVERICKXXX Did you? Especially the bit where Chris said he would consider a re-shell? As Adam said "anything can be repaired, it is the economic viability that calls the shot"! Exactly how it is in our business, aviation, we have planes from the 1920's through to the present day and some parts are unobtainium! So we fabricate new parts from original plans. When a £million plane needs a part that's not available, you make it! But with a £10k van it isn't worth it! Got the idea now?
Thank you for being open and honest.. you could easily not include this one on the channel.. but we all need and like to see the business/ industry from all angles.. have to take the good with the bad .. ill have one of thoses lemonades please.. 😅
Jesus Crhist that took a wack. My mK3 Megane with 75.000km in 2017 when we got it imported from france hit a barrier and hit the crash bar was bent bad, radiator, bonnet, no Airbags tho, we fixed it and still have it, now it has 200.000km. We did have alot of other things to fix, multiple injectors, alternator, multiple batteries, ventilators, cabin blower motor. Great video Rob, i think the Partner should be a Cat S because thats just oo far gone.
I'd be taking copart to court for my money back. They must know what a cat S & cat B are, it's their trade. If they purposefully didn't include decent pictures of the o/s front, they knew they were selling a lemon. The insurance assessor needs bringing to account too, imo, as well as copart. There's defo something fishy going on & only legal proceedings will bring that to light
Good luck😂wasting your time there they have a lot more money than you to fight over it too, time is money you move on and get on with it. If you spent time going over every single thing in salvage game you’d never get anything done! The terms and conditions are bulletproof done by very expensive solicitors you aren’t getting around them. They even say in the invoice “you aren’t guaranteed to get this vehicle”😅
Think people have not played with a straight bat, agree that the van should be a cat B but I am sure all is not lost you will be able to use as a donner van and get your money back all is not lost. Thanks for sharing Rob you could have quite easily have shown us another video. Just shows how honest you boys are.
That is so shady, but I am not surprised at anything these days, I just hope that a lot of people see how IMO crooked the insurance companies are in conjunction with the auction sites that don't allow in person viewing, so shady, it's like being a mile underground, yes I worked at a mine lol. Take care guys. Better luck next time.
I watch every video, I’m in the motor trade 20+ years, I honestly don’t know why anyone buys from Copart, Stick to the private vehicles where you can meet the owner and buy the vehicle a lot cheaper and no Fee’s, I used to buy from copart and got caught a few times with the same issue with bad photos.
Problem is so many insurance companies seem to be tied up with this sort of outfit. When my car was hit Copart managed absolutely everything including the offer on my car once it was written off. Because they categorised it as a Cat B (incorrectly) I couldn't buy it back.
There is no way you get it cheaper from a private sale.. copart is 100% cheaper always bid from copart thinking this is worse than the pictures ... I bought an Antara un recorded i.e no cat write off 6k on forecourt same mileage delivered to me 3k
Rob i spotted where the fault is, looks like the assessor left his glasses on the dash before he done his walk around. That is a cat b all day. But then if its a bodyshop that is doing the assessing and if they are anything like the one my insurance has made me use then its quality issue. My car has been away since 14th December for a rear bumper told car was ready last week went down and told them take it back to the booth 1 the paint is the wrong colour, 2 the orange peel was awful seen smoother 40 grit.
What is also bad is that the insurance company got more money from a bad assessment too. Now find a van of the same model that had a bad engine and had the doors on the side and back stolen or removed. It is a popular enough model from your other videos so better to use this for parts, cheaper and less hassle going to/from the breakers' yard.
Ob and Chris, remember salvage in the 1980s and 1990s the drivers A post would have been sent right back halfway to the b post, amazing how the passenger cell is so intact after such a big hit
I think Stevie Wonder would have spotted that this wasn’t a repairable vehicle! Thanks for showing us the warts and all side of the business. BTW, I think I remember someone many years ago buying a new shell for a car from Ford. It was a lot of work and he swore a heap.
Not with copart, if it runs and drives and it's been categorised by an assessor they sell it as it is, only way this could've been avoided is if the lads paid £10 to copart and did a video walk around. Copart wash their hands as soon as the money is paid
@@olie3146 Unless the person doing the walk around is deceitful which has happened to me. Also they must do the video call on a 3310 because its hard to see anything.
@@misterzee5736 I've done quite a few and never had any issues, I just ask them to look at specific things and hold the camera so I can see the damage. I have heard that some people have had issues with the quality..... Personally I think they should allow viewing again but it helps them out too much not to do them.
Im sure there is a garage in Birmingham that will buy it from you and have that back on the road in 24 hours!!! Coparts aren't bothered, and if you take it back will blame you for damaging it! Thay have literally cornered the market to the point where i would say they are monopolizing it.
A replacement after-flood bodyshell would make an interesting string of videos plus you've got a sound engine and dry looms and there have been lots of floods recently. Good Luck.
Great video, as always honest and direct, success teaches us nothing. Looking forward to seeing how this can be turned around making it even more watchable.
My last car was written off on just photos I definitely think this one should be a breaker I don't think you are the only ones having issues with co part and the category ect
If you want those sorts of buyer protections you have to buy from a dealer? All auctions are a trade environment, buying under trade conditions. You have to put your big boy pants on!
Copart have been doing this for years. I bought a wheelchair accessible Peugeot partner about twelve years ago from them. I bought it for my sister in law who is disabled. They never took a picture of the wheelchair ramp and I just thought they couldn’t have been bothered to. The actual reason they didn’t take one was because there wasn’t one in there. The previous owner must have drilled the rivets off and removed it before the insurance collected it. They know what they are doing, they are sneaky and take the most favourable pictures. You should’ve left the van there and told them to do one
They haven’t got time to be doing it maliciously they make so much money they don’t care. The people taking pictures are lads on not much more than minimum wage they don’t do it to hide anything. When they don’t take a picture of something you assume it isn’t there and then you won’t be surprised!
My friends own a garage that services and repairs motorcycles. They would buy bikes from salvage to break. 20 years ago they had a 3 month old Suzuki Bandit in that was a cat B. They also picked up a Honda Blackbird , Cat C, from the same vendor. The Bandit had only fallen off the sidestand, snapped the clutch lever, footpeg, bent the handlebars and broke the front indicator. All parts they had in stock ! The Blackbird had flipped multiple times at speed - it was just a mangled mess of what was left of the frame, and an engine- basically the engine internals being the only salvage they could get from it- but useful to rebuild another customer's engine. Sometimes there's no logic behind the categories !
BCA are also exploiting the fact that you can't inspect in person. Relying on auction houses for accurate descriptions is like pissing in the wind! And don't they know it!
Since a lot of auctions went "online only" with the 19 sneezes, there is a lot of stuff selling here in Canadian machinery auctions that isn't what the out of area buyer thinks it is. The auctioneers tell me they won't go back live in person Auctions now because they do less work for thousands more than local buyers were paying. Now that tells the whole story scraps making more money because people aren't looking in person before the hammer falls. I know what some of the equipment is when guys retire, I've been a mechanic in this area a long time. I won't even try biding on some stuff as there is no profit buying it to fix and sell out as the guys are known locally for being rough on machines.
Hi philosophical, is the word that comes to mind You have stated recently that you’ve had some good buys from Copart and wondered why they let you have them so cheap, But another word that comes to mind is diabolical. That certainly was the case with this van no way was it a category S I really like your channel and the input with all the details. Thank you so much
That has to be a cat B, especially with the damage and deformation of the occupancy area, so there's no way anyone assessed the damage. If the engine was knackered it would definitely be a case of putting in a complaint to get a refund or money off from lack of appropriate images/information, but with what you have got it will make a future project easier and possibly cheaper to get parts for, and once that does happen it could be an interesting video to see what the full extent of the damage to the shell on this one is when it gets stripped down for the parts.
Rob & chris ,that's a great idea Utilising that van for a flood damaged or back end smash. it is wrong but how great you both are I'm sure it'll pay off for salvage rebuilds.
Insurance is strange my son's micra was cat B with minimal damage to the front corner had to get an independent assessment done to get it corrected and is now a cat N his insurance was a nightmare to deal with He was just lucky that i know what insurance is like as i was in a car body shop for a number of years but an assessor actually looked at the car and still got it wrong But keep up the good work i like the old school approach
I had the same with an Audi a3 from Copart the damage was listed as minor dents and scratches had all sorts of mechanical problems and was in limp mode and the turbo had gone
It is what it is, that’s what you get when dealing in salvage, sometimes you get lucky sometimes not, but most importantly is how you deal with it, I think Rob and Chris have right attitude, park it up use the bits, it will all work out fine in the end 👍
Did you price up a new bodyshell, if Citroen supply them? Many years ago I re-shelled an Escort and a Metro, both hit hard in the same area with buckled roofs and floors. About 120 hours work per car for me as an amateur, I'm sure you and Chris would be quicker. At least the interior of this one is simple
No insurance person checked that it's definitely a part's one But again Chris came up with the idea which will be a less hassle so good luck for the future of this job again well done Rob for for keeping your cool looking forward to seeing that one back in the future 👍
This is the first video I've seen where you guys weren't happy with a purchase. Normally I watch and see some crazy damage and you guys just say there's not much wrong with it. Keep up the great work :)
Hi Rob and Chris all the years I've followed your videos that is a bad one but I'm no mechanic. But I would say just wait and see if you can save it. Thankyou again for a great video take care both 👍
Hard lines on this one fellas surely you weren't showing the real damage i know Chris is good but Paul Daniels could not bring this one back to life i think that the insurance accesser needs to go to spec savers hopefully you will get your readies back one way or another take care and stay lucky and healthy 👍 looking forward to Wednesday's video 📹 already 😊
Chris isn't the first person to say it's a mockery of the category system. Some are written off just because of car hire costs and parts availability, others are given the same category as wrecks that should have been crushed.
Sorry this has happened chaps, I’m no expert but that is definitely a cat b, good idea both on a new body shell and also waiting for a flood damage or light damage one come up again, I wish you both every success in getting through this, their is no way an assessor looked at this and if they did they don’t know diddly squat, kind regards to you both and Chris get well soon, kind regards Mark from Billericay 😀👍🇬🇧
The insurance assessor must have used the glasses on the dash to look at that one, defo cat B, hope you are able to sort something and atleast get your money back, good luck guys
Hi Guys, loving your videos! I recently bought a Cat N Subaru Outback from Copart. Took me 5 mins once it arrived to see it was Cat S - chassis leg, inner wing, rear quarter. God knows what the insurance assessor was thinking. An X ref car so straight from insurance.
Agree other comments, you should make an official complaint to Copart and, whilst not seeking to return the vehicle, ask them to examine their audit trail records for it; you have to ask how many other vehicles have been incorrectly assessed. Anyway, good luck with using the parts from it and, Chris, get well soon.
I agreed with everything in the comments, can’t believe that a engineer would say that was ok to repair !. It would be nice to know as Chris said “ get the price of a new shell ££ . I watch all the videos, great job both of you.
Cat B without a doubt. Lad driving it will have been rough getting out of that. I would look into re shelling it. It’d be quite quick as a van has very little to switch over
Hi Rob and Chris, well, ive learnt something today guy's, it would seem that in any other game that would be classed as miss selling.. but not in the salvage world it would seem. If the category is deemed as S...then to all parties including Copart and others in their field, the vehicle should be S as deemed by the insurance industry. Surely no vehicle should be categorised without being SEEN by an expert.? You guy's know better than most, and if your now lumbered with it, you will do what's best, either part it, or find another and use the good bits we all know. Be interesting content.. Alex.
I think you're right that an assessor has not inspected that van in person. Shame you can't physically view them beforehand. Glad you can get yourselves out of it though.
Def. Cat B, the assessor didn't even tap it with his white stick! Shame there's no comeback on Copart given they didn't disclose a pic of that major damage.
I had to send photos to my insurance company they would not send an assessor out. Looking at the damage which was only 2 scratches & 2 bumper clips. The car was repaired after 2 months of haggling that the car had minimal damage. All the insurers wanted to do was send it to Co-Part. Yet this van is a complete scrapper & they say it is only a Cat S? Ridiculous.
That’s outrageous, well and truly done you up like a kipper. Definitely only a parts car, problem is they’ve made you do it the wrong way round, in that you’d obviously buy a repairable one first. Now you’ve got to wait for a car that got very specific damage. Thankfully you guys are in a position that you can afford and wait to do that. Not all repairers can buy two cars to make one good one.
That van is good for parts and scrap only . You were ripped off Rob . Should never have been sold as a Cat S . Hope you have better luck in finding another body for the engine .
Totally agree with you 100% no way is that van CAT S , if a insurance assessor has looked over that and labelled it a cat s , he is in the wrong job , that van has had one hell of smack !
Was looking forward to Chris finding some spare change in this one
6 месяцев назад
Hi Rob and Chris, no joke this episode? Looks like Co part are the jokers this week. Also at 11:18, no need for Chris to salute us all. Thanks for another honest episode. 👍
No way has the assessor seen that vehicle. Definitely some dodgy photography gone on here. Copart are just taking the **ss for sure!! Good result with the key and the engine though especially with such low miles you guys are really helping people who are thinking of buying a salvaged vehicle by showing them the best and worst of what can happen. 👍🇬🇧😎
Thought you might “back” that one Rob…what an absolute mess!!! Chris’s face when he saw it on the flat bed!!! Not a happy bunny. I think you should do what you said, park it up & wait for a similar model to show up.
The vans as rough as Chris sounds. Get well soon Chris, don’t do too much too soon, take the time to get properly better before going out in the workshop.
6 месяцев назад
Hi Rob and Chris, no joke this episode? Looks like Copart are the jokers this week. Also at 11:18, no need for Chris to salute us all. Thanks for another honest episode. 👍
Id love to see you put it on your new frame and see how it pulls out, as regards being a cat S ,,, better photos would of helped with the price you paid, ,,,, but you might be lucky and get to repair it with a good shell if you get offered one,
A few people seem to be worried we are going to loose money please rest assure it was still a bargain we don’t want to return it or get a refund it’s going to make a great parts vehicle and we will utilise the Parts.
And remember if you get lemons make lemonade 👌👍
Great outlook guys, good on ya.
That's a good one Rob,witty as usual,lol.
This comment makes me consider that they got a partial refund and kept the asset, due to the costs paid out to collect, and for co-part to dispose; therefore don't worry all.
@@abcxyz820 I can guarantee you copart don't do partial refunds..... It'd be a miracle if you got a full refund out of them
@@abcxyz820 if I had any refund I would have said so like I said we’re happy to keep it as a parts van the engine alone will cover the cost of the vehicle
Someone official in the DOT needs to be told about this to get it investigated as the system of categorisation has clearly failed. Is there a disclaimer in Coparts Ts and Cs? If not then surely you've got scope to pursue them for misrepresentation of this vehicle.
We’re quiet happy to keep the vehicle it’s a good parts vehicle and it was cheap
Funny enough they even have one on the invoice that says “you aren’t guaranteed to get this vehicle”
Hi Lads, I'm a retired Assessor and yes that in my view would have been a breaker if un-economic or in days gone by as Chris said a new shell. I doubt whether shells are available now anyway because of the work involved and amount of tech. packed into new vehicles make it un-viable. I retired early because work was thinning out for independent assessors because the major insurers were dealing with most claims in house from images sent from repairers or recovery yards. Another consideration is that the categories of salvage bring different percentages paid to the insurer. Therefore Cat N might net 25% : Cat S 15% : Cat B 10% so I'm not saying it's happened in this case but the wrong category will give the insurer give a bigger return against the loss. In my day it would be down to the salvage agent to ask the insurer to change the category but Copart are so big I don't think they would bother. I'm sure you will be OK as you say just not as profitable.
Be great to ask the assessor who categorised it advice on how he would go about repairing it
As the guy said, it can be repaired if it had been Cat N and the Assessor (and proper old school been there done it Engineers are few and far between now, probably just some snotty nosed twat with an NVQ glanced at the fuzzy pics) then you have a come back, but strip the front out, give it a pull, new flitch A post and chassis leg, 2nd hand non structural parts and it's on the road for about £1500 more than if you'd bought a straight one from a dealer, as an old Assessor that used to enjoy going to Silverlake, SRC, Frys, Charles Trent, etc to look at write offs, talk with people that knew their trade, We all knew Copart was going to be be a nightmare, even before COVID, they didn't really want to deal with anyone face to face, but that's progress😢
Cat B all day long. Copart should be calling you to apologise on this one.
They won't. Same happened to me but wasn't as obvious as this. A Cat N being a severe CAT S. No apology and told me to put it back on their site if I want.
You will wait all of your life to get an apology from Copart. They never apologise for any of there actions, never will.
Chris, brew in hand....."Just price a new bodyshell Rob." without flinching.
Now that's old school! 👍
😂
Yeah, liked that. No hesitation with the "Let's see if we can make this work" mentality, grafters attitude, not bodgers.
a great example of someone bringing solutions, not problems, to the situation!
Nothing fazes him, does it? 😊
Yeah - Only someone of Chris's mechanical pedigree would react to getting a turd like that! 🤣
I love Rob’s positivity, already looking how he can make the best of a bad situation. If I bought it I would have went to bed and hidden under the covers for a week.
Yep, me as well. Not in the same bed though, obviously :)
That's a category B all day.
Can you try to return this mess back to copart as its obviously been misrepresented in the photographs , you said they only showed the front quarter of the bonnet area conveniently missing out the serious damage . If you tried to sell a car like that you would end up in court.
Good comment Bruce plus I think both Chris and Rob should become assessors as well as their day job, but I very much doubt they would have enough time in the day best regards to you and have a nice evening 😃👍
Ya, but even if copart did take it back. Rob is going to be out of pocket a days pay minimum. As someone said above, when you get lemons, make lemonade. Im looking forward to finding out how much they paid.
They imaged the entire front quarter, you can clearly see all the damage, you can even see the sill is crumpled. Nothing wrong with the image I'm afraid
The assessor clearly was stevie wonder on this one !
And his seeing eye dog must have called out sick that day.
Not even stevie wonder is that blind😂
Best comment here. 😂
i just called to say ill rob you and i mean it from the bottom of my heart
as a retired vehicle assessor i can say that someone definately didnt do there job right that van should be a cat B as you stated. love the channel and out of all the youtube salvage repairers you are by someway the most honest and proffesional repairers i watcH. Keep up the good work and i look forward to your next video. Ade
My thoughts are that this has not been assessed in person and has been assessed from some questionable photos. On the positive side at least you have a running 20k miles engine, a key and some parts for a future project. I think maybe a flood damaged body would be something to look out for, around the same age though. Hope Chris will get well soon and thanks Rob for another video. 👍👍
I agree with chris you should get a price on a new shell that would make a good mini series
Still too much labour. They'll better off repairing other van that took lighter N/S damage
Think you've also highlighted the "hole" in car vertical check it's only as good as data from others
Not a chance anyone been to view that van to catagorize it.and a good plan going forward to keep a look out for a damaged/flood damaged one to sort.great upload guys
The insurance guy didn't even looked at that, was a Friday afternoon job 100%. Keep going with the great job guys.
Get better soon Chris.
Yeah park it up.. it'll come in handy at some point. The private plate is worth a decent few quid if it comes with the van and isn't on retention. Good content
I saw that on your truck on Friday, wondered when it would appear on the channel, it did look a rather badly damaged van hope it goes well.
Hello Rob & Chris once .. no way that one should be back on the road, doing so could damage your reputation.. once again you've shown your true professionalism and knowing when to say no.. pretty sure something will turn up u can use the bits on.. I have one if these newer partners I think they're a disaster compared with the older ones.. lots of adblue issues..
Rob do you ever do the video walkaround with the vehicles you're getting? It costs £10 but it's saved me a lot of hassles with some of the cars I've been looking at at copart, you get 10 minutes and you can ask them to start and move it and look at anything you want to on the vehicle. I'm sure I've you'd have done that with this one you would've walked away. As you say, it should clearly be a cat B
Coparts revenge for selling you
Cheap motors before Christmas
Looking forward to seeing you boys transform this one
The parts will just end up on another car.
Category B, surely? Can you recover any components from it to mitigate your losses?
Engine alone will cover what they paid for that 100%
I had my car crashed into during covid, damaged the Sill, Door, front wing and rear quarter. Was a 07 Fiesta but the insurer wrote it off from the photos, paid me out and never mentioned a category but got collected to copart in Chester and was listed as CAT B. I had to smash the sill down with a hammer to shut door easily but it still ran and drove for the next few days until I got a replacement. Whoever bought it would have had plenty of parts as every other side of the car was in damaged including the bonnet and front bumper. Just front wing to rear on that one side. Can’t say that’s seen a proper assessor that van and copart should have included pictures of that damage, it’s not hard to miss
Guys, new subscriber here, love your down to earth nature and have been watching a while now but had to comment on this one. As an ex ATA VDA this situation is completely unacceptable, as you said the categorisation process needs a serious over hall, having just made a video of the complete opposite situation here because I simply had to something has got to be done before people are killed having an accident in an improperly repaired vehicle, in this case anything other than a body shell would fold up like an envelope if it was hit again no matter how well it’s was repaired as you have rightly said. Love you work ethic men, keep grinding and all the best. Kev
Are Copart not liable in allowing a vehicle out the door which is so badly damaged as a cat s?
Exactly, they're allowing it to be repaired and on the road again - very dangerous !
Surely that itself is a grey area, after all anything can be repaired with enough parts and enough labour, the economic viability is a different matter.
@@81adamlittle Yes but that's the point, nobody is going to spend more money than the car is worth, therefore the risk is that unscrupulous people could fix up a breaker car on the cheap then put it back on the road. Not an expert but that seems like a big concern if we're allowing breaker cars to be put back on the road.
@@81adamlittle Did you watch the video?
@@XXXLAVERICKXXX Did you? Especially the bit where Chris said he would consider a re-shell? As Adam said "anything can be repaired, it is the economic viability that calls the shot"! Exactly how it is in our business, aviation, we have planes from the 1920's through to the present day and some parts are unobtainium! So we fabricate new parts from original plans. When a £million plane needs a part that's not available, you make it! But with a £10k van it isn't worth it! Got the idea now?
Very interesting bit of salvage 🤔 but at least it runs 👍🏻 Get better soon Chris 🤧 Great idea looking for a donor van 🚐 fingers crossed 🤞🏻
Thank you for being open and honest.. you could easily not include this one on the channel.. but we all need and like to see the business/ industry from all angles.. have to take the good with the bad .. ill have one of thoses lemonades please.. 😅
Jesus Crhist that took a wack.
My mK3 Megane with 75.000km in 2017 when we got it imported from france hit a barrier and hit the crash bar was bent bad, radiator, bonnet, no Airbags tho, we fixed it and still have it, now it has 200.000km. We did have alot of other things to fix, multiple injectors, alternator, multiple batteries, ventilators, cabin blower motor.
Great video Rob, i think the Partner should be a Cat S because thats just oo far gone.
A coffee if I'd showed that to Chris I'd have bought him a bottle of whiskey to soften the blow😂
I'd be taking copart to court for my money back. They must know what a cat S & cat B are, it's their trade. If they purposefully didn't include decent pictures of the o/s front, they knew they were selling a lemon. The insurance assessor needs bringing to account too, imo, as well as copart. There's defo something fishy going on & only legal proceedings will bring that to light
Good luck😂wasting your time there they have a lot more money than you to fight over it too, time is money you move on and get on with it. If you spent time going over every single thing in salvage game you’d never get anything done! The terms and conditions are bulletproof done by very expensive solicitors you aren’t getting around them. They even say in the invoice “you aren’t guaranteed to get this vehicle”😅
Copart should be writing you a check! The assessor never saw this van. Great work in difficult circumstances.
Think people have not played with a straight bat, agree that the van should be a cat B but I am sure all is not lost you will be able to use as a donner van and get your money back all is not lost. Thanks for sharing Rob you could have quite easily have shown us another video. Just shows how honest you boys are.
That is so shady, but I am not surprised at anything these days, I just hope that a lot of people see how IMO crooked the insurance companies are in conjunction with the auction sites that don't allow in person viewing, so shady, it's like being a mile underground, yes I worked at a mine lol. Take care guys. Better luck next time.
I watch every video, I’m in the motor trade 20+ years, I honestly don’t know why anyone buys from Copart, Stick to the private vehicles where you can meet the owner and buy the vehicle a lot cheaper and no Fee’s, I used to buy from copart and got caught a few times with the same issue with bad photos.
I thought that about BCA.
Problem is so many insurance companies seem to be tied up with this sort of outfit. When my car was hit Copart managed absolutely everything including the offer on my car once it was written off. Because they categorised it as a Cat B (incorrectly) I couldn't buy it back.
There is no way you get it cheaper from a private sale.. copart is 100% cheaper always bid from copart thinking this is worse than the pictures ... I bought an Antara un recorded i.e no cat write off 6k on forecourt same mileage delivered to me 3k
Rob i spotted where the fault is, looks like the assessor left his glasses on the dash before he done his walk around. That is a cat b all day. But then if its a bodyshop that is doing the assessing and if they are anything like the one my insurance has made me use then its quality issue. My car has been away since 14th December for a rear bumper told car was ready last week went down and told them take it back to the booth 1 the paint is the wrong colour, 2 the orange peel was awful seen smoother 40 grit.
What is also bad is that the insurance company got more money from a bad assessment too. Now find a van of the same model that had a bad engine and had the doors on the side and back stolen or removed. It is a popular enough model from your other videos so better to use this for parts, cheaper and less hassle going to/from the breakers' yard.
Ob and Chris, remember salvage in the 1980s and 1990s the drivers A post would have been sent right back halfway to the b post, amazing how the passenger cell is so intact after such a big hit
In the 60's the steering column would go thru your chest too.
@@darthviragoand the chrome strip down the top of th centre of the bonnet.
But, I think the foam bits on the lower dash would cushion the blow🙂
@@lesbrown5829 no
@@darthvirago yes a lot of people died in car accidents, Marc bolan a famous singer in the 1970s died in a car crash he would survive now
Good idea Rob not showing Chris your address lol 😂 buying that heap mate he is sure to come looking for ya 😂😂 and deservingly so 👌🏻.
I think Stevie Wonder would have spotted that this wasn’t a repairable vehicle!
Thanks for showing us the warts and all side of the business.
BTW, I think I remember someone many years ago buying a new shell for a car from Ford. It was a lot of work and he swore a heap.
would be great to see a re shell on thst van , something totally new and never seen you do that before
If they haven't shown the correct damage for the auction, surely you can reject this as not being what you were buying, lads?
Not with copart, if it runs and drives and it's been categorised by an assessor they sell it as it is, only way this could've been avoided is if the lads paid £10 to copart and did a video walk around. Copart wash their hands as soon as the money is paid
Absolutely disgraceful that they can get away with this
@@olie3146 Unless the person doing the walk around is deceitful which has happened to me. Also they must do the video call on a 3310 because its hard to see anything.
@@misterzee5736 I've done quite a few and never had any issues, I just ask them to look at specific things and hold the camera so I can see the damage. I have heard that some people have had issues with the quality..... Personally I think they should allow viewing again but it helps them out too much not to do them.
Rob and Chris a bit rough maybe a diamond in the rough strip for spares,? In my opinion hide it in a big hole Shocking 😮
Im sure there is a garage in Birmingham that will buy it from you and have that back on the road in 24 hours!!!
Coparts aren't bothered, and if you take it back will blame you for damaging it! Thay have literally cornered the market to the point where i would say they are monopolizing it.
Small world I'm a Lister and live in Tamworth not far away haha
@@Rusty_Tank. Not my surname, but a quote from Red Dwarf!!
@mrlister2000 good call absolutely brilliant series mate.
A replacement after-flood bodyshell would make an interesting string of videos plus you've got a sound engine and dry looms and there have been lots of floods recently. Good Luck.
Get well soon Chris, park it up.. it'll come in handy at some point.
That’s a Cat B if anything!
Get well soon Chris I know how you feel mate I’m exactly the same 🤧
Just glad it's you guys who got it and it won't see the road again.. someone deffo not doing their job..
Great video, as always honest and direct, success teaches us nothing. Looking forward to seeing how this can be turned around making it even more watchable.
My last car was written off on just photos I definitely think this one should be a breaker I don't think you are the only ones having issues with co part and the category ect
It’s not Copart bud it’s insurance assessors
If you want those sorts of buyer protections you have to buy from a dealer? All auctions are a trade environment, buying under trade conditions. You have to put your big boy pants on!
Seeing the glasses on the dash, would explain the accident 😂
Thing is Copart have sold something that doesn't match the correct description - even though assessors have misjudged. Copart are liable.
It's a joke rob
Copart have been doing this for years. I bought a wheelchair accessible Peugeot partner about twelve years ago from them. I bought it for my sister in law who is disabled. They never took a picture of the wheelchair ramp and I just thought they couldn’t have been bothered to. The actual reason they didn’t take one was because there wasn’t one in there. The previous owner must have drilled the rivets off and removed it before the insurance collected it. They know what they are doing, they are sneaky and take the most favourable pictures. You should’ve left the van there and told them to do one
They haven’t got time to be doing it maliciously they make so much money they don’t care. The people taking pictures are lads on not much more than minimum wage they don’t do it to hide anything. When they don’t take a picture of something you assume it isn’t there and then you won’t be surprised!
Scary thing is, there's people out there who would do some work on this and sell it. Top marks for being the honest craftsmen you both are
My friends own a garage that services and repairs motorcycles. They would buy bikes from salvage to break. 20 years ago they had a 3 month old Suzuki Bandit in that was a cat B. They also picked up a Honda Blackbird , Cat C, from the same vendor.
The Bandit had only fallen off the sidestand, snapped the clutch lever, footpeg, bent the handlebars and broke the front indicator. All parts they had in stock !
The Blackbird had flipped multiple times at speed - it was just a mangled mess of what was left of the frame, and an engine- basically the engine internals being the only salvage they could get from it- but useful to rebuild another customer's engine.
Sometimes there's no logic behind the categories !
BCA are also exploiting the fact that you can't inspect in person. Relying on auction houses for accurate descriptions is like pissing in the wind! And don't they know it!
Since a lot of auctions went "online only" with the 19 sneezes, there is a lot of stuff selling here in Canadian machinery auctions that isn't what the out of area buyer thinks it is. The auctioneers tell me they won't go back live in person Auctions now because they do less work for thousands more than local buyers were paying. Now that tells the whole story scraps making more money because people aren't looking in person before the hammer falls. I know what some of the equipment is when guys retire, I've been a mechanic in this area a long time. I won't even try biding on some stuff as there is no profit buying it to fix and sell out as the guys are known locally for being rough on machines.
Can you get a Copart refund because of the van condition even if you had to get a professional second opinion .
No we’re happy to keep it for parts 👍
Dangerous that it’s been clearly missed, exposes the issues and understaffing. Flood damage would be a great series!
Hi philosophical, is the word that comes to mind You have stated recently that you’ve had some good buys from Copart and wondered why they let you have them so cheap, But another word that comes to mind is diabolical. That certainly was the case with this van no way was it a category S I really like your channel and the input with all the details. Thank you so much
That has to be a cat B, especially with the damage and deformation of the occupancy area, so there's no way anyone assessed the damage. If the engine was knackered it would definitely be a case of putting in a complaint to get a refund or money off from lack of appropriate images/information, but with what you have got it will make a future project easier and possibly cheaper to get parts for, and once that does happen it could be an interesting video to see what the full extent of the damage to the shell on this one is when it gets stripped down for the parts.
Cat B definitely, as you said, you can utilise the parts 👍🏻, flood damaged van sounds perfect 👍🏻.
Rob & chris ,that's a great idea Utilising that van for a flood damaged or back end smash. it is wrong but how great you both are I'm sure it'll pay off for salvage rebuilds.
A bit late now but a parts breakdown manual would of been handy for knowing how shes put together. I'm sure there downloadable.
Wow! That’s a bad one indeed. You Gents do amazing work! Keep the great videos coming!
Insurance is strange my son's micra was cat B with minimal damage to the front corner had to get an independent assessment done to get it corrected and is now a cat N his insurance was a nightmare to deal with
He was just lucky that i know what insurance is like as i was in a car body shop for a number of years but an assessor actually looked at the car and still got it wrong
But keep up the good work i like the old school approach
At least experienced guys like yourselves have bought it. Someone with less knowledge may have tried to put that nightmare back on the road!
It probably doesn’t make financial sense, but I’d be really interested in seeing a re-shell…
I had the same with an Audi a3 from Copart the damage was listed as minor dents and scratches had all sorts of mechanical problems and was in limp mode and the turbo had gone
It is what it is, that’s what you get when dealing in salvage, sometimes you get lucky sometimes not, but most importantly is how you deal with it, I think Rob and Chris have right attitude, park it up use the bits, it will all work out fine in the end 👍
Did you price up a new bodyshell, if Citroen supply them? Many years ago I re-shelled an Escort and a Metro, both hit hard in the same area with buckled roofs and floors. About 120 hours work per car for me as an amateur, I'm sure you and Chris would be quicker. At least the interior of this one is simple
No insurance person checked that it's definitely a part's one
But again Chris came up with the idea which will be a less hassle so good luck for the future of this job again well done Rob for for keeping your cool looking forward to seeing that one back in the future 👍
This is the first video I've seen where you guys weren't happy with a purchase. Normally I watch and see some crazy damage and you guys just say there's not much wrong with it.
Keep up the great work :)
Agreed with you Rob, cat B. They should give you the option of taking a swap! 👍👍👍
Hi Rob and Chris all the years I've followed your videos that is a bad one but I'm no mechanic. But I would say just wait and see if you can save it. Thankyou again for a great video take care both 👍
Hard lines on this one fellas surely you weren't showing the real damage i know Chris is good but Paul Daniels could not bring this one back to life i think that the insurance accesser needs to go to spec savers hopefully you will get your readies back one way or another take care and stay lucky and healthy 👍 looking forward to Wednesday's video 📹 already 😊
Chris isn't the first person to say it's a mockery of the category system. Some are written off just because of car hire costs and parts availability, others are given the same category as wrecks that should have been crushed.
Sorry this has happened chaps, I’m no expert but that is definitely a cat b, good idea both on a new body shell and also waiting for a flood damage or light damage one come up again, I wish you both every success in getting through this, their is no way an assessor looked at this and if they did they don’t know diddly squat, kind regards to you both and Chris get well soon, kind regards Mark from Billericay 😀👍🇬🇧
The insurance assessor must have used the glasses on the dash to look at that one, defo cat B, hope you are able to sort something and atleast get your money back, good luck guys
Hi Guys, loving your videos! I recently bought a Cat N Subaru Outback from Copart. Took me 5 mins once it arrived to see it was Cat S - chassis leg, inner wing, rear quarter. God knows what the insurance assessor was thinking. An X ref car so straight from insurance.
That van is 100% Cat B!
Agree other comments, you should make an official complaint to Copart and, whilst not seeking to return the vehicle, ask them to examine their audit trail records for it; you have to ask how many other vehicles have been incorrectly assessed.
Anyway, good luck with using the parts from it and, Chris, get well soon.
I agreed with everything in the comments, can’t believe that a engineer would say that was ok to repair !.
It would be nice to know as Chris said “ get the price of a new shell ££ . I watch all the videos, great job both of you.
You would think they would look after you. Seeing that you are good customers of them.
Cat B without a doubt. Lad driving it will have been rough getting out of that. I would look into re shelling it. It’d be quite quick as a van has very little to switch over
Hi Rob and Chris, well, ive learnt something today guy's, it would seem that in any other game that would be classed as miss selling.. but not in the salvage world it would seem. If the category is deemed as S...then to all parties including Copart and others in their field, the vehicle should be S as deemed by the insurance industry. Surely no vehicle should be categorised without being SEEN by an expert.? You guy's know better than most, and if your now lumbered with it, you will do what's best, either part it, or find another and use the good bits we all know. Be interesting content.. Alex.
I think you're right that an assessor has not inspected that van in person. Shame you can't physically view them beforehand. Glad you can get yourselves out of it though.
No problem for you guys. One will come along that's damaged on the side and you'll have all the parts for a quick turn round.
As you say Rob, great parts vehicle for a future project. No way an assessor had eyes on that. Shocking to be classed as Cat S 😳
Def. Cat B, the assessor didn't even tap it with his white stick!
Shame there's no comeback on Copart given they didn't disclose a pic of that major damage.
I had to send photos to my insurance company they would not send an assessor out. Looking at the damage which was only 2 scratches & 2 bumper clips. The car was repaired after 2 months of haggling that the car had minimal damage. All the insurers wanted to do was send it to Co-Part. Yet this van is a complete scrapper & they say it is only a Cat S? Ridiculous.
That’s outrageous, well and truly done you up like a kipper. Definitely only a parts car, problem is they’ve made you do it the wrong way round, in that you’d obviously buy a repairable one first. Now you’ve got to wait for a car that got very specific damage.
Thankfully you guys are in a position that you can afford and wait to do that. Not all repairers can buy two cars to make one good one.
That van is good for parts and scrap only . You were ripped off Rob . Should never have been sold as a Cat S . Hope you have better luck in finding another body for the engine .
Someone has to take responsibility for this, absolutely shocking gents. Gutted for you
Totally agree with you 100% no way is that van CAT S , if a insurance assessor has looked over that and labelled it a cat s , he is in the wrong job , that van has had one hell of smack !
Was looking forward to Chris finding some spare change in this one
Hi Rob and Chris, no joke this episode? Looks like Co part are the jokers this week. Also at 11:18, no need for Chris to salute us all.
Thanks for another honest episode. 👍
No way has the assessor seen that vehicle. Definitely some dodgy photography gone on here. Copart are just taking the **ss for sure!! Good result with the key and the engine though especially with such low miles you guys are really helping people who are thinking of buying a salvaged vehicle by showing them the best and worst of what can happen. 👍🇬🇧😎
And the New Year was getting off to a good start, I am sure you will come up with a solution, best wishes from France
Thought you might “back” that one Rob…what an absolute mess!!!
Chris’s face when he saw it on the flat bed!!! Not a happy bunny. I think you should do what you said, park it up & wait for a similar model to show up.
The vans as rough as Chris sounds. Get well soon Chris, don’t do too much too soon, take the time to get properly better before going out in the workshop.
Hi Rob and Chris, no joke this episode? Looks like Copart are the jokers this week. Also at 11:18, no need for Chris to salute us all.
Thanks for another honest episode. 👍
Id love to see you put it on your new frame and see how it pulls out, as regards being a cat S ,,, better photos would of helped with the price you paid, ,,,, but you might be lucky and get to repair it with a good shell if you get offered one,
top marks for your lane discipline on the trip out 👍
Naughty that rob love to know if Copart or other breakers have their own assessment on the crashed vehicles they receive to sell on