What did you do to your Lotus today...

[mbell]

My lovely S3SE dhc has been written off by the insurers as it has been submerged in dirty water along with the house.They will not let me keep the salvage

Sorry to hear of your situation.

Can you ask them what the insurance are doing with it? You might be able to track down the sale it will go through and buy it back. Probably need to check what category it will be classed as, to confirm if you can buy it and put it back on the road.

[alan.barker]

Last week-end, I tryed to wake up "OEW" ...
Our 2nd Annual Meeting for Elan's & +2 start on the 19th of May.
Flat batterie, old fuel, and to get some sport note, some air in the right hand caliper! All cleared.
Tomorrow, a last shakedown spin, in order to be ready to meet guests!

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The attachment BeforeAnnualMeeting2023b.jpg is no longer available

Christian.

This meeting 20 Elans. French, English and Didier Belgium

Alan

[Old English White]

My lovely S3SE dhc has been written off by the insurers as it has been submerged in dirty water along with the house.They will not let me keep the salvage

Sorry to hear of your situation.

Can you ask them what the insurance are doing with it? You might be able to track down the sale it will go through and buy it back. Probably need to check what category it will be classed as, to confirm if you can buy it and put it back on the road.

What a nightmare... Can't imagine the anger I should get if similar situation happened to me!
I sincerely hope you will find a solution that will please you, whatever the choices the insurance company will allow you.
Christian.

[Old English White]

The attachment 20230520_113206.jpg is no longer available

Last week-end, I tryed to wake up "OEW" ...
Our 2nd Annual Meeting for Elan's & +2 start on the 19th of May.
Flat batterie, old fuel, and to get some sport note, some air in the right hand caliper! All cleared.
Tomorrow, a last shakedown spin, in order to be ready to meet guests!

The attachment BeforeAnnualMeeting2023a.jpg is no longer available

The attachment BeforeAnnualMeeting2023b.jpg is no longer available

Christian.

This meeting 20 Elans. French, English and Didier Belgium

Alan

Yes indeed, that one. 20 Elan's & +2.
Beside any other big event, that was great.

BTW, "OEW" made it well, like all its sisters... all back home safely.
Christian.

[Spyder fan]

HELP BIG TIME.

My lovely S3SE dhc has been written off by the insurers as it has been submerged in dirty water along with the house.They will not let me keep the salvage.

Therefore I am looking for a replacement S3 DHC.

HELP HELP HELP. D

David, Only just seen this, who are you insured with?

How bad is the damage to the car?

There must be a different option than write off no salvage.......

[TBG]

Alan - I just so wish there was but my insurance company ERS are adamant that as the car was submerged in "Black water" , sewage and so forth it is a health hazard. So good bye lovely Lotus and on the pastures new. I could never replace it with another the same as after 37 years getting this one perfect for me I would always be comparing it. Bye for now super people, D

[Spyder fan]

David,
Ask them to confirm the vehicle will be a category A write off. This means that the car should be crushed and all parts will never re-appear on the road.

Cat A,
Cat B
Cat S
Cat N

The new Category S means the vehicle has suffered structural damage.

This could include a bent or twisted chassis, or a crumple zone that has collapsed in a crash.

Category S damage is more than just cosmetic, therefore, and the vehicle will need to be professionally repaired.

Also, it won’t be safe to drive until then.

Category N (formerly Category D)

Vehicles graded accordingly haven’t sustained structural damage, so the issue may be cosmetic, or a problem with the electrics that isn’t economical to repair.

Don’t assume such vehicles are drivable, however; non-structural faults may include brakes, steering or other safety-related parts.

The ABI Salvage Code dictates that Category A and Category B cars should be crushed, with Cat B vehicles allowed to donate some safe and serviceable parts.

However, write-offs in the latter two categories can be sold on by the insurance company, either to the original owner or to a third party via a car salvage company.

Cars written off as a Category S case, must have a Form V23* submitted by the insurer, self-insurer or agent to DVLA as soon as the categorisation decision is made and without waiting for V5.

However, it is the responsibility of the keeper to notify DVLA when a vehicle is passed to an insurer following a total loss payment.

No notifications are made to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) or VOSA when a car is written off in a Category N situation.

Cars in the latter two categories can sometimes represent a bargain, if they are priced accordingly.

An older car can be repaired to an acceptable standard at a lower cost than that dictated by an insurance company’s standards – especially if used parts or cheaper labour are used.

[baileyman]

I don't understand how this can happen. I mean, one is not forced to make a claim. John

[Spyder fan]

perched my +2 up on the ramp ready for its new springs and dampers.

[Andy8421]

Alan - I just so wish there was but my insurance company ERS are adamant that as the car was submerged in "Black water" , sewage and so forth it is a health hazard. So good bye lovely Lotus and on the pastures new. I could never replace it with another the same as after 37 years getting this one perfect for me I would always be comparing it. Bye for now super people, D

20230511_105030.jpg

It is my general experience that insurance company loss adjusters have no clue about classic cars, and are risk averse box tickers. I could easily believe that a modern car with expensive electronics spread throughout the vehicle would be difficult to repair in these circumstances, but if the engine / gearbox / diff were flushed before any water had started corrosion, in this case the majority of the damage could be addressed by a jet washer and a couple of days in the sunshine to dry out.

As for the 'black water', have they given much thought as to what gets sprayed up from the roads every time the car is taken out? I live in a rural area, and frankly 'black water' would be a step up from half the stuff I drive through around here.

[englishmaninwales]

Evening drive. Sunset on the Denbighshire/Conwy moor looking towards Snowdonia.

[Elanman68]

Drove to Le Mans yesterday, just the morning Croissant run today .

[Kansas Randy2]

Today I managed to get the car (65 S-2 26-4985) up on jack stands in preparation for an oil change. Found that at 71 y.o.a. my arm strength was insufficient to crack the seal on the oil filter. Strap wrenches could not be brought to bear due to the limited space. Beer consumption did not solve the problem, nor did centering my ki, so tomorrow I am off to the parts store to see if they have a wrench that will fit on the bottom of the filter.

I have been trying to decipher the bottom row of switches on the dash. What I have (LHD) does not match the shop manual. Complicated by the fact that the paint and body shop disconnected the headlights and did not reconnect them.

Another question is the identity of a nice English restorer on YOUTUBE who recently did a frame up restoration of an Elan that he ended up painting Robin's egg blue. I watched it completely and found it very helpful, but now I can't find it. Was his name Paul? Can anyone point me to it?

Kansas Randy

[gjz30075]

Yes, Paul Haigh. Here's a reference.
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=43426&start=

[2cams70]

[

Found that at 71 y.o.a. my arm strength was insufficient to crack the seal on the oil filter. Strap wrenches could not be brought to bear due to the limited space. Beer consumption did not solve the problem, nor did centering my ki, so tomorrow I am off to the parts store to see if they have a wrench that will fit on the bottom of the filter.

One way that never fails is a large screwdriver. Pierce the filter by using a hammer on the end of the screwdriver. Once it's through both sides you can then use the screwdriver as leverage to spin the filter off.