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My mum was on her way down south here to spend Christmas with us, and had a car accident on the M5 near Worcester.
Apparently, her car is a write-off, and is now in a lock-up. But it also contains all her belongings. She has just asked if my wife will drive her up there tomorrow to collect what she can.
How secure are such facilities? If the car is there for an extra day or two, will there be any - or an increased - chance of people get into it and taking what they want? Or is going to pretty secure, on the basis that it’s some kind of police-approved site?
I work opposite one such place. Most vehicles get stored in an open compound which looks reasonably secure, but is obviously open to the weather. Unless the car is pretty much intact (no broken glass or bent doors), I'd get there ASAP so her stuff doesn't get soaked.
Also, in general terms, the longer that stuff is hanging around, the more likely it is to find a new home.
From my memory of similar a number of years ago, it'll be a relatively secure compound and they shouldn't have touched anything inside it.
The insurer will be paying through the nose for storage there - they'll want it scrapped asap so I'd get there and grab her stuff quick. Bear in mind if panels are damaged it might not be easy to access what you want.
If the police arranged the recovery the compound will be secure, unless the police wish to inspect the car for some reason it will be stored in the open. Make sure your mum takes ID or she will not be given access to the vehicle, it would be a good idea to phone first and let them know you are coming.
When my car was written off earlier this year here is what I learned.
1. Don't assume the car is where you've been told it is; ring the place and check it's actually there. I found my car in the 3rd location I was told it was.
2. All the rear glass had gone on mine but it had been sealed with some sort of heli tape sheets to keep things dry and extra bits from falling off.
3. Take the spare keys - you might not be able to get in it otherwise.
4. Don't worry if she can't get at the stuff, write it down with the approximate value of each item and take photos of why she can't get at it - in my case, I couldn't get the tailgate open.
5. Make a note of the mileage/costs incurred in recovering the stuff and make sure it's on the list of uninsured losses.
Good luck I found the whole process pretty miserable.
When a blowout rolled & wrote off my car some years ago it was stored in the open, most of the windows had gone so everything inside was soaked. The place wasn’t exactly secure either.
It really depends.. I'd get to it sooner rather than later.
I had a bit of a hard time recovering stuff from my car, the yard claimed everything belonged to the insurers. It took a bit of arguing and agreeing for them to turn the other way before I could gt access. Given that I had Thule aero bars, 4 pro ride bike carriers and a load of outdoor gear in the car it was well worth the effort to recover it.
She'll need the log book or proof of ownership before they let her take anything.