Car damaged by unsured driver, what should I do

Connavar

Hi guys,

My car was hit by an uninsured driver on Tuesday(only found out he wasn't insured now).
He has offered to pay to send the car to one of his friends garages to repair the damage but I am a bit wary of this as that would be sending it to a non neutral party and i already have trust issues with them as they were uninsured and I think that they tried to do a runner(parked in their house a bit away from where it happened and didn't call the guards or stop to give info etc.
I was thinking of sending it to them and then getting a checkup done in another garage.
Do you think that this would be a good idea?

PS: I know that I can go through the Motor insurance bureau Ireland but I was told that could take up to 12 months to see a return

Thanks in advance

eden_my_ass

I'd be making it a garage of my choosing...if he has an issue with that let your insurance company handle it, meaning he'll be reported for having no insurance, no harm either!

cynder

A girl drove in to the arse end of me ( she was insured) only got the car that day. Anyways she wreaked the boot and rear bumper her dad worked in a Nissan garage and he fixed up the car, we didn't bother going through the insurance companies. Her car was wrote off, there was no front left, lucky my car had a strong boot.

I believe that if you claim against someone else it still effects your own no claims.

Best of luck

djimi

eden_my_ass wrote: »

I'd be making it a garage of my choosing...if he has an issue with that let your insurance company handle it, meaning he'll be reported for having no insurance, no harm either!

This to be fair. If he has no insurace then hes not really in a position to be negotiating over where the repairs are done. Go to a garage of your choosing, get a quote, and if hes not happy with it then tell him you have no choice but to go thru your insurance and let them persue him.

Inform your insurance company regardless, of whether you need to claim or not, in case you need to avial of their services at a later date regarding the incident.

mecanoman

I'd be wary of he's friends garage and the finished job done on the car.

Ring your insurer and pick a garage that suits you and has a good

rep.

djimi

grindelwald wrote: »

A girl drove in to the arse end of me ( she was insured) only got the car that day. Anyways she wreaked the boot and rear bumper her dad worked in a Nissan garage and he fixed up the car, we didn't bother going through the insurance companies. Her car was wrote off, there was no front left, lucky my car had a strong boot.

I believe that if you claim against someone else it still effects your own no claims.

Best of luck

No it doesnt, not unless your insurance company has to pay out anything. If someone rear ends you it is 100% their fault every time, and your insurance will not be affected.

giant_midget

Connavar wrote: »

Hi guys,

My car was hit by an uninsured driver on Tuesday(only found out he wasn't insured now).
He has offered to pay to send the car to one of his friends garages to repair the damage but I am a bit wary of this as that would be sending it to a non neutral party and i already have trust issues with them as they were uninsured and I think that they tried to do a runner(parked in their house a bit away from where it happened and didn't call the guards or stop to give info etc.
I was thinking of sending it to them and then getting a checkup done in another garage.
Do you think that this would be a good idea?

PS: I know that I can go through the Motor insurance bureau Ireland but I was told that could take up to 12 months to see a return

Thanks in advance

Well in my opinion, everyone including me knows someone, a friend/relitive who is in the panel beating/spraying business...I would not go down the motor insurance bureau route...This could take months.

Bring your car down to his friends garage and see for yourself his setup, Have a chat.. If you are comfortable with it then leave your car with him and it will get fixed..I honestly think this is yourt best option otherwise you will be driving around in a crashed car with rusty panels for maybe a year...

Connavar

djimi wrote: »

go thru your insurance and let them persue him.

The problem with this is that I only have third party fire and theft. I think I might use this except use the courts as a warning instead.

jesusinaglanza wrote: »

Bring your car down to his friends garage and see for yourself his setup, Have a chat.. If you are comfortable with it then leave your car with him and it will get fixed..I honestly think this is yourt best option otherwise you will be driving around in a crashed car with rusty panels for maybe a year...

I wish I even had the option. The car is undrivable at the moment(wheel pretty much ripped off)

djimi

Connavar wrote: »

The problem with this is that I only have third party fire and theft. I think I might use this except use the courts as a warning instead.

Im not sure exactly how TPF&T works in this regard, but your insurance company should still persue any damages owed to you? Maybe give them a call and have a chat with them. The fact that you dont have comprehensive does not matter to them as (provided the other guy is at fault) they wont be paying out either way.

Connavar

djimi wrote: »

Im not sure exactly how TPF&T works in this regard, but your insurance company should still persue any damages owed to you? Maybe give them a call and have a chat with them. The fact that you dont have comprehensive does not matter to them as (provided the other guy is at fault) they wont be paying out either way.

I rang them already and hey said that my policy does not cover damage done to my vehicle and they would therefore not persue it.

By the way, the guards have taken the offenders statement so they have accepted responsibility at this stage.

Heroditas

grindelwald wrote: »

A girl drove in to the arse end of me ( she was insured) only got the car that day. Anyways she wreaked the boot and rear bumper her dad worked in a Nissan garage and he fixed up the car, we didn't bother going through the insurance companies. Her car was wrote off, there was no front left, lucky my car had a strong boot.

I believe that if you claim against someone else it still effects your own no claims.

Best of luck

The exact same thing happened me. Her car was written off, mine needed a new back bumper.
However, my no-claims bonus was not affected. My insurer temporarily suspended it because that is their policy once an accident has occurred.
Once they saw that it was not my fault and the other driver's insurer was covering the cost, my no-claims was restored.

oldyouth

Bring it to a garage of your choice to get a full estimate as to the extent of the damage. The 'mates garage' may ignore/overlook potentially serious damage to keep the cost down.

An uninsured driver should never be in the position to call the shots and I hope he gets what's coming to him. I'd say the initial offer to have it fixed was made to keep the Gardai out of it. Now that they are involved, there is no incentive for him to even honour that, so you'll end up dealing with the Bureau anyway

Connavar

oldyouth wrote: »

I'd say the initial offer to have it fixed was made to keep the Gardai out of it. Now that they are involved, there is no incentive for him to even honour that, so you'll end up dealing with the Bureau anyway

In fairness to the offender, this offer was made after the guards had become involved

oldyouth

Connavar wrote: »

In fairness to the offender, this offer was made after the guards had become involved

Perhaps, then, the fastest solution for you would be to get the work done by this mates garage (providing it is a bone-fide business) and make sure it is done through the books of the garage and not a night time nixer. That way, you will have comeback against the garage for any work you are not happy with

Connavar

oldyouth wrote: »

Perhaps, then, the fastest solution for you would be to get the work done by this mates garage (providing it is a bone-fide business) and make sure it is done through the books of the garage and not a night time nixer. That way, you will have comeback against the garage for any work you are not happy with

This option is really tempting as it will mean that I will get return immediately. As I say and was mentioned above, the only issue with this is if they do a cheap job and avoid potentially risky problems.
If I go the other root I could run into trouble getting the money and end up having to go through the courts, which I really don't want to have to do(but will if required)
Dammit why cant there be an option with no down sides