Crashed - Claiming for my own damage?

A-Trak

"Clipped" a parked car yesterday, completely my own fault.
No one else around, called into the houses opposite, no one knew the owner.

Left a note with all my details and got an *understandably* irate call from the owner who'd also called the guards on me. (Who called in later.)
Gardai were fine and happy to let us sort it out with eachother.

Her bumper and wing mirror took a clout and I bent a tracking arm and scuffed my front arch. So her car definitely took the brunt of it.

Quote for her is €2.2K which I'm going to put through insurance, unsure of mine yet as it's not safe to drive with the tracking arm wonky. I'd say about a grand from my local indy.

Question is, I'll drop down to 2yrs NCB from 7. Should I go ahead & get my car repaired under the claim as well? (I'm fully comp,) or do it out of pocket.

Claims advisor whist being a nice bloke strongly advised getting my car done as it'd load future premiums?

Any advice on how to proceed, claim or cough up for my own repairs?

IrishZeus

If you're making one claim and your NCB is part protected, you might as well cover your own. Depends on the cost of repairs for your own though and whether or not you'd be happy to pay out of pocket?


Fair play for leaving the note - not an easy thing to do. Very decent of you.

A-Trak

Cheers, I guess I'll have to see what mine will cost.

Have to admit for one split second I just thought about legging it, but karma and all that. (And especially after reading TBH's epic thread.)

It was pissing rain as well so I generously put the note in the plastic folder of my driving license.
Wonder if I can claim for that?

djimi

A claim is a claim. I could be wrong but a €2k claim will affect you as much as a €4k claim.

A-Trak

djimi wrote: »

A claim is a claim. I could be wrong but a €2k claim will affect you as much as a €4k claim.

That's what I thought, just found the claims advisor pushing to leave my own damage out of the cost. Probably just doing his job I suppose.

Anan1

A-Trak wrote: »

That's what I thought, just found the claims advisor pushing to leave my own damage out of the cost.

Ring him up and ask him to explain exactly what will happen and why come renewal for both possible scenarios.

Please Kill Me

djimi wrote: »

A claim is a claim. I could be wrong but a €2k claim will affect you as much as a €4k claim.

Depends on the insurance company AFAIK. I know with mine, I can make a claim of UP TO €3000 in one year and it won't affect my premium etc. the following year. So if I had a claim of €4k then that messes me up, whereas a €2k claim wouldn't affect me.

A-Trak

So had my mechanic take a peek, all bad news.
Tracking arms are fine, the subframe took the hit.

So with damage to bumper, headlight panel, passenger side front panel and most of all subframe which as moved, I'm looking at a write off for for economical repair.

So I'll need an assessor out. Whats the best way to handle this? Car has been babied, oil changes every 5k. Denison Ice iPod sound system intalled. Any problem rectified immediately. Both winter and summer tyres on separate rims .Receipts to prove all too.

Car is an alfa 156 1.8 petrol, 70k miles. I'm looking at carzone and 3k if repaired is optimistic.

How do I haggle with the assesor and ins como?

art davidson

thats some 'clip'.

goz83

you'll be given the blue book price and if you haggle, maybe a hundred or two more.

It will be offered for scrap. You can buy it back if you beat the scrap offer price. This is what I did with an fto last year, which I put a lot of money into and was rear ended the day I finished working on it. You will need an engineers report to get it back on the road if you go down this road, because there is chassis damage

unkel

A-Trak wrote: »

Left a note with all my details and got an *understandably* irate call from the owner who'd also called the guards on me. (Who called in later.)

That's terrible. Accidents happen. You did the right thing leaving all your details and your wan gives out to you and even sends the Guards on you?

A-Trak

art davidson wrote: »

thats some 'clip'.

You're telling me. I "Clipped" her then a kerb, that's what did for my car.

unkel wrote: »

That's terrible. Accidents happen. You did the right thing leaving all your details and your wan gives out to you and even sends the Guards on you?

To be fair, I think she thought that I'd just left a load of false details so logged it with the cops to be sure the reg was legit. Cops were very nice and the lady since has been easy and friendly to deal with.

Anyways, assesor came out and looks like the news is a bit better. Subframe looks ok & he spotted something on a wishbone, (I think,) that my guy missed.

So now it's I've to wait for it to be towed to one of the insurance garages to get fully quoted. Hopefully repairable as I bloody love that car

goz83

I know the feeling. Hope it works out for you.

A-Trak

Quick update & a question on this.

With a bit of haggling the insurance company agreed to repair (after I went back to assesor and garage who both agreed a "capped cost" repair,) which I was happy with.

After a huge amount of chasing the insurance company, I got a call saying garage had completed the repairs. Up to this point the garage hadn't been in touch at all around what was to be repaired with what parts etc.

So I went down at lunch, picked up car. Wasn't offered any sort of invoice, had to ask for one. Immediately obvious was the drivers window button was broken, a sidelight in one the headlamp units was completely missing. Both of which I reported straight away.

There's a large knock from drivers front side which garage claims is a drop link, wear and tear. (There was no knock at all prior to the accident as well as this I had all bushings and drop links replaced 2 years ago, recently enough to know that this doesn't sound true.)

And finally, when he did give me an invoice, all parts are listed and prices as Alfa OEM which they definitely aren't. Service desk lad admitted as such and most of the suspension is 2nd hand? So as far as the invoice I have is concerned, the garage are billing the insurance comp for OEM parts when most are spurious/second hand?

I reported all of this back to the garage and repeatadly called back as the repairs/service rep was in a "Meeting" while I was there and apparantly all day as well, he's to call me in the morning.

I've not signed any acceptance form or similar, any advice who to chase here - garage or insurance company??

Chuck_Norris

^^^^^

That is just wrong. So, so wrong. I can't imagine your insurer is gonna be too happy.

I wish I could give advice on this, but I can't.

Tommyboy40

Who's your insurer? i had huge problems after having a window replaced on my insurance; leaks, not closing etc. I spoke to the claims dept at my insurance co after having brought the car bact to the garage several times. They agreed to send my car to a garage of my choosing to have it fixed. Damn straight they're charging your insurance co for new parts. Where are you based? if it's cork i bet i can guess the garage

goz83

With proof of invoice, i'd be getting onto the insurance company and a solicitor and reporting this absolute breach of trust and fraud...because that's what it is; FRAUD. Billing for OEM parts and supplying spurious and 2nd hand parts is fraudulent.

A-Trak

Thanks all.

I'll leave the who insurer and garage are out for now, but the whole thing stinks.
Thing is I could easily fix all the niggles, new drop link, side light and swap out the window switch all in an afternoon.

But the whole, "There's your keys, sure what do ya need an invoice for?" really grates as well as the bull about the droplink combined with the blatantly incorrect OEM parts invoice vs what's on the car. Plus the hit I'm going to take on renewal. And this was the insurances companies preferred garage too.

I'll get onto the insurance comp first thing etc. I'm interested in what quote the garage put in. I'm going to get an independent assessor to take a look and verify what's OEM and what's not vs their invoce.

Going to leave the car parked up as I don't want to put miles on it. (As an aside, car was in the garage 4 weeks.)
I'll let you know how I get on.

CJhaughey

If anyone doesn't know this then I'll post it here:
The Insurance companies preferred repair garage has nothing to do with anything other than the fact that they have an agreed price which makes it easier and cheaper for the insurance company.
Its a scam that they push you into, you can choose where you want to have your car fixed.
I had one experience with an insurance companies preferred repairer and I can safely say that I won't be back there anytime soon.
Its unfortunate but many people don't know this and just go with the way the insurance company pushes them.

A-Trak

Another quick one.

I had a look this morning again in the light, and they've replaced all four calipers! The replaced ones are rusted to bits and far older.

Why in the world would they replace the calipers??

Yakuza

Wow, it's almost like they've used your car as a donor car for another repair job. What a bunch of cowboys :mad:

Kenny Logins

A-Trak wrote: »

Another quick one.

I had a look this morning again in the light, and they've replaced all four calipers! The replaced ones are rusted to bits and far older.

Why in the world would they replace the calipers??

Are you sure they've replaced them?

A-Trak

Kenny Logins wrote: »

Are you sure they've replaced them?

100% Sure. I called and asked "Did you replace all four calipers?" Yes was their reply.

It's getting a bit messy now, I'll update when I can.

msg11

art davidson wrote: »

thats some 'clip'.

I done the same, cost me close to 7k in damages.

OP, I knocked in also. His car was a write off, I said to myself this is what I pay insurance for so got my car sorted also. Also, he called the Garda but they didn't attend no need. Just can't get my head around why he called the Garda? (I'm calling into your house to tell you I crashed into your car and here are my insurance details to make a claim. If I wanted to do you over I would have just drove off.)

That insurance company wanted a ridiculous amount of money at renewal. Ended up with Quinn direct at the time with the claim declared on the policy and got a reasonable quote from them.