Dog did serious damage to car

fairestofall

Hi all I hope someone can help me here.

A stray dog has done serious damage to my car trying to chase cats. Basically all wiring , sensors and grills have to be replaced. The car is undriveable as there is no brakes, he ate the wires! Car was towed to main dealer and Im waiting for estimate of cost of repair.

Am waiting on gargae to get back to me re price.

Initially the garage thought it was rodent damage till they investigated and found the more serious damage. Thing is I told insurance company that it was rodent damage and they said it would be covered.

Question is will they cover damage done by a dog and will I have a fight on my hands?

Thanks for your time

Atlantic Dawn

fairestofall wrote: »

Hi all I hope someone can help me here.

A stray dog has done serious damage to my car trying to chase cats. Basically all wiring , sensors and grills have to be replaced. The car is undriveable as there is no brakes, he ate the wires! Car was towed to main dealer and Im waiting for estimate of cost of repair.

Am waiting on gargae to get back to me re price.

Initially the garage thought it was rodent damage till they investigated and found the more serious damage. Thing is I told the garage that it was rodent damage and they said it would be covered.

Question is will they cover damage done by a dog and will I have a fight on my hands?

Thanks for your time

Who would it be covered by?

fairestofall

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Who would it be covered by?

Will my insurance cover the costs as its an unusual case?



thanks

OREGATO

How much damage was done (cost wise)

If it's a substantial amount then your best bet would be to ring them and tell them the story and put through a claim I guess.

Some insurers will have different policies and guidelines and it's really up to the insurer at the end of the day.

I assume that you have a fully comprehensive policy as opposed to third party, fire and theft only?

Hope you get it sorted and it's not that expensive.

Atlantic Dawn

fairestofall wrote: »

Will my insurance cover the costs as its an unusual case?



thanks

Possibly will, there would likely be an excess you will need to pay first possibly up to first €500, you will also then lose your no claims bonus so depending on your age and NCB unless damage is over €1500 it may not be worth claiming.

fairestofall

OREGATO wrote: »

How much damage was done (cost wise)

If it's a substantial amount then your best bet would be to ring them and tell them the story and put through a claim I guess.

Some insurers will have different policies and guidelines and it's really up to the insurer at the end of the day.

I assume that you have a fully comprehensive policy as opposed to third party, fire and theft only?

Hope you get it sorted and it's not that expensive.

Have put in a claim and waiting on a assessor to visit the car. Talking thousands as the car is a BMW.

Am without a car because I didn't bring it to insurance selected garage and not entitled to hire car. (whats the point of insurance)

Has anyone heard of this type of damage covered?

Have fully comp.

Radharc na Sleibhte

fairestofall wrote: »

Will my insurance cover the costs as its an unusual case?



thanks

I cant see why the insurance wouldnt cover this if you are comprehensive, particularly as it wasnt your own domestic pet.
Ive never come across this before so give them a ring.
Good luck.

kirving

fairestofall wrote: »

Have put in a claim and waiting on a assessor to visit the car. Talking thousands as the car is a BMW.

Has anyone heard of this type of damage covered?

Have fully comp.

A dog ran full speed into the side of my mother's car as she was driving along. Its head damaged the front wing, door and a few other bits. Insurance covered it but classed it as an 'at fault accident' as no third party(dog owner) could be found.

fairestofall

Radharc na Sleibhte wrote: »

I cant see why the insurance wouldnt cover this if you are comprehensive, particularly as it wasnt your own domestic pet.
Ive never come across this before so give them a ring.
Good luck.

Thanks for replying.

Haven't slept in days since it happened. Stomach in bits.

Defintly not my dog, would have been shot long ago if it was !

Scortho

It will destroy your Ncb if you do get them to pay out.

fairestofall

Scortho wrote: »

It will destroy your Ncb if you do get them to pay out.

Have protected NCB. One claim allowed in 3 years.

Scortho

fairestofall wrote: »

Have protected NCB. One claim allowed in 3 years.

Isn't so bad then.
Hopefully they'll pay out!

Supergurrier

Did he catch the cat ?

fairestofall

Supergurrier wrote: »

Did he catch the cat ?

Killed 3 kittens

Del2005

fairestofall wrote: »

Have protected NCB. One claim allowed in 3 years.

Protected NCB means that you are stuck with your current insurer for 3 or 5 years depending on the company you are getting a quote from. Also while your NCB is protected the fact that you made a, not your fault, claim means you're an increased risk and your premium could rise because of that.

How old is the car? Electrical work on cars can get very expensive so your car may be written off if it's not nearly new.

fairestofall

Del2005 wrote: »

Protected NCB means that you are stuck with your current insurer for 3 or 5 years depending on the company you are getting a quote from. Also while your NCB is protected the fact that you made a, not your fault, claim means you're an increased risk and your premium could rise because of that.

How old is the car? Electrical work on cars can get very expensive so your car may be written off if it's not nearly new.

5 years old . Bit of luck it will get written off. Does anyone know what is the maximum paid out before they decide to write off a car. ?

Thanks guys for all your info

Drummerboy08

How did a dog get under the bonnet/in the cabin or at least close enough to wires to damage them?!

Must be a small dog....

griffin100

A rat got into the wife's car last winter and did a huge amount of damage to the electrics and seats - cost a few thousand to sort out with wiring repairs, a couple of new seats and a strip and clean of the inside of the car. Insurers paid for it all no problem. They said its something they see all the time.

fairestofall

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

How did a dog get under the bonnet/in the cabin or at least close enough to wires to damage them?!

Must be a small dog....

Jack Russell was a persistant F***KER

If someone told me this story I'd never believe it.

No car, will have to pay out money through no fault of my own.

Del2005

fairestofall wrote: »

5 years old . Bit of luck it will get written off. Does anyone know what is the maximum paid out before they decide to write off a car. ?

Thanks guys for all your info

Usually two thirds the pre incident price, they use book value which is less than people think their vehicle is worth, using new parts at main dealer labour rates. It's been a good few years since I got my information.

duckysauce

fairestofall wrote: »

Killed 3 kittens

How do you know it wasn't the kittens who ate the cables , Ain't always the dogs fault in cases like this , great user name sounds like fairy's tale .

fairestofall

duckysauce wrote: »

How do you know it wasn't the kittens who ate the cables , Ain't always the dogs fault in cases like this , great user name sounds like fairy's tale .

Week old kittens don't think so ... do you?

Wish it was a fairy tale wouldn't have to face reality then!

Stheno

fairestofall wrote: »

Week old kittens don't think so ... do you?

Wish it was a fairy tale wouldn't have to face reality then!

Were the kittens in the car?

Tea drinker

duckysauce wrote: »

How do you know it wasn't the kittens who ate the cables , Ain't always the dogs fault in cases like this , great user name sounds like fairy's tale .

Well there's dog lovers and cat lovers.... dare I say you are in the first category?

duckysauce

Tea drinker wrote: »

Well there's dog lovers and cat lovers.... dare I say you are in the first category?

you dare correct Sir bloody cats

duckysauce

fairestofall wrote: »

Thanks for replying.

Haven't slept in days since it happened. Stomach in bits.

Defintly not my dog, would have been shot long ago if it was !

Do you know the owner of the said Dog ?

Grolschevik

Insurance companies usually refuse to cover Acts of Dog.







(Sorry!)

duckysauce

Grolschevik wrote: »

Insurance companies usually refuse to cover Acts of Dog.







(Sorry!)

that's a howling disgrace

Stheno

Grolschevik wrote: »

Insurance companies usually refuse to cover Acts of Dog.







(Sorry!)

I worked in tech support many moons ago and the warranty specifically excluded any damage cause by "acts of God and Household pets"

THe many times screams of rage came down the phone as I gleefully recited this clause makes me smile still

EazyD

Stheno wrote: »

I worked in tech support many moons ago and the warranty specifically excluded any damage cause by "acts of God and Household pets"

THe many times screams of rage came down the phone as I gleefully recited this clause makes me smile still

Suppose you'd be equally delighted, were you to be in that persons shoes and face huge costs through no fault of your own.

Stheno

EazyD wrote: »

Suppose you'd be equally delighted, were you to be in that persons shoes and face huge costs through no fault of your own.

This applied to things like "I left the laptop on the floor and the dog peed on it" and was clearly stated in the "limited" warranty.

Shouldn't affect the OP though as they've got comp insurance. Good reason for having fully comp.

EazyD

Stheno wrote: »

This applied to things like "I left the laptop on the floor and the dog peed on it" and was clearly stated in the "limited" warranty.

Shouldn't affect the OP though as they've got comp insurance. Good reason for having fully comp.

Ok, but being "gleeful" over someone's undeserved misfortune seems a tad strange, regardless of circumstance/company policy.

Cedrus

Who's dog was it and do they have insurance?

If it was your dog, you'd need to inspect the fine print of your comprehensive insurance (and cross your fingers).

Hotblack Desiato

fairestofall wrote: »

the car is a BMW.

It was Rover settling a score.

Stheno

EazyD wrote: »

Ok, but being "gleeful" over someone's undeserved misfortune seems a tad strange, regardless of circumstance/company policy.

Well to put it in perspective, we once had a neurosurgeon go nuts when told that his new motherboard wasn't covered under warranty when he decided to cut an inch off it as it "didn't fit"

Cedrus

Stheno wrote: »

I worked in tech support many moons ago and the warranty specifically excluded any damage cause by "acts of God and Household pets"

THe many times screams of rage came down the phone as I gleefully recited this clause makes me smile still

While you might have been technically right in those cases, your response now just appears nasty. I would expect better from you Stheno, you contribute so much to Boards.

Stheno

Cedrus wrote: »

While you might have been technically right in those cases, your response now just appears nasty. I would expect better from you Stheno, you contribute so much to Boards.

See my post above yours, I have a long long list of extremely bizarre cases that still haunt me to this day

That said, I once spent three and a half hours on the phone fixing an issue someone had suffered with for six months and three repair centres

AlanS181824

Hope you get everything sorted soon op

fairestofall

The dog is not my own. Haven't seen sight or sound of him since. I live in the country and a lot of people walk the area with dogs or use the land (not mine) for lamping rabbits. Only reason I know its a jack russell is I spotted him running away when I went out in the morning to bring the kids to school. Also I have no idea who owns the dog, if I did who would admit owning it once told of the damage.

Its such a bizarre story I felt that no one would believe me as you couldn't make it up.

Im still waiting on estimate from the garage.

Either way Im screwed, will have to pay excess and will in some way affect next years policy even though Ive protected NCB. AND I still don't know if the insurance will cover it.

It would be easier to let the car drive over me and let my family claim life insurance. Im sorry if that seems insensitve but thats how I feel. Gonna cost me through no fault of my own. If I crashed it well I could say I was stupid or careless. My car was in my drive behind a closed gate. I have no replacement car for school runs and stuck in the country.

Some people are getting a laugh out of the situation, thats great.
Turn the tables around , see who laughs then.

I have pictures of the damage I'll try and post them.

Thanks again for the info.

The Diddakoi

fairestofall wrote: »

The dog is not my own. Haven't seen sight or sound of him since. I live in the country and a lot of people walk the area with dogs or use the land (not mine) for lamping rabbits. Only reason I know its a jack russell is I spotted him running away when I went out in the morning to bring the kids to school. Also I have no idea who owns the dog, if I did who would admit owning it once told of the damage.

Its such a bizarre story I felt that no one would believe me as you couldn't make it up.

Im still waiting on estimate from the garage.

Either way Im screwed, will have to pay excess and will in some way affect next years policy even though Ive protected NCB. AND I still don't know if the insurance will cover it.

It would be easier to let the car drive over me and let my family claim life insurance. Im sorry if that seems insensitve but thats how I feel. Gonna cost me through no fault of my own. If I crashed it well I could say I was stupid or careless. My car was in my drive behind a closed gate. I have no replacement car for school runs and stuck in the country.

Some people are getting a laugh out of the situation, thats great.
Turn the tables around , see who laughs then.

I have pictures of the damage I'll try and post them.

Thanks again for the info.

I really sympathise for you. I'm sure the insurance will cover the damage, I can't see how they can refuse to be honest.
Check your policy re:no claims, I am with Aviva and have fully protected no claims, and I was assured there would be no increase in premium following a claim.
A good few years back my dad was riding home from work on his motorbike and a cow fell (or jumped) off a bank at the side of the road and landed on him. Squished him and the bike flat. Not too severe of an injury to my dad, but bike written off. Imagine ringing the insurance company and telling them a cow landed on you
They paid out (when they had finished laughing).
Hope all works out well for you.

The Diddakoi

In case you have ever wondered how a dog can damage a car:
http://izismile.com/2012/02/09/stray_dogs_ruin_the_car_with_their_teeth_9_pics.html

Kenny Logins

Never heard of a dog using a car to chase cats before...

It shouldn't matter how it was damaged though, no? You have fully comp insurance, yeah?

gallag

fairestofall wrote: »

It would be easier to let the car drive over me and let my family claim life insurance. Im sorry if that seems insensitve but thats how I feel. Gonna cost me through no fault of my own. If I crashed it well I could say I was stupid or careless. My car was in my drive behind a closed gate. I have no replacement car for school runs and stuck in the country.

Some people are getting a laugh out of the situation, thats great.
Turn the tables around , see who laughs then.

You need to get your **** together ffs, its not a life ending tragedy, everyone has setbacks and I am sure it feels **** but you are insured and it will get sorted.

Wheres My ForkandKnife

fairestofall wrote: »

Hi all I hope someone can help me here.

A stray dog has done serious damage to my car trying to chase cats. Basically all wiring , sensors and grills have to be replaced. The car is undriveable as there is no brakes, he ate the wires! Car was towed to main dealer and Im waiting for estimate of cost of repair.

Am waiting on gargae to get back to me re price.

Initially the garage thought it was rodent damage till they investigated and found the more serious damage. Thing is I told insurance company that it was rodent damage and they said it would be covered.

Question is will they cover damage done by a dog and will I have a fight on my hands?

Thanks for your time

The insurance co. said they would pay out for rodent damage. Personally, I dont see the difference be it a rodent, dog or bird! How do you know it wasn't rodent damage? The fact that you seen a jack russell doesn't prove anything.

Assuming the quote runs into hundreds if not thousands the insurance co. will send out their own assessor to confirm the damage. I doubt your garage are going to put the species or breed of animal that caused the damage. I also doubt that the assessor is going to go all CSI on the claim and call in a Vet to confirm it was actually a rodent that was the culprit.

I would probably mention to your own garage that you said to the insurance co. that you thought it was rodent damage before the assessor calls. Loose lips sink ships.

Now that you you have put in a claim the less said the better. It seems to me that you are almost trying to talk the insurance co. out of paying. These companies are good enough at that already without your help:D You will be fine.

fairestofall

Wheres My ForkandKnife wrote: »

The insurance co. said they would pay out for rodent damage. Personally, I dont see the difference be it a rodent, dog or bird! How do you know it wasn't rodent damage? The fact that you seen a jack russell doesn't prove anything.

Assuming the quote runs into hundreds if not thousands the insurance co. will send out their own assessor to confirm the damage. I doubt your garage are going to put the species or breed of animal that caused the damage. I also doubt that the assessor is going to go all CSI on the claim and call in a Vet to confirm it was actually a rodent that was the culprit.

I would probably mention to your own garage that you said to the insurance co. that you thought it was rodent damage before the assessor calls. Loose lips sink ships.

Now that you you have put in a claim the less said the better. It seems to me that you are almost trying to talk the insurance co. out of paying. These companies are good enough at that already without your help:D You will be fine.

Haven't spoken to insurance company since I made the claim official. After seeing the damage no way a rodent could have done this. If it is then I have a more serious problem with the size of rats around me.

Grills completely gone, wiring gone, half the plastic cover underneath the car (not a mechanic so don't know the part) eaten, chewed away.

Awaiting word today so I will be back with more info.

God help me is all I can say.

Wheres My ForkandKnife

You have fully comp and you car has been damaged, end of. It's out of your hands now. IMO you're worrying for nothing and they will pay out for the damage minus the excess. You'll know soon enough.

It's funny that one of the reasons we pay insurance is for peace of mind!

Best of luck. Hope it gets sorted for you asap.

Taylor365

fairestofall wrote: »

God help me is all I can say.

?????

Scrap it for parts buy a Micra.


You'd swear you were dying....

fairestofall

Taylor365 wrote: »

?????

Scrap it for parts buy a Micra.


You'd swear you were dying....

Not dying but how do you know what Im dealing with. Yeah its a car, f**k the car don't really care about that, its the cost of getting it repaired excess etc, having no car at the moment.

Money is tight as with alot of people at the moment.

Wheres My ForkandKnife

Taylor365 wrote: »

?????

Scrap it for parts buy a Micra.


You'd swear you were dying....

Maybe the OP likes their car?

I think that the worry is ott but the car could be a right off. I think that this would worry most people unless it was an old micra worth a few hundred euro.

If it were my car I wouldn't be getting rid of it for a micra but as the OP has fully comp this won't arise.

Taylor365

Wheres My ForkandKnife wrote: »

Maybe the OP likes their car?

I think that the worry is ott but the car could be a right off. I think that this would worry most people unless it was an old micra worth a few hundred euro.

If it were my car I wouldn't be getting rid of it for a micra but as the OP has fully comp this won't arise.

I like my car, but a right off is a right off.

Quicker you accept the losses the quicker you can move on.

Going the insurance route could take ages. As the OP said, money is tight so they'll try their hardest not to payout. Fronting the bill personally could cost thousands and take weeks.

Accepting the right off and scrapping the car would be the quickest option IMO to getting back on the road. (if the damage is that severe)

dharn

Cant believe the lack of sympathy here, very distressing, but op its a 5 year old bmw so should not be in write off category I presume the wiring loom is in sections and is relatively easily repairable unless of course its closer to the ecu fuse box etc, why not just ring the insurance company and tell them what happened and ask them are you covered, rather than agonising over it