Hit car, high quote

Suckit

My cousin bumped a car with his, and took photos.

The owner of the other car came back with a quote that seems very high, he asked the owner to get another quote, which came back similarly priced, but higher.

The owner of the other car has asked for cash as their mechanic doesn't take Credit cards...

Can he get his own quote? Or has anyone any idea what may be the best way to go forward with this. Obviously not going to hand over cash without a receipt etc.

callaway92

Suckit wrote: »

My cousin bumped a car with his, and took photos.

The owner of the other car came back with a quote that seems very high, he asked the owner to get another quote, which came back similarly priced, but higher.

The owner of the other car has asked for cash as their mechanic doesn't take Credit cards...

Can he get his own quote? Or has anyone any idea what may be the best way to go forward with this. Obviously not going to hand over cash without a receipt etc.

Your cousin was at fault. Not sure if he would have any right being picky about the quote. (ie, imagine if they went with the place your cousin suggested and then something further went wrong again)

Did they mutually decide to not go through insurance to pay for the damage to the car?

JeffKenna

Suckit wrote: »

My cousin bumped a car with his, and took photos.

The owner of the other car came back with a quote that seems very high, he asked the owner to get another quote, which came back similarly priced, but higher.

The owner of the other car has asked for cash as their mechanic doesn't take Credit cards...

Can he get his own quote? Or has anyone any idea what may be the best way to go forward with this. Obviously not going to hand over cash without a receipt etc.

I'd be very thankful and hand over that cash ASAP.

biko

I'm missing all the important details here.

But in essence, no, he cannot get his own quote.

Tomw86

He cannot ask for it to be paid in cash. I have experienced similar where I was the one that was hit.

I got a quote, they got a quote - mine was slightly less so he was happy to go with that. Plus I mentioned I wanted it to be with a dealership rather than something 'unofficial'.

The other car owner could be doing a quote and the job with a mate and thus doing it off the books - hence the reason for cash only request. DO NOT ACCPET THIS.

Tomw86

Just to add to it - tell the other car owner you want to do it via EFT or via card so that there is a record of the transaction, and that you want an invoice and receipt to be issued.

If he cannot do this, ask for the quote to be reduced by 13.5% (or relevant rates) for VAT, as it may well be being done off the books.

mickdw

No. Your friend cannot get a quote from his chosen garage to fix the other persons car.
He caused the damage. The owner is entitled to take the car to whatever professional body shop they wish.

Best he could try is to nominate a professional independent workshop agreeable to both parties and then accept that quote.


If they are clearly taking the piss, he could just let it all though insurance and they will look after it and only pay correct, although still high price.

Another point here is that if you cause say 2000 worth of damage to someone else's car, it is not your decision as to whether they actually fix it or not. You still owe them 2000.

whomitconcerns

Tomw86 wrote: »

Just to add to it - tell the other car owner you want to do it via EFT or via card so that there is a record of the transaction, and that you want an invoice and receipt to be issued.

If he cannot do this, ask for the quote to be reduced by 13.5% (or relevant rates) for VAT, as it may well be being done off the books.

Just to be clear, if you hit my car and suggested this or the previous suggestion, I would say thank you and no, and it would be going through the insurance company. Why would I put myself to any further inconvenience... Mad suggestions

My car, my choice. You pay it however I want it and however much it is, whether I fix it or not, or it goes through insurance.

Del2005

The other person doesn't need to have the car repaired. They have to compensated so that they are returned to the same condition as before. But they can pick the quote and have zero responsibility to actually use the garage.

If your friend starts saying I'll only do a bank transfer or use my garage the other driver will just go through insurance and the quotes will be higher and affect their NCD, the other person still doesn't have to fix the car.

Suckit

Thanks, yeah he knows it's his fault and has no problem paying, he just doesn't want it to come back again.
The quote seemed very high, but even that, he is willing to pay. Mechanic has stated that he would accept a cheque now.

Would a bank issued cheque be okay?

There was no agreement or disagreement regarding using any mechanic, I think they both agreed not to go through insurance. He is willing to pay the quote he just thought it was high, and then the mechanic wouldn't take cash.
He also initially wanted to know if he could get his own quote, but that seem to be a definite no.

Tomw86

whomitconcerns wrote: »

Just to be clear, if you hit my car and suggested this or the previous suggestion, I would say thank you and no, and it would be going through the insurance company. Why would I put myself to any further inconvenience... Mad suggestions

My car, my choice. You pay it however I want it and however much it is, whether I fix it or not, or it goes through insurance.

But its not your inconvenience, if it's a legitimate garage then absolutely card/EFT would be accepted and probably preferred. If you were using a mechanic that didn't want a trace of the payment I would certainly pull you up on that.

If the OPs cousin refused this, and it went through insurance, do you think they are going to rock up with cash to pay the mechanic - absolutely mad idea!

I agree, you don't have to fix it, but then still I would be looking to pay the other car owner where there is a trace of the payment rather than in cash.

Tomw86

Suckit wrote: »

Thanks, yeah he knows it's his fault and has no problem paying, he just doesn't want it to come back again.
The quote seemed very high, but even that, he is willing to pay. Mechanic has stated that he would accept a cheque now.

Would a bank issued cheque be okay?

There was no agreement or disagreement regarding using any mechanic, I think they both agreed not to go through insurance. He is willing to pay the quote he just thought it was high, and then the mechanic wouldn't take cash.
He also initially wanted to know if he could get his own quote, but that seem to be a definite no.

If your cousin wants peace of mind, he could go to a garage with the quote he has received for the repairs from the other car owner and ask them does it seem reasonable. Most garages will do that for you for free, some might charge €50 but that is generally to inspect actual damage and quote for it.

Whocare

This is why I always go through insurance it's not worth the hassle especially if it's not my fault

biko

Just get receipts for the money he pays out.

emeldc

Whocare wrote: »

This is why I always go through insurance it's not worth the hassle especially if it's not my fault

So how often have you let it go through the insurance when it was your fault?

_Brian

Honestly if the guy hit me and then started being picky about the quote and how he paid I’d just go through his insurance instead.
He’s doing the lad a favour not going through the insurance and it’s not being appreciated.

I’ve been on both ends of this deal in my day. I was happy to pay cash and save my insurance premiums.

Spook_ie

whomitconcerns wrote: »

Just to be clear, if you hit my car and suggested this or the previous suggestion, I would say thank you and no, and it would be going through the insurance company. Why would I put myself to any further inconvenience... Mad suggestions

My car, my choice. You pay it however I want it and however much it is, whether I fix it or not, or it goes through insurance.

The suggestion of a receipt is though a reasonable one, otherwise how would you prove that you had paid it in a dispute?

I personally would require some paperwork to say that I had paid the money and that it was in full and final settlement of the claimed damage.

notharrypotter

Spook_ie wrote: »

it was in full and final settlement of the claimed damage.

Going slightly off topic, they have up to 2 years after the incident to lodge a personal injuries claim.

Unless it's a very low sum I would put it through the insurance and be prepared to take the hit on the NCB the next year.

fella reversed into me once and was decent enough to leave his number

wanted to stay off insurance, look ok, im not oit to crucify anyone

got a quote, he started wrangling.

my car was off the road the in-between times and i was being put out so it was a short conversation.

he was a decent skin but nobody is ever going to pay for work on someone elses car and not want to quibble the price but theres no two ways about it- hand in pocket and thanks for keeping that off the record pal.

coylemj

How you pay the owner for the repairs is irrelevant, I don't get the big issue over cash/EFT/cheque - who cares if the mechanic pays his VAT or not? What matters more than anything is that when you're paying him, get the owner to sign a document accepting the payment 'in full and final settlement' of the accident.

If you simply give him money, he can come back and claim that his mechanic discovered damage to the steering or suspension which is going to add €2,000 to the cost of the repair. And if that pushes it into insurance claim territory, you can wave goodbye to any money you already handed over.

Suckit

_Brian wrote: »

Honestly if the guy hit me and then started being picky about the quote and how he paid I’d just go through his insurance instead.
He’s doing the lad a favour not going through the insurance and it’s not being appreciated.

I’ve been on both ends of this deal in my day. I was happy to pay cash and save my insurance premiums.

Just to clarify, he wasn't being picky, he was looking for some sort of reassurance maybe.
The quote did seem high, but the guy he bumped into was odd anyway. He took my cousins details but wouldn't give his and drove off.

My cousin then got a phone call from a private number and it was other driver quoting a lot more than he expected. He said he could get another quote and did, then it was higher.
Other driver then said to pay him in cash, so my cousin drew the line there and I think wanted to figure out was it some sort of scam.

Eventually my cousin got speaking to the mechanic who wouldn't take a card. So they eventually agreed on a cheque, which my cousin had issued by the bank. And will be looking for an invoice.

It just seemed weird, so my cousin asked a few questions, I wasn't sure about the answers so I asked here.

paddy19

Give him the cash. You are no position to start getting huffy.

Make sure he is the registered owner, take a photo of the registration cert.

Get his driving licence, photo it, write up a receipt with his name and ref the licence number.

Use wording something like "in full and final payment for damage to reg # XXXX on date of incident".

Get him to sign it and move on. Do not give him a copy of the receipt.

punisher5112

Was the other car owner in the car at the time?

If yes he could still put in an injury claim...

RustyNut

Tomw86 wrote: »

He cannot ask for it to be paid in cash. I have experienced similar where I was the one that was hit.

I got a quote, they got a quote - mine was slightly less so he was happy to go with that. Plus I mentioned I wanted it to be with a dealership rather than something 'unofficial'.

The other car owner could be doing a quote and the job with a mate and thus doing it off the books - hence the reason for cash only request. DO NOT ACCPET THIS.

If I was the innocent party in a shunt and agreed to sort it outside the insurance i would give the other party a price to be paid in cash and would sign whatever receipt seemed reasonable, what I do with the car or the cash is no business of the other party. I would not be ripping anybody off but would make sure I was not out of pocket. If they don't like it they DO NOT HAVE TO ACCEPT IT. It would be me doing the other party a favor.

coylemj

Suckit wrote: »

Eventually my cousin got speaking to the mechanic who wouldn't take a card. So they eventually agreed on a cheque, which my cousin had issued by the bank. And will be looking for an invoice.

Your cousin shouldn't be dealing with the mechanic. Does he realise that the car owner can still lodge a claim for whiplash? In which case that money your cousin paid to the mechanic is money wasted? Hand the money over to the ownerof the car, in return for a receipt 'in full and final settlement'. Anything else leaves the door open to a whiplash claim and/or a bill for more more repairs from the mechanic.

is_that_so

paddy19 wrote: »

Give him the cash. You are no position to start getting huffy.

Make sure he is the registered owner, take a photo of the registration cert.

Get his driving licence, photo it, write up a receipt with his name and ref the licence number.

Use wording something like "in full and final payment for damage to reg # XXXX on date of incident".

Get him to sign it and move on. Do not give him a copy of the receipt.

Most of this I'd agree with except the cash. I'd certainly refuse to pay straight cash.

IJS84

I was told by a garda that after being hit, didnt call the cops, other party then went did a runner after giving me false info, chased it up and they chased him down. Long story short ALWAYS CALL THE COPS no matter how minor as you have very little come back otherwise and they wont help you in my situation.

I got quotes and the other party wasnt happy with the price and they were fully entitled to go and get their own quote. both parties either agree or disagree, if they disagree then Id be going through insurance

_Brian

Suckit wrote: »

Just to clarify, he wasn't being picky, he was looking for some sort of reassurance maybe.
The quote did seem high, but the guy he bumped into was odd anyway. He took my cousins details but wouldn't give his and drove off.

My cousin then got a phone call from a private number and it was other driver quoting a lot more than he expected. He said he could get another quote and did, then it was higher.
Other driver then said to pay him in cash, so my cousin drew the line there and I think wanted to figure out was it some sort of scam.

Eventually my cousin got speaking to the mechanic who wouldn't take a card. So they eventually agreed on a cheque, which my cousin had issued by the bank. And will be looking for an invoice.

It just seemed weird, so my cousin asked a few questions, I wasn't sure about the answers so I asked here.

It’s an Irish classic.
Your cousin drives into somebody damaging their car, and then wonders if the wronged party is running a scam.

is_that_so

_Brian wrote: »

It’s an Irish classic.
Your cousin drives into somebody damaging their car, and then wonders if the wronged party is running a scam.

I think the question here was whether the quote wasn't inflated just a bit. Seemed to have worked out well in the end.

AlanG

Remember simple repairs are really expensive to do right. I agreed to avoid insurance companies for a guy that reversed into me. I got 2 quotes for around 1200. About 400 of it was for something I could do without and I didn't want the hassle of going through insurance so when I rang the other party I told him I wanted 800. He freaked out and accused me of trying to rip him off (even though I was doing him a turn). We ended up going through insurance and I'm sure he has paid it in increased premiums several times over.

RustyNut

is_that_so wrote: »

Most of this I'd agree with except the cash. I'd certainly refuse to pay straight cash.

Once you get a receipt why would cash be out of the question?

Fol20

I would be careful with cash, i had a crash many moons ago where i was at fault and they wanted cash to fix it. A day before i was going to give them the cash, they had lodged a claim with my insurance company also. If i had handed over the cash with no proof, they would have received even more.

Personally i would pay what they are asking for but would only do it via bank transfer, cheque etc.

is_that_so

RustyNut wrote: »

Once you get a receipt why would cash be out of the question?

Prefer to use the bank and I don't carry cash. On very small sums I have no issue but otherwise a bank transaction of some form.

Cordell

coylemj wrote: »

Your cousin shouldn't be dealing with the mechanic. Does he realise that the car owner can still lodge a claim for whiplash? In which case that money your cousin paid to the mechanic is money wasted? Hand the money over to the ownerof the car, in return for a receipt 'in full and final settlement'. Anything else leaves the door open to a whiplash claim and/or a bill for more more repairs from the mechanic.

Will that even work? I doubt that there is a way as simple as a receipt that will close that door.

is_that_so

coylemj wrote: »

Your cousin shouldn't be dealing with the mechanic. Does he realise that the car owner can still lodge a claim for whiplash? In which case that money your cousin paid to the mechanic is money wasted? Hand the money over to the ownerof the car, in return for a receipt 'in full and final settlement'. Anything else leaves the door open to a whiplash claim and/or a bill for more more repairs from the mechanic.

Given how forthright insurance companies have become in fighting personal claims it's not necessarily a guaranteed path to success.

RustyNut

is_that_so wrote: »

Prefer to use the bank and I don't carry cash. On very small sums I have no issue but otherwise a bank transaction of some form.

I hope you don't hit me, it would be cash or insurance.

is_that_so

RustyNut wrote: »

I hope you don't hit me, it would be cash or insurance.

Very doubtful but insurance it is so!

Suckit

coylemj wrote: »

Your cousin shouldn't be dealing with the mechanic. Does he realise that the car owner can still lodge a claim for whiplash? In which case that money your cousin paid to the mechanic is money wasted? Hand the money over to the ownerof the car, in return for a receipt 'in full and final settlement'. Anything else leaves the door open to a whiplash claim and/or a bill for more more repairs from the mechanic.

He's going with a friend to pay the other driver tomorrow.

coylemj

Cordell wrote: »

Will that even work? I doubt that there is a way as simple as a receipt that will close that door.

If there isn't then you should never deal with a claim personally.

Jurgen The German

Tbh if the quote seems high then I'd contact my insurer and let them sort it out with the other person. When that's done and dusted its just a matter of reimbursing the insurer and the claim is essentially stricken from the record. It's a bad idea settling / paying for damage of more than a couple of hundred quid. What's to stop yer man coming back in a month to say something else has gone wrong because of the tip.

Whocare

emeldc wrote: »

So how often have you let it go through the insurance when it was your fault?

Never had an at fault crash yet..But if I did and quoted came from A reputable garage what options have I pay it or leave it go through insurance as there no point in Messing them about if he want to keep your no claims bonus

Suckit

Jurgen The German wrote: »

Tbh if the quote seems high then I'd contact my insurer and let them sort it out with the other person. When that's done and dusted its just a matter of reimbursing the insurer and the claim is essentially stricken from the record. It's a bad idea settling / paying for damage of more than a couple of hundred quid. What's to stop yer man coming back in a month to say something else has gone wrong because of the tip.

Thanks, going to say that to him. Didn't realise you could pay the insurer back and have it effectively stricken.

Whocare

Suckit wrote: »

Thanks, going to say that to him. Didn't realise you could pay the insurer back and have it effectively stricken.

Yet but if your let it go through insurance your probably going to pay for a a rental car too .But going through insurance is probably safer bet

Whocare

Did quote come from a reputable crash repair ? Or was it on more backstreet garage?

Suckit

Whocare wrote: »

Did quote come from a reputable crash repair ? Or was it on more backstreet garage?

I'm not sure, I'll ask him, but I think it was more a backstreet garage.

chicken foot

Always, always notify the Guards and your own insurance company if you have been hit. A nice gentleman of means - judging by his dress, vehicle and spoken voice - reversed into my parked car. It made a decent dent in the passenger door. It was outside a cafe, I was inside eating. When I came out he was writing his details down for me. I said to him that I would ring the local guards to see what was the right procedure and he flipped the lid. Clearly a man who bullied his way through life. Luckily I wasn't for turning.
He wanted to pay cash, I was fine with that. When I emailed him the two quotes (€ 1600 & €1700), he had the absolute gall to say that I was trying to scam him and he'd give me €500 and that was it! If I hadn't of gone to the Guards he could have easily left me high and dry.
I learned a very valuable lesson that day, I just went straight to his insurance then.
On another note, I slid into a car back in the big frost of 2010, his tow bar made wreck of my bumper, his had no visible damage yet it still cost me 1200 as they had to take it off and check sensors etc. I know the guy I hit, as honest as the day is long, unfortunately Garages are complete goughers when they know its a potential insurance job.

bcklschaps

I think without some ball park on the actual € numbers involved, any advice you get here is sort of irrelevant. :rolleyes:

The price of the repairs needs to be compared to the damage on the car, also the value of the vehicle (a replacement bumper on an old banger is not the same as a replacement bumper in a swanky new machine)

Even outside of the cost of repairs..... Your couisin needs to look carefully at his insurance policy.

whats your cousins' NCB with the insurance company worth to him at present (remember NCB is a 5 year benefit) ? and does he have NCB protection, is there any excess applied to his policy etc. would a claim make it difficult for him to get quotes in the future?

*NB* Would there be any condition on his policy that he might be in trouble with ...ie. could allow the insurance company to not pay this claim.

Obviously he would be nuts to settle with the other driver if the settlement would be more than his NCB is worth.

Everybody would have a threshold over which they would go to the insurance company. Mine would be €500 which is the approximate value of my NCB in this current year..

galwaytt

whomitconcerns wrote: »

Just to be clear, if you hit my car and suggested this or the previous suggestion, I would say thank you and no, and it would be going through the insurance company. Why would I put myself to any further inconvenience... Mad suggestions

My car, my choice. You pay it however I want it and however much it is, whether I fix it or not, or it goes through insurance.

Kinda.

"my money" and I pay it how I want to, and want a tracable record of it. Prudence and the need to avoid comeback means we use a traceable record or the insurance co is thataway ---->> which, as others have pointed out, I can than pay off depending on how things go. It's called "buying the claim" btw.

rd1izb7lvpuksx

galwaytt wrote: »

Kinda.

"my money" and I pay it how I want to, and want a tracable record of it. Prudence and the need to avoid comeback means we use a traceable record or the insurance co is thataway ---->> which, as others have pointed out, I can than pay off depending on how things go. It's called "buying the claim" btw.

It's your choice, of course, but having an at-fault claim made against your policy will cause your basic premium to rise at renewal, even if you pay out the amount yourself, as you will enter a different risk category.

Jurgen The German

Kimber Harsh Rump wrote: »

It's your choice, of course, but having an at-fault claim made against your policy will cause your basic premium to rise at renewal, even if you pay out the amount yourself, as you will enter a different risk category.

Incorrect. If your insurer pays a claim for you and you in turn reimburse the insurer then the claim is stricken from the record, it will not appear on your NCD letter and does not need to be declared to any prospective insurers.

rd1izb7lvpuksx

Jurgen The German wrote: »

Incorrect. If your insurer pays a claim for you and you in turn reimburse the insurer then the claim is stricken from the record, it will not appear on your NCD letter and does not need to be declared to any prospective insurers.

I'm not sure where you got idea from. It's incorrect, anyway (although you can protect your no claims bonus). All insurers ask about recent accidents - settling the claim yourself will not absolve you from declaring them, and they will increase your basic premium.