Car parked up the road just had a handbrake fail and hit my van. Dented a wing, smashed the lights. I have the (very apologetic) driver’s details. They have asked me if I can settle without involving the insurers.

Unfortunately I’m trying to sell this van right now before my insurance needs renewing in 2 weeks. So this could really throw a spanner in the works 🙁

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201605234226807/

What to do? If I go the insurance route will they take long to fix it? If they do can I bill them for extra insurance I’ll need to keep the vehicle on road and give prospective buyers test rides?

If I don’t go the insurance route I guess I negotiate for repairs/loss of value/extra expenses involved in sale. But if that fails will I miss out by not having reported it straight away?

Yes, I would. I think you’re obliged to report every indecent to them anyway, even if it’s a ‘no fault’. The other guys probably crapping himself that he’s lost his no claims, but then again he should have remembered to put his handbrake on 😉
Phone your insurers and let them take care of it, that should be the quickest way of getting it fixed…

Pics of damage or I’m thinking this is an ingenious way to get a stealth ad on main forum. 😉

Chances are that if it needs lights + wing + paint + courtesy car, your insurance company will as likely as not write it off as CAT D which’ll almost certainly leave you out of pocket.

Phone your insurers and let them take care of it, that should be the quickest way of getting it fixed

😆 lol

Buy a 2nd hand light and fit it, pull the dent out a bit. Sell the van for a couple of hundred less, get the careless driver to give you £300 (or a figure you are happy with) . Quick and easy. No cost to you. This is assuming it isn’t a £30k van

Your not obliged to “report” anything if no claim is going to be made. Get an estimate for repairs from an independent body shop telling them it’s a cash job. Show it to the other party, if he doesn’t pay up there and then start the insurance process, within reason there’s no rush. I’ve gone down this route a few times, much less hassle than making a claim.

You don’t have to rush to sell the van before your insurance expires. When you do sell it and cancel the insurance, the insurer will refund you the unused portion of the premium.

No-one will buy a dented van. Telling them it’ll “only be £200 to get fixed” is no use. It’s a hassle that buyers will want to avoid.

Go through insurance, get it fixed properly, then sell it. Insurance renewal date is a side issue.

you’re obliged to report every indecent to them anyway

Only if you’re insured through Liverpool Victoria’s Secrets.

or comparethemerkin.com

No-one will buy a dented van. Telling them it’ll “only be £200 to get fixed” is no use

Depends on the van. If it’s a £1k van that you can get for £800 because it has a dent you can happily live with it’ll sell fast. If it’s something flasher then it may put some buyers off. Depends where on the scale it is.

…he did say his van had been rear-ended… 🙂

FYI:

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/ive-been-in-a-car-accident-do-i-have-to-claim-on-my-insurance

surely the obvious solution is tell them to buy the van for what you had it up for. Let them fix it and sell it on.

Andy l I’ve been thinking exactly that. Now how to present it so they agree…

I would say you have 4 options to present to them:

1. Quickly get a quote from someone who can do the work quickly. Get agreement in writing an get cash up front with allowance (to be returned) for any hidden problems.

2. Insist on insurance.

3. They buy it.

4. You sell it for a lot less and they make up the difference. Again this would need to be in writing with an agreed value before the accident and maximum difference in price and be prepared to take them to the small claims court.