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I really should know the answer to this, but....
So my darling wife reversed into a good friends car on our driveway the other night (she really should have been paying more attention but her head's all over the place after her dads funeral last week).
Damage is to the front wing on the friends car...... slight scratching to our rear bumper but nothing more.
Friend has been to their 'trusted' repair guy but has yet to come back with a price (as I'd like to settle out of insurance if possible - but it may be too much).
I've asked her to let my trusted bodyshop look at it but she's refusing and instead has been to Jaguar (it's an F-Type) who've made noises about all sorts of stuff needing replacing. I'm somewhat pissed that she's not going to my place but not a lot I can do.
So, if this has to go through insurance, does she claim off hers who then gets it back from ours -- or do I inform my insurance but say there's no damage to our car (we have two cars and wifey was driving car 1 but I'd rather claim on the insurance of car 2 ..... I can't see that it makes a difference but happy to be corrected)?
I can’t see that it makes a difference
Lying on an insurance claim, can't see the insurers being bothered, no.
i think what your alluding to is insurance fraud?
Basically having been in a similar situation i gave the person the option. Claim on my insurance and go through that (i pay 200 quid excess) or pay for it doing (450 quid) she chose to get it done herself and jobs done.
cost a bit but it keeps the peace.
Wife's friend claims off your insurance.
You swap details and wife's friend starts the ball rolling with her insurance company.
instead has been to Jaguar (it’s an F-Type) who’ve made noises about all sorts of stuff needing replacing.
To be fair there probably is.
But your wife's friend can't insist it is repaired by Jaguar as her insurance company will have their own approved insurers.
Suck it up. Friend has every right to get it repaired where she wants. Your missus damaged it.
Will it even be covered by insurance as it was on private land?
itll make no odds which car you claim it off
both prices will go up come renewal time
just if you lie about which it was it becomes fraud which will become a bigger issue than the price rise.
yep with friend on this , she has a nice , expensive f type jag and wants it doing properly at a jaguar garage, id be exactly the same
suck it up and don't be annoyed at her, for your wifes error....
Will it even be covered by insurance as it was on private land?
Yes.
yep with friend on this , she has a nice , expensive f type jag and wants it doing properly at a jaguar garage, id be exactly the same
+1.
And yes, it will be covered by insurance even if it was o private land. There are very few situations not falling under the Road Traffic Act.
I had a similar thing, it was my fault. Reversed out of driveway just as neighbour parked. I didn't see them parking so swung out and hit their car. they didn't want to go through insurance so i agreed for them to get a quote and get back to me. I really thought there was not a lot of damage to the area I hit but there was a bit further over on the door which I didn't do as I know it was there before. Car was a 10 year old Micra.
Quote came back at £1400. I said I can't afford that and went through insurance. My excess was £100 so made sense to me. Neighbour has not spoken to me since. Suits me really 🙂
But your wife’s friend can’t insist it is repaired by Jaguar as her insurance company will have their own approved insurers.
This is wrong as I had a car repaired a year ago and told the other persons insurance co that I would not be using their approved repairer and had my own ( their insurance admitted liability immediately and wanted to handle claim not even involving mine) My preferred repairer submitted pics and a quote and done the work. I think they can only tell you to pee off if your repairer is taking the mick ( I said I wasn't happy with a couple of previous repairs done by approved repairers)
I'm a bit confused - the Jag owner will claim off her insurance and then they pass it on to the OP's. she gets her excess back once the OP's insurers cough up.
She has to tell her insurers in any event so why would she try and make a claim on the OP's insurance direct - it's just hassle for her (as we've seen already the OP's already trying to wriggle).
I'm just exploring what would be involved to carry out the repairs privately.
It would undoubtedly cost me more (which I'm happy with up to a limit) but it would mean that both our friend and I would not have to declare a [pretty minor] bump to the insurance companies, and suffering the consequences of this, for the next 5 years. I don't think our friend understands that I'm actually trying to do her a favour!
I've got 15 years protected no claims (so any increase may, or may not, be negligible) and an excess of £250 but I'd pay up to about £1k privately - so going private is definitely not the cheap option for me. I don't see that as wriggling.
sharkbait
Member
I’m just exploring what would be involved to carry out the repairs privately.
It would undoubtedly cost me more (which I’m happy with up to a limit) but it would mean that both our friend and I would not have to declare a [pretty minor] bump to the insurance companies, and suffering the consequences of this, for the next 5 years. I don’t think our friend understands that I’m actually trying to do her a favour!
But it's not doing her a favour if for example it voids the corrosion warranty for those panels, means that she doesn't get a courtesy car, they might not do a good job etc etc.
a) there are no panels involved (a new, £1500 headlamp unit that you can buy for £500 from a breaker, a plastic trim and a respray of the plastic bumper). Her car is a 2014 so any used headlight unit would be newer than what was already on there.
b) she has another car
c) My preferred company are a large fully insurance approved setup and would do exactly the same job as an insurance paid job - I just happen to be mates with the owner and I get the 'insurance rate'. Her preferred indy is actually a truck repairers!
d) etc, etc.
maybe I should just save myself £1k, claim on the insurance and let her suck up the consequences.
In your friend’s situation with a high value car I’d definitely want a dealership giving it a once over and a place of my choosing doing the work (dealership or elsewhere) to keep it off the books. You are in a tricky situation because you can’t make a big deal of the effect on her premiums in your conversation in case you have to back out of doing it privately if the quotes come in for more that you can handle.
If she claims through her insurance then she doesn't pay an excess as it was your wife's fault.
You would only end up paying an excess if you also wanted your car to be repaired.
I think that is right?
You could use an insurance comparison site and run a quote without and with the claim to get an idea of effect on next year's premiums?
Well its going through the insurance so both our premiums will go up even though it's non-fault for her - not a lot I can do about that now but it was her decision.
Dougal: pretty sure I pay the excess regardless of whether I get mine fixed or not - which I obviously am going to now.
but it would mean that both our friend and I would not have to declare a [pretty minor] bump to the insurance companies, and suffering the consequences of this, for the next 5 years.
And that is insurance fraud.
I don’t think our friend understands that I’m actually trying to do her a favour!
Some friend.
Ooops, too late. Damn my slow typing...
Well its going through the insurance so both our premiums will go up even though it’s non-fault for her – not a lot I can do about that now but it was her decision.
Correct, but she does things 'right' and it all gets totally repaired properly. You may have every faith in your repairer, but she doesn't, and I'll be honest if you (/your wife) drove into my car and then started saying you could get replacement lights from a breaker to save you money I'd tell you to do one. You're not really doing her a favour, you're trying to save yourself money, and justifying that to her under the pretense that her insurance will go up by some amount you have no idea of.
I don’t see that as wriggling.
you're trying to stop her using her chosen repairer, substitute second hand parts for new ones and thinking about carrying out insurance fraud (in which she'll need to be complicit to describe the correct car hitting hers).
What would you see as wriggling if the situation was reversed?
"there are no panels involved (a new, £1500 headlamp unit that you can buy for £500 from a breaker, a plastic trim and a respray of the plastic bumper). Her car is a 2014 so any used headlight unit would be newer than what was already on there."
one of those LED lights ? the ones that cost a fortune when they fail.
yeah at least with her current ones shes covered by warrenty - fit that one from the breakers and shes on her own.
sharkbaitMember
a) there are no panels involved (a new, £1500 headlamp unit that you can buy for £500 from a breaker, a plastic trim and a respray of the plastic bumper). Her car is a 2014 so any used headlight unit would be newer than what was already on there.b) she has another car
c) My preferred company are a large fully insurance approved setup and would do exactly the same job as an insurance paid job – I just happen to be mates with the owner and I get the ‘insurance rate’. Her preferred indy is actually a truck repairers!
d) etc, etc.
maybe I should just save myself £1k, claim on the insurance and let her suck up the consequences.
No need to be arsey about it.
A you said the damage was to the wing
B yes, that just was an example of possible inconvenience, maybe it's further away, maybe traffics bad in that area, whatever
C You said she'd been to Jaguar with the car, not a truck repair shop
D etc etc - frankly your wife has caused her agro, so you should have been as accommodating as possible anyway. It doesn't matter if it's logical or not, it's up to her how she wants it repaired.
Having just gone through something similar (me - cracked rear light, him - caved in door on his enormous tw*t-wagon that is too big to park on his own road) - I can confirm that if you are not claiming anything for your car then you don't pay any excess (I know I was surprised too).
Obviously you will still be shafted come renewal time even with a protected no claims.
Well I never knew that.... Silver lining!
I'll the the scratches fixed by my guy privately.
My wife has said shell pay the increase in premium - made me laugh because I have to supplement her income every month anyway, so it's still my money!
a new, £1500 headlamp unit that you can buy for £500 from a breaker, a plastic trim and a respray of the plastic bumper). Her car is a 2014 so any used headlight unit would be newer than what was already on there.
really? how many 4 yearold or newer F-types are there at breakers yards that haven't been in a massive smash?
A carpark shunt will likely loose you 2 years no claims, not reset it to zero (bizarre definition, I know), so you'ss still be at 13 years. Anything over 10 years is pretty much negligible difference to insurance cost.
I just happen to be mates with the owner and I get the ‘insurance rate’.
Oh Lord give me strength. You do realise the insurance rate is much higher than the non insurance rate..... Don't you?
Reading what you've written on this thread I'm not in the least surprised that this woman is ignoring your proposals and insisting it go through the channels.
If I was luckily enough to own an F Type and someone backed into it i'd be insisting it goes back to Jaguar.
Had similar experience with Direct Line when a neighbour backed his van into my A Class and Direct Line insisted it goes to their repairer. After two complete balls up attempts at putting it right it went to Mercedes who repaired it properly.
Not implying your mate will make a hash of the repair though sharkbait.
Wife + 'my money'. Bloody hell, is this common? I thought marriage was some sort of joint enterprise, you know, sharing and that.
I don't blame your chum for choosing to go the pukka route. If you or (one of yours) ran into me, I'd expect a little humility and understanding. It's still going to be a ball ache for her (no doubt pissing about taking cars to garages etc wasn't her first choice) and it'll cost her money yet you want some bits from a scrappy and some bloke you know (aka 'your preferred repairer') to fix it up. A little empathy wouldn't go amiss. Sorry.
Final post:
Sorry, should have made myself clearer....
She did take it to a truck repairers first (the son used to work for Jaguar but has set up as a jag specialist within his fathers truck repair business), then to the Jaguar dealer.
My 'bloke I know' owns a multi-million pound turnover bodyshop that will, in all likelihood, end up doing the repairs anyway as Jaguar don't have their own bodyshop and his company is one their approved repairers.
I wanted her to take the car to the 'bloke I know' as I would have trusted whatever his guys said would need doing.
The 'insurance rate' is what he gets to charge insurance companies which I can tell you is not very much at all and certainly a lot less than if Joe Public turns up for a quote.
He's done a couple of jobs for us over the years and I wouldn't hesitate to take my car there (I won't say what it is but I think it's very nice) and the work is always spot-on.
Nothing wrong with used parts (depending upon the application) - I've just replaced two alloys that were buckled by a pothole for £700, the price for two new wheels would have been £3700. Just because a car is written off does not mean that every part is damaged.
I love the way people jump to conclusions here .... I should have known better!
Oh, and the friend was actually in my car at the time getting a lift having parked her car in the one unlit part of our driveway that she knows we always reverse round a corner into - she also feels pretty bad as my wife buried her dad last week and her head's still full of stuff.
"Nothing wrong with used parts (depending upon the application) – I’ve just replaced two alloys that were buckled by a pothole for £700, the price for two new wheels would have been £3700. Just because a car is written off does not mean that every part is damaged."
And if the used headlight fails in 6months can she knock on your door for a replacement ?
Unlit driveway? Could a £20 floodlight have saved a lot of hassle?
Nothing wrong with used parts
Maybe not if you want to buy them for your car. After your have driven into my car I will be having all new warrantied parts please. You have insurance for a reason.
I’m somewhat pissed
Hope wifey wasn't when she drove the car.
"Oh, and the friend was actually in my car at the time getting a lift having parked her car in the one unlit part of our driveway that she knows we always reverse round a corner into"
Oh so it's her fault now?? Not the drivers for not paying attention?
Are some people ignoring that it was a good friend or does that really not make any difference to them? If a good friend damaged my car I'd be fixing it myself with used parts then ribbing them about it at any given opportunity. In reality I expect they would offer to help fix it and pay for the bits, I certainty wouldn't be demanding brand new parts from a main dealer.
"I’d be fixing it myself with used parts then ribbing them about it at any given opportunity."
on a sliding scale.
I was happy to do that with my old car
i would be happy to do that with my current car.
Neither have a high resale.
the wifes new car not so much.
Id imagine a 4 year old Jag Ftype would fall under the latter unless its a wreck - edit a quick autotrader search suggests its still a 30grand car..... yeah id be wanting it done right and signed off.
is another option to blaming the parkee of the stationary non moving non occupied vehicle.
Ultimately there is little you can do , you can obstruct all you want but she is well within her rights to go to her insurance and get them to do their job of claiming off you.
Arguably it will possibly end your friendship but then you obstructing her perfectly valid claim to a proper repair and retaining her warrenty has probably already ended it.
Are some people ignoring that it was a good friend or does that really not make any difference to them?
Makes no difference. Insurance is to cover this stuff. My car is 4 months old and there is no way I am putting used parts on it or paying costs myself. If the good friend who hit my car was that good a friend they would fully understand that and take full responsibility.
It is scenarios like this where you see how good a friend they are...
she also feels pretty bad as my wife buried her dad last week
😮 The post that keeps on giving.
And yes, it will be covered by insurance even if it was o private land. There are very few situations not falling under the Road Traffic Act
you can be drunk in your car on your drive and the RTA doesn't apply. It isn't the same as say a supermarket car park that even though private land the RTA still applies. If I have a car on my drive it doesn't require tax or insurance.
Being found drunk, in your car on your driveway will get you a ban for being drunk in charge of a vehicle.
This has to be a troll 😳
My wife has said shell pay the increase in premium – made me laugh because I have to supplement her income every month anyway, so it’s still my money!
wow, she’s lucky to have you buddy!