Reversed into someone...

Lokolo

Ok, so on Friday I reversed 5 yards and a car was behind me. I scratched his front bumper and bent his side wing. I asked to not go through insurance because the damage is repairable for a few hundred £'s.

He phoned me today claiming it will cost £1500 to repair, there is no way there is £1500 damage to the car.

To compare, there is nothing to my car. (not even scratches)

It looks as though I will be going through insurance now but it there anyway I can get an independant assesor to look at it rather than take his word?

Obi167

I wouldn't see the point if your going through your insurance (which I would as after the £1500 damage payment comes the injury claim).

Lokolo

I don't think you understand

I wouldn't be going through insurance because I lose more out on NCB than I do from the damage.

The damage can be fixed in around £200-£300 (as it happened to my car before), however he is quoting £1500.

I didn't bother anyway now, can't be bothered with the hassle of arguing. I asked DirectLine to independantly assess it anyway so hopefully they'll get a slap for quoting me £1500. ****s.

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Been told I currently get a 40% discount for NCB, which I lose in a year (I renewed 2 weeks ago!!!). So £445 at the moment, going upto around £800/£900 !!!!!!.

soolin

The problem is your £300-£400 is probably a local garage, the person you hit is entitled to use a main dealer who is going to charge top whack.

I had someone hit me and cause supposedly 'minor ' damage, kept trying to tell me it was no more than a little scratch on the bumper and told me he had a mate with a garage who could do it. I drove to garage and the man told me it was a quick job and he could have it done in a couple of hours, but I wasn't convinced as the bumper appeared to look a little crooked, which he denied.

Spoke to a colleague of mine who got her husband a body shop repairer to have a look and he said straight away that there was damage under the bumper and a crack on the support (or something) and that the damage was more than cosmetic and that it should go in to be properly assessed. Went through insurers and it took their repairer two days to realign things, undercoat and touch up the damage annd I understand it came to the best part of £900.

I'm glad I didn't let some bloke just slap a bit of paint on the damage and expect me to be happy.

Lokolo

But I'm not getting a 'mate' to repair it am I?

I wouldn't be so annoyed if he said, he went to dealer got a quote came back and told me this. But instead he just rung me up said yeh it'll be about £1500, and wouldn't tell me anything about where he got the quote from (bare in mind the accident happened Friday and its now only Monday lol) and just said they need to replace the whole bumper.

I don't know much about cars, but reversing 5 yards into someone surely would not require a whole new bumper? (considering I hit the side wing, not the front lol)

Lorian

Maybe it buckled a crumple zone or soemthing. Nothing you can do but hand it over to your insurance.

Lokolo

Maybe. I got bored so made a pic of the damage



Circle = dent, lines = scratches

And yeh I am ****ing and moaning, mainly because my insurance will now go from £400 -> £900. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

lisyloo

Your choices are basically to go through your insurance or to tell the guy to "sue you".

You need to be 100% sure of your facts if you were to do that latter.
I do agree that from what you have said it sounds like he is trying to take advantage, but you need to be 100% sure that a judge will agree with you and not him.
So I would be asking him for written quotes.

Otherwise, if you have accidents, then unfortuntely you premium will rise - that's simply the way it works.

lil'H

um why didn't you protect your no claims bonus?

Or look in your mirror before reversing?

Don't mean to sound mean but unfortunately even scratches and dents can cost a lot to replace, the dent and scratches on your diagram look mainly on the same panel, on a half decent car they may choose to replace the panel rather than repair.

he might be taking the mic, but there isn't huge amounts you can do when the damage was clearly your fault.

Angela

Someome scratched my car in a tescos car park,while I was in the car luckily.
Very small scratch and the cost of repair at insurers recommended garage,not a main dealer £700 and it really was a few small scratches.
So £1500 seems about right to me.
Sorry I know its not what you wanted to hear.

Hodgehappy

A similar thing happened to me and I did very little damage to somebodys bumper. I ended up being took to the cleaners making me go through the insurance in the end affecting my no claims bonus. I later saw the same car after everything was supposedly settled driving about in the same "minor" condition. They obviously knew a garage who "sorted" it for them (prob split the money who knows!) I reported it to my insurers to ask them to investigate but was told they cannot divulge info to me afterwards as its all strictly confidential. I doubt it ever got looked into but hey life goes on & one learns a lesson. Why not suggest to them that you contact a company to price it up called http://www.chipsaway.co.uk/ I have used these on a couple of occasions and they do a very good job (minor indents & paint repair jobs!)