Car accident question

alliballi

Short term this isn't how it works.
You do have to pay the excess up front if you want repairs done immediately as usually liability is not agreed immediately.
Once it's agreed then yes, you claim the money back, but it does take time.
If you are prepared to wait for repairs until everything is agreed, then yes you can avoid paying the excess.

This never happened with me I paid no excess just got car into get fixed through insurance the other driver paid the excess, maybe as I say because we were both with same insurance companies, basically I think each insurer has their own rules, crazy

lisyloo

This never happened with me I paid no excess just got car into get fixed through insurance the other driver paid the excess

Did you claim off your own insurance OR the other drivers?
Sorry if this wasn't clear.
If you make a claim off the comprehensive section of your own policy there is an excess.
If you make a claim off the 3rd parties policy then there is no excess for you to pay.

So it does depend which route you chose.

bikebarbie

Well I just come back from the garage.
he lifted the car and showed me behind the bumper there is a bracket that holds a bit of black plastic (that is located behind and under the bumper) from touching the wheel, which was bent. In fact when the accident happened the black plastic was touching my wheel and I had to pull it away with my hands.

He explained this does not 'need' to be replaced but the damage was caused by the accident.

There are 3 small dents and several little scratches. He can get rid of the scratches but said that the dents are not as easy and it would not be a 'perfect ' job to repair dents on a bumper he said is easier and quicker to replace the whole bumper.
There are a couple of scratches on the boot door which he said to have a 'perfect' job would need to be resprayed.

So all in all, it seems I can get the damage touched up for a couple of hundred quids but to have the car as it was previous to the incident then this is what he recommend. He didnt mention prices he said he will put a quote in the post but I expect to be over 1k (if he replaces the bumper, sprays it and the boot...)

Can I call their insurance directly or does he have to make / initiate the claim? I have not told the other party about this quote yet but he said that if it had to go through insurance then I would have to contact my insurance, didn't sound like he wanted to make the claim.

Whatever happens the car is drivable so I don't mind waiting whilst they sort out the bureaucracy involved with the excess...

Also can I choose where to take the car to be fixed (it would be this garage) or do I have to go where the insurance tells me to go?

Look forward to your replies

Thanks again x

lisyloo

I have not told the other party about this quote yet but he said that if it had to go through insurance then I would have to contact my insurance

You can go direct to his insurer.
How easy he/they make it is a different matter.
We claimed direct through LLoyds TSB and had no real issues.

Also can I choose where to take the car to be fixed (it would be this garage) or do I have to go where the insurance tells me to go?

You can use your own garage but the insurer might not be willing to pay a higher bill, so if your gargage is more expensive than theirs, then you might have to pick up any shortfall.

alliballi

lisyloo wrote: »

Did you claim off your own insurance OR the other drivers?
Sorry if this wasn't clear.
If you make a claim off the comprehensive section of your own policy there is an excess.
If you make a claim off the 3rd parties policy then there is no excess for you to pay.

So it does depend which route you chose.

I notified my insurance company who spoke to person who went into back of me so claimed under his insurance as his fault not mine, just happened we were with same insurance company, would never have claimed under my own insurance as not my fault

lisyloo

So that's why you had no excess then.
It's not a matter of insurers having their own rules.
It's a matter of whether you make a comprehensive claim on your own insurance or a 3rd party claim on the other persons insurance.

Where liability is not clear and there is an argument, then most often you do need to get your own insurer involved to deal with it for you.
In your case (and this case) there isn't much question of liability but that's not always the case.

alliballi

Thats what i did say in the start lol why I didnt pay excess because I claimed on their insurance, might be better to read the post

lisyloo

Sorry alli, I'm not trying to disagree with you but in post #32 you seemed to think the difference was because different insurers "have their own rules".
I don't think that's the case. I think whether you pay the excess depends which policy you claim on.
Sorry if I haven't understood what you were saying.
I think we are in agreement.

mm44uk

Pardon any faux pas here as this is my first post.
I was driving home from work tonight and while in traffic I braked and a car crashed into the back of me. My rear bumper and tailgate were quite badly damaged and the other car's bonnet was buckled upwards, grille disintegrated etc. I was gutted at the time as I have at least 9 years NCD, I exchanged details with the other driver, understanding that "these things happen".
The problems get better when I get home. I was insured with Elephant and when their renewal came in it was up by about £150 so I told them I wouldn't be renewing. I reckoned the accident was no problem as my policy doesn't run out till the 25th but when I dug it out, it finished on the 15th!
Yes, I am the idiot here and am putting my hands up, I hadn't checked!
I get the bus to work normally so haven't been driving the car for a couple of weeks.

Sorry about the waffle up till now.
My question is, what do I do now?
I obviously have to go and get some quotes for repair but do I just approach the other driver's insurance co. as he was at fault? He's with Direct Line.
I didn't get pictures as it was pitch dark, on the middle of the Kingston Bridge in Glasgow with traffic everywhere.
Hope somebody can give me some guidance please.

dacouch

You can approach DL directly and if their customer has reported the claim to them and they have accepted liability they will sort it out for you, in fact they will often ring you if they realise they are at fault to get the ball rolling.

If you have any problems you can use an accident management company