My car just got hit - need some advice please

Lum

ScottishSapper wrote: »

I would suggest getting a quote for the wheel, tyre and wheel arch, then get separate quote for the T cut job. Write to him give him the total cost but you are prepared to do the T cut yourself. Give him the option of paying or going through insurance

Depends, if this is a company car (the other guy's, not the OPs) then they will almost certainly want to go through the insurance. If it's the boss' private car and/or this driver is uninsured then they may well want to settle privately. Remember that the boss is also liable for the offence of causing or permitting uninsured driving if the driver was indeed uninsured. Might encourage them to pay up in exchange for silence.

I would start by calling the number given, ask if they want to do it through insurance or just pay you for your repairs+courtesy car, and if they do want to go through insurance, ask for the details. If they want to deal with it privately then get a quote from a garage you trust, make sure they're aware that someone else is paying and ensure that the quote qiven is a worst case scenario, then get payment from the company upfront before starting any work.

If you do it privately then while, technically, you should inform your insurance company, in reality there will be no record of this ever happening and the only thing telling the insurance will achieve is higher premiums for you for the next five years. I'm not going to recommend that you not tell them, but think carefully about what to do.

If you do it through insurance then I would not recommend going through your own insurance company. Even if they accept 100% liability with no arguments, your no claims bonus will still disappear on a temporary basis, until the other insurer pay up, and this can take a long time and affect your renewal. Better options are to claim directly from the other guy's insurance or to use a 3rd party claim management company, though the latter does come with caveats too (e.g. credit hire agreements). No matter which route you go, there WILL be a record of this accident and so you should inform your insurance "for information only", and will have to declare it at every renewal for the next five years.

Charliezoo

maninthestreet wrote: »

As the other driver was changing lanes, it was his responsibility to ensure it was safe to do so. This assumes that there were no signs or road markings indicating that the RH lane was for turning right only. The other driver may have committed any offence by not giving the OP his address.

The road markings were clear, it was a 50mph dual carriageway before and after the roundabout and the RH lane I was in had road markings showing an arrow pointing both straight ahead and right. He had no reason to swerve into my lane, I can only presume he thought that the roundabout went into a single lane and he could drive straight down the middle.

I've looked up the address of the company, am I right in saying I should now get the damage assessed and then send a copy of the quote along with a cover letter to the company boss?

Lum

Just call them. If they're uncooperative in any way then take it to writing and insurers.

fivetide

Charliezoo wrote: »

I've looked up the address of the company, am I right in saying I should now get the damage assessed and then send a copy of the quote along with a cover letter to the company boss?

If you must go to them direct just do it. Call them and ask what they want to do.

I'm sure you are nervous about the call which is why you are procrastinating but seriously, just do it. The longer you leave it the worse it gets.

If you really don't want to then push it through your insurance. Despite what Lum says i've never had a problem with no claims and if it is protected then no worries any way. Even a non-fault claim is likely to nudge it up a touch.

It is what you pay them for at the end of the day.

5t.

maninthestreet

Charliezoo wrote: »

The road markings were clear, it was a 50mph dual carriageway before and after the roundabout and the RH lane I was in had road markings showing an arrow pointing both straight ahead and right. He had no reason to swerve into my lane, I can only presume he thought that the roundabout went into a single lane and he could drive straight down the middle.

I've looked up the address of the company, am I right in saying I should now get the damage assessed and then send a copy of the quote along with a cover letter to the company boss?

You need to claim on the insurance policy that covered the other driver to drive the vehicle that hit yours.

Lum

fivetide wrote: »

If you really don't want to then push it through your insurance. Despite what Lum says i've never had a problem with no claims and if it is protected then no worries any way. Even a non-fault claim is likely to nudge it up a touch.

Yes, a non-fault will nudge it up, which is why doing it privately is worth considering.

The no-claims issue happens if your renewal is due before the case is solved. I've had claims that have dragged on for years, including one where I ended up paying for the repairs myself as the £1000 repair bill was lower than what I stood to lose in terms of NCB. Then took almost 3 years to get my money back due to incompetence on the part of my insurer (Equity Red Star).

They didn't pay interest either.

Quentin

Charliezoo wrote: »

I've looked up the address of the company, am I right in saying I should now get the damage assessed and then send a copy of the quote along with a cover letter to the company boss?

It's your choice. If you don't want to use your own insurer, then it would be better to go direct to the third party insurer. So phone or write to the company for these details.

From what you say liability isn't going to be readily accepted, (esp with no witnesses) and if you want your car quickly repaired it may be better just to leave this in the hands of your own insurer.

fivetide

Lum wrote: »

Yes, a non-fault will nudge it up, which is why doing it privately is worth considering.

The no-claims issue happens if your renewal is due before the case is solved. I've had claims that have dragged on for years, including one where I ended up paying for the repairs myself as the £1000 repair bill was lower than what I stood to lose in terms of NCB. Then took almost 3 years to get my money back due to incompetence on the part of my insurer (Equity Red Star).

They didn't pay interest either.

Cool. Guess I've been lucky not to have a claim at the end of a policy. The protected no claims has always come through so perhaps that is it?

5t.

Charliezoo

I was thinking to maybe call the guy tonight on the number he gave me. Explain that there was damage to my car and ask him how he'd prefer me to proceed - would he rather I send him the quote directly and allow him the opportunity to settle it himself or would he rather I contacted his boss and and went the official route through an insurance claim?

Does this sound fair?

Gavin83

I wouldn't always recommend going down the insurance route but I'd be surprised if this went smoothly, you may be better off going via the insurance route.