Fault developed in car accident - insurer won't pay

DanAir

Hi all - sorry if this is a common issue but I'm not a regular of the insurance forum!

My wife was recently involved in an accident - I don't think the details are important - and the car was repaired under insurance. However when she went to collect the car as soon as she turned it on there was a tremendous rattling sound. She alerted the garage and they has another look. They concluded that it was the air conditioning unit. The insurer's engineer has taken a look at it and reported that the compressor bearings have 'gone' and this wasn't related to the impact, and that it would have happened anyway. I'm not really entitled to a view from a technical perspective, but I would have thought that if the problem wasn't there before the impact, and it was there afterwards, it was either caused by the accident or by the garage while they were repairing it. The estimate is around £500 and my view is that either way the insurance company should pay for the repair. They are flat-out refusing.

Am I being unreasonable? What steps can I take to pursue this further?

Dave_Brooker

DanAir wrote: »

Hi all - sorry if this is a common issue but I'm not a regular of the insurance forum!

My wife was recently involved in an accident - I don't think the details are important - and the car was repaired under insurance. However when she went to collect the car as soon as she turned it on there was a tremendous rattling sound. She alerted the garage and they has another look. They concluded that it was the air conditioning unit. The insurer's engineer has taken a look at it and reported that the compressor bearings have 'gone' and this wasn't related to the impact, and that it would have happened anyway. I'm not really entitled to a view from a technical perspective, but I would have thought that if the problem wasn't there before the impact, and it was there afterwards, it was either caused by the accident or by the garage while they were repairing it. The estimate is around £500 and my view is that either way the insurance company should pay for the repair. They are flat-out refusing.

Am I being unreasonable? What steps can I take to pursue this further?

Parts can fail at any point, it will be an uphill strugle to prove otherwise, especially if the damage was nowhere near the ac compressor.

Out of mild interest, where was the car damaged?

DanAir

I didn't see the damage myself but the car was swiped by a van while my wife was stationary, waiting to turn right at a T-junction. It pulled off the bumper and caused enough damage within the engine bay to have taken a month to repair.

brazilianwax

Have to agree. One of my cars has never been in an accident, but the air con compressor has just failed.

Having a new one fitted this week. These things can just happen.

DanAir

I don't dispute that the air conditioning can fail at any time, but it's difficult to avoid the conclusion that the sudden failure was triggered by the impact. Perhaps it would have happened soon anyway but if the failure was accelerated surely the insurer should be at least partly liable.

darich

I'm one for arguing these things.

I'd write to the insurance company and say that the air con unit was working fine before the incident and now it's broken. The damage must therefore have been caused either by the accident, or while in the care of their approved body shop.

The way i look at it, is that a couple of letters of complaint will take a couple of hours but may save hundreds of pounds if the company repair/replace what you're after.

Also, a lot of companies bank on people not fighting for things, so starting a big arguement can sometimes reap benefits. But always keep the letters factual and polite - even if you wish to call the manager all sorts - try and get him on your side by asking for his intervention and that you've always been impressed by the service (even if you haven't) - flattery goes a long way.

Dave_Brooker

darich wrote: »

I'm one for arguing these things.

I'd write to the insurance company and say that the air con unit was working fine before the incident and now it's broken.

And they'll just say that it broke anyway.

If there's no external damage, going to the insurance co is a waste of time.

OP, don't forget that ac compressors can be brought and fitted cheaply by ac specialists.

DanAir

Dave_Brooker wrote: »

And they'll just say that it broke anyway.

If there's no external damage, going to the insurance co is a waste of time.

OP, don't forget that ac compressors can be brought and fitted cheaply by ac specialists.

Good point, I'll take the car to a specialist to get it checked. Any recommendations in the NW London area?

darich

Dave_Brooker wrote: »

And they'll just say that it broke anyway.

If there's no external damage, going to the insurance co is a waste of time.

OP, don't forget that ac compressors can be brought and fitted cheaply by ac specialists.

It's never a waste of time to complain if something is not done properly or as you expect.
You're right in that you may get nowhere but at least by writing a letter of complaint you have a chance of them fixing it.
I've had ppor work done by bodyshop before and complained to the insurance company - the body shop phoned me within 3 days of my letter being posted and the work was done properly.
Any insurance company who doesn't care about people bad mouthing them isn't one you want to use. On the other hand, if they go out of their way to help you, you will recommend them to your friends and stay with them for renewal.

Like i said - a couple of letters and some stamps - not a lot to lose really.
I'd have no hesitation in doing it.

raskazz

darich wrote: »

It's never a waste of time to complain if something is not done properly or as you expect.
You're right in that you may get nowhere but at least by writing a letter of complaint you have a chance of them fixing it.
I've had ppor work done by bodyshop before and complained to the insurance company - the body shop phoned me within 3 days of my letter being posted and the work was done properly.
Any insurance company who doesn't care about people bad mouthing them isn't one you want to use. On the other hand, if they go out of their way to help you, you will recommend them to your friends and stay with them for renewal.

Like i said - a couple of letters and some stamps - not a lot to lose really.
I'd have no hesitation in doing it.

Abolutely - get on to the insurers and politely explain what has happened in precise terms. In my experience, most insurers will sort this out for you - it will cost them less to fix it than to spend hours working on a protracted escalated complaint.

foxyuk

DanAir wrote: »

Good point, I'll take the car to a specialist to get it checked. Any recommendations in the NW London area?

IF YOU ARE ADAMENT .... GO DOWN THIS ROUTE.

Contact an independant motor engineer .... they will request the estimate and invoice from the garage and your insurers

thereafter they will look at the quality of repair carried out , area of damage and advise you if it is consistent with the accident/area of damage.

If it is found it is the insurance company are duty bound to refund your cost (£60 approx)


arrange for replacement/repair then they will persue this further outlay with third party insurers based on engineers report.

Without engineers report a third party insurer would reject this part of claim....


Firstly adv insurers that you are appointing an independant engineer