Advice please

emskyxx

First of all I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place.

On Wednesday I had a car crash, nobody was hurt but my car has come off a little worse for wear.

I passed my test in 2007 and hadn't driven since. I got the car a week last Friday and had one refresher lesson (I have another four booked)

I was driving round my estate and the road narrows with bollards. I saw a car coming towards me and wasn't sure if it was my right or way so pulled over slightly, I didn't judge the distance correctly, hit the curb, panicked, slammed my foot on the accelerator and smashed into the bollard. The passenger side of the car is a right mess. The car wouldn't start after the crash and had to be pushed to the side of the road as I'd skidded, there was a lot of oil on the road and I'm not sure if that caused me to skid. But I take full responsibility for the crash, I should've judged the distance better.

I'm now waiting to see if the insurance will pay out or consider it a write off but with easter I will have to wait until Tuesday. Naturally I'm anxious and I'm wondering if anybody on here who knows a bit about cars could tell me whether they think the insurance is like to pay out.

I have tried to attach a picture of the car so hopefully that's worked.

I already feel absolutely terrible about what's happened as a very new driver and devastated that this has happened to my car.

I'm praying it won't be a write off as I wouldn't be able to afford the insurance and a new car.

Any help would be much appreciated and again I apologise if this is in the incorrect place.

Thank you.



The picture hasn't attached for some reason so I have attached the link in the next post.

emskyxx

I don't think I've attached the image correctly but here is the link, hopefully by clicking this it can be viewed.

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/131523377@N07/17029801612/

tberry6686

with a quick look it will almost certainly be a right off. Sorry.

It's more likely that the oil on the road is from than it already being there. As far as starting it goes its possible that the car has a safety cut out that would need to be reset but if the oil is from your car then I would not try and start it as running it with no oil is a quick way to destroy the engine.

Astronaughtwannabe

emskyxx wrote: »

I don't think I've attached the image correctly but here is the link, hopefully by clicking this it can be viewed.

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/131523377@N07/17029801612/

I'm afraid it very much looks like it would be a write off.

Geodark

emskyxx wrote: »

First of all I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place.

On Wednesday I had a car crash, nobody was hurt but my car has come off a little worse for wear.

I passed my test in 2007 and hadn't driven since. I got the car a week last Friday and had one refresher lesson (I have another four booked)

I was driving round my estate and the road narrows with bollards. I saw a car coming towards me and wasn't sure if it was my right or way so pulled over slightly, I didn't judge the distance correctly, hit the curb, panicked, slammed my foot on the accelerator and smashed into the bollard. The passenger side of the car is a right mess. The car wouldn't start after the crash and had to be pushed to the side of the road as I'd skidded, there was a lot of oil on the road and I'm not sure if that caused me to skid. But I take full responsibility for the crash, I should've judged the distance better.

I'm now waiting to see if the insurance will pay out or consider it a write off but with easter I will have to wait until Tuesday. Naturally I'm anxious and I'm wondering if anybody on here who knows a bit about cars could tell me whether they think the insurance is like to pay out.

I have tried to attach a picture of the car so hopefully that's worked.

I already feel absolutely terrible about what's happened as a very new driver and devastated that this has happened to my car.

I'm praying it won't be a write off as I wouldn't be able to afford the insurance and a new car.

Any help would be much appreciated and again I apologise if this is in the incorrect place.

Thank you.



The picture hasn't attached for some reason so I have attached the link in the next post.

What do you mean by pay out or consider if it is a write off? even if it is a write off they will still pay surely? Are you fully comprehensive insurance?

emskyxx

I'm fully comp, but if the car is a write off then I'm guessing they'll pay out the market value (they valued it about £500 less than I paid for it) and I'm guessing they'll take off the £250 excess from their payout.

I paid £1625 for the car and £900 insurance for the year. If they pay the market value of £1155 (I don't know whether they'll take the excess from that) I then won't be able to afford a new car and be able to insure it.

Hope that makes sense?

emskyxx

tberry6686 wrote: »

with a quick look it will almost certainly be a right off. Sorry.

It's more likely that the oil on the road is from than it already being there. As far as starting it goes its possible that the car has a safety cut out that would need to be reset but if the oil is from your car then I would not try and start it as running it with no oil is a quick way to destroy the engine.

I only tried to restart the car once then people pushed it to the side of the road, there was oil all over the road and pavement, some was near my car but some was nowhere near where my car was, hence why I thought it couldn't have all come from my car. But then I'm very inexperienced when it comes to cars.

emskyxx

Geodark wrote: »

What do you mean by pay out or consider if it is a write off? even if it is a write off they will still pay surely? Are you fully comprehensive insurance?

Sorry, what I meant when I said pay out was whether they'll pay out for the repairs rather than write it off.

Astronaughtwannabe

If they do write it off, then bear in mind that the insurer will probably offer you a settlement that hope to get away with. Try rejecting the first offer and use adverts for the same make / model that are up for sale at higher prices - negotiate from there.

emskyxx

I have received a few emails from Diamond since the accident.

I'll try and keep it short but to me they seem a little contradictory.

The first one which was sent about four hours after the accident said:
We have asked our Approved Repairer, Fix Auto North Staffordshire to compile an estimate for your car. Unfortunately we are unable to authorise them to carry out repairs at present.

You can contact the Approved Repairer and their address and telephone number are below:

The second email which was sent at the same time, I assume is to the garage and I was copied in said:
Please arrange to see this car and prepare an estimate. However, we cannot authorise repairs at this stage.

Then I received another email the following day which said:
We have authorised Fix Auto North Staffordshire to repair your car, provided it is economical to do so. Their address and telephone number are below:

Please pay your excess of £250 to the garage when you collect your car. We will let you know in advance if you have to pay any contribution. If the repairer has not already contacted you, please call them to book your car in.

If it is uneconomical to repair your car, we will arrange to move it to a place of free storage. Please remove all personal items from your car.


It sounds like in one breath they're saying they've authorised it then in the next they're saying it depends.

Like I said earlier i'm absolutely no good with this sort of thing.
I probably should've called the insurance on Thursday after receiving this email for clarification.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

That's a write a off I'm afraid. The oil could be a number of fluids from engine or transmission oil to a mix of antifreeze it been moved and if you look under you car now youd probably see allot more if you cracked open something.


Wing, bonnet, bonnet hinges, light, front light slam panel and bumper bracket crossmember, bumper, jig front frame engine support mount arm, some minor wiring loom repairs. This is what I can see from the photo.


believe it or not theres approx. £2.5-3k worth of damage (oem parts labor and painting) plus insurers will have to pay your local council for the damage to the bollard, clearing the oil off the road etc.


I wouldn't expect to see it back once its been taken away.