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The crazy world of car insurance repairs
Someone reversed into our car, the damage is minor , liability was admitted and initially the third party wanted to pay for the repair themselves rather than involve insurance.
We got a set of quotes and were willing to go for the cheapest, £250 including the use of the garage's loan car during the 2 days the repair would take (couple of dents/scratches in the rear passenger door). Unfortunately this was too much for the third party so it is now going through our insurance company.
This has involved claims handlers, recovery companies, distant repairers and probably a repair that will be replacing the door and respraying the entire side of the car rather than knocking the dents out, filling to smooth and painting the door only. Plus the replacement car will be through a car hire company so I suspect the total bill will be for 2-3k for a couple of 3 inch scratches/dents in one door of a 3 year old car worth 7-8k.
To me this all smacks of craziness, how can minor damage that could be repaired acceptably for £250 end up being a 3k insurance claim?
We got a set of quotes and were willing to go for the cheapest, £250 including the use of the garage's loan car during the 2 days the repair would take (couple of dents/scratches in the rear passenger door). Unfortunately this was too much for the third party so it is now going through our insurance company.
This has involved claims handlers, recovery companies, distant repairers and probably a repair that will be replacing the door and respraying the entire side of the car rather than knocking the dents out, filling to smooth and painting the door only. Plus the replacement car will be through a car hire company so I suspect the total bill will be for 2-3k for a couple of 3 inch scratches/dents in one door of a 3 year old car worth 7-8k.
To me this all smacks of craziness, how can minor damage that could be repaired acceptably for £250 end up being a 3k insurance claim?
I think....
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Someone reversed into our car, the damage is minor , liability was admitted and initially the third party wanted to pay for the repair themselves rather than involve insurance.
We got a set of quotes and were willing to go for the cheapest, £250 including the use of the garage's loan car during the 2 days the repair would take (couple of dents/scratches in the rear passenger door). Unfortunately this was too much for the third party so it is now going through our insurance company.
This has involved claims handlers, recovery companies, distant repairers and probably a repair that will be replacing the door and respraying the entire side of the car rather than knocking the dents out, filling to smooth and painting the door only. Plus the replacement car will be through a car hire company so I suspect the total bill will be for 2-3k for a couple of 3 inch scratches/dents in one door of a 3 year old car worth 7-8k.
To me this all smacks of craziness, how can minor damage that could be repaired acceptably for £250 end up being a 3k insurance claim?
Why not through THEIR insurers?.......0 -
No doubt it will all be recovered from their insurers eventually.I think....0
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To me this all smacks of craziness, how can minor damage that could be repaired acceptably for £250 end up being a 3k insurance claim?
Not everyone who has their car damaged wants to have it repaired the way you (fairly reasonably on the face of it) suggested. Have a look at the trampoline-related thread where the injured party was only prepared to accept new panels, for example.0 -
To me this all smacks of craziness, how can minor damage that could be repaired acceptably for £250 end up being a 3k insurance claim?
Quite simple. They are a business which makes money both from your premium and a rake off from all the companies involved with the repair chain.
Example. My old Volvo needed a new windscreen, asked Autoglass how much if I got the insurance company to do it, upwards of £400 (then)
Local small workshop quoted £100, and that's without all the paperwork down the chain.I'd rather be an Optimist and be proved wrong than a Pessimist and be proved right.0 -
This has involved claims handlers, recovery companies, distant repairers and probably a repair that will be replacing the door and respraying the entire side of the car rather than knocking the dents out, filling to smooth and painting the door only.
Because to do it properly it would need the whole side of the car spraying otherwise the door would stick out like a sore thumb, even more so if the car is metallic. Even if the colour seems to match they still stick out when viewed from an angle because the top coat of lacquer tends to be a lot smoother than the factory applied layer so the light reflects differently making it look a different shade.
On many cars by the time you've factored in the labour costs for hammering dents out and filling then sanding the filler on a flat surface so it is an invisible repair it is just cheaper to buy a replacement panel.This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com0 -
No it wouldn't, I get wings, doors, bonnets etc done on a regular basis and and it's always perfect.Because to do it properly it would need the whole side of the car spraying otherwise the door would stick out like a sore thumb, even more so if the car is metallic.
You really need to find a new paint shop if the painter is can't blend properly.
OP your lucky the car wasn't written off, I have bough many cars with less damage than that.
The insurers don't just take damage into account, they also take the other cost's like car hire, recovery, storage charges etc, it all mounts up and it easier and often cheaper to just write it off.
They then send the cars to salvage yards such as Copart where I buy them at auction as Cat D (soon to be classed as N which means non structural damage). They get decent money back on them so with the sale and all they save just selling it they are more often than not more economical by writing them off.0 -
droopsnoot wrote: »Not everyone who has their car damaged wants to have it repaired the way you (fairly reasonably on the face of it) suggested. Have a look at the trampoline-related thread where the injured party was only prepared to accept new panels, for example.
Thats a little unfair. From what i remember of that thread it was almost a brand new car. My car is still under the manufacturers warranty so i would also expect a proper repair using genuine parts and repaired to the manufacturers standard to preserve my parts and bodywork warranty.0 -
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No it wouldn't, I get wings, doors, bonnets etc done on a regular basis and and it's always perfect.
You really need to find a new paint shop if the painter is can't blend properly.
OP your lucky the car wasn't written off, I have bough many cars with less damage than that.
The insurers don't just take damage into account, they also take the other cost's like car hire, recovery, storage charges etc, it all mounts up and it easier and often cheaper to just write it off.
They then send the cars to salvage yards such as Copart where I buy them at auction as Cat D (soon to be classed as N which means non structural damage). They get decent money back on them so with the sale and all they save just selling it they are more often than not more economical by writing them off.
I wish it had been, I would love to buy it for 20% of book having received a payout of full value and then had the £250 repair done....
It really is just a couple of short scratches and a small dent, when it is dirty (most of the time) you can't even see it.I think....0 -
You want to try painting a three stage pearl paint. To paint the side of a car will cost £400 plus just in paint alone0
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