Cost - Total Replacement Rear Bumper Vectra?

Arklight

pennypincher3562 wrote: »

This is where I am getting very confused.

They can either offer me an acceptable solution, or one that I will reject? If they offer me a solution that I don't agree with, then I will go off and do my own thing - at the end of day it's my car, and I will fix it, either with insurance or without.

Can you please clarify why I shouldn't contact insurance? Is there something I am missing here (I don't know much about insurance.)?

When you call them they won't just give you a quick quote for a new bumper and the phone number of a garage down the road. The car will have to be taken in to one of their repairers and assessed. At this point it will be out of your hands and you'll either be asked to approve the work or it will be written off as an uninsurable interest.

Even if you just call them to discuss it, the moment you say you reversed into a wall hard enough to smash your bumper and lights to bits, they will record you as having been in an accident, which will make your future premiums go up for the next 5 years.

You'll then also have informed them that you are now driving a car that is in poor repair, which can give you other problems.

I don't think it's sensible at all to avoid full disclosure to your insurers if you are in any kind of accident with another person, but damage you've caused yourself id generally best sorted out yourself unless you really can't afford it.

MX5huggy

Don!!!8217;t forget you also have an excess in the policy so you!!!8217;ll be may £250 or more down if you claim.

pennypincher3562

I've got 2 separate valuations on the car. They suggest that it is worth in the region of £1650 to £1700 (private sale.)

With the above valuation, is is still advisable to do a 'self repair,' or perhaps make an insurance claim?

deanos

If you contact insurance then you will be making a claim which will increase your premiums, even if you don’t claim and notify they you are still classes as having a accident and will need to declaire it for 5 years

pennypincher3562

deanos wrote: »

If you contact insurance then you will be making a claim which will increase your premiums, even if you don!!!8217;t claim and notify they you are still classes as having a accident and will need to declaire it for 5 years

I need to work out will the cost of replacing a cracked bumper, and spraying to match exceed roughly £1600?

I have to admit, I've paid the insurance company a nice amount of money over the past 2 decades, and would certainly like some of that to come back to me.

GunJack

pennypincher3562 wrote: »

I need to work out will the cost of replacing a cracked bumper, and spraying to match exceed roughly £1600?

I have to admit, I've paid the insurance company a nice amount of money over the past 2 decades, and would certainly like some of that to come back to me.

But anything you get now will be taken back over the next 5 years that you have to declare the claim in increased premiums....

pennypincher3562

GunJack wrote: »

But anything you get now will be taken back over the next 5 years that you have to declare the claim in increased premiums....

It's a tough call, and really makes you wonder at times the point of insurance?

custardy

pennypincher3562 wrote: »

I need to work out will the cost of replacing a cracked bumper, and spraying to match exceed roughly £1600?

I have to admit, I've paid the insurance company a nice amount of money over the past 2 decades, and would certainly like some of that to come back to me.

I doesnt need to reach your cars value for the insurers to write off.

deanos

pennypincher3562 wrote: »

I need to work out will the cost of replacing a cracked bumper, and spraying to match exceed roughly £1600?

I have to admit, I've paid the insurance company a nice amount of money over the past 2 decades, and would certainly like some of that to come back to me.

its been mentioned a few times, go to scrap yard a bumper will be around £100 plus an hour labor to fit, there are some on ebay starting at £30, just get one in same colour

Vectra bumpers don't fully match anyway most of them are a different shade because they are painted in different factory to the car , so no need to spray

neilmcl

pennypincher3562 wrote: »

I need to work out will the cost of replacing a cracked bumper, and spraying to match exceed roughly £1600?

If you follow the advice already given then a used bumper from ebay or a breakers yard is not going to get anywhere near this, even if you got one in a different colour that you needed to respray you'd still probably get change out of £500 in total.