Car insurance claim through a broker after the accident happened

Jwild44

A couple of weeks ago I crashed my classic BMW, caving in the whole front of the vehicle. Luckily no one was hurt and no other cars were involved and I managed to recover the car back to my drive. This has been my pride and joy for many years and I can’t describe how devastated I am. It has also come at a terrible time, as I am currently unemployed and struggling to find work. The car was an investment that I was planning to sell when I have my first child next year.

I have 5 years no claims bonus and the car has an estimated value of £9000. I am insured through a broker. The cheapest insurance I could find through an online comparison site. They do not have particularly good reviews and I am concerned they are going to be difficult to deal with.

I sent some pictures of the damage to a repair shop and they estimated around £4000 to repair it (this could be more after inspection). I don’t have anywhere near this amount available to me at the moment.

1.     Should I make a claim? I spoke to a friend that said it could turn the car into a category D write-off that would drop its value completely. Is this true?

2.     Does it matter that I did not claim as soon as the accident occurred? Is there a limit to how many days you can claim after the accident?

Since the accident I am finding the whole process totally overwhelming. I am unsure whether to make a claim and would be hugely grateful if anyone can help. 

Thank you,

csgohan4

making a claim as an at  fault claim will inevitably drive your premiums up fora few years as you have to declare it for 3-5 years depending on insurer.

Can you afford to not claim and not have a car, or claim and have some degree of compensation. A car that has been through repairs is also going to be worth much less and that is inevitable. 

FlameCloud

Your policy will probably require you to report potential claims to them, although you may wish to make it clear that it would be information only. 

What did you hit- were the police/third party aware? They may present a claim to you if they have your details. 

Jwild44

At the moment I can borrow a car but my main concern is the time limit on submitting a claim. Do you know how long I have to make the claim?
Does anyone know what a category D write-off would mean. I don't want to claim and have the car written off. I've been told it would be listed as a cat D so anyone buying it would see this where as if I paid for the repairs myself this wouldn't happen.
I went into the side of a hedge in the rain. No other parties or police involved. 
Thank you both for your help. 

Thrugelmir

What damage did you cause to whatever you hit? 

chrisw

Cat D are usually considered to be worth about 40% less than an uncategorised one.

Its unlikely the insurance company will have an issue with the delay, they dont usually specify a time limit. It's only really an issue if there's a third party involved, you could always claim delays due to the virus.

You should report it to the insurance company anyway. It might be worth asking them if they will allow you to initially pursue a claim with them but withdraw the claim if they consider it a Cat D following inspection.