Insurance claim (silly driving)

[LoonR1]

You can get anyone you like to look at the car and see what their opinion is. However, just because they want to replace everything doesn't necessarily make them right and the insurer's garage wrong.

What you have to pay is down to the specifics of the contract you have.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

exronin said:

Their small print says I need to cover the difference between what their repairers would have charged versus what my own repairer charges but does that extend to a disagreement in what the required repair work needs to be?

By small print, you mean normal sized print you haven't bothered to read until now.

[exronin]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

By small print, you mean normal sized print you haven't bothered to read until now.

What's with the attitude?

I had to click several times to find the sole statement saying the following:

Policy Document said:

Should you still prefer to use a non-Recommended Repairer, we will only pay the cost that would have been charged by our Recommended Repairer, as per your policy/renewal notice which states “ if you choose not to use them (our Recommended Repairer) we will not pay more than our
Recommended Repairer would have charged”.

This sole statement which is definitely small print as it isn't part of the regular policy documentation as far as I can see does not explain to me whether:

1) They will only pay for damage identified by their assessors/repairers, or
2) They will pay for damage identified by BMW as a second opinion, but only at the rate of the repairers'

I can live with 2) but would not be happy with 1). Heck, I may even be persuaded to have the car returned to the insurance repariers' if they agree to do all the work that BMW have identified...

So coming back to my question - am I in situation 1) or 2) or is it not possible to tell from that snippet?

[LoonR1]

Nobody else can tell either. Ring your insurers. I have to agree with Twig on this, it's always "small print" when it's not to your advantage.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

exronin said:

This sole statement which is definitely small print as it isn't part of the regular policy documentation as far as I can see does not explain to me whether:

Is it in smaller print than the rest of the policy? No, thought not.

[TPS]

exronin said:

This morning on my way to the train station I managed to understeer myself on a wet road into a 30cm tall kerb at a junction - I think I hit at about 20-25mph, with wheels at full lock to the right.

BMW Service had already identified some 'slight' play in my ball joint or control arm (don't remember which) about 4 months ago, so whatever that was is now definitely broken completely I think. Car is driving ok, but I do have quite a strong pull to the left and my steering wheel is now off-centre - need to hold at about 30 degrees angle to stay straight. I also got a strange grinding noise with wheels fully locked to the right in a fairly sharp turn, but it hasn't returned since and it may have been just road noise.

Car is also a bit more bouncy I think, so possibly new shocks needed too?

exronin said:

Apparently, the insurer's garage found that there was very little damage. They reckon a wheel refurbishment is needed, and the tracking needs to be re-aligned and that nothing else is wrong.

That sounds wrong to me - I know how the car felt and I refuse to believe that the steering wheel can be offset from the centre by 30 degrees through a simple alignment fault - also, it's not normal for a car to pull to the left naturally when it was absolutely fine before.

What comeback do I have with the insurance company and their garage? Can I insist on the car being taken to BMW for a second opinion? If BMW find it needs more work, can I insist on the company picking up the bill?

Their small print says I need to cover the difference between what their repairers would have charged versus what my own repairer charges but does that extend to a disagreement in what the required repair work needs to be?

So it just needed a £40 wheel alignment and now you have a claim.

[Jimmyarm]

From a mechanics point of view, if you have smacked a curb hard enough you knock your steering off centre that much, there is much more damage than just a tracking adjustment...and thats before getting involved in the grinding noise. Something has bent or moved.

I've seen similar incidents where the whole subframe has shifted slightly or the rack has moved, not things some people would immediately notice...

The 'bodyshop' may be BMW approved, but I suspect that is for body repairs, not mechanical ones. I'd be checking this.

I'd also not take the Insurers word for it that having those repairs carried out at a non BMW group garage will invalidate the warranty you have. How do they know this ? Have they read the wording of your extended warranty ?

Edited by Jimmyarm on Tuesday 8th April 14:25