Insurance question
Discussion
I recently had an accident at work (my handbrake must have come down and my car has rolled into another persons car). Let me insurance know, and they have told me it looks as though i would be at fault if the 3rd party is to claim- fair enough.
There is a crack in their rear bumper and a pretty big dint in my front bumper, however since this happened (about 3 weeks ago) ive not heard anything from my insurance about the 3rd party claiming. My concern lies with the fact that I want to end my PCP deal next month with VWFS and as a result will be cancelling my insurance. What is the process if there is still potential for a claim to be made against me, and if I no longer have my car or any insurance?
Also- would I be better off going through my insurance for a quote on the damage to my car, or alternatively when VWFS come to do the car pickup inspection, would their prices likely be cheaper than what a garage could offer me to fix my front bumper?
Thanks
There is a crack in their rear bumper and a pretty big dint in my front bumper, however since this happened (about 3 weeks ago) ive not heard anything from my insurance about the 3rd party claiming. My concern lies with the fact that I want to end my PCP deal next month with VWFS and as a result will be cancelling my insurance. What is the process if there is still potential for a claim to be made against me, and if I no longer have my car or any insurance?
Also- would I be better off going through my insurance for a quote on the damage to my car, or alternatively when VWFS come to do the car pickup inspection, would their prices likely be cheaper than what a garage could offer me to fix my front bumper?
Thanks
Did you speak to the third party and if so did they intend to claim?
Has you insurance company indicated that the third party is claiming?
This is a cut and dried 'fault' claim so you can expect the third party to have their car repaired at the expense of your insurance company.
That being the case you will have a fault claim on your record and lose part or all of your no claims discount.
The damage to your own car may appear minor but as you are handing it back imminently you are going to need it repaired properly pretty quick. It'll probably cost more than you would imagine- probably more than your policy excess.
With all these factors you should just have your insurance company repair your car and handle the third party claim when it emerges. That policy covers you for claims occurring during that policy period so the third party claim will be handled by that insurance company even if your policy has ended.
Has you insurance company indicated that the third party is claiming?
This is a cut and dried 'fault' claim so you can expect the third party to have their car repaired at the expense of your insurance company.
That being the case you will have a fault claim on your record and lose part or all of your no claims discount.
The damage to your own car may appear minor but as you are handing it back imminently you are going to need it repaired properly pretty quick. It'll probably cost more than you would imagine- probably more than your policy excess.
With all these factors you should just have your insurance company repair your car and handle the third party claim when it emerges. That policy covers you for claims occurring during that policy period so the third party claim will be handled by that insurance company even if your policy has ended.
Russell- Yeah my excess is pretty large (im a youngish driver so needed it big to keep costs down). My NCB is not protected so it will drop down to 1 year (ill lose 3 years bonus). your reply puts my mind at ease, I wasnt aware that my insurance would pay out even though I wont have insurance at the time the 3rd party claims.
I did speak to the woman whos car it was, she informed me she was going to go through the insurance but im yet to hear anything from them.
Just to confirm, does the process of me claiming work like this (apologies this is my first accident): I ring up my insurance, say id like to claim for my own car damage, they send someone out to look at my car, they give me a price- do they then take my car the same day (if i agree to the price), or will the process take a few weeks in sorting out a courtesy car etc? Thanks in advance.
I did speak to the woman whos car it was, she informed me she was going to go through the insurance but im yet to hear anything from them.
Just to confirm, does the process of me claiming work like this (apologies this is my first accident): I ring up my insurance, say id like to claim for my own car damage, they send someone out to look at my car, they give me a price- do they then take my car the same day (if i agree to the price), or will the process take a few weeks in sorting out a courtesy car etc? Thanks in advance.
The person you hit may be claiming off their own policy, who, down the line, will claim off your, so it could be many months before your insurers get a tp claim in. Are you sure your damage is higher than your excess? If not, it's down to you anyway, and your insurers will just have the tp claim to pay for.
BerlinChris said:
Russell- Yeah my excess is pretty large (im a youngish driver so needed it big to keep costs down). My NCB is not protected so it will drop down to 1 year (ill lose 3 years bonus). your reply puts my mind at ease, I wasnt aware that my insurance would pay out even though I wont have insurance at the time the 3rd party claims.
I did speak to the woman whos car it was, she informed me she was going to go through the insurance but im yet to hear anything from them.
Just to confirm, does the process of me claiming work like this (apologies this is my first accident): I ring up my insurance, say id like to claim for my own car damage, they send someone out to look at my car, they give me a price- do they then take my car the same day (if i agree to the price), or will the process take a few weeks in sorting out a courtesy car etc? Thanks in advance.
If you're claiming off your own insurance, they pay for it, you don't agree to any price. They'll recover (or ask you to drive) it to their accident repair center, the insurance pays and it goes down as part of the claim.I did speak to the woman whos car it was, she informed me she was going to go through the insurance but im yet to hear anything from them.
Just to confirm, does the process of me claiming work like this (apologies this is my first accident): I ring up my insurance, say id like to claim for my own car damage, they send someone out to look at my car, they give me a price- do they then take my car the same day (if i agree to the price), or will the process take a few weeks in sorting out a courtesy car etc? Thanks in advance.
Courtesy cars will either be provided by the repair center (depending on availability) or hired on your behalf depending on your policy entitlement.
The repair time could be days, or months depending on outstanding work and parts availability.
You mentioned cancelling your policy as well, it would be worth checking with the insurer too, as you may be required to pay any outstanding installments/ may not be eligible for any pro-rated refund due to the claim.
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