Alloy Wheel insurance - claim declined
Discussion
Hi all,
Need help on behalf of my flatmate if you would be so kind
He has alloy wheel insurance which he was sold when he bought his car, and he has claimed on it before, successfully.
He recently had a small knock on a kerb and has damaged the edge of the rim, so submitted a claim along with pictures as requested.
The insurers have declined the claim saying-
"The reason your claim has been declined is due to the fact that the photographic evidence provided shows elements of corrosion to your wheel and unfortunately this is not deemed to be accidental damage and is not covered under the terms and conditions of your policy.
Please also be advised that in the event of any future damage occuring to this wheel, the claim will not be authorised until we receive evidence that the wheel has been repaired back to pre accident/insurable condition. Evidence of this will be required in the form of a paid invoice/receipt."
Fair enough, their Ts & Cs state they don't cover corrosion, but he isn't claiming for that. Are they able to refuse to repair the damage to the rim that IS covered under the policy. Here are the Ts & Cs I think may be relevant below-
"Damage - A sudden and unforseen event resulting in accidental damage to Your Tyres or Wheels"
What is covered-
Part 2 - Alloy Wheels
If during the Period of Insurance, Damage occurs within the Geographical Area to a Wheel or Wheels fitted to the vehicle, We will cover the cost of repair to the Wheel. Repairs will be undertaken by an Approved Repairer who will attempt repairs to Your Wheel to their best endeavours, up to the Maximum Amount, and subject to the Claims Limit. In the evevnt the Wheel is Damaged beyond repair, we will contribute up to £150 towards the cost of replacing the Wheel.
What is not covered-
1.
c) The cost of repair or replacement recoverable under any other insurance or warranty
f) where the damage to your tyre or wheels is deemed to be a manufacturing defect
o) general wear and tear, corrosion or neglect, or a defect which is deemed not to be Damage.
So, I can't see anything else that's relevant (and have to type it up from paper so don't fancy transcribing the whole lot...).
I think my flatmate has a case, he isn't claiming for corrosion, he wants them to repair the damage that was done.
So, next steps are a complaint to the company first?
My other thought was maybe approach Mercedes and ask them to sort the corrosion out under warranty (which will mean replacing the wheel), but they're unlikely to do that whilst the wheel has visible damage.
Almost seems a catch 22, as the insurers won't fix the damage that they should fix because of some totally unrelated corrosion, and Mercedes are highly unlikely to replace the wheel under warranty because it has damage (haven't approached them yet as wanted to put the feelers out on here first...)
Any advice about the best way to proceed?
Need help on behalf of my flatmate if you would be so kind
He has alloy wheel insurance which he was sold when he bought his car, and he has claimed on it before, successfully.
He recently had a small knock on a kerb and has damaged the edge of the rim, so submitted a claim along with pictures as requested.
The insurers have declined the claim saying-
"The reason your claim has been declined is due to the fact that the photographic evidence provided shows elements of corrosion to your wheel and unfortunately this is not deemed to be accidental damage and is not covered under the terms and conditions of your policy.
Please also be advised that in the event of any future damage occuring to this wheel, the claim will not be authorised until we receive evidence that the wheel has been repaired back to pre accident/insurable condition. Evidence of this will be required in the form of a paid invoice/receipt."
Fair enough, their Ts & Cs state they don't cover corrosion, but he isn't claiming for that. Are they able to refuse to repair the damage to the rim that IS covered under the policy. Here are the Ts & Cs I think may be relevant below-
"Damage - A sudden and unforseen event resulting in accidental damage to Your Tyres or Wheels"
What is covered-
Part 2 - Alloy Wheels
If during the Period of Insurance, Damage occurs within the Geographical Area to a Wheel or Wheels fitted to the vehicle, We will cover the cost of repair to the Wheel. Repairs will be undertaken by an Approved Repairer who will attempt repairs to Your Wheel to their best endeavours, up to the Maximum Amount, and subject to the Claims Limit. In the evevnt the Wheel is Damaged beyond repair, we will contribute up to £150 towards the cost of replacing the Wheel.
What is not covered-
1.
c) The cost of repair or replacement recoverable under any other insurance or warranty
f) where the damage to your tyre or wheels is deemed to be a manufacturing defect
o) general wear and tear, corrosion or neglect, or a defect which is deemed not to be Damage.
So, I can't see anything else that's relevant (and have to type it up from paper so don't fancy transcribing the whole lot...).
I think my flatmate has a case, he isn't claiming for corrosion, he wants them to repair the damage that was done.
So, next steps are a complaint to the company first?
My other thought was maybe approach Mercedes and ask them to sort the corrosion out under warranty (which will mean replacing the wheel), but they're unlikely to do that whilst the wheel has visible damage.
Almost seems a catch 22, as the insurers won't fix the damage that they should fix because of some totally unrelated corrosion, and Mercedes are highly unlikely to replace the wheel under warranty because it has damage (haven't approached them yet as wanted to put the feelers out on here first...)
Any advice about the best way to proceed?
Edited by Blue Oval84 on Tuesday 22 July 20:03
Doesn't sound like the kind of insurance I'd ever buy, but perhaps an offer of a deduction in what they pay to offset the betterment.
I.e. Your friend is going to get shiny new wheels when he previously had corroded ones. This is not what the insurance was for. So he should get: Value of Complete Repair minus the difference in value between corroded wheels and non corroded wheels.
I.e. Your friend is going to get shiny new wheels when he previously had corroded ones. This is not what the insurance was for. So he should get: Value of Complete Repair minus the difference in value between corroded wheels and non corroded wheels.
This type of insurance really seems to be a scam.
When I bought a new BMW early this year I was offered all sorts of cover - GardX for the paint; upholstery cover, tyre damage cover, wheel rim cover - you name it. Either individually or as a pack. I don't remember the full cost, if I'd taken it, but it was well over a grand, IIRC.
Despite being told I'd be mad not to take the cover, I managed to resist, not least because I knew that the £500 GardX was commercially available for £25 and comes with a lot of conditions, as do the rest of the insurances.
The way I saw it, other than my natural suspicion, was that I'd have to be very unlucky to suffer more than the total premium cost in the various areas. Surely you wouldn't expect to damage paintwork and tyres, wheels etc? Maybe one area but to the the tune of £1000 or so?
I have to say I'm not surprised by the OPs tale.
When I bought a new BMW early this year I was offered all sorts of cover - GardX for the paint; upholstery cover, tyre damage cover, wheel rim cover - you name it. Either individually or as a pack. I don't remember the full cost, if I'd taken it, but it was well over a grand, IIRC.
Despite being told I'd be mad not to take the cover, I managed to resist, not least because I knew that the £500 GardX was commercially available for £25 and comes with a lot of conditions, as do the rest of the insurances.
The way I saw it, other than my natural suspicion, was that I'd have to be very unlucky to suffer more than the total premium cost in the various areas. Surely you wouldn't expect to damage paintwork and tyres, wheels etc? Maybe one area but to the the tune of £1000 or so?
I have to say I'm not surprised by the OPs tale.
REALIST123 said:
This type of insurance really seems to be a scam.
When I bought a new BMW early this year I was offered all sorts of cover - GardX for the paint; upholstery cover, tyre damage cover, wheel rim cover - you name it. Either individually or as a pack. I don't remember the full cost, if I'd taken it, but it was well over a grand, IIRC.
Despite being told I'd be mad not to take the cover, I managed to resist, not least because I knew that the £500 GardX was commercially available for £25 and comes with a lot of conditions, as do the rest of the insurances.
The way I saw it, other than my natural suspicion, was that I'd have to be very unlucky to suffer more than the total premium cost in the various areas. Surely you wouldn't expect to damage paintwork and tyres, wheels etc? Maybe one area but to the the tune of £1000 or so?
I have to say I'm not surprised by the OPs tale.
I've had GardX on 2 previous cars. The initial quote of £500 was negotiated to £0 quickly. But to be honest, it's not great. Whatever I now have on the new Jag (again foc) is great. Cleaning the car is really easy, and the protection it gives is amazing. I must ask what it is!When I bought a new BMW early this year I was offered all sorts of cover - GardX for the paint; upholstery cover, tyre damage cover, wheel rim cover - you name it. Either individually or as a pack. I don't remember the full cost, if I'd taken it, but it was well over a grand, IIRC.
Despite being told I'd be mad not to take the cover, I managed to resist, not least because I knew that the £500 GardX was commercially available for £25 and comes with a lot of conditions, as do the rest of the insurances.
The way I saw it, other than my natural suspicion, was that I'd have to be very unlucky to suffer more than the total premium cost in the various areas. Surely you wouldn't expect to damage paintwork and tyres, wheels etc? Maybe one area but to the the tune of £1000 or so?
I have to say I'm not surprised by the OPs tale.
REALIST123 said:
I have to say I'm not surprised by the OPs tale.
Sadly neither am I (it's not an insurance that I think I would take either).However that said, they do appear to be breaching their own Terms and Conditions and therefore if I can help him get anything at all out of them I'd like to.
I think the earlier post about betterment is probably close to the money.
I reckon we may give the warranty a go before trying for that though, see if we can get Mercedes to "fix" the corrosion by replacing the wheel, not that I hold out much hope for that...
Blue Oval84 said:
REALIST123 said:
I have to say I'm not surprised by the OPs tale.
Sadly neither am I (it's not an insurance that I think I would take either).However that said, they do appear to be breaching their own Terms and Conditions and therefore if I can help him get anything at all out of them I'd like to.
I think the earlier post about betterment is probably close to the money.
I reckon we may give the warranty a go before trying for that though, see if we can get Mercedes to "fix" the corrosion by replacing the wheel, not that I hold out much hope for that...
A few years ago I had a warranty claim for corroded wheels rejected by Mercedes because of kerbing on another part of the wheel (other wheels were approved). I objected to this and sent a letter to the chief executive which may have accused MB of having the moral of a two bit back street car garage, and this is not what I expected from a premium marque who charged a premium price.
We settled on an 80% mb uk contribution, and they replaced the wheels at the same time as the gearbox...
surveyor said:
I should have guessed....
A few years ago I had a warranty claim for corroded wheels rejected by Mercedes because of kerbing on another part of the wheel (other wheels were approved). I objected to this and sent a letter to the chief executive which may have accused MB of having the moral of a two bit back street car garage, and this is not what I expected from a premium marque who charged a premium price.
We settled on an 80% mb uk contribution, and they replaced the wheels at the same time as the gearbox...
Now that sounds promising, if he could get an 80% contribution then I reckon he'd go for it.A few years ago I had a warranty claim for corroded wheels rejected by Mercedes because of kerbing on another part of the wheel (other wheels were approved). I objected to this and sent a letter to the chief executive which may have accused MB of having the moral of a two bit back street car garage, and this is not what I expected from a premium marque who charged a premium price.
We settled on an 80% mb uk contribution, and they replaced the wheels at the same time as the gearbox...
Although I would say that BMW are better in this regard, my brother recently had all four wheels replaced without quibble under warranty, even though one or two had kerbing.
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