Keyed car - pursuing an insurance claim

[andyg1]

Hi guys, I'm looking for some experience with pursuing insurance claims on respray work.

My TVR Chimaera was keyed the other month on the back quarter. The paint is a Rosso Pearl so there's absolutely no way it can be blended. The insurance company (and this is after an appeal to their customer service dept) will only contribute about a grand (less my excess of £250) to a full respray - which is going to be more like £4000+

It's that detail of paying for the damage vs paying to get the car to an original state. They've said that I can go to the ombudsman with a complaint. My questions are:

- is it worth the hassle of going to the ombudsman? Would I have any chance?

And specifically about the insurance:
- I have protected no-claims, but is this likely to make a big difference to the subsequent premiums?
- What about if I subsequently move to a different insurance company - do I need to state that I've made a claim?
- Will the existing insurer provide my untainted no claims bonus letter to the next insurer?

And opinion:
- what would you do? Is the 800 quid I get worth the hassle and potential increased premiums?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

[Soov535]

andyg1 said:

Hi guys, I'm looking for some experience with pursuing insurance claims on respray work.

My TVR Chimaera was keyed the other month on the back quarter. The paint is a Rosso Pearl so there's absolutely no way it can be blended. The insurance company (and this is after an appeal to their customer service dept) will only contribute about a grand (less my excess of £250) to a full respray - which is going to be more like £4000+

It's that detail of paying for the damage vs paying to get the car to an original state. They've said that I can go to the ombudsman with a complaint. My questions are:

- is it worth the hassle of going to the ombudsman? Would I have any chance?

And specifically about the insurance:
- I have protected no-claims, but is this likely to make a big difference to the subsequent premiums?
- What about if I subsequently move to a different insurance company - do I need to state that I've made a claim?
- Will the existing insurer provide my untainted no claims bonus letter to the next insurer?

And opinion:
- what would you do? Is the 800 quid I get worth the hassle and potential increased premiums?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

Sorry but one panel doesn't mean a complete respray at £4k!?

[SonicShadow]

Soov535 said:

Sorry but one panel doesn't mean a complete respray at £4k!?

It does with some paints - you cannot blend pearlescent paints like OP's - it never matches.

[fatboy b]

I'd say let them spray one panel. Show them it's crap, then they'll stump up the proper cash.

I'd also find a decent spray shop. I had the whole of my TVR Griffith done, front of the doors forward, due to a nose-cone scratch so they could blend it. Fab job for £650, but that was in 2001.

[rallycross]

its a tricky one, when you got the premium did you tell them its got special paint that means panels cannot be matched?

I would speak to someone who is a TVR paint expert like Gary at BeeGee coachworks and see what they say about matching this colour before insisting on a full re-spray?

http://www.beegeecoachcraft.co.uk

[anonymous-user]

fatboy b said:

I'd say let them spray one panel. Show them it's crap, then they'll stump up the proper cash.

.

Really? I'd be surprised.

[Eclassy]

Maybe key all the other panels.

Job jobbed

[LoonR1]

They're right to only pay to repair the damage. You'll struggle with the FOS. You should've bought a dearer, more appropriate policy.

You must declare the claim if you make it no matter which insurer you use.

With protected NCD then your insurer will provide a letter stating you have n years NCD.

Nobody but you can answer the premium question when the time comes to renew. You could run a couple of quotes through one of the price comparison websites to get a feel for the impact.

[Mopar440]

And indeed many pearl finishes change colour as you view from a different angle. Therefore the match is not as important because it looks different depending on which way you view it. As do all the other panels.

[22Rgt]

The rear quarter can be re painted, the bumper and door will be scotch brited and then all three panels lacquered and it will blend in with the rest of the car. A quote for a £4K respray is ridiculous...

[Grey Ghost]

OP, calls the guys at Surface and Design. They will tell you exactly what can and cannot be done with your damage and panel matching etc.

[MrTrilby]

FWIW, many moons ago, one of our cars was keyed along the entire length of the car. The car dealer quoted a fortune to have it re sprayed, so we chose to live with it for a year or two. And then my wife visited a supermarket that happened to have someone from ChipsAway parked in the car park. He claimed he could polish out the scratch, even though it looked to me to be right down to the white base coat. She believed him. He was right.

If you knew where to look, you could just about see the repair, but it was good, and saved a fortune.

[andyg1]

Soov535 said:

Sorry but one panel doesn't mean a complete respray at £4k!?

SonicShadow said:

It does with some paints - you cannot blend pearlescent paints like OP's - it never matches.

Indeed. With the Rosso Pearl it's more like an ink and changes colour with time. Even if you have the correct paint code it'll never match.

rallycross said:

its a tricky one, when you got the premium did you tell them its got special paint that means panels cannot be matched?

I would speak to someone who is a TVR paint expert like Gary at BeeGee coachworks and see what they say about matching this colour before insisting on a full re-spray?

During this arm wrestle with the insurers I made two points to the customer service team: that they need to ask the question about paintwork if they intend to offer insurance on these types of cars, and that they need to specify where the car is kept - after going through the policy when I first got it I specifically raised the issue with the sales rep that he'd never once asked me where the car is kept. He said "we don't bother with that". The car was scratched in the street outside my house.

My painter is a TVR specialist. He was the one who told me it couldn't be blended - and he said this before he saw the car i.e. just from me telling him the colour.

[andyg1]

LoonR1 said:

You must declare the claim if you make it no matter which insurer you use.

With protected NCD then your insurer will provide a letter stating you have n years NCD.

Nobody but you can answer the premium question when the time comes to renew. You could run a couple of quotes through one of the price comparison websites to get a feel for the impact.

In your experience (or anyone else's experience) would telling a future insurer that I'd made a claim result in me paying a significantly higher premium?

The first time I spoke to the insurance call centre I was told this claim is "vandalism" therefore wouldn't affect the non-claims. I suppose it's a bit like being hit by an uninsured driver, when the accident is not your fault. That can't go against me can it?

With my excess paid I'd be looking at 800 quid from the insurer with a 4500 quid respray. Is that worth the claim? Essentially they pay you cash, rather than it needing to paid on an invoice. Calling it "in lieu" or something...

[shep1001]

andyg1 said:

In your experience (or anyone else's experience) would telling a future insurer that I'd made a claim result in me paying a significantly higher premium?

The first time I spoke to the insurance call centre I was told this claim is "vandalism" therefore wouldn't affect the non-claims. I suppose it's a bit like being hit by an uninsured driver, when the accident is not your fault. That can't go against me can it?

With my excess paid I'd be looking at 800 quid from the insurer with a 4500 quid respray. Is that worth the claim? Essentially they pay you cash, rather than it needing to paid on an invoice. Calling it "in lieu" or something...

Depends, I claimed a not insignificant sum for a full re-spray with a flip paint under similar circumstances and my premium went down £20 at renewal time with the same provider and that was after increasing the guaranteed value based on the re-spray and other work I paid for at the same time!

[LoonR1]

andyg1 said:

In your experience (or anyone else's experience) would telling a future insurer that I'd made a claim result in me paying a significantly higher premium?

The first time I spoke to the insurance call centre I was told this claim is "vandalism" therefore wouldn't affect the non-claims. I suppose it's a bit like being hit by an uninsured driver, when the accident is not your fault. That can't go against me can it?

With my excess paid I'd be looking at 800 quid from the insurer with a 4500 quid respray. Is that worth the claim? Essentially they pay you cash, rather than it needing to paid on an invoice. Calling it "in lieu" or something...

You're not getting this. It's a claim. A non-fault claim is only where the amount your insurer pays out is recovered in full from the other driver.

This is a claim where your insurer as a "value add benefit" of your policy has chosen not to reduce your NCD. It is a fault claim, because there is nobody to claim their outlay back from. You still have to declare it and it may affect your premium. How much depends on so many factors that it's complete guesswork.

Cash in Lieu doesn't work like you've described. Effectively they agree a figure that it would cost them and then pay you it in cash and you choose whether to do the work or not. It's very rare for them to offer it on anything other then an old written off car. You won't be any better or worse off doing that anyway as they'll only pay what they would've done before.

[Rick101]

Loon,

Genuine question. Where would you find these 'specialist' insurers you mention that offer bespoke policies?
I've tried to go with specialists (as they call themselves) but they they ask if my M3 is petrol or diesel. It seems to be a more expensive policy but the same level of knowledge from the call operatives. These specialists are usually around double the cost of a moneysupermarket quote btw.

I'm happy to pay more, but struggle to find a company that car really offer something above the norm.

[LoonR1]

Anywhere that has a Private Clients division. Look for them and try will I've you much better policy. You will be paying more for it, but it's worth it IMO.

Zurich, Chubb, Hiscox, are all good for this.

[Rick101]

Thanks. May see how they compare next time round.