How does a car insurance claim work?
Discussion
So, my 440i got hit yesterday whilst parked up and bent something on the back axle enough for it to be trailered away.
Chap stopped, we swapped details - so all good within reason.
Also have some super clear CCTV from a guy on the road that shows him very clearly driving along and drifting into my car - so there are no concerns about liability etc etc - he is 100% at fault - I'd expect.
My real question is:
Repair is expensive - car gets written off - i understand that.
However - due to bent suspension, damaged rear quarter panel (It's the 2 door 440, not a 4 door) in snapper rocks blue and alloys badly scuffed where he nudged me down the road and vaught the kerb with my alloys I have no idea yet if it might be written off - No airbags delpoyed and its 17 plate with 70k on clock that BMW dealership valued just last week as a p/ex at 13.5 to 14k.
My concern is it gets repaired to the point you could never tell it's been damaged - but is registered as damaged and so worth less than it was last week - Is there any part of the claim that covers potential loss of value of the car that sits on my drive after being fixed?
Hopefully that makes sense?
many thanks..
Chap stopped, we swapped details - so all good within reason.
Also have some super clear CCTV from a guy on the road that shows him very clearly driving along and drifting into my car - so there are no concerns about liability etc etc - he is 100% at fault - I'd expect.
My real question is:
Repair is expensive - car gets written off - i understand that.
However - due to bent suspension, damaged rear quarter panel (It's the 2 door 440, not a 4 door) in snapper rocks blue and alloys badly scuffed where he nudged me down the road and vaught the kerb with my alloys I have no idea yet if it might be written off - No airbags delpoyed and its 17 plate with 70k on clock that BMW dealership valued just last week as a p/ex at 13.5 to 14k.
My concern is it gets repaired to the point you could never tell it's been damaged - but is registered as damaged and so worth less than it was last week - Is there any part of the claim that covers potential loss of value of the car that sits on my drive after being fixed?
Hopefully that makes sense?
many thanks..
That sounds like a £20k car to me, if insurers are paying out, not £13k.
I can see the case for a write off though, my E92 335i was hit in a similar way - tiny dent but bent something in the rear suspension (no other damage) such I was crabbing down the road at some angle coming home after.
Back in 2012 the repair cost was £7.2k, hire car etc on top.
I can see the case for a write off though, my E92 335i was hit in a similar way - tiny dent but bent something in the rear suspension (no other damage) such I was crabbing down the road at some angle coming home after.
Back in 2012 the repair cost was £7.2k, hire car etc on top.
teeceeee said:
My concern is it gets repaired to the point you could never tell it's been damaged - but is registered as damaged and so worth less than it was last week - Is there any part of the claim that covers potential loss of value of the car that sits on my drive after being fixed?
Hopefully that makes sense?
As others have said if it's repaired then it shouldn't be recorded anywhere. However if somebody knowledgeable checks things such as paint thickness, new components, welding, some bits of the car being newer than others etc they'll know it's been repaired and that's likely to have an impact on how much they offer you in P/ex / trade in. Hopefully that makes sense?
Sheepshanks said:
You can claim for diminution in value, but it's not normally done.
From what you've described, it may well be written off. As said above, it's not recorded if it's repaired, but of course you have to tell people if they ask.
Hopefully it won’t come down to any diminution in value post repair which if handled and repaired properly it shouldn’t. From what you've described, it may well be written off. As said above, it's not recorded if it's repaired, but of course you have to tell people if they ask.
Not normally done because it’s hard work to prove and almost certainly would then require both an engineers report and a solicitor - both at your expense.
Some insurance policies might include cover but usually that is for much higher value cars or specialist insurers.
If written off it may be possible for you to purchase as it stands and then get the car repaired.
This then would lead to potential issues when you come to sell.
As Sheep says if a car is repaired then the onus is on the buyer to ask - you don’t have to volunteer the information.
If partexing a dealer usually just asks if previously written off as opposed to a serious repair.
Hope it works out for you and the car is repairable.
Might be worth as back up doing some searching on AT or similar to try and get an idea of similar cars for sale just in case.
presuming that worked - thats the damage... so wheel not only pushed forwards - but is also out of line when viewed from rear....
Local dealers offered 13.5 to 14k as a p/ex last weekend...
Near side alloys both chunked by kerb as it got nudged a foot or so down the road...
Hire car will cost (someone, not me) £550 per day.
teeceeee said:
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Hire car will cost (someone, not me) £550 per day.
Keep an eye on that.Hire car will cost (someone, not me) £550 per day.
DId it come via your insurer or an accident management company?
There's a whole thing about you having to make reasonable efforts to keep the claim cost down, and that 550 a day will pile up very quickly, depending how long of course they take to write off/repair your car.
Surely the value of the car if it’s written off the amount you’d have to pay to get another of the same type in the same condition as yours pre-incident?
The principle of insurance is that it puts the policyholder in the position he or she was before the claim - or at least that’s what I was taught when I did my exams. So what you were offered as a part ex is neither here nor there.
So that’s the theory. How do shyster insurers operate in practice?
The principle of insurance is that it puts the policyholder in the position he or she was before the claim - or at least that’s what I was taught when I did my exams. So what you were offered as a part ex is neither here nor there.
So that’s the theory. How do shyster insurers operate in practice?
Maxym said:
Surely the value of the car if it s written off the amount you d have to pay to get another of the same type in the same condition as yours pre-incident?
The principle of insurance is that it puts the policyholder in the position he or she was before the claim - or at least that s what I was taught when I did my exams. So what you were offered as a part ex is neither here nor there.
So that s the theory. How do shyster insurers operate in practice?
Your common garden Insurer will make an offer which they hope you will fold and accept immediately.The principle of insurance is that it puts the policyholder in the position he or she was before the claim - or at least that s what I was taught when I did my exams. So what you were offered as a part ex is neither here nor there.
So that s the theory. How do shyster insurers operate in practice?
You need to do your homework and see if you can replace your car like for like - same year/make/model/options/mileage. So lets say they offer £20k, but you can't find anything for less than £21.5k, so you need to provide evidence in the form of 3 adverts (Autotrader is a good start) within 50 miles. If you can't you might need to expand on distance or be a little flexible in year/make/model/options/mileage - you might not be able to find a 2021 car, but there is a 2022 car that you would be prepared to put some of your own money towards.
The great thing is using the COMPLAINT and OMBUDSMAN to get more money. The shyster Insurers will pass the buck and claim this is what their appointed motor engineers told them to offer and they will get them to look at it again and magically a better offer is found. There are some properly sumbag Insurers who actually state that they will not discuss or negotiate the offer, I would say that this is common with Insurers based in Gibraltar, in which case COMPLAINT and OMBUDSMAN is your friend.
Modern control arms are designed to bend. So that (probably) looks worse than it is.
Even at BMW that would be maybe 8-10k to repair including paint but at an insurance body shop, probably 4-6k.
If the rear subframe is ok and its just a case of the rear wing being the main issue then I would bet its repaired.
If they write it off then I would 100% buy that back and repair it if its just bent arms. You could easily DIY repair that (using a paint shop for the paint / body) for £2-2.5k.
Even at BMW that would be maybe 8-10k to repair including paint but at an insurance body shop, probably 4-6k.
If the rear subframe is ok and its just a case of the rear wing being the main issue then I would bet its repaired.
If they write it off then I would 100% buy that back and repair it if its just bent arms. You could easily DIY repair that (using a paint shop for the paint / body) for £2-2.5k.
gotoPzero said:
Modern control arms are designed to bend. So that (probably) looks worse than it is.
Even at BMW that would be maybe 8-10k to repair including paint but at an insurance body shop, probably 4-6k.
If the rear subframe is ok and its just a case of the rear wing being the main issue then I would bet its repaired.
If they write it off then I would 100% buy that back and repair it if its just bent arms. You could easily DIY repair that (using a paint shop for the paint / body) for £2-2.5k.
The downside being it wil be recorded as a write-off which usually means a 30% - 50% reduction in value if selling privately.Even at BMW that would be maybe 8-10k to repair including paint but at an insurance body shop, probably 4-6k.
If the rear subframe is ok and its just a case of the rear wing being the main issue then I would bet its repaired.
If they write it off then I would 100% buy that back and repair it if its just bent arms. You could easily DIY repair that (using a paint shop for the paint / body) for £2-2.5k.
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