Council grass cutting damaged my car

[Blue Oval84]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Their third party liability cover will only cover them for their negligence, and it's doubtful if they were negligent in this case. So their insurance won't cover them and they are settling as a gesture of goodwill towards the OP as one of their customers.

Exactly. Unless there was an element of negligence it does seem that this is a "goodwill" gesture.

Surely that shouldn't cost £1K even at a main agent!

[mr alan]

TooMany2cvs said:

"Bullet hole"?

BTW, is the stone responsible for the distinctly variable-width shutline there and the poor paint match, too? Or is that how it came from Sytner?

That's the camera angle and shadows

[mr alan]

I would agree £1000 is frankly ridiculous I doubt very much the council will pay that I certainly wouldn't.

[hondansx]

£1000! Jesus... absolute rip off merchants.

[sc0tt]

One Thousand Pounds?

I am in the wrong game.

[mr alan]

Breakdown is

Labour £525
Paint £150
Other ?? £100
Parts £88
A few other bits then dreaded VAT

Total £1035

Ouch

[KTF]

They are taking the piss. I would go the smart repair route regardless of who is picking up the bill.

[ensignia]

It's no wonder why there are so many CAT D cars about nowadays...

[havoc]

Not a chance - that's a "f*** off" quote that they're chancing their arm with as you've said the Council will pay...

TBH, even £550 seems rich for that...

[Blue Oval84]

KTF said:

They are taking the piss. I would go the smart repair route regardless of who is picking up the bill.

I'd go for a proper bodyshop if you want to be sure it'll last. Painting in a car park is just not as good as having it baked in an oven.

[r11co]

mr alan said:

Labour £525

A sink for costs. That is meaningless unless they break it down into hourly rate.

mr alan said:

Paint £150

Fair for something decent quality, but I suspect they are quoting full price for a batch of paint which they will claim is custom to the job, but will leave enough for several other jobs which, will also carry the full batch cost on the invoice.

mr alan said:

Other ?? £100

That'll be energy costs for drying, plus masking/sanding/buffing materials presumably.

mr alan said:

Parts £88

What fecking parts? Are they replacing badges/trim? Ask them to be specific about this.

mr alan said:

A few other bits

what, on top of the other 'other' bits?

IMO going to a dealer for bodywork makes as much sense as going to a dealer for tyres. Read reviews online for local specialists who handle nothing but bodywork repairs and get quotes from the best ones. The job will be better and the robbing bds at the dealership can go dance.

[NickCQ]

Blue Oval84 said:

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Their third party liability cover will only cover them for their negligence, and it's doubtful if they were negligent in this case. So their insurance won't cover them and they are settling as a gesture of goodwill towards the OP as one of their customers.

Exactly. Unless there was an element of negligence it does seem that this is a "goodwill" gesture.

Surely that shouldn't cost £1K even at a main agent!

Meaning that the council's tune will likely change if you present them with a bill for £1k!

[mr alan]

Exactly my thoughts as well, I can't for a second think that they will go for the Sytner quote. I'm quite happy with chips away frankly as its guaranteed and will probably be 95% as good as anyone else. Especially as I thought I would have to foot the bill myself.

[DaveCWK]

Take it to a reputable bodyshop, make a point that you are the one paying & get another quote. I'm betting it will be around £300.
I really hope the council would see sense to reject a £1k+ claim for that.

[mr alan]

DaveCWK said:

Take it to a reputable bodyshop, make a point that you are the one paying & get another quote. I'm betting it will be around £300.
I really hope the council would see sense to reject a £1k+ claim for that.

If you scroll back a bit you will see the 2 other quotes for the same job.

[SydneyBridge]

The council will be paying this themselves. they will either be self insured or have a huge excess on any insurance.

[J4CKO]

"Council grass cutting damaged my car"

Sounds like an album Zappa would have made in his later years had he lived.

[mr alan]

As I said it sounds like a Jeremy Kyle topic

[TwigtheWonderkid]

SydneyBridge said:

The council will be paying this themselves. they will either be self insured or have a huge excess on any insurance.

They will be paying themselves, but not for the reasons you state. They were not negligent, so any insurance cover they have wouldn't cover their tp liability, because they have none. This is a goodwill gesture and you can't get insurance to cover paying people you don't have to pay.

[lord trumpton]

Don't go with a smart repair on that colour!