Weather damage to car
Discussion
Super Sonic said:
Is weather damage covered by insurance or is it excluded? I opened my car door earlier and the wind ripped it out my hands and slammed it open so hard it dented the wing and broke the side indicator. :..(
I can't see why you couldn't make a "fault claim" against a fully comprehensive insurance policy for that. sam.rog said:
Be careful. They will probably want to write it off.
Hm that's worrying. It maybe better to pay for it myself and avoid claiming to avoid it being written off. From what I've heard, body shops charge more when insurance is paying. From what I could see (in the dark) the door looks undamaged, just the wing is now concave instead of convex, and is about an inch inboard of the door where they meet.bigmowley said:
Should be covered. Happened to one of my Sprinter vans and the NFU paid for the repairs. It was a couple of grand all up so worth the claim.
I would say NFU are one of the more pragmatic insurers when it comes to claims, I think the law of unintended consequences applies to making a claim for this on a 28 year old car.Go straight to write-off, do not pass go and do not collect £200.
Inbox said:
Go straight to write-off, do not pass go and do not collect £200.
Thanks for the warning, I'm wit Adrian Flux, but the car is worth more to me than it's book value, it's a one (two including me) owner car with under 60,000 miles, and it would be almost impossible to find another this age in this condition.Super Sonic said:
Inbox said:
Go straight to write-off, do not pass go and do not collect £200.
Thanks for the warning, I'm wit Adrian Flux, but the car is worth more to me than it's book value, it's a one (two including me) owner car with under 60,000 miles, and it would be almost impossible to find another this age in this condition.It is a crap situation but this is insurance.
Super Sonic said:
Inbox said:
Go straight to write-off, do not pass go and do not collect £200.
Thanks for the warning, I'm wit Adrian Flux, but the car is worth more to me than it's book value, it's a one (two including me) owner car with under 60,000 miles, and it would be almost impossible to find another this age in this condition.Insurance will just write it off, it's what they do. They don't care about any of the details, it's just an old car. If it's more than 15 years ago then unless it's a 911 or something if you sneeze near it they will write it off; That's what agreed value insurance is for. Can you not buy a wing and indicator second hand?
Inbox said:
The issue is the repair cost being <60% of the book value of the vehicle. What is worth to you while that may be a lot that has no value to your insurer. Meanwhile the NCD gets impacted too.
It is a crap situation but this is insurance.
Thanks for the advice it makes sense. It's a crap situation but 'stercore acidit'!It is a crap situation but this is insurance.
I guess it's a first world problem, the joys of motoring!
NiceCupOfTea said:
I'm slightly confused as to how you've damaged the wing and indicator on your own car with its door. Unless the door of one of your cars hit another of your cars...?
Insurance will just write it off, it's what they do. They don't care about any of the details, it's just an old car. If it's more than 15 years ago then unless it's a 911 or something if you sneeze near it they will write it off; That's what agreed value insurance is for. Can you not buy a wing and indicator second hand?
It was very windy. The wind ripped the door out my hand, slammed it forward, broke the retaining strap, and slammed the door forward against the front wing. I will certainly look at s/h wings, that maybe cheaper than a repair. Thanks.Insurance will just write it off, it's what they do. They don't care about any of the details, it's just an old car. If it's more than 15 years ago then unless it's a 911 or something if you sneeze near it they will write it off; That's what agreed value insurance is for. Can you not buy a wing and indicator second hand?
I wouldn't want to risk having a 28 year old car being a Cat N by the insurer. If it's a bolt-on wing you might get lucky and find a replacement that's the right colour!
My car was tapped in the rear in 2023 when it was 18 years old and only needed a bumper cover painted and fitted, but got made a Cat N by the insurer of the guy who hit me.
My car was tapped in the rear in 2023 when it was 18 years old and only needed a bumper cover painted and fitted, but got made a Cat N by the insurer of the guy who hit me.
When my wife managed to damage our Mazda 6, it was much easier to find a replacement door from Ebay and pay a mechanic to replace it. Some of the quotes I obtained were horrendous.
Also, don't inform your insurance that you intend to make a claim, even if you don't. as some insurers actually add an event onto the record. Sounds daft, but A Plan (Now Howden) told me that even reporting an event can class as being an added risk to some underwriters.
Just to make sure my memory wasn't as bad as I think it is, I did a google AI search which said:
Q: if I tell insurers of an incident but don't claim, do they adjust my premium
A: " Yes telling your insurer about an incident, even if you don't claim,
can lead to a premium increase because it's recorded as an event on your history, signaling increased future risk to them; you're legally required to declare it, and insurers use databases to track these incidents, affecting renewal prices regardless of fault or claim status".
If you are near Ipswich and want a recommendation for a good, small independent and sympathetic body shop, PM Me.
Also, don't inform your insurance that you intend to make a claim, even if you don't. as some insurers actually add an event onto the record. Sounds daft, but A Plan (Now Howden) told me that even reporting an event can class as being an added risk to some underwriters.
Just to make sure my memory wasn't as bad as I think it is, I did a google AI search which said:
Q: if I tell insurers of an incident but don't claim, do they adjust my premium
A: " Yes telling your insurer about an incident, even if you don't claim,
can lead to a premium increase because it's recorded as an event on your history, signaling increased future risk to them; you're legally required to declare it, and insurers use databases to track these incidents, affecting renewal prices regardless of fault or claim status".
If you are near Ipswich and want a recommendation for a good, small independent and sympathetic body shop, PM Me.
texaxile said:
When my wife managed to damage our Mazda 6, it was much easier to find a replacement door from Ebay and pay a mechanic to replace it. Some of the quotes I obtained were horrendous.
Also, don't inform your insurance that you intend to make a claim, even if you don't. as some insurers actually add an event onto the record. Sounds daft, but A Plan (Now Howden) told me that even reporting an event can class as being an added risk to some underwriters.
Just to make sure my memory wasn't as bad as I think it is, I did a google AI search which said:
Q: if I tell insurers of an incident but don't claim, do they adjust my premium
A: " Yes telling your insurer about an incident, even if you don't claim,
can lead to a premium increase because it's recorded as an event on your history, signaling increased future risk to them; you're legally required to declare it, and insurers use databases to track these incidents, affecting renewal prices regardless of fault or claim status".
If you are near Ipswich and want a recommendation for a good, small independent and sympathetic body shop, PM Me.
Yes I have heard about this, I don't think I will be informing my insurer, I am going to get someone who does paintless dent repair to look at it, to see if it can be popped out. I think the side repeater indicator took the worst of the impact.Also, don't inform your insurance that you intend to make a claim, even if you don't. as some insurers actually add an event onto the record. Sounds daft, but A Plan (Now Howden) told me that even reporting an event can class as being an added risk to some underwriters.
Just to make sure my memory wasn't as bad as I think it is, I did a google AI search which said:
Q: if I tell insurers of an incident but don't claim, do they adjust my premium
A: " Yes telling your insurer about an incident, even if you don't claim,
can lead to a premium increase because it's recorded as an event on your history, signaling increased future risk to them; you're legally required to declare it, and insurers use databases to track these incidents, affecting renewal prices regardless of fault or claim status".
If you are near Ipswich and want a recommendation for a good, small independent and sympathetic body shop, PM Me.
I am on the south coast, but appreciate the offer, many thanks.
I have seen a few 3dr wings for sale, but not sure if they'll fit the 5 Dr, as it has a smaller headlight.It will definitely be written off if you claim. But given its already so old, you could take the cash, buy the car back, repair it yourself and pocket the difference.
Which might be a good plan, but the payout will be a pittance, so after buying it back and repairing it, you wouldn't be left with much.
I'd repair it with secondhand parts, and stay well away from insurers.
Which might be a good plan, but the payout will be a pittance, so after buying it back and repairing it, you wouldn't be left with much.
I'd repair it with secondhand parts, and stay well away from insurers.
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