Bah! Hit and run! :(

[Howard]

Doesn't our member 'Plodd' work for you know who ? i'm not suggesting he should do anything improper, but might be worth having a chat to him ....

 

[Shude]

As Pluggers has suggested the damage may not be as bad as you think. It only takes a minor amount of misalignment of the boot lock against the striker plate for the whole lot to become jammed/not close smoothly.

Ok after about 20 mins of adjustment (in one direction) it now opens properly and closes a little bit more easily, but the whole lock mechanism is so far in that it leaves about a 1mm gap between the button and the hole in the bootlid!

Having taken the spare wheel etc out it looks like the panel ABOVE the boot floor is warped. It bows in probably about half an inch at most in the middle, the rest of the boot area looks fine. A colleague reckons the panel might just pop back into shape if it's persuaded with a hammer but there is some more metalwork behind that panel that makes up the tailgate.

I really need to take the car to get inspected I suppose!

 

[Brian WH]

Ok after about 20 mins of adjustment (in one direction) it now opens properly and closes a little bit more easily, but the whole lock mechanism is so far in that it leaves about a 1mm gap between the button and the hole in the bootlid!

Having taken the spare wheel etc out it looks like the panel ABOVE the boot floor is warped. It bows in probably about half an inch at most in the middle, the rest of the boot area looks fine. A colleague reckons the panel might just pop back into shape if it's persuaded with a hammer but there is some more metalwork behind that panel that makes up the tailgate.

I really need to take the car to get inspected I suppose!

What a b*gger, it's something you don't need at the moment mate.

If they get him you will get your money back but little consolation I know. It's the inconvenience of it all.

 

[Shude]

I just took the car to a little garage about 5 mins from the office. There were several corsas and novas there that "Barry" would be proud of and a new shape toyota celica with scissor doors, loads of body graphics, a veilside kit and a dashboard painted red .

He took a look at the underside of the car and said that the rear section was deformed by about 1/4 of an inch, he said it could be knocked back into shape without any problems. He also said the bumper was fine, which came as a surprise to me.

He said he'd need the car all day but that it wouldn't take him too long, and would probably cost about £50-100.

What do we think? He said he can do it any day next week if I book it in today.

 

[glojo]

He took a look at the underside of the car and said that the rear section was deformed by about 1/4 of an inch, he said it could be knocked back into shape without any problems. He also said the bumper was fine, which came as a surprise to me.

He said he'd need the car all day but that it wouldn't take him too long, and would probably cost about £50-100.

To me the sensible reply can only be get it checked out properly.

If this gentleman can see that the rear section is deformed following a collision, the car might be out of alignment??

Am I over reacting? Maybe, would I personally get it checked? YES

Sorry about that.

Do you have a protected No Claims Bonus? or better still Legal Advice?

Good luck,
John

 

[sym]

I'd be worried about the battery problem that you mentioned earlier .... surely that might be pointing to some more extensive damage that this chap hasn't spotted .... I think I'd want a second opinion, at least.

S.

 

[Shude]

If this gentleman can see that the rear section is deformed following a collision, the car might be out of alignment??

Possible, but the chap said the panel is just dented, no other damage to it. The impact wasn't that hard anyway.

Maybe, would I personally get it checked? YES

Who do you recommend I get to check it? Stealership? Might see if they can fit it in on Saturday but it'd be difficult

Do you have a protected No Claims Bonus? or better still Legal Advice?

I only have a year's no claims and I have no option of protecting them, my excess is £1000 so if I want to claim then the first grand comes out of my own pocket anyway, and I would then lose my no claims which will add a few hundred onto my premium. Unless the damage is VERY serious it's cheaper not to claim.

I'd be worried about the battery problem that you mentioned earlier .... surely that might be pointing to some more extensive damage that this chap hasn't spotted .... I think I'd want a second opinion, at least.

He looked at the battery (as did I) and it looks fine, it's also not near the impact at all and the boot floor isn't damaged, just the panel above it and on the other side to the battery. The battery has either been damaged by shock from the impact or it's simply on it's way out and it's a coincidence.

 

[C240Sport97]

He said he'd need the car all day but that it wouldn't take him too long, and would probably cost about £50-100.

What do we think? He said he can do it any day next week if I book it in today.

sounds like a good deal to get the boot working properly again

 

[Shude]

sounds like a good deal to get the boot working properly again

TBH right now that seems like the only thing that's broken and if it just means that the boot opens and closes properly and the panel under the tail lamp is straight then I'll be happy. I guess I can have the car fully inspected when it has a service, which I will be booking in pretty soon anyway.

 

[Thmsshaun]

Feel for you mate what T ssers.

(OT) Hows the job?

 

[Shude]

(OT) Hows the job?

Not bad at all thanks!

 

[Shude]

Car is booked in for Monday, the bloke is going to straighten the panel under the bootlid so the boot closes properly and the panel under the tail light is lined-up with it.

I will get the car inspected later.

Thanks for all your help everyone!

 

[glojo]

Hi Shude,
You are in a very difficult situation, you are the innocent party of a hit and run road traffic accident. The first thing (after looking after your passenger and yourself) is to get the names and addresses of independant witnesses. (by this I do not include any passengers in your vehicle) did you take the registration number of any cars that might have witnessed the incident. Then report it to the Police.

Now hopefully members connected with car insurance might be able to offer advice on what to do about the notification and claiming on insurance. I understand exactly what you are saying about the £1000 excess and the cost of repair.

Reading your messages sometimes gives the impression that the bodywork 'might' be pushed out of alignment, but other times it sounds like a panel might have a dent.

If the bodywork is distorted then the vehicle has to be examined and re-aligned. This will not be cheap, the dealership would probably only contract the work to an authorised bodyshop (unless it is a very large dealership with its own shop)

When giving advice I feel it always best to air on the side of caution, but I am concerned about the boot not shutting and the reasons why.

Good luck with your decision
and fingers crossed that the culprits are caught.

Kind regards,
John

 

[Shude]

You are in a very difficult situation, you are the innocent party of a hit and run road traffic accident. The first thing (after looking after your passenger and yourself) is to get the names and addresses of independant witnesses. (by this I do not include any passengers in your vehicle) did you take the registration number of any cars that might have witnessed the incident. Then report it to the Police.

I did all that

Now hopefully members connected with car insurance might be able to offer advice on what to do about the notification and claiming on insurance. I understand exactly what you are saying about the £1000 excess and the cost of repair.

This is the part that troubles me the most. If I claim on my insurance without having the details of the other driver then it will basically come out of my own pocket, being £1k excess to start anyway, then I would lose my no claims (again ) and my insurance would go up by a fortune, not just for this next renewal period but for the year after and so on.

Reading your messages sometimes gives the impression that the bodywork 'might' be pushed out of alignment, but other times it sounds like a panel might have a dent.

If the bodywork is distorted then the vehicle has to be examined and re-aligned. This will not be cheap, the dealership would probably only contract the work to an authorised bodyshop (unless it is a very large dealership with its own shop)

I am HOPING that it is, as the chap suggested, a dented panel behind the bumper. He said when that gets straightened that the boot will open/close properly and the panel beneath nearside tail light will be flush with the bootlid again. So the car will LOOK ok if nothing else.

When giving advice I feel it always best to air on the side of caution, but I am concerned about the boot not shutting and the reasons why.

Absolutely. My concern is that I could spend hundreds of pounds having the car inspected by various experts only to find out that the car is in fact perfect. If I had been able to get the licence plate of the other car then maybe my car would be on a ramp with an expert checking it right now and the idiot that actually caused all this damage and grief would be paying for it. I am going to keep all the receipts safe anyway!

Good luck with your decision and fingers crossed that the culprits are caught.

Thanks, I have now pretty much decided that the police won't be able to catch the other driver. I decided I wouldn't get the job after my last interview and the extreme pessimism paid off that time. Being a pessimist rules, most of the time you're right anyway and when you're wrong you're pleasantly surprised

Thanks for all your help!

 

[Dieselman]

Sorry to hear of the damage Shude.

It sounds like the rear panel is pushed in a little, which isn't major. Make sure the bumper is removed to check for broken paint which will then cause rust.

I hope it isn't the case that you have fallen foul of a driver without insurance. If that is the case you can recoup your money from the MIB, which is why we all pay £30 per year into the fund.

The battery light is probably a red herring and points to the alternator circuit.

Have you checked your fan yet for siezure or worn down bushes?

All the best.

 

[Flyer]

I hope it isn't the case that you have fallen foul of a driver without insurance. If that is the case you can recoup your money from the MIB, which is why we all pay £30 per year into the fund.

Unfortunately not. MIB do pay out for untraced drivers, but only for Personal Injury. They will pay out for uninsured drivers, but you need to know who the driver is first. There is also a substantial excess of £300 which is deducted from any damages due.

... and, of course, you would have to report the incdident to your own insurers.

Cheers

 

[Shude]

It sounds like the rear panel is pushed in a little, which isn't major. Make sure the bumper is removed to check for broken paint which will then cause rust.

Doesn't appear to be any broken paint on it. The guy said that the paint would be undamaged by his repair as well.

The battery light is probably a red herring and points to the alternator circuit.

I didn't know whether it was connected to the accident or not. The batterylight came on again this morning for a few seconds then went away again, no idea what it is but it doesn't seem to last very long, sometimes it doesn't come on at all.

Have you checked your fan yet for siezure or worn down bushes?

It's the brushes, definitely. The fan almost works, it's set to full speed all the time and if I go over a bump it fires up. If it's set to a slower speed I don't think it ever works, I think with the worn brushes it just needs a bit of assistance to get started .

My Dad gets some motor brushes for a bosch power tool this week and I've asked to see them, if they look similar then I might get some from the same place.

Oh yeah, and the car went in to the bodyshop today. I'm sure a bloke with a hammer is beating the inside of the car boot right now! As long as that panel is straightened out and the boot shuts properly again...

 

[Shude]

Oh yeah, and the car went in to the bodyshop today. I'm sure a bloke with a hammer is beating the inside of the car boot right now! As long as that panel is straightened out and the boot shuts properly again...

The other guy that works at the garage has just called to say it's done, he's putting the bumper back on now. £100.

S'pose it's not *that* bad really, he says the boot opens and closes perfectly (he has adjusted the lock just like I did) and the tail gate is straight, the bit under the tail lamp is straight and the bit above the boot floor is straight. The only part that's not perfect is the bit of the panel which compressed, which is double-skinned box-section. That's all hidden behind the bumper anyway. I will see it IRL in a bit...

 

[Guy]

Sorry to hear of the damage Shude.


I hope it isn't the case that you have fallen foul of a driver without insurance. If that is the case you can recoup your money from the MIB, which is why we all pay £30 per year into the fund.

All the best.

Unfortunately, the first £300 is excluded see 13 in FAQ in link below

MIB FAQ

 

[Shude]

Well, just picked the car up and it looks great. All the panel gaps are perfect, the bumper fits properly, the boot floor looks good (jack fits again etc) and the boot shuts exactly as it should, the guy has adjusted the lock to the outside edge again so water won't get in.

The only slightly confusing thing is two blown bulbs in the tail lights, both the single-filament outer lights. I will put some new ones in and see what happens, strange though, maybe they were on their last legs and a bit of hammering killed them?