CLS rear ended - Loaned XF 3.0D S

[HumberMart]

Disaster struck the day before good Friday, my pristine 6 month old CLS was hit from behind quite severely, but an old MG Rover 75.

A hell of a bang, but no one injured, so could always be worse. The thoughts of having to declare an accident for the next 5 years, every time I now renew my car insurance seemed as awful as the damage to my precious car. I just hope this clown is insured, since I've still not had confirmation of that.

So I phone MB Grimsby, as I'm semi-aware that they have some system for dealing with such accidents, and of course I want the repairs to be done my the main dealer.

Their service seems great (on face value) and it first appears I need to worry no more, they will deal it with all, lend me an equivalent car, return mine when repaired, and I'll have to do nothing and make no further calls.

I only became aware that things maybe weren't quite so straightforward, when the guy from 'Accident Exchange' turned up to drop off a hire Jag XF 3.0D S, and I had to sign loads of paperwork. It was only when I got home and googled 'credit car hire', that the scheme that I's just allowed myself to be enlisted in, dawned on me.

I'll be on the phone to them on Tuesday to ask a few questions now, as at £300 a day, I don't want to have to pick up the tab on this hire car if the third party isn't insured etc.

Easter was bad timing, and the poor CLS remains awaiting collection. Bent exhausts, smashed LED brake light, plus of course a very dented bumper and boot lid, make it un-driveable as far as I'm concerned, and that was before I noticed that the front headrests had popped forward from their mounting on some sort of spring loaded mechanism. They did wonders to stop the whiplash, but I'm not yet sure if they're user resettable.

So now to the XF. I very nearly defected to Jag before I got the CLS, after rejecting an approved used S Class, and feeling unloved by the dealers. We did maintain a protest though, and my wife has just taken delivery of an Evoque, so ironically having both been used to Merc controls, we both now have JLR, with the circular rising auto control, and the fussy touch screen nav.

It's early days, but I'm sure glad I went for the CLS and passed on the XF.

Did 300 miles in it yesterday, and although it's generally a fine car, It's no W218. The two main issues above all others that I have with this XF is; uncomfortable front seats with no lumber adjustment, and a ride that I found surprisingly unsettled and almost crashy of poor surfaces. Driving fast through demanding roads over the Pennines, I was tempted to think that the shell was not so stiff, as the doors and trim creaked as the ride crashed about at times.

The steering also felt number than the CLS, and the XF felt heavier.

There's no denying the power on top from the S spec V6, and it does sound good for a diesel, but it didn't respond to the throttle as instantly as the CLS, perhaps due to turbo lag?

The stop-start system also felt more clunky, and the steering wheel controls not easy to use. Plus of course the XF cabin is now dated, and wind noise seemed higher.

I think it's more a case of how good the W218 is rather that the state of the Jag, since whenever I drive a W212 now I find it disappointing.

Hurry back my beloved CLS!

 

[theogeor]

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully other driver is insured. ..been there when the other party gave false infi and ended getting tge blame/cost for few years through increased cost on my insurance.
Interesting reading your comments on the Jaq.....

Regards

Theo

 

[Rory]

Their service seems great (on face value) and it first appears I need to worry no more, they will deal it with all, lend me an equivalent car, return mine when repaired, and I'll have to do nothing and make no further calls.

I only became aware that things maybe weren't quite so straightforward, when the guy from 'Accident Exchange' turned up to drop off a hire Jag XF 3.0D S, and I had to sign loads of paperwork. It was only when I got home and googled 'credit car hire', that the scheme that I's just allowed myself to be enlisted in, dawned on me.

I'll be on the phone to them on Tuesday to ask a few questions now, as at £300 a day, I don't want to have to pick up the tab on this hire car if the third party isn't insured etc.

There was a thread a while ago from someone saying how marvellous it was that MB had enroled them this FREE service for deal with accidents.

Of course the dealer gets a massive referral fee from Accident Exchange and, while it's very unlikely you'll have to pay for the hire car yourself, you could end up having to go to court as a witness if the 3rd party's insurer tells AE to bog off.

 

[The Boss]

oh nasty

 

[Dieselman]

Stick the Reg number into Askmid to check for insurance.

 

[HumberMart]

Many thanks DM! Never knew about that service.

I've just checked and it is listed as insured by Chaucer. Should be ok then I guess. Of course he could have insured it just after the incident but being Easter, I doubt it would have made the database yet. (I won't read any more responses till the morning just in case someone advises it updates instantly!)

 

[Dieselman]

I wouldn't worry.

Contact Chaucer on Tuesday.

 

[MDC250]

There was a thread a while ago from someone saying how marvellous it was that MB had enroled them this FREE service for deal with accidents. Of course the dealer gets a massive referral fee from Accident Exchange and, while it's very unlikely you'll have to pay for the hire car yourself, you could end up having to go to court as a witness if the 3rd party's insurer tells AE to bog off.

Credit hire...one thing insurance companies hate more than personal injury claims it's credit hire.

Be prepared to be asked to stump up your bank statements, details of mortgage payments etc as insurer will challenge most claim on basis of impecuniosity, especially at that rate of hire. They know that AE or their panel Solicitors often struggle to get these documents from the client so a great tactical means of knocking the value of the claim down.

Rory is spot on noting the referral monies...it's not just on the hire, there is also allegedly a deal on repair costs and so on.

Big money...

 

[regbuser]

Disaster struck the day before good Friday, my pristine 6 month old CLS was hit from behind quite severely, but an old MG Rover 75.....Hurry back my beloved CLS!

Sorry to hear of this accident HM

Echo your thoughts re. the XF

 

[GP801]

Recently been through a similar thing with the SLK. Clear non fault accident although slightly different to above. Insured with Saga. We were put through by Saga to their tame credit hire outfit called Claimsfast. Have to say they dealt with it all very professionally. Hire car from Enterprise. They had booked us an E-class but the thought of this terrified the wife so we opted for an Astra automatic. They were billing the third party at £68 per day so not totally outrageous. Interestingly they assessed the repairs as urgent because the parking sensors were damaged. Unfortunately whilst they used a reputable body shop the repairs were terrible and it had to go back to be sorted out. Damage was minimal - only the bumper and sensors. No metalwork. Most of these companies include some sort of insurance policy whereby if they don't get their money the policy pays out. They may ask you to go to court as a witness but I think thats very rare.

 

[Rory]

Credit hire...one thing insurance companies hate more than personal injury claims it's credit hire.

You say that, but as noted by GP801, they often have either their own or close ties with an accident management company. Admiral Group refer all non-fault accidents to Albany Assistance and they're notoriously bad.

 

[MDC250]

You say that, but as noted by GP801, they often have either their own or close ties with an accident management company. Admiral Group refer all non-fault accidents to Albany Assistance and they're notoriously bad.

Or even own them these days with the advent of multi disciplinary partnerships.

 

[bpsorrel]

When my (then 2 week old!) Saab was hit by a truck (while stationary) Accident Exchange were marvelous.

They sent an equivalent hire car round to my house the same day and did all the work to get my car repaired at the Saab dealer of my choice and dealt entirely with the third party insurance and the company who later fired the driver (i was told) as the repair bill with three weeks of Saab Aero hire was so large. The driver made the error and the company made him pay...

 

[Rory]

When my (then 2 week old!) Saab was hit by a truck (while stationary) Accident Exchange were marvelous.

They sent an equivalent hire car round to my house the same day and did all the work to get my car repaired at the Saab dealer of my choice and dealt entirely with the third party insurance and the company who later fired the driver (i was told) as the repair bill with three weeks of Saab Aero hire was so large. The driver made the error and the company made him pay...

It can seem great if you benefit but the reality is that we all have to pay for that massive repair / hire bill through increased insurance premiums. Did you really need a Saab Aero hire car? That probably cost more than the repair.

And the inflated bill got the driver fired? That's pretty harsh.