Clumsy me. I Dinged a Beemer.

[ringway]

Ah..

 

[Shude]

I have agreed to pay for the repair but If I claim through my insurance company (I have maximum protected no-claims bonus with excess of (I think £150) this would obviously register as an at-fault claim.

The excess only applies to repairs to your own car and is not payable for a 3rd party-only claim.

I only know this having signed off the repairs to the section of motorway barrier I damaged at zero cost to myself (except loss of NCD and increased premiums).

 

[w124coupe]

I would be tempted to pay for it. Reason being you're only looking at £200 over excess. Although your NCD is protected doesn't mean the base premium on which the discount is applied wouldn't go up. Also it's one of your two strikes for the year.

Does he have to use BMW's own bodyshop? Must say he seems a decent guy offering to see if chips away would do it.

Good luck.

Is this a condition in order to maintain his BMW paint warranty?.....he's entitled to be put back into the position he was in before the incident so, if this is a requirement then its hard to argue against really.

ChipsAway (and the others) don't like trying to do large panel repairs as you can almost always see where they feathered/blended in. Especially on a dark metallic. They are great for bumpers where they can spray up to a join...

Have you checked how many claims in how many years you can have and still keep the protected NCB? (although be aware that ALL claims will count if you intend to shop around at renewal time and may prevent protected NCB with new companies).

 

[Merc Owner 2B]

It's a business van, isn't it? On company business at the time?

Pay the £333.50 cash and claim back as a legitimate business expense.

If you could at least reclaim the VAT it would be something.

But if you're paying for it yourself have a word with the dealer, as they often inflate insurance quotes knowing that they'll have to wait for their money. They may offer an early settlement discount. However, make sure it's the owner's name on the receipt, as you don't want to get involved again if there are subsequent warranty claims on the job.