Elderly person pulled out early on me!

[Donbronski]

Commuting home from work the other evening litrally 100 metre out of my works gates, in mid flow of traffic an elderly driver pulls out of a junction & manages to pick me out denting my OSF wing smashing my indicator & scuffing my bumper. I've never had a collision before & wasn't to sure on what to do next... luckerly on board i had a veteran of the road who guided me through the insurance bits & pieces (Get his details, let my Insurer know).

Anyway I'm sure he is at fault & that his Insurer will have to front the bill, in the mean time i have to obtane two quotes for the repairs then get back to my insurer... What is quite concerning is that my repair costs might out weight my vehicle value, I mean if this is the case they may write my W124 off! this could be a good thing starting with a new canvus but this is my FIRST Merc & I'm not sure i wont to let go of it just yet.

 

[bolide]

If it is a "No Fault" accident then you are entitled to demand the other party meet your reasonable repair costs. You have no need to involve your insurance company or make a claim in this instance

See Honest John's website for more info on No Fault claims

Nick Froome

 

[Baron_Samedi]

Whoa...

Lets wait until the OP knows its a No Fault claim.

Then lets take Honest Johns advice

Maybe

 

[grober]

Diy repair possible??

Front wings are bolt on which should help the cost of repairs but there may be hidden damage ( to the bumper assembly) or front suspension/wheel of course. I predict the highest cost will be painting the replacement/repaired wing- If your car is a solid easily matched colour this will help also.--- In fact depending on the extent of damage/ car valuation/ scrappage deal http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/73745-insurance-query-re-scrappage.html its verging on a DIY job so keep that in mind in any insurance settlement.

 

[nick mercedes]

Anyway I'm sure he is at fault & that his Insurer will have to front the bill, in the mean time i have to obtane two quotes for the repairs then get back to my insurer... What is quite concerning is that my repair costs might out weight my vehicle value, I mean if this is the case they may write my W124 off! this could be a good thing starting with a new canvus but this is my FIRST Merc & I'm not sure i wont to let go of it just yet.

As it's an older car you need to explore getting a quote for a contract repair which will keep the cost to the minimum.

There's a good chance that the bumper will repair, so you just need and indi and wing which will keep the quote to a realistic level.

On the bright side you should end up with a freshly painted new genuine MB wing (don't let a body shop fit a fake one).

If you struggle to find a sensible bodyshop, PM me and I'll give you a couple to try.

 

[GRAV888]

Said the actress to the bishop

 

[Donbronski]

If it is a "No Fault" accident then you are entitled to demand the other party meet your reasonable repair costs. You have no need to involve your insurance company or make a claim in this instance

See Honest John's website for more info on No Fault claims

Nick Froome

I am new to having crashes but I'm sure he is to blame, so I would of thought he was at fault, or is this classed as a NO FAULT accident?

 

[Donbronski]

Front wings are bolt on which should help the cost of repairs but there may be hidden damage ( to the bumper assembly) or front suspension/wheel of course. I predict the highest cost will be painting the replacement/repaired wing- If your car is a solid easily matched colour this will help also.--- In fact depending on the extent of damage/ car valuation/ scrappage deal http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/73745-insurance-query-re-scrappage.html its verging on a DIY job so keep that in mind in any insurance settlement.

I was considering replacing my wing soon anyway, I even got my paint colour matched to have a go at spraying them. My insurer has asked for two quotes from garages... Am I able to quote the job up myself?

 

[recycled]

even if they write it off and pay out, they would not always take your old car if it is not worth it.
I got paid out on my 405 peugeot, Non fault but still kept it

 

[nick mercedes]

I was considering replacing my wing soon anyway, I even got my paint colour matched to have a go at spraying them. My insurer has asked for two quotes from garages... Am I able to quote the job up myself?

You can't quote to do the job yourself.

And why go to the bother when you can claim and have it professionally done?

 

[Donbronski]

As it's an older car you need to explore getting a quote for a contract repair which will keep the cost to the minimum.

There's a good chance that the bumper will repair, so you just need and indi and wing which will keep the quote to a realistic level.

On the bright side you should end up with a freshly painted new genuine MB wing (don't let a body shop fit a fake one).

If you struggle to find a sensible bodyshop, PM me and I'll give you a couple to try.

Sounds sinister but i was thinking of going to MB for a quote so they could perhaps write it off with their high labour costs.

 

[Donbronski]

You can't quote to do the job yourself.

And why go to the bother when you can claim and have it professionally done?

Not sure, maybe if the repair costs out weighted the vehicle value & you did't want it writen off

 

[nick mercedes]

Sounds sinister but i was thinking of going to MB for a quote so they could perhaps write it off with their high labour costs.

I thought that you didn't want it written off?

 

[SilverSaloon]

if they write it off and then settle with you with view you also keep the "scrap" you can then fix yourself and return to the road.

 

[grober]

I was considering replacing my wing soon anyway, I even got my paint colour matched to have a go at spraying them. My insurer has asked for two quotes from garages... Am I able to quote the job up myself?

Something to be aware of if your are an insurance claim "virgin" is the dreaded "betterment" If you get the car repaired and it ends up in a better condition than it was prior to the accident the insurance company can demand you pay the difference pre and post repair e.g. if your original wing was rusty or badly scratched or dented and you end up with a nice new painted wing you will be expected to pay for the improvement! I am not kidding you !

 

[Doodle]

"Betterment? Fine, go and find a wing in exactly the same condition as my old one then"

 

[grober]

If you have a look under the Exceptions section in your policy document you will probably find a clause like this:-

Exceptions which apply to
sections 2, 3 and 4
What is not covered
• Loss or damage caused by wear or tear or depreciation.
• Any decrease in the market value of your car following repair covered by your policy.
• Any part of a repair or replacement which improves your car beyond its condition before
the loss or damage occurred.

This forms part of the contract of insurance between you and the insurance company- which you will have to accept if you want them to repair your car. Some people have argued that in a situation where the other driver is to blame you could try to claim this from the other driver as uninsured losses but I think you would struggle? There was talk of the EEC getting rid of this type of insurance clause but don't think anything's happened?

 

[Dryce]

This forms part of the contract of insurance between you and the insurance company- which you will have to accept if you want them to repair your car.

In literal terms any new parts fitted to an older car could be perceived as betterment. So if generally applied to charge the customer it is unreasonable.

In practical terms this clause is there for three reasons. First to stop fraud. And second to stop the customer being unreasonable. And to give the insurance co a bit of an upper hand in negotiation. It's a shot across the bows to stop people trying to profit from the situation.

 

[grober]

It was really just in response to the original posters----I was considering replacing my wing soon anyway, I even got my paint colour matched to have a go at spraying them. which alerted me to fact the wing might not have been in the best condition prior to the accident and he might not have known about "betterment"

 

[LimitedSlip]

Just to add to what others have said re. not losing the car if it's written off: Be sure to inform the insurance company immediately that you wish to retain the car irrespective of the outcome. They have the right to dispose of it through their own salvage buyers once it's considered a write-off, as it is then their property.

I'd ring them sharpish, and a letter wouldn't harm also. This should prevent "misunderstandings".