Help with claim or not to claim insurance issue.

[trapperjohn]

My son's car was reversed into the other night in a car park. He drives an L Reg Mercedes 190D 2.5. About 280Ks. Guilty party has insurance and accepts responsibility. Driver's door needs a new one and painted. Two body shops have quoted over a grand to fix!!! Car is due MoT in a couple of months and he is wondering - Is it best to let it go through the insurance or just ask the other driver to stump up enough to buy a second hand door and have it painted to match. His excess is 250. Actual value of his car is around 5/600 looking at ebay/auto trader.

 

[ringway]

My son's car was reversed into the other night in a car park. He drives an L Reg Mercedes 190D 2.5. About 280Ks. Guilty party has insurance and accepts responsibility. Driver's door needs a new one and painted. Two body shops have quoted over a grand to fix!!! Car is due MoT in a couple of months and he is wondering - Is it best to let it go through the insurance or just ask the other driver to stump up enough to buy a second hand door and have it painted to match. His excess is 250. Actual value of his car is around 5/600 looking at ebay/auto trader.

Surely, your son shouldn't be paying any excess if it's not his fault?

 

[ROBB]

£1k for 1x door + paint??
i had the lhs of mine replaced (wing/passenger door skin/nsr skin/A & B posts + paint & labour etc) for 2.5k on insurance.

If he's pncb what difference does it make?? Or do a deal for the cash away from insurers
Or make a 3rd party claim on his insurance - its easy to do and (AFAIC) not declarable for your sons renewal [not ur fault sowm tw@ drove into the car - no need to get hammered by greedy insurance peeps)

Suppose it depends on the condition of the 190 - and your outlook on life

 

[cl55 amg]

Take £500 of the third party and trade it in for a new car and get £2K

 

[st4]

Take the expensive option, the 3rd parties insurers are paying.

 

[ringway]

Surely, your son shouldn't be paying any excess if it's not his fault?

Doh!

 

[trapperjohn]

Thanks for all the help. Looks like he is going for cash from the 3rd party then £2K for scrappage. Shame really, good engine and running gear.

 

[trapperjohn]

Other driver now claiming on his insurance for damage to his car and therefore damage to my lads car will be funded by his insurance. Insurance Co will probably write my lads car off. Any advice on how this works would be most helpful plus how much does it cost to buy a car back from an insurance company This 190D is not going to die

 

[neilrr]

If your son likes his car & wants to keep it then get the other person's insurance to cough up some money & do a deal where your son can keep the car. To an insurance company a claim settled for £2-3-400 is absolutely peanuts.

Doors for W201s are about £25 on ebay & easy to install - 4 bolts on 2 hinges, a check strap & feeding a bit of wiring through. If his original door still works he could even bide his time until he finds one in the correct colour. If he sells his mirror & window mechanism from the old door on ebay he'll actually make a profit on the door cost.

At most a couple of hours work, even if you are cack handed.

 

[stevesey]

Other driver now claiming on his insurance for damage to his car and therefore damage to my lads car will be funded by his insurance. Insurance Co will probably write my lads car off. Any advice on how this works would be most helpful plus how much does it cost to buy a car back from an insurance company This 190D is not going to die

Unclear what you mean my "his" insurance at times there, is everyone claiming of the third party's insurance, or is there any claim against you sons insurance?

 

[bolide]

If it's clearly a "No Fault" accident then your son is entitled to have his car repaired at reasonable cost by the other party without a claim on your son's insurance

Have a look on the Honest John website about this

Nick Froome

 

[crockers]

Nick is absolutely right - Your son has the right to be put back into the position he was before the other car hit him....IF this costs more than the car is worth - that is not his problem. BUT it is a good bargaining point. So if his car is worth say £500 and the insurance company would have to pay £1000 to repair it - say you will accept £500 and keep the car. Then its a win win situation. If it costs £3000 to repair the car - you could insist on them doing so - but by heavens they will squeal and try everything not to...then you may extract £1000+ and keep the car....another win - win situation.

If they try to hit you with a betterment clause - just state that betterment only applies to the insured vehicle and your is a 3rd party claim. I had an insurer try this on me on a claim on an old Renault 16 hit by a lorry - they were going to put a new wing on and said as my old one had some rust I would have to pay betterment. I just told them to put a wing on with the exact amount of rust as the old one had - no more or no less. They backed down straight away.

 

[MrT]

take £500 of the third party and trade it in for a new car and get £2k

+1 tbh

 

[PhilG]

Personally I'd much rather see a 190D soldier on with a new door, as all the pollution created from its manufacture was done a long time ago. Sticking a new door on is the best form of recycling!

 

[trapperjohn]

Thanks everyone.