How to ensure proper accident repair

[wilsodg]

Having fitted winter tyres to my wifes Tiguan, a lady came round a bend (without suitably shod wheels) hit a slippery bit and slamed head-on into the Tiguan. Both ladies are ok (whiplash, bruising etc.) but cars badly smashed. The Tiguan has all the front (radiators etc.) pushed hard back round the engine (which also looks to have moved up into the bonnet - the other car went under the front of the Tig).

Even if the assessor deems the car repairable, how do we ensure that everything will be working properly when 'fixed' and no ongoing issues with transmission, engine, or other bits not replaced or connected quite as they should be? What's the chance of engine or transmission damage (both cars doing about 25 - 30mph at point of impact). The police drove the car to move it slightly after the accident - apparently the Diesel engine made a terrible din when started and it struggled to move, but they needed to clear access.

I have a call with the assessor tomorrow or Monday - any guidance on what to ask or say. We are 1 week inside the gap insurance so if it is written off that would be ideal - but somehow I suspect they'll try to fix it and then we'll be paying the true bill for a long time.

 

[grober]

If they decide to repair the car---- I would imagine its within your rights to get it professionally assessed by an engineer before accepting it back as "repaired"

 

[Ian Donkin]

In my opinion (and experience), leaving this to your insurers will not yield you an optimal outcome.

Assuming the police not only attended, but ascertained it was the fault of the third party (conditions notwithstanding), I'd be engaging a reputable claims management company to look after my interests, not leaving it to insurers.

It certainly worked for us in our recent non-fault RTA that wrote our car off.

Wishing your Wife a speedy recovery.

 

[wilsodg]

In my opinion (and experience), leaving this to your insurers will not yield you an optimal outcome.

Assuming the police not only attended, but ascertained it was the fault of the third party (conditions notwithstanding), I'd be engaging a reputable claims management company to look after my interests, not leaving it to insurers.

It certainly worked for us in our recent non-fault RTA that wrote our car off.

Wishing your Wife a speedy recovery.

Thanks.
The police attended and did report it was the fault of the other party. Not wanting to get into a minefield of personal injury lawyers on n-w-n-f crap, how did you select an Claims Management firm.

 

[Ian Donkin]

Thanks.
The police attended and did report it was the fault of the other party. Not wanting to get into a minefield of personal injury lawyers on n-w-n-f crap, how did you select an Claims Management firm.

The injury lawyers / ambulance chasers bit is the PITA, but it was our insurers who sold our details on (as we didn't share email address with the claims management company), so I imagine the cold calls will be coming at you any time soon!

We chose claims management by recommendation of the local accident repair shop in our village - pretty much a one man band, very down to earth and hates ambulance chasers / claims management companies in general. He looked at our car before anyone, told us to keep hold of it (to remain in control) and made one recommendation (and who we went with).

He did also warm of the potential PITA too, but being a native of Yorkshire I can do rude and abrupt really well when / if I have to

 

[wilsodg]

The injury lawyers / ambulance chasers bit is the PITA, but it was our insurers who sold our details on (as we didn't share email address with the claims management company), so I imagine the cold calls will be coming at you any time soon!

We chose claims management by recommendation of the local accident repair shop in our village - pretty much a one man band, very down to earth and hates ambulance chasers / claims management companies in general. He looked at our car before anyone, told us to keep hold of it (to remain in control) and made one recommendation (and who we went with).

He did also warm of the potential PITA too, but being a native of Yorkshire I can do rude and abrupt really well when / if I have to

Hmm. The car was so bad it was lifted to a pound, and Aviva recovered it today and sent to Solus (who I now read are ok for scratches but stumped when it comes to technical stuff - which this will be). Unfortunately I am working in the states for another week but will have to try to get the car removed to a VW approved garage in the morning. I guess. Thanks - your advice is much appreciated.

 

[Ian Donkin]

Good luck - we are with Quote Me Happy, owned by....

 

[spanner]

The only way to get good results is to NOT let the approved repairers do it.

 

[markjay]

I can't comment about Solus' quality of work.

Aviva sent me to them as approved repairers, and I did make an appointment at my (no so) local Solus branch, showed up on time, had the car inspected by an engineer, and then spent the next two months chasing up Aviva and Solus with calls and letters because apparently Solus lost my paperwork and the only way they could resolve this was by having me come to them again - which I refused to do hence the car being unrepaired to this day.

...and this is why I can't comment on their work.

Solus' Park Royal branch is massive and they seemed to have a few hundred cars parked up waiting to be repaired, but the whole place seemed shambolic and disorganised and the staff mostly confused.

 

[wilsodg]

Well I called my main VW dealer body shop who advised that (as above) the car is mine and it should be repaired by whom I want (always assuming the selected repairer is reasonable). So I called Aviva who were very reasonable and agreed that in the first instance their (Solus) assessor would see if it is economical to repair, and that if it is, then the VW guys can collect it and it can be repaired there ( remembering always that Aviva are not picking up the tab, merely acting as agents). They've offered a temporary 4x4 rental car be delivered as soon as wife wants to drive again (Monday). Solus are due to assess it Monday, so we'll see how we go from there, and I'll post back with progress. At the moment I cannot fault Aviva's attitude and response but it's the actions that will determine how good they really are. Given the amount of 'engineering' work required around the engine and front, having read about Solus, I will not be allowing them to attempt repairing it.

 

[RFdesigner]

I got rear ended in my old W124

The other party didn't fight it. I spoke to my insurers and asked if I could use my local MB-approved body shop.

They asked me to get the quote sorted and they'd send an assesor, which they did and it was all sorted, car looked new afterwards.

The only thing that was missed was that the CAT had been damaged and I ended up needing to replace that at my own cost some 18 months and a lot of rattling later.

Derek

 

[wemorgan]

If the impact was 30mph then it's likely that the main logitudinal box sections that support the engine will have been bent. These would need to be cut out and new sections welded in. I wouldn't want that car afterwards. Even if the car is repaired straight and the engine/g-box run smoothly then safety of the car will not be the same as before.

If on the other hand the only significant structural damage was the bolt on bumper beam then this is easily and safely repaired.

 

[Aoraki]

Slightly off topic, a friend was rear ended by a driver who was only third party insured. Not a problem really as his insurers accepted liability the next day only proviso was they would not pay for a hire car. A call to the other driver and he said he would pay for the hire car (can you see where this is going?).
Repair garage duly supplied a BMW 1 series (via a hire company) but in total my friend had this hire car for 77 days! Now the cost of this hire car seems a bit steep to me and I can't see the other chapie footing the bill which I presume makes my friend liable, which I don't think he has considered.
So the question is this, how much do you think 77 days hire of a 1 series is?

 

[Spin_bowler]

Slightly off topic, a friend was rear ended by a driver who was only third party insured. Not a problem really as his insurers accepted liability the next day only proviso was they would not pay for a hire car. A call to the other driver and he said he would pay for the hire car (can you see where this is going?).
Repair garage duly supplied a BMW 1 series (via a hire company) but in total my friend had this hire car for 77 days! Now the cost of this hire car seems a bit steep to me and I can't see the other chapie footing the bill which I presume makes my friend liable, which I don't think he has considered.
So the question is this, how much do you think 77 days hire of a 1 series is?

£3k?

 

[Deleted member 37751]

About £200 a day for the hire car, so 77 days would be £15,400 if my maths are correct...

 

[Pitts Pilot]

My mum and dad had a similar accident last winter. They got the AA
involved (or was it the RAC?).

My point is that without professional help and advice they would have been 'shafted' by the insurers.

The chap from the AA dug his heels in and was able to speak the insurers language and knew their procedures in detail.

He flatly refused to compromise on any aspect of the repairs and in the end my parents car was declared a right-off.

So as others have already said, you need someone to represent your side of the claim process, asap!

Cheers

 

[fatdazza]

Having recently had my C Class written off, I would strongly recommend you use a claims management company. Insurers are incredibly difficult to deal with in my experience, and you need someone experienced fighting your corner.

Claim for absolutley everything you are entitled for (including any injury). You are still likely to be out of pocket given the grief and time involved. Usually, you will lose out on the car's value if it is repaired after a large accident.

You can insist where the car is repaired, so go for a main dealer if seeking a write off as their costs will be higher.

Good luck.

 

[Aoraki]

£3k?

About £200 a day for the hire car, so 77 days would be £15,400 if my maths are correct...

Spin_bowler..... way off!

SPX..... very close, £165 per day, £12705 total cost

I really can not see the other chap paying this, he was probably expecting £100 a week for a couple of weeks!

 

[Rory]

If the impact was 30mph then it's likely that the main logitudinal box sections that support the engine will have been bent. These would need to be cut out and new sections welded in. I wouldn't want that car afterwards. Even if the car is repaired straight and the engine/g-box run smoothly then safety of the car will not be the same as before.

On what basis do you think the safety of the car would be compromised?

It's surely unthinkable that the car could be left in a less safe condition. Imagine the implications if the car was in a subsequent accident and the repair was found to contribute to the severity of the occupants injuries (or worse).

 

[Rory]

Slightly off topic, a friend was rear ended by a driver who was only third party insured. Not a problem really as his insurers accepted liability the next day only proviso was they would not pay for a hire car.

I'm bemused by how they could refuse. It's not as they've got any choice in the matter.