Insurer tries to write off car over tiny dent??

Sylvester

Sylvester

Member
Hi all, so my A2 got hit by an electrician's van, who was working in one of the flats. He said the wind grabbed the door out of his hand. The damage is size of 2p coin on off side rear door, in the line of the door handle, yes that tiny don't can barely be seen on the picture, but in person visible enough to leave it like that.

After talking to his insurer for 15 minutes, the bloke on the phone said, considering the age of the car and the 150k mileage, it might be an economical write off! I was like what??? My A2 just passed MOT with windscreen viper advisory, works great and because someone caused a small dent I have to bin all that?? And they probably would give me £500 which is joke really! I obviously don't want that, how can make sure they fix what they have to? Also I don't have to inform my insurer about this as they would only push my premium up for no reason? Thanks
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Take £100 in cash off him, that should allow you to find another door in good condition in the same colour and get it delivered to you. Then fit it yourself, it's only a few bolts and a wiring connector. There will be plenty of how-to advice already available on here, and people with experience of this job to answer any questions. The electrician will thank you for not making a claim on his insurance, and it will keep a Cat-N marker off your car too.
 
Proghound said:
Take £100 in cash off him, that should allow you to find another door in good condition in the same colour and get it delivered to you. Then fit it yourself, it's only a few bolts and a wiring connector. There will be plenty of how-to advice already available on here, and people with experience of this job to answer any questions. The electrician will thank you for not making a claim on his insurance, and it will keep a Cat-N marker off your car too.
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Hi, thanks for quick reply. If the insurer gets back to me in a couple of days, saying it's uneconomical repair, so they write it off, can I say to cancel the whole claim or disagree about it? Or if it's done, then it's done?
 
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For the £100 Ian suggests above, it might well be possible to get a painless dent removal specialist to prise that out as good as new. Possibly a 15-30 minute job that would save sourcing and replacing a whole new door.

A bit of polish and maybe a small amount of touch-up paint and you could be home and dry.

Definitely not one for the insurance company even if the offending party refuses to pay IMHO. Best of luck in getting some compensation and with the resolution, whichever option you choose.
 
Sylvester said:
Hi, thanks for quick reply. If the insurer gets back to me in a couple of days, saying it's uneconomical repair, so they write it off, can I say to cancel the whole claim or disagree about it? Or if it's done, then it's done?
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Just seen the photo you've added to your original post. Definitely leave the insurance out of it for that little dent. If they insist that they've had the claim and must process it, then you should insist that they offer you a settlement where they write the car off and you keep it and repair it (or not, it's really not that bad is it). If it does end up with a Cat-N flag on it, it's not the end of the world for an older car.
 
All of the above but.... he will be on a £350 excess. £100 ? Things must be cheap up north.
 
The insurer is thinking of the hire car cost as well as the repair.
I just paid cash for a bonnet ding (steel double skinned) same sort of size on a volvo it was £400.
 
It's best not to make any claim at all in these situations, and just live with the dent as it is. If he's given his insurer your details (which appears to be the case), you will need to notify your own insurer, regardless.
 
I'd check your household, car and breakdown insurance policies: not to claim, but many offer free legal advice.

If we're saying the fact the insured has informed his insurance company and that constitutes a claim (I suspect it doesn't), then a PDR (paintless dent repair) as Darren moots would easily fall within 2/3rds the value of the car anyway. If this was the case, you claim and insist on a PDR as it stops the car being written off.

As far as I'm aware, an insurance company doesn't have the right to impose a CAT on a non-claimant's car. However, as suggested above, at these low values their priority is to get the claim off their books asap. If they weren't minded to consider any repair at all, you could offer to settle on condition of being able to 'buy the salvage'. Often they don't even end up with a marker on them.

Don't forget that legally, you are entitled to be returned to the position you were in before the accident. In the case of a low value car, you can argue that not only do you need to find a suitable direct replacement but there are costs over above the straight advertised or selling prices (failed viewings, hdden faults, time, mileage to view etc). These might not matter on a £75,000 Range Rover, but on a more 'affordable' car, these costs become significant. Your ultimate threat in this case is you say you'll go back to the insured and sue for the difference. Often works as ultimately whatever the initial bluff, the insurer knows they have an obligation to put you back where you were (but not better off).

Options as I see it (subject to you chatting with a legal beagles):

1) Go to the chap, say you're not claiming, he tells insurance company there was no claim in the end. He pays you for a PDR, ideally plus a bit because of the general hassle etc.

2) You do indeed claim, but nominate a PDR technician yourself: top tip, if you don't know any, phone around prestige car dealers. They'll all have pet PDR techs that they bring in during sales car refurbs.

3) You claim something realistic in return for it being written off but you retain the salvage.

Remember if you do claim you 'might' find your renewal price goes up next year as you will have been subject to 'a no fault claim.'. Meanly it seems as though any claim, regardless of faults found make you statistically more likely to claim in the future, whatever instigated the claim in the first place.

Me? I'd phone some prestige dealers, get the number of a PDR tech. Send some pics, get a price, print it off and show your A2 hitter. Get some money, he tells insurance there's no claim. After that it's down to you. Just check that the claim disappears legally (i.e. that you don't have to declare it at renewal).
 
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