Bump!

ste

TK Veteran
My missus had a bump in my car earlier in the week. Only a low speed collision in traffic and damage is minimal to other persons rear bumper and they were happy to deal with it privately but the main dealer want almost £800 to fix!

I'm going to ask them if they'd be willing to go to a couple of other reputable body shops for some quotes but if it comes back too high or they insist going through the main dealer, it'll have to be an insurance jobby. My question is, does anyone know if there'll be any issue with them going through the insurance now with it being several days since the incident.

Also, I have maximum no claims - will all these be taken from me if they go through the insurance or will I just lose some of them? ... also, as it's on a multi-car policy and we're both listed as drivers, will her ncb be affected or mine as I know when I took out the policy, it asked how many ncb did each car / driver have.

If anyone can help answer some / all of the above, i'd be grateful.

Cheers all and have a very merry Christmas!
 
You can go to anybody shop as long as they are vat registered but insurance will need to check up on.Have you got no claims protected
 
You need to check your policy as how long you get to report a accident,leave it to long and they may not pay out and even cancel your policy at the worst.
 
My missus had a bump in my car earlier in the week. Only a low speed collision in traffic and damage is minimal to other persons rear bumper and they were happy to deal with it privately but the main dealer want almost £800 to fix!

I'm going to ask them if they'd be willing to go to a couple of other reputable body shops for some quotes but if it comes back too high or they insist going through the main dealer, it'll have to be an insurance jobby. My question is, does anyone know if there'll be any issue with them going through the insurance now with it being several days since the incident.

Also, I have maximum no claims - will all these be taken from me if they go through the insurance or will I just lose some of them? ... also, as it's on a multi-car policy and we're both listed as drivers, will her ncb be affected or mine as I know when I took out the policy, it asked how many ncb did each car / driver have.

If anyone can help answer some / all of the above, i'd be grateful.

Cheers all and have a very merry Christmas!
Hi Ste, I would be upfront and ask your insurance company the best way to go forward. They will be able to advise on how much extra premium you would pay. Be upfront, honest and then you cant go wrong.
 
I know she can go to any bodyshop but ultimately, it's up to her if she only wants to use the main dealer and if so, it'll be through the insurance. I don't have my no claims protected, never even thought about it to be honest - been driving for 18 years and this is the first time i've had to deal with anything like this so just a bit unsure of the process. Our car is fine and no damage at all so I don't really want to be speaking to my insurer as they may get the wrong end of the stick and think i'm putting a claim in?
 
Can you speak to the other party and say it happened this morning or yesterday ? Only 2 parties involved and its done privately without any police. Maybe could add the wife was not aware she even bumped the other car and only just been contacted by other person.
 
Theres no point in trying to hoodwink or lie to the insurers if they are to be involved. Be honest - say you thought you would deal with it without getting insurance involved (thats not against the law) but the quote is more than you expected. They will be able to calculate if its best for you just to pay it or if its best to go through with the claim. Thats assuming that your party has admitted liability.
 
I know she can go to any bodyshop but ultimately, it's up to her if she only wants to use the main dealer and if so, it'll be through the insurance. I don't have my no claims protected, never even thought about it to be honest - been driving for 18 years and this is the first time i've had to deal with anything like this so just a bit unsure of the process. Our car is fine and no damage at all so I don't really want to be speaking to my insurer as they may get the wrong end of the stick and think i'm putting a claim in?

You might find that your ncb is protected, you're just not aware it is.

I'd say just contact your insurer and tell them you've been unwell/phone not working/other party only just decided to make a claim, and let them handle it.
 
My question is, does anyone know if there'll be any issue with them going through the insurance now with it being several days since the incident.

No, if/when it does come to reporting it, just be up front and say 'we tried to settle directly and I was intending to notify you'. Try and find an 'approved' body shop and ask if they are willing to get quotes there. Also, let them know although it may not be their fault, they may still need to pay an excess which will be recovered at a later date. They will also need to declare it on their renewal which could (it will) impact their renewal even when it may have not been their fault.

Also, I have maximum no claims - will all these be taken from me if they go through the insurance or will I just lose some of them? ... also, as it's on a multi-car policy and we're both listed as drivers, will her ncb be affected or mine as I know when I took out the policy, it asked how many ncb did each car / driver have.
You will most likely lose some.

Have you considered your own excess/cost of repairing your own car.
 
Thats true - insurers always say never to accept liability but in practise thats not always sensible. My advice is never lie to insurers , it will come to bite you
No need to lie but no need to admit anything either
 
Can you speak to the other party and say it happened this morning or yesterday ? Only 2 parties involved and its done privately without any police. Maybe could add the wife was not aware she even bumped the other car and only just been contacted by other person.
Thats pretty close to lying.

You pay insurance for your benefit and if they are worth their salt they will advise you what the best course of action is. For example, they will say, if the repairs are £800 we will settle that but your premium will go up by xxxx - then its up to you what your best option is.
 
you need to check if your ncb is protected or not and what your excess is, if your excess is say £250, and you are going to lose some no claims bonus then in long run it may be worth still doing privately, depends what effect losing no claims may have on future insurance premiums.
 
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i remember few years ago seeing something on tv and they where saying if you call insurance and ask about making a claim but don't actually claim, it is still logged on file that an accident has happenned
 
ask them to get a couple of other quotes, you will be better off paying for it yourself otherwise you will loose some no claims, have an excess to pay plus be paying for it with increased insurance for the next 3+ years, IF you tell your insurance company it will effect your insurance regardless of how you proceed so you have two options...1. let the insurance deal with it & take the hit over the next few years or 2. pay for the damage & say nothing as its a private matter. DO NOT lie to your insurance company...that is a sure fire way to get bitten in the long run (even a none fault no claim accident sits on your records for a minimum of 6m incase a claim is filed later, this will effect your next/renewal insurance).
 
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Yeah I want to be as honest and upfront as I can be without screwing myself too much.

Do I have to pay an excess? ... I thought I only paid an excess if I claimed off my own insurance.

Also, i've been reading that insurance companies require you to report the accident within 24-48 or they may not deal with it?
 
You only pay an excess IF you put it through your insurance & claim for their/your or both repairs, my own example was a few years ago, after a very minor wingmirror bump & disagreeing over who's fault it was we decided it would be treated as a 'knock for knock' type claim so we agreed it wasn't worth the insurance agro & left it at that, I informed my insurance company & explained there should be no action required (incase he later tried to make a claim).
My insurance was due a few months later & my renewal had gone up by a fair chunk...this was when I learnt I had a marker against my driving & they were required to hold it on record for 6 months, the reason my insurance had increased was that they now saw me as a higher risk driver, I think this sucks but it's how they work, any excuse to chip a little extra coin out of your pocket.
 
I have spoken briefly via live chat to my insurance without giving any of my details and they told me that if me, the main driver on the policy is not the 'at fault' driver and it's a named driver who's 'at fault', my no claims bonus will not be affected and going forward, I don't need to declare this incident if I don't add her onto a policy so worst case scenario, get insurance off someone else and don't put her on there and buy her a push bike! haha.

Without giving details of repair costs etc, they couldn't calculate how much it's likely to affect premiums going forward.

They did advise though that they, personally have a cut off of 48 hours from when the incident occurs to make a claim.
 
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