Go Back   The 75 and ZT Owners Club Forums > The 75 and ZT Owners Club Forums > The 75 and ZT Owners Club General Forum
Register FAQ Image Gallery Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read
Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 22nd October 2020, 19:11   #1
brianw
Gets stuck in
 
brianw's Avatar
 
Rover 75 CDT Connoisseur SE Rover 75 1.8 Auto Connie

Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Aldershot
Posts: 921
Thanks: 126
Thanked 119 Times in 79 Posts
Default informing Insurance company

On the way back from work tonight there were parked cars on my side of the road. I was stationary while waiting for a van coming the other way to go past.
There was a car behind me also waiting.
Just as the van went past and before I started to move off the car behind hit into the back of me.
The offside light cluster was broken the bumper towards the wheel arch popped out and the light unit no longer lines up with the boot lid.
Obviously the bumper has some damage to paintwork and has a slight split at the top just under the light cluster.
The lady driving the car admitted that her foot had slipped off the pedal.

When I got home I took a look. I replaced a couple of bulbs that were gone and managed to glue enough of the red back to cover the rear light although the fog light is exposed. I have ordered another light cluster as I need to use the car.
It looks as if it has been pushed by the impact where the light cluster mounts causing the misalignment with the boot lid.

I really want to keep this car and am concerned that if i go through insurance they will want to write it off.

I rang the Lady to tell her what i had found and she had already informed her insurance company and gave me her insurance details.
When I go on the website for my insurers they have a button to make a claim but I cannot see a way to just inform them of an accident.

If possible I would have preferred to settle without getting the insurers involved even if it meant taking the hit myself but now she has informed her company I guess I have to let mine know.

I cannot help thinking that now the insurers are involved it could get costly in the long term in increased premiums etc and worse than that the hassle of dealing with them.
Already cost me half an evening of my life!

Where do I go from here?
Any advice welcome.
brianw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22nd October 2020, 19:38   #2
Rogue
I really should get out more.......
 
Rogue's Avatar
 
75 CDT SE 160 Saloon

Join Date: May 2017
Location: Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich
Posts: 2,629
Thanks: 1,386
Thanked 1,096 Times in 774 Posts
Default

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rig...n-my-insurance


Give that a read
__________________

Glutton for punishment --- Previously ... 2.6 SD1 x 2, 3.5 SD1, 820S, 820Si x2, 216 Gsi, 220T saloon, 414, 45 1.4 x2 and now a Cowley 75 CDT
Rogue is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22nd October 2020, 19:43   #3
brianw
Gets stuck in
 
brianw's Avatar
 
Rover 75 CDT Connoisseur SE Rover 75 1.8 Auto Connie

Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Aldershot
Posts: 921
Thanks: 126
Thanked 119 Times in 79 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogue View Post
Thanks.
Will take a look.
brianw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22nd October 2020, 20:04   #4
Typhoon190
This is my second home
 
MG ZT-T 190 Monogram Typhoon

Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Oxfordshire
Posts: 4,704
Thanks: 328
Thanked 557 Times in 443 Posts
Default

Unfortunately there is a high chance the insurance company will class the car as an economical write off, which will put a category 'N' marker against it.

Annoyingly I had this last year with my ZT-T when a tool in a prestige rental hit me and drove off.

Hastings kindly wrote the car off and then refused to continue to insure it as it was now Category N.

If you want to keep the car, don't allow the insurers to take it away, and don't accept the first offer is my advice.
Typhoon190 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22nd October 2020, 20:48   #5
trikey
Premium Trader
 
trikey's Avatar
 
Rover 75

Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Devon
Posts: 33,710
Thanks: 8,837
Thanked 14,831 Times in 8,030 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Typhoon190 View Post
If you want to keep the car, don't allow the insurers to take it away, and don't accept the first offer is my advice.
Exactly, do not let them remove the car, even if they say it is just for quotation purposes.
__________________
Lest we forget..
trikey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22nd October 2020, 21:28   #6
macafee2
This is my second home
 
Rover 75 Saloon & Tourer

Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Lincoln
Posts: 14,890
Thanks: 1,630
Thanked 3,032 Times in 2,181 Posts
Default

if you are not making a claim then surly it does not matter how much damage has been done, the insurance company will not be writing it off.

Alas you do need to advise the insurance company you have been involved in an RTC.
It may effect your premium.

You may be able to deal with the 3rd party insurance while not making a claim on your insurance but some insurance companies seem not able or not willing to deal with the public but only another insurance company. I suspect not will instead of not able.

macafee2
macafee2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22nd October 2020, 22:34   #7
Rick-sta
This is my second home
 
Rick-sta's Avatar
 
MG ZT 2.0 CDTI+ in Typhoon, MG TF 135 in Typhoon & Rover 75 Connoisseur CDTI SE in Pearl Black

Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 7,523
Thanks: 2,718
Thanked 2,827 Times in 1,462 Posts
Default

after going through this myself a couple times in recent years (once when my typhoon was rear ended and then again twice when my fiancé's car was rear end and also when someone backed into the rear side).

Now settling outside of insurance without notifying your insurer would be the best outcome, as it means you'll get your car fixed without having to declare a claim/incident at your insurance renewal.

HOWEVER... the big issue here that has happened to many others is if you decide to not inform your insurer and then she decides to lie to her insurer about the incident claiming that you crashed into her (claiming you reversed into her rather than her driving into the back of you) the claim then may go through against you. Or if she decides she isn't going to settle outside of insurance later on, then you may get in a bit of trouble for informing your insurance much later on after the date of the incident.

If you do decide to inform your insurer of the incident even if you state you don't wish to claim, it still goes down as a recorded incident and still increases your premium at your renewal even though you didn't claim.

The way I dealt with it when my typhoon was rear ended was I ran my insurer and informed them of the incident, stated that I did not wish to claim on my policy and wish to claim directly on the other party's insurance, and requested the policy number and insurer of the other party who crashed into my car, using the reg of that vehicle. This was provided to me and I submitted a claim directly with his insurer. I'm not sure if you can still do this, as when my fiancé's car was rear ended last year I tried to do this and was told the insurer is not allowed to give out the other party's insurance details anymore and the claim has to be submitted through our own policy against the other party. Not sure if this is completely true or not.

Now when you make the claim, the insurer will want to access the damage to your car. In my case on the typhoon they simply requested photos of the damage (which I was quite surprised about) and when my fiancé's car needed assessing we requested they come assess the car on the driveway at home. NEVER LET THE INSURER MAKE YOU THINK YOU HAVE TO LET THEM RECOVER YOUR CAR AND TAKE IT AWAY FOR ASSESSMENT. They'll make you think you have to let them take the car away, you don't. You can request them to come to you to assess the car at home or at work. If you let them take the car away chances are you won't see it again.

Now it's most likely the end result will be the insurer will want to write off the car. I've never personally had one written off so I'm not 100% sure how write off markers work, as I've seen many cases where the insurers have stated they want to write the car off, and if you wish to keep the car they offer a write off value pay out - a small sum to keep the car, without any write off marker put on against the car. So the funds are used to repair the car (usually with plenty of change left over) and it's back on the road again.

If they do want to write off the car, remember you don't have to accept the initial write off value the insurer offers. If you feel your car is worth more, you can argue it by using examples of similar 75's/ZT's selling at higher values.

In my case when I was claiming for the typhoon, the insurer wanted to write it off, however I told them where to go and requested a payment in lieu of repairs. The insurer CANNOT force you to write off the car when the accident wasn't your fault (within reason as long as there's no significant structural damage to the car). In your case it's just cosmetic damage so they cannot force you to accept a write off, although they'll make you think you have to accept it. Get some repair quotes together from registered bodyshops and that can be used to request a payment in lieu of repairs to cover that cost. That's how I got the insurers to pay out on repairs on my typhoon a couple years back.
__________________
How to retrofit Cruise Control on a diesel with no OEM wiring in place: Link
How to retrofit heated electric memory seats with no OEM wiring in place: Link
How to operate FBH and ATC via text Link
How to restore cloudy projector headlights Link
Rick-sta is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 22nd October 2020, 23:17   #8
brianw
Gets stuck in
 
brianw's Avatar
 
Rover 75 CDT Connoisseur SE Rover 75 1.8 Auto Connie

Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Aldershot
Posts: 921
Thanks: 126
Thanked 119 Times in 79 Posts
Default

Thank you to everyone for the replies.
I wish the Lady concerned had not informed her insurance company so swiftly, although of course I cannot blame her as she was doing the 'right thing'.
It can only have been a little after an hour after the incident that I telephoned her and unfortunately she already had.
My main concern is the light unit not lining up with the boot as that indicates some deflection of the area where it mounts. Damage to the bumper and the light can be rectified easily enough although of course there is some cost involved.
The car was a keeper and it took me quite some time to find it. It would probably only be valued at a few hundred pounds but I have of course spent multiples of that on it.
I just want to be able to keep it if I can.
My current insurer is Hastings. I have been on their website and can see where I can make a claim but could not find a contact no or address where I could inform them of involvement in an incident.
These things happen and I can accept having to pay for and getting the car repaired what is the real pain is the rigmarole of dealing with the insurance company.
An absolute waste of time, especially as they will then penalise both parties for it in the future.
I don't mind rolling my sleeves up to get things done when I must but dealing with those paper pushing rogues makes my blood boil.
Brian
brianw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23rd October 2020, 07:10   #9
brianw
Gets stuck in
 
brianw's Avatar
 
Rover 75 CDT Connoisseur SE Rover 75 1.8 Auto Connie

Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Aldershot
Posts: 921
Thanks: 126
Thanked 119 Times in 79 Posts
Default

I do have a light unit on its way to me.
It is far easier just to fix it yourself unless there is drastic damage.
It would take far less time to fix than to deal with the insurance company and in many cases and would probably cost a lot less in the long run.
Definitely less aggro.
I need to remove the bumper really so I can check behind it to see what the situation is from both sides.
brianw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23rd October 2020, 07:19   #10
macafee2
This is my second home
 
Rover 75 Saloon & Tourer

Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Lincoln
Posts: 14,890
Thanks: 1,630
Thanked 3,032 Times in 2,181 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick-sta View Post
after going through this myself a couple times in recent years (once when my typhoon was rear ended and then again twice when my fiancé's car was rear end and also when someone backed into the rear side).

Now settling outside of insurance without notifying your insurer would be the best outcome, as it means you'll get your car fixed without having to declare a claim/incident at your insurance renewal.

HOWEVER... the big issue here that has happened to many others is if you decide to not inform your insurer and then she decides to lie to her insurer about the incident claiming that you crashed into her (claiming you reversed into her rather than her driving into the back of you) the claim then may go through against you. Or if she decides she isn't going to settle outside of insurance later on, then you may get in a bit of trouble for informing your insurance much later on after the date of the incident.

If you do decide to inform your insurer of the incident even if you state you don't wish to claim, it still goes down as a recorded incident and still increases your premium at your renewal even though you didn't claim.

The way I dealt with it when my typhoon was rear ended was I ran my insurer and informed them of the incident, stated that I did not wish to claim on my policy and wish to claim directly on the other party's insurance, and requested the policy number and insurer of the other party who crashed into my car, using the reg of that vehicle. This was provided to me and I submitted a claim directly with his insurer. I'm not sure if you can still do this, as when my fiancé's car was rear ended last year I tried to do this and was told the insurer is not allowed to give out the other party's insurance details anymore and the claim has to be submitted through our own policy against the other party. Not sure if this is completely true or not.

Now when you make the claim, the insurer will want to access the damage to your car. In my case on the typhoon they simply requested photos of the damage (which I was quite surprised about) and when my fiancé's car needed assessing we requested they come assess the car on the driveway at home. NEVER LET THE INSURER MAKE YOU THINK YOU HAVE TO LET THEM RECOVER YOUR CAR AND TAKE IT AWAY FOR ASSESSMENT. They'll make you think you have to let them take the car away, you don't. You can request them to come to you to assess the car at home or at work. If you let them take the car away chances are you won't see it again.

Now it's most likely the end result will be the insurer will want to write off the car. I've never personally had one written off so I'm not 100% sure how write off markers work, as I've seen many cases where the insurers have stated they want to write the car off, and if you wish to keep the car they offer a write off value pay out - a small sum to keep the car, without any write off marker put on against the car. So the funds are used to repair the car (usually with plenty of change left over) and it's back on the road again.

If they do want to write off the car, remember you don't have to accept the initial write off value the insurer offers. If you feel your car is worth more, you can argue it by using examples of similar 75's/ZT's selling at higher values.

In my case when I was claiming for the typhoon, the insurer wanted to write it off, however I told them where to go and requested a payment in lieu of repairs. The insurer CANNOT force you to write off the car when the accident wasn't your fault (within reason as long as there's no significant structural damage to the car). In your case it's just cosmetic damage so they cannot force you to accept a write off, although they'll make you think you have to accept it. Get some repair quotes together from registered bodyshops and that can be used to request a payment in lieu of repairs to cover that cost. That's how I got the insurers to pay out on repairs on my typhoon a couple years back.
I think for a small fee and with good reason you can obtain the 3rd parties insurance details via the MIB, Motor Insurance Bureau. Here is there web site https://www.mib.org.uk/

Not telling your insurance company about an incident could lead to you lying as Rick-sta says at renewal time and then if you have an incident where you do make a claim, you could find the claim rejected because you have not admitted to an incident. This lady seems an honest person, that is nice and refreshing in this day and age.
It would be nice if you could claim your insurance price hike from the 3rd party, that may involve taking them to court each year for the next 5 years.

macafee2
macafee2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 13:49.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright © 2006-2023, The Rover 75 & MG ZT Owners Club Ltd