[Wainy399]

Hi All,

I came back from a walk into town yesterday evening to find that a neighbour had reversed into the drivers side door of my Mk5! As far as damage goes there are quite a few dents in the door (about 4-5) and then there is considerable scratching and paint chips on the door and trim running along the length of the door. I don't know if this always happens with crashes, but the strength of the door panel seems to have completely gone too and I can push the panel in towards the car without any effort at all.

The guy said he is happy to either pay for the repairs out of his own pocket or if it's going to be really expensive then we'll have to go through insurers. Just wondering if anyone has any advice to give, and if anyone has had this happen to them, what repairs were needed and how much did it cost?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Wainy

 

[DaveyR32]

Have you got protected no claims? If you think he might be a dick just go through insurance - I did years ago when someone reversed into my 182. I was gonna let him pay for it then he started saying things like "I might say you went into the back of me". My insurance phoned him, he admitted it and boom job done. They then did the rest.

 

[Rockwilder]

Shouldn't be too hard if the damage is localised to the door. The outer skin is bolted on instead of being welded. If you find and have a new panel sprayed the panel is easy enough for you to install yourself, or a pro could do the changeover in less than an hour. Sad news but there's a silver lining.

 

[vrt]

Happen to me,

Mmm.... say to the guy
You want car dun at your garage of choice. Going get a quote, and tell the guy the price. And then get him to pay it, He can going pay the guy himself wif his credit card if he need proof of receipt.
It more hassle going through insurers, plus it takes longer as well, and the lost of ncb too

Regards
Vrt

Sent from my I-Phone

 

[Dashey]

Little bit off topic but do you lose your ncb even if its not your fault?

 

[cuprabob]

Little bit off topic but do you lose your ncb even if its not your fault?

No, but some insurers see you as a higher risk and put your premium up anyway.

 

[JamesBaby]

Ive been through similar, so this is the way!!

Do not tell your own insurance anything. Full stop.

Take it to VW and use their own repair and claims service. Near me its called Sytner Drive. They will recoup all costs from the third party using their own management company.

You get your car fixed properly. Courtesy car also. Plus no record of claim etc on your own policy.

Job done.

 

[DaveyR32]

My wife has had a ding at work (her fault) it went through insurance and barely increased her renewal. If you are with a good insurance company it should not be a hassle to claim, but really you should be claiming on his insurance not yours. What if you get a quote and he tells you to f**k off, what do you do then? Do you have protected NCB?

 

[cuprabob]

Even if you claim directly off the other party's insurance company you are still at liberty to notify your own insurance company of the accident as all these companies share information.

I got caught out a few years ago on my bike insurance when I "forgot" to mention a non fault accident in my car to them.

 

[DaveyR32]

You will also find that you have to declare all accidents even if you have not claimed. A minor ding like this should not really send your renewal sky rocketing.

 

[Wainy399]

Cheers for all the advice fellas. At the end of the day all I want is my door to be returned to the perfect condition it was in before someone had a disagreement with it, and it not to affect my insurance in the future. I wasnt aware that even an accident that wasnt your fault could affect insurance premiums.