Someone just reversed into my Volvo...what to do?

[Waderider]

Over in Ireland visiting my folks. Was out in the garage working on my bikes when I heard a thump followed by the sound of my car alarm.

Woman had backed her shite mondeo (covered in battlescars) into my mint low mileage 53 plate Volvo V40 - had it over half its life.

Photo below. The paint isn't broken. Amazingly this is the first time in over 20 years of motoring that I may need to contact insurance.

Given the cars relatively low value.....say £1000, do I run any risk of it getting written off. I want to keep this car, with a perfect door again.

What is my easiest route to that outcome? Should I just push it out and polish the scratches out? Should I get another door from the scrappers?

 

[coalnotdole]

If you got her details then notify your insurance, Then ring up her insurers and try to do a deal through them. Provided she's admitted liability it should be pretty simple.

 

Same thing happened to my Rebel (although i was in it at the time and it was frontal damage) That was a prat in a mundeo reversing without looking too!

[Lacquer Peel]

You could probably get another door for the cost of your excess.

[barefoot]

You could probably get another door for the cost of your excess.

You could possibly get another door in the correct colour, fitted for the cost of your excess

[Guest Tony Hayers]

Try and do a deal with Mondeo Girl and tell her that you'll settle if she is willing to pay for the cost of a replacement door (correct shade of course) , saving her premium going up for the next 3 years. Word it correctly like you are doing her the favour and she should bite.

[r.welfare]

Any witnesses willing to support the fact it was the other party's fault? I personally found an unequivocal verbal admittance of liability vaporised once the third party's insurance company was contacted...

[Cavcraft]

[Waderider]

Two kids and saggy tits, plus I'm happily married

 

Got her details. I'm feeling inclined to go to my insurance in the morning. I know nothing.....what are the downsides of going official?

[Cavcraft]

The cynic in me like how you noticed she has saggy knockers then remembered you're happily married!

[dugong]

The cynic in me like how you noticed she has saggy knockers then remembered you're happily married!

All bases have to be covered.

[JohnDeere]

Downside of going through your insurance is that your premium goes up, regardless of fault. Best to get her to pay you directly if you can.

[mercrocker]

I think with something modern I would be very tempted to  do an insurance claim.....Some berk stuffed his beemer into  the front of my Oxford and I settled  for £100 cash because I couldnt see anything worse than a busted Lucas foglamp.    It was only months later when cleaning up some rust that I found all  the bent and broken grille mounting tabs which effectively wrote the grille off...Probably would have had an argument about the rust if I had gone through insurance but it strikes me that something more complex like a V40 could be hiding other damage.

[Guest Tony Hayers]

Downside of going through your insurance is that your premium goes up, regardless of fault. Best to get her to pay you directly if you can.

 

 

Like I said above. 

 

OP, do you want to arse about with insurance companies over the value of a 10 YO Volvo with a stuffed door? No, see my above post.

 

I think with something modern I would be very tempted to  do an insurance claim.....Some berk stuffed his beemer into  the front of my Oxford and I settled  for £100 cash because I couldnt see anything worse than a busted Lucas foglamp.    It was only months later when cleaning up some rust that I found all  the bent and broken grille mounting tabs which effectively wrote the grille off...Probably would have had an argument about the rust if I had gone through insurance but it strikes me that something more complex like a V40 could be hiding other damage.

 

It's not touched the sill, or front wing.

[drum]

Similar thing happened to my mother two weeks ago in her seven week old picanto. The culprit admitted guilt but didn't want insurance involved.

 

The old man got a couple of quotes (scratched paint but no dent) , and after some discussion, they coughed up.

[Barry Cade]

She drives a Mondeo- All Mondeo owners repair accident damage with duct tape and a jesus fish sticker. If you try to pursue a payment for the repair of the damage caused,she'll expect to get change from a tenner.

 

On the other hand, the cost of a door, paint and fitting will write off your Volvo. I towed in a 53 plate one the other day with bumper damage and a broken foglight. Written off.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I know they're evil scumbags but accident management companies are ace for this sort of thing ,they're all dodgy so won't tell your insurance company, so no premium increase next year,they'll usually give you the option of the salvage and you'll get to drive around in a brand new Porsche Cayenne or whatever they deem an equivalent car to a 10 year old V40. Probably get whiplash for looking out of the window a bit too quick as well.

 

If you involve your own insurance and it turns out Mrs Doyle wasn't covered or something they'll write your car off you'll pay excess and lose your no claims, if in doubt don't tell the feckers anything.

[DSdriver]

If you have more than one car and you make a claim, even with protected no claims bonus, all your premiums will rise on renewal. So even if you don't get the money from her or her insurance company it is still cheaper to bung another door on.

I would deffo go the scrappers way but let your insurance know there has been an incident and that you are not making a claim "at this time". That way if she does try to stiff you for a whiplash claim because she ran into your parked car you have covered your arse.

[Des]

Someone ran into my car a year ago, got a payout from his ins. but as far as I'm concerned if I find myself paying more for my insurance as a result then I make a further claim. Not happened yet mind.

[rml2345]

Funnily enough someone reversed into my Volvo today too and bent her Nissan Note.
I'd be more inclined to avoid insurance dealings if at all possible. Speak to Mrs. Mondeo about sourcing a replacement door in the right colour or getting that one sorted out by a reputable body place. As others have said, if you word it like you're doing her a favour it might meet with more success than having her insurance bum her in the face for years in extra premiums. 

[Asimo]

It's only a dent. Ignore it. If it was a cottage it would be character and enhance the value.

 

Seriously though, once you have involved your insurer, everything is out of your hands, they make the decisions. This is good if you are involved in a serious accident but can be very awkward if the "book cost" of the repair approaches the trade-in value of the car. My last claim went badly wrong for the car. I had hydraulicked my Avantime in the great flood of 2007. I claimed, hoping for the price of a used engine or maybe just a set of straight con-rods but no, the insurers wrote it off instead, and no I couldn't do a deal on the salvage.

 

(Nice to see years later that it was alive and taxed)

[garethj]

Someone did the same on our old S80, but I didn't see it happen and of course the twat didn't leave a note.

 

I swapped the door, it was pretty easy and cost about £80.  Just check it's the right shade first, our dark metallic grey was one of three versions they did.  The new door was a different one of the three    Silver could be similar

[dieselnutjob]

wife did this to an Alfa Romeo last year.  Cost her insurance £900 to have his door fixed

[Waderider]

Cheers for all the replies. Just took the door card off and popped it out. Still very obvious but I think I'm going to live with it. Might pop a door on in the spring. A hard job to do in the Highlands, outdoors, at this time of year.

[Largactil]

Bad luck - I chopped my old Pug 205 in for a newish Bini when I moved to Eire, but the fact that its flanks / bumpers are unmarked makes me very nervous parking it anywhere. 

 

(You rarely see a car over 5 years old without a ding / scrape over here - Very few Irish give a hoot about their car).

 

I think the ideal car for Irish motoring is '99 Zafira, sporting one solitary wheel trim / bumpers tie wrapped up / no straight panels - You see plenty out there, just like this... 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

You've defo made the right choice, for the value of the car I would 110% definitely not be getting the theiving bastard insurance cartel wankers involved, just pop it out and live with any after-effects. Just pay em the absolute least amount of money every year then leave them alone till the following year. They're all twats so the least contact the better.

[minolman]

My insurers must be good to me. I had an accident clearly the other parties fault, ran into from behind, I was stationary, signalling right to move into a side road. Third party admitted liability before, during and after police attendance. Informed my insurer on an advice only basis, I was not making a claim but I was claiming on the thrid parties insurance. 

3rd party contacted me. Vehicle inspected, salvage right agreed, offer given and accepted. Another car insurer later in the year, my premium went down. I had previously a 1995 Skoda Favorit, swapped insurance to 2002 Renault Megane and the policy is over £100 cheaper. Weird? But in my experience it did no harm to inform my insurer on a no claim advice basis.

[crapcarcollector]

^^^Wow. That would never happen in my world. I'd loose all me no claims, the other party would turn out to have no insurance etc etc

 

 

Sent from my Nokia 3310 using the force.

[myglaren]

My insurers must be good to me. I had an accident clearly the other parties fault, ran into from behind, I was stationary, signalling right to move into a side road. Third party admitted liability before, during and after police attendance. Informed my insurer on an advice only basis, I was not making a claim but I was claiming on the thrid parties insurance. 

3rd party contacted me. Vehicle inspected, salvage right agreed, offer given and accepted. Another car insurer later in the year, my premium went down. I had previously a 1995 Skoda Favorit, swapped insurance to 2002 Renault Megane and the policy is over £100 cheaper. Weird? But in my experience it did no harm to inform my insurer on a no claim advice basis.

Similar thing with my Accord.  Only informed my insurance company, third party did all the hard work with no impact on my insurance whatsoever.

[The Moog]

When it comes to renewal time do you declare the accident even if it didn't go through your insurance?

 

I had a run of 3, 1 where someone reversed into me in the car park, 1 I was turning right and stopped but the car 3 cars back didn't and all went into each other and another where some guy cut someone up he had to brake, so did i but the man behind didn't.  So none of my fault but all had made premium go up.

[Albert Ross]

Strangely, someone ran into my Volvo too... from a standing start, 2 feet behind me. Her foot slipped off the clutch.. Corsa 1.3 diesel.. torque free engine, it was a gentle touch. I got out to be condescending and humiliate her, but she had nice knockers, and was blubbing a bit. I looked at my bumper (thankfully dirty) and the touch mark was tiny, and right on previous marks. I told her no problem, and said not to worry about it. I reckon she was a bit amazed....