Trigs "Car in front" - Bonnet repairs!

[trigger]

God knows, interior styling wasn't their strong point!

[oldcars]

Stickers look great and cracking job on the bumpers, How did you blend the new paint into the old?

[trigger]

I just key up the bumper with a grey scotche pad giving myself plenty of room to flick the paint work in with each coat. In a few days I'll just polish up the middle where i blended it in to cover the dull bit where i keyed it up and you'll never even know they had been painted, It helps that it's a really good colour match to be fair.

[RobT]

Importantly, is Mrs Trigger enjoying her new daily?!

[trigger]

Yes! Very much so, I haven't seen her this excited about a car since I bought the Suzuki Alto home!

[Parky]

Yes! Very much so, I haven't seen her this excited about a car since I bought the Suzuki Alto home!

And that ladies and gentlemen is the very personification of this website!

[Anglevan]

Great purchase and very jealous, despite everything that's wrong with these there is so much that's right. I remember looking at these when new around 1998 ish and I'm sure I have a brochure in my stash from that visit. When and if the time comes to sell this beauty I could be seriously tempted..

[Felly Magic]

She will just get used to it, and Triggs will do the usual and sell it LOLOL

[Billy SR]

i'm first in line if you ever do sell this 

[trigger]

Well I've had better days. I got a phone call at work this evening from the wife in tears, someone's driven into the Starlet whilst she's driving home from work and smashed the front end up, apparently the lights are all stuffed in and bonnets pushed back.

 

Expecting the worse i managed to get away from work early, got home and saw the damage, thankfully it wasn't as bad as she made it sound.

 

 

She was coming out of a car park in town and was sat behind a Audi A5, for no reason the driver of the Audi slammed it in reverse and ploughed straight into the front of her car, Apparently he saw someone trying to push a broken down car into the car park and he panicked and just reversed, Hannah couldn't see this car as there's a brick wall next to the exit. Thank god no one was walking behind it. 

 

My wife is fine although shook up as it's her 1st accident, the driver admitted liability straight away, it's a company car on a fleet insurance so it's no good asking for a cash settlement, It will need a new bonnet, the bumper is damaged and the bar behind is bent plus the headlight and indicator have both broke of their clips.

 

I really hope it doesn't get written off or ended up with a Cat D next to it, whatever happens I'll buy it back as it's such a nice car, It's bloody annoying really as it's the first car in a long while that ideal for what we wanted, I was hoping that it would be a keeper.

 

Fucksticks.

[HMC]

Ugh at least the missus is ok. Such a shame after youd got it looking great too. I would hope the insurance people are sensible about it but they are a law unto themselves!

[Noel Tidybeard]

words fail me

[mat_the_cat]

Shit After your hard work too! Hope you manage to get things sorted swiftly and to your satisfaction, although whatever happens it's something you can well do without!

[RobT]

Gutted for you Trig, and after all the work you put into it over the last few days. I hope Hannah's alright though, that's the main thing.

[trigger]

I'm gutted but it could have been much worse, in reality it will need a bonnet (which needed painting anyway) a headlight (which needed replacing as it was broke) a indicator and a bumper which I'd just painted...

 

I'll just need to see what the insurance company say now which could be a interesting thread on its own.

[HillmanImp]

 it's a company car on a fleet insurance so it's no good asking for a cash settlement

 

Why not? If anything I would see that as a good reason for a cash settlement so as not to piss off your employer with another claim for a minor bump?

 

 

Edit, just re-read this might seem a little abrupt, just offering advice. If I had a good job, company car and a miserable boss giving me shit I would buy someone a new car rather than submit a claim.

 

Edit of edit. I edited this whilst Trigger was quoting.

[Matt]

Well that's colossally shit. Best of luck getting it ship-shape again. Almost had my first car accident today too as it so happens.

[trigger]

Why not? If anything I would see that as a good reason for a cash settlement so as not to piss off your employer with another claim for a minor bump?

Unfortunately he is the employer, he owns a few furniture shops around the area and has a number of delivery vans so I can't imagine he'd be to fussy claiming through them. His A5 needs a new rear bumper but apparently it was going back to the lease company next week to be replaced with a new one.

[HillmanImp]

Ah, bad luck.

[Anglevan]

You can still ask for a cash settlement irrespective of him having a fleet policy. Main advice I can give is be straight from the off about what you want. If the best settlement for you is cash and keep the car, tell them and have a reasonable figure in mind before the assessor arrives and make sure you are present.

Tell the claims handler from the off. They may even just send a cheque to save risk of credit hire etc etc.

[Anglevan]

To add - you ask for the cash settlement from the insurance rather than the driver direct. Did a similar thing with a Tigra my wife had. Exaxtly the same circs as yours.

[oldcars]

I'm gutted but it could have been much worse, in reality it will need a bonnet (which needed painting anyway) a headlight (which needed replacing as it was broke) a indicator and a bumper which I'd just painted...

 

I'll just need to see what the insurance company say now which could be a interesting thread on its own.

Shame to read this. Glad the good lady is safe and well. The paint repair was only just done as well 

[trigger]

I've had a better look this morning in the cold, hard light of day and it isn't too bad.

 

I'm concerned about the door gaps as the offsides seems smaller than the nearside, the bonnet is latched closed here so you can see who high it kinks up.

 

 

 

 

The bumper beam is bent and i think the front support bar with the latch on should also be straight.

 

 

and there's a slight kink in the front of the wing were the drip runner meets the slam panel.

 

 

I think it will be written off. The misses spent over 2 hours on the phone this morning chasing the insurance companies about it, no one seems to know who to talk to but in the end we spoke to the 3rd parties insurer who's going to look into it for us and let us know Monday what's happening.

 

I would have spoke to the chap who hit it and see if he'd do a cash settlement of say £300 but as the rear bumper of his A5 was smashed i suspect he'll be claiming for that anyway and its a fleet insurance covering his delivery vans too so i don't think he's going to be interested in paying me any money.

 

Providing that he doesn't turn round and say that my wife hit him, I think the best outcome now would be a good offer on the car (say £1000) and the chance to buy it back for around £300 allowing me money to fix it myself. Hopefully i'll know more on Monday.

[mrbenn]

Sorry to see this Trigger

 

Make sure you make it clear to whoever you speak to that you want it back, including the guy who picks it up to take it for inspection if this happens. I did this with the Carisma that received damage to front indicator/wing/both o/s doors and rear wheel arch. Got cash settlement, car returned (well, had to pick it up) and no write off marker against the car. £190 worth of scrappy panels and was good as new.

[trigger]

I can see us having a battle on our hands over this now.

 

Our insurance is ran through a scheme at my wife's work (she works for one of the big insurance companies) and she knows some of the people in the motor claims department, shes had a word with them about how we was messed around by them on Saturday so now they are looking into it for us, the trouble is the 3rd parties insurers are a massive pile of steaming shit who won't get back to any correspondence and are only open between 10-4pm.

 

Shes emailed them and our insurance company have been ringing them but no one gets back to us so we still don't even know if he's told them the truth yet or lied and said she hit him, I've googled their company and they have so many complaints online that I'm surprised they are still trading, there's a 22 page thread on MSE about them too which is really filling me with confidence about a quick settlement.

 

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=1669745

 

All the meanwhile I'm still a car down, If it's not sorted soon I'll have to cable tie the lights back in and use the car as it is. 

[320touring]

Ah bugger:(sorry to see that trig. Glad ra burd is ok, hope it all gets worked out!

[Felly Magic]

If they don't play ball soon Triggs, have a word with The Ipswich Star, name &.shame the insurer and hopefully do his business a bit of harm. He sounds like an utter cock end who shouldn't be driving anyway

[trigger]

I don't think it's all that bad just yet Felly! It's only been a day. If there is problems then thats what the insurance ombudsman is for.

 

It was a accident, I've done the same thing myself so I'm not going to start slating him. These things happen.

[Felly Magic]

It's the only insurer I know of then open part time, I smell a rat, and i suspect you are going to have one hell of a fight on your hands. 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Good outlook Trigs, its best to roll with it when this sort of nonsense happens. It'll get sorted one way or the other