Ask a Shiter

[Mally]

What does 50/50 actually mean when it comes to insurance claims?

Does it mean each party covers their own repairs or the total bill is split between both.

 

I ask because over a year ago DaughterN no1 had a minor bump in a multi-storey car park in the e34. Being an e34 there was no real damage, just pushed the bumper off, which I reattached and the person that bought it in the summer never noticed. However the 3rd Party- let's call him Bullying Cunt- managed to do about £4000 worth of damage to his mk6 Golf , most of it whilst trying to unhook the two cars and inflict as much damage, noise and smoke as possible to the BMW. Mrs N has this on video along with onlookers shouting at him to stop.

After much too-ing and fro-ing, the companies are suggesting 50/50 , due to lack of witnesses and general can't be arsed with court attitude.

Obviously our costs are zero but half of his damage would be annoying , to say the least.

 

Knock for knock. Insurers love it.

Less hassle for them, both parties lose NCB. All done and dusted.

Had it happen to me a couple of times when not my fault, very difficult to get them to go down a different route.

I lost out any way.

You say Daughter had a bump, I assume she was moving at the time? 50/50 then in their eyes.

[anonymous user]

And giving yourself a shock if you hold the lead and give it a spin.

I used to have one to play with as a child, I think mine was out of an old telephone

[scaryoldcortina]

Although the toffee hammer can't tell the difference between a welded repair and a bit of old washing machine stuck over a hole with bathroom sealant.

That's what the handle end is for if you can move the weld* or the plate with the wedge it's failed.

 

I always found araldite gave very realistic looking welds* for such repairs.

 

I accept that some people will always find a way though...

 

Bathroom sealant would be obvious, its not hard enough for a start. I'd be surprised if it would adhere for any length of time. If its sheer effect you are going for Sikaflex is hard to beat.

Even set sikaflex deflects where a weld wouldn't.

[sierraman]

There isn't a substitute for a welded repair in a structural part. I've seen some real works of art that must have took days and cost a fortune in filler when an hour with the stick would have repaired it properly.

[scaryoldcortina]

^ I've seen wishbones full of wob.

[Guest Hooli]

^ I've seen wishbones full of wob.

 

Why, just why would you do that?

[twosmoke300]

Never underestimate stupidity

[sierraman]

£25 wishbone or £25 worth of filler.

[SiC]

Why, just why would you do that?

Beating* the system.

[Cavcraft]

Knock for knock. Insurers love it.

Less hassle for them, both parties lose NCB. All done and dusted.

Had it happen to me a couple of times when not my fault, very difficult to get them to go down a different route.

I lost out any way.

You say Daughter had a bump, I assume she was moving at the time? 50/50 then in their eyes.

 

But what does 50/50 actually entail, do they pay 50% of each others claims?

[Mally]

Not sure. Think they either pay for their own, or add both claims and split it.

[bunglebus]

I hate 50/50, I accepted it once begrudgingly after the guy that hit me lied through his teeth and it was going to cost me a bundle at the imminent renewal, but it just means both parties have a fault claim on their record. Argue the toss until they settle one way or the other!  

[Mally]

£25 wishbone or £25 worth of filler.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-75-MG-ZT-DRIVERS-RIGHT-OFF-SIDE-REAR-SUSPENSION-LOWER-ARM/372165576202?hash=item56a6cc060a:g:XG8AAOSw241YkyCS

 

Some cost a little more.

[wuvvum]

Transit Mk6 flasher relay. I've just managed to fry it by fitting a shit cheap Chinese aftermarket rear light which shorted out. It's a 5 pin relay, and helpfully* the pins are labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Anyone know what they correspond to in "normal" relay parlance?

 

[catsinthewelder]

Ten years ago I had a 50/50 claim on the BX which was insured 3rd party,  result was our insurer paid nowt and other insurer paid out £4000 to fix a hire car driven by a bullying cunt,  I paid out 99p + postage for a new indicator.  It didn't affect our NCB.

 

We are currently processing a claim at work where our Berlingo collided head on on a narrow muddy lane so insurers say 50/50.  We said fair enough,  don't want to claim then.  Insurers said we had to as they are paying 50% of other costs so want other insurers to pay 50% of ours.

 

Don't know if it has changed universally.

[robinmasters]

But what does 50/50 actually entail, do they pay 50% of each others claims?

 

 

Not sure. Think they either pay for their own, or add both claims and split it.

 

I worked in car insurance for about fifteen years and never heard of 'knock for knock' being agreed between insurers. They just don't do it anymore. When they did do it, it did mean they just pay their own customer and don't driver anything from the other driver's insurer.

 

These days a 50/50 settlement means just that. Rabbi insurer paid their own customer in full, then recovers 50% of that groom the other insurer, so they both pay half of the total costs. You can also recover half of your uninsured losses (excess, hire car etc) from the other driver's insurer.

[sierraman]

50 50 is as good as 100% youty liability come renewals time.

[catsinthewelder]

Being crashed into isn't much better though.  I've been hit from behind a couple of times and been as keen as the fault driver not to do anything about it.

[sierraman]

Statistics show even though it wasn't your fault you are a worse risk.

[Sir Snipes]

What are the best mechanics gloves to get for under, say, £15?

 

I found a pair of fabric gloves in a car i bought once, the fabric is thin and then have a sort of rubberised/nitrile texture on the palm side so you can grip things. they are quite thin so you can feel what you are doing - and stretchy, though being the 'medium' size, and me being a fat-handed twat they are a bit snug. Large, or XL would be better I think.

 

I've managed to coat them in loads of grot and repeatedly stabbed myself through the fabric and coating and they are now falling apart.

 

I want to replace them, as especially in the winter they are a godsend for keeping your hands warm as you work on cars, and also allow you to grip things like tiny components well - whereas bare skin goes dry and things can't be gripped as easily.

 

what do people suggest? Something like these?

 

https://www.justworkgloves.co.uk/Mechanics-Gloves/AdeptAir-Assembly-Grip-Gloves

 

Are Mechanix gloves any good? They look a bit too bulky for what I want

Something like this;

 

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/24-PAIRS-NYLON-PU-COATED-SAFETY-WORK-GLOVES-GARDENING-BUILDERS-MECHANIC-GRIP/272202506491

 

You should be able to get about 20 pairs for like a tenner or something.

[DodgeRover]

What does 50/50 actually mean when it comes to insurance claims?

Does it mean each party covers their own repairs or the total bill is split between both.

 

I ask because over a year ago DaughterN no1 had a minor bump in a multi-storey car park in the e34. Being an e34 there was no real damage, just pushed the bumper off, which I reattached and the person that bought it in the summer never noticed. However the 3rd Party- let's call him Bullying Cunt- managed to do about £4000 worth of damage to his mk6 Golf , most of it whilst trying to unhook the two cars and inflict as much damage, noise and smoke as possible to the BMW. Mrs N has this on video along with onlookers shouting at him to stop.

After much too-ing and fro-ing, the companies are suggesting 50/50 , due to lack of witnesses and general can't be arsed with court attitude.

Obviously our costs are zero but half of his damage would be annoying , to say the least.

Ring your insurer and tell them you have the video of the 3rd party causing the majority of the damage himself and if they don't do something about it then you will be taking them to the ombudsman.

[Talbot]

Re:  The insurance thing.

 

Was your daughter at all liable for the accident?  Was it genuinely an accident?  If libility is clearly with the BullyingCunt, then just don't claim.  If you don't claim, then there can be no loss of no-claim bonus, and at renewal, when your insurer blatantly puts the premium up because there has been an "incident" relating to your car (but still no claim) then you simply change insurer, and can honestly say "no" when asked if there have been any claims or convictions.

 

Even if there is some question over blame for the incident, if Mr, BullyingCunt claims against his own insurance, it would then be up to his insurer to prove liability, beyond all reasonable doubt, against your daughter.  Given that this is very difficult in a situation like this, they will most likely (assuming he has fully comp.) simply pay out themselves rather than persue a claim against your daughters insurer, so from YOUR point of view, there has still been no claim.

 

The only time you are likely to have a problem is if Mr. BullyingCunt tries to claim directly from your Daughters insurer.  He still has to prove beyond reasonable doubt that she was fully liable for the incident, but given the video you have of him being a twatwaffle, I suspect that would be near impossible.

[Talbot]

Berlingo collided head on on a narrow muddy lane so insurers say 50/50.  We said fair enough,  don't want to claim then.  Insurers said we had to

 

Since when can an insurer insist that you make a claim?  That is entirely up to the policyholder.

[rainagain]

307 2.0 HDi, there are four solenoids in front of the engine, does anyone know which one is for the egr valve? HBOL and internet have been no help. I can't follow the pipework due to French engineering.

[catsinthewelder]

Since when can an insurer insist that you make a claim?  That is entirely up to the policyholder.

 

We work with a fairly small insurance company where we know each other by name,  it's more a case that we could insist on not claiming but they would think we were idiots if we did.  It has been made clear that the damage to the other car is being split between the two insurers so we would be no better off by not claiming.

[sierraman]

Like any accident, from an insurance point of view you are fucked whatever you do.

[catsinthewelder]

My 405 has a sprung alt belt tensioner. I need to lock it over to get the belt back on but it doesn't have anywhere to put a spanner on it.

 

Hbol tells me to tighten the belt right up with the adjuster and insert a pin before removing the belt. Obviously this isn't helpful as my belt is already off.

 

Any ideas?

[DodgeRover]

Bar or big screwdriver to move it over with?

[sierraman]

Doesn't it have a hex socket in the middle to wind it off?

[cort16]

What's the correct name for the brass fitting here the bare cable goes through for adjusting?