44 replies to this topic

[JOC]

Totaly agree you do not want to let any garage do this type of repair work. Something worth getting the bodyshop to do is dropping the rear subframe it will reveal if anything is bent in more important areas as when they try to put it back the bolt holes will not line up (Its better to find out now rather than when your dropping the sub frame off for repair in the future. Looking at the pictures the damage looks mostly confined to the boot / hinges and rear bumper is this right ? Does the fuel tank feel lose or battery (these are good indicators that the damage extends further into the shell)?

[shedonwheels]

My mini was had up the chuff last year at a roundabout so I feel your pain it's horrible The damage doesn't look too bad but it's hard to tell in those pictures, if the bootlid won't shut there is a good chance the rear panel is now a little wonky.

I know it's hard but try and keep calm and polite on the phone to your insurance company-if you're an arse then the person on the end of the phone will be an arse too! As has been said you are within your rights to request the work to be done by a company of your choice, as long as they have done insurance work before or are insurance approved you should be fine.
Saying that, I wouldn't worry too much about it being done by your insurer's specified bodyshop. Some of these places are good at doing what they do to a high standard and the fact that they turn work around quickly isn't necessarily a bad thing! They are approved for a reason after all and just because it is a mini doesn't mean they will treat it any differently to any other job.

Did you have an agreed value?

Don't worry about categories at the minute-wait and see how much the quote is and that will determine it.

As for cost, I got away with just a new bootlid and it came to over £400....

Edited by shedonwheels, 22 April 2010 - 07:50 PM.

[miniallsort]

bad times mate hope u get it sorted

[taffy1967]

My mini was had up the chuff last year at a roundabout so I feel your pain it's horrible The damage doesn't look too bad but it's hard to tell in those pictures, if the bootlid won't shut there is a good chance the rear panel is now a little wonky.

I know it's hard but try and keep calm and polite on the phone to your insurance company-if you're an arse then the person on the end of the phone will be an arse too! As has been said you are within your rights to request the work to be done by a company of your choice, as long as they have done insurance work before or are insurance approved you should be fine.
Saying that, I wouldn't worry too much about it being done by your insurer's specified bodyshop. Contrary to the rumours these places are good at doing what they do to a high standard and the fact that they turn work around quickly isn't necessarily a bad thing! They are approved for a reason after all and just because it is a mini doesn't mean they will treat it any differently to any other job.

Did you have an agreed value?

Don't worry about categories at the minute-wait and see how much the quote is and that will determine it.

As for cost, I got away with just a new bootlid and it came to over £400....

I've had a really bad experience with a so called insurance recommended repairer and I also know of many others who have done so too and therefore mine wasn't an isolated case.

If you want the job done fast, then that's up to you. But if you want it done properly and to a very high standard then keep away from the recommended repairers.

And no, it's not just Minis that they make a complete hash of because my late Dad's Pug 405 came back looking really shoddy from a recommended repairer after an accident that wasn't his fault.

Post edited for being a miserable old fart.

Edited by taffy1967, 21 April 2010 - 08:31 PM.

[gs.davies]

The point here is that you have a valid claim against a THIRD party - you don't need to involve your own insurers in the claim, as long as they know about it. Make the claim direct and tell them where you're going to have it repaired. That'd be my advice.
I've done this before with a Golf GTI which got hit in the side by someone driving like a loon in the ice. I desperately wanted the car written off so got VW main dealers to do the work. They didn't write the damn thing off though... (

Good luck!

[Ethel]

This is the most useful reply so far.

The point here is that you have a valid claim against a THIRD party - you don't need to involve your own insurers in the claim, as long as they know about it. Make the claim direct and tell them where you're going to have it repaired. That'd be my advice.
I've done this before with a Golf GTI which got hit in the side by someone driving like a loon in the ice. I desperately wanted the car written off so got VW main dealers to do the work. They didn't write the damn thing off though... (

Good luck!

Tell your insurers and then contact his and ask for a claim form. Gather all the information you can to support your version of events, even if the other party thinks they are to blame it doesn't mean they are or that their insurers have to agree with them. Even so, it would be very difficult not to successfully claim against someone who hits you when you are stationary.If you coughed up that extra tenner for legal fees protection now is the time to ask to be put in touch with the solicitors.

[enigma]

hi you probably have this sorted now but from experience when some numpty hit my old mans land rover,we got quotes from two local people we would use before the assessor came out! he was actually very helpful.we showed him that we didnt want it to go to there local normal bodyshop as i know people who have left there and so know what they would of done! they were professional polyfillers not a body repair mind set! so we showed him the quotes and they were both insurance registered shops,one of them was cheaper than his estimate! so he said if we dealt with the company ourselves it was just paperwork.hope this works out for you as bad bodywork can plague you for years to come.the objects of our desire are ready enough to decompose as it is !!! good luck enigma

[sonikk4]

Although my little ding was in my Passat it was not my fault so when the insurance company said they would get it repaired at one of there recommended repair centres i politely declined their offer and told them it was going to my local VW dealership take it or leave it and funnily enough they said ok. (it was not on their list) The law is on your side here so insist on where you want your car repaired.

They will try their hardest to force their will on you but you are the innocent party here so hold your ground. It might be an old car in their eyes but that is not the point.

If they get really silly and say the car is a right off get their assessor out to the car with you there and then fight your case, condition of car etc, DO NOT accept their first offer and you may well be able to buy the car back.

A friend of one of my work colleagues had a very minor altercation with a van basically denting the right rear lower edge of the area under the light cluster. The insurance company said it was a right off he said the car had only been back on the road for 10 days or so after some work and a respray so the assessor came out and saw the condition of the car plus the lad had had a valuation of £2k. With all of this info they paid out £2k for the car, he bought it back for i believe £250 and spent roughly the same getting it repaired. Money in pocket car back and damage repaired.

Yes the car has now got a damage rating against it, it was not not totalled so still sellable. Although this is not what you want at least its another avenue of attack.

Hope this helps.

[shedonwheels]

Hope you've managed to make some progress with it all Nicksuth, keep us posted

Edited by shedonwheels, 22 April 2010 - 07:51 PM.

[taffy1967]

.

Sorry but have IQ's drooped here and did you read my post in this thread?

Yeah I'm finding mine quite droopy...

Hope you've managed to make some progress with it all Nicksuth, keep us posted

Post edited and sorry for having a go, I really didn't mean anything personal.

[shedonwheels]

It's all good, thanks Taffy!

[nicksuth]

Doesn't look to bad does it > laugh, cringe, cry, anger - I'm going to torch that bloody Primera

However, boot floor is rippled (knock out ?), valance twisted (replace), boot hing panel crumpled (maybe pull out), slight dent where boot lock meets back panel (should pull out), boot (gotta be replaced) and the bumper of course (fecked)?

Took it to the insurance recommended garage, solus @ coventry (guy spent no more than 5 minutes looking at it) and my preferred repaire, John King & Sons @ Napton (spent a good half an hours checking everything). i think I know were it's going







and this is how it used to look

[taffy1967]

I'd have felt the urge to rip the other drivers head off.

Took it to the insurance recommended garage, solus @ coventry (guy spent no more than 5 minutes looking at it) and my preferred repaire, John King & Sons @ Napton (spent a good half an hours checking everything). i think I know were it's going

Good choice.

[bunch1980]

Ouch this got to be one of my worst nightmares on my mini and for years when on my motorbike i am always looking in mirror at peeps coming up hoping they gona stop!

I see you have a 3rd led brake light to and he still hit you, I got one but mounted mine near top of window on my Sprite hope it helps for things like this!

I love the last picture what a rear end the wheels are deeeep, lol what exhaust do you have?

[dsgoody]

Same thing happened to me less than a month ago and it fared a lot worse than yours. I hate it, careless drivers (normally driving someting much more bigger and modern than a Mini).

Your's looks so much cleaner too, mine was full of rust which will soon be fixed (this coming Monday in fact).
I have an estimate of £480 for it, from a local garage who deal specifically with classics. Comes recommended to me.

Hope you get it fixed soon buddy. Dave.