# Claiming for car damage a year after incident...



## renton

Bit of a weird one.......

This time last year someone drove into the side of my year old Octavia and dented and scratched the door.

At that point we were planning on keeping the car for a while so decided to not claim on the insurance and just get the dents knocked out as best as possible. 

Whilst it was an ok job you can still see the panel is rippled.

Now we are considering pxing it in against a new car I want to look at getting it repaired properly. Ive had a couple of quotes ranging from £650 to £1000 to do it properly.

I contacted the insurance at the time of the incident so they are aware of it.

Would it be possible to put it through as an insurance claim now after so long or are they likely to tell me to jog on?

I understand it may affect my NCB but any ideas on exactly how much? 

The car we are looking at next is a lot less sporty.

Cheers

Steve


----------



## cossiecol

I would doubt you'd be able to claim it this far down the line, but I'd be interested to see what someone one the know thinks.


----------



## percymon

The impact of a claim on your next and future annual premium is easily achieved with online quote systems.

Dependent upon your current policy excess it might not be worth claiming anyway. If being part exchanged the dealers aren't going to be looking for overspray, perfect paint matches etc - they'll just give it a general look over for dents scuffs and tyres.


----------



## Richf

Need to think long and hard about this imo 

As said depending on your excess , loss of ncb if not protected plus having a claim on your history for the next 5 years its going to be a close run thing as to whether its best not claiming 

For £650 I would say almost certainly not , for £1000 it might be worthwhile but I still doubt it


----------



## Sharpy296

Are you looking to claim on the 3rd parties insurance or your own? Its not entirely clear?

If your won I would think it would be fine if the 3rd party I think you would struggle.


----------



## wish wash

If you can afford it I think it will be cheaper in the long run.


----------



## renton

Thanks for the replies.

Ok so I have max no claims which are protected. Im erm ... 41 years old so getting on a bit.

The reason I say about getting it done now is because my current car is on pcp and when handing it back it is graded against bvrla regs so any marks over a certain size will need to be paid for.

also I would be claiming off my own insurance as it was a hit and run.


----------



## wish wash

Can't remember who said that when your handing cars back in on pcp they were checking panels with a paint gauge. 

You need to think about your next potential cars, if you want something sporty or expensive a non fault claim over 5 years adds up.


----------



## renton

wish wash said:


> Can't remember who said that when your handing cars back in on pcp they were checking panels with a paint gauge.
> 
> You need to think about your next potential cars, if you want something sporty or expensive a non fault claim over 5 years adds up.


the next one isnt sporty at all...... Skoda Karoq 1.5 tsi


----------



## Shiny

Difficult one, but ultimately it will depend on your own Insurers.

The problem I see here is not so much the time gap, but the fact that you have effectively already carried out a repair. I think they may take the stance that you have chosen to repair the car yourself so can't fall back on them if you are unsatisfied with the repair job (albeit you only chose a cheaper alternative to a proper repair).

If you have renewed your policy since, any claim loading will also be applies from your last renewal, so in addition to your excess, you will have extra premium to pay straight away.

At the moment the claim is down as non-fault so has little impact, yet if you claim and the costs aren't recoverable, it will change to a fault claim. You accident history has to be disclosed on any car you insure or are a named driver on, so if you have other policies, it could potentially affect the cost of them too.

If it were me, i'd be weighing up my own costs. Will i lose more from the pcp people by handing in it as it is? If so, i'd get on and get it fixed out of my own pocket knowing that i'm effectively i'm seeing that money come back from the trade in and avoiding the potential hassle claiming on insurance could cause.


----------



## kingswood

if they hit you and its on PCP why didnt you just claim at the time?

if you mean to claim on your insurnace then just take a sledge hammer to your car and say the local yobs did it? or put a police high viz jacket in the back and park it on a council estate.


----------



## RedUntilDead

What about getting the advice of a mobile body repair guy? Modern smart repairs can be excellent. I have just paid for damage repair on some one else’s car and the quality of finish has blown me away tbh. Not sure how long these repairs hold up compared to conventional finish but for circumstances like this, they have been tailored for.

As a guide, a dint which a dent man said was too big to push back 100% was filled and most of the door sprayed and blended. Cost me £140

Hope yours is not silver?


----------



## Cookies

OP - just check that the dealer isn't trying to get you to repair the car beyond what you have to do. 

If you are part exchanging the car, where the dealer is giving you a price for the car, settling the outstanding finance and carrying over any balance as a deposit (if any) onto the new car, they have no grounds to assess it using bvrla. 

However, if you are voluntarily terminating the finance agreement at the point at which you have paid 50%, then they can usually apply the bvrla conditions then. 

Hope you get sorted. 

Cooks


----------



## Rundie

Bleedin take on this lease malarky, my generation, can't afford it then you don't have it...simples


----------



## renton

Rundie said:


> Bleedin take on this lease malarky, my generation, can't afford it then you don't have it...simples


Erm ok cheers for that.

Im not saying I cant afford it. Thats never been the case??

We are just trying to get it sorted so that we can change the car to one more suited to me wife and her back problems.

The issue with the door is that the outer skin was stretched around the crash/side impact bar in the door. Where the dent guy has tried to pull it back into shape the panel has rippled. plus it needs a bit of paint too.

The car is currently on a skoda pcp finance package, we are looking to trade it in, settle the finance and use the equity that is left toward a deposit on the new car.

Ive checked online and it seems that if I could claim against my insurance then Im looking at a rise in my annual insurance of around £30 which isnt bad. I have full protected no claims.

So its a case of paying my excess of £250 plus the annual raise of £30 and have it done by an approved bodyshop or pay between £650 and £1000 to a backstreet place and hope they do a decent enough job.


----------



## Cookies

renton said:


> Erm ok cheers for that.
> 
> Im not saying I cant afford it. Thats never been the case??
> 
> We are just trying to get it sorted so that we can change the car to one more suited to me wife and her back problems.
> 
> The issue with the door is that the outer skin was stretched around the crash/side impact bar in the door. Where the dent guy has tried to pull it back into shape the panel has rippled. plus it needs a bit of paint too.
> 
> The car is currently on a skoda pcp finance package, we are looking to trade it in, settle the finance and use the equity that is left toward a deposit on the new car.
> 
> Ive checked online and it seems that if I could claim against my insurance then Im looking at a rise in my annual insurance of around £30 which isnt bad. I have full protected no claims.
> 
> So its a case of paying my excess of £250 plus the annual raise of £30 and have it done by an approved bodyshop or pay between £650 and £1000 to a backstreet place and hope they do a decent enough job.


Renton,

Instead of giving yourself the hassle, just ask the dealer to give you a trade-in price for the car as it is. If they're trying to say that the bvrla regs apply when you're trading a car in, they're misleading you.

When trading a car in, they simply offer you a price for the car, and you either accept it and go forward with purchasing the new car, or don't and keep on with the finance arrangement. Bvrla regs apply when the car is being returned to the owner, ie the lease company or the finance company if voluntary terminating. In a trade-in scenario, the dealership is buying the car off you and settling the finance.

Cooks


----------



## Pinky

As stated find out how much the company will charge you for the damage and see if that's a better option for you , also check with a local repairer to see how much they would charge .although you have prices check again and see if it could be done by a dent repair company . can you put photos up of the damage ?


----------



## Mcpx

Cookies said:


> Renton,
> 
> Instead of giving yourself the hassle, just ask the dealer to give you a trade-in price for the car as it is. If they're trying to say that the bvrla regs apply when you're trading a car in, they're misleading you.
> 
> When trading a car in, they simply offer you a price for the car, and you either accept it and go forward with purchasing the new car, or don't and keep on with the finance arrangement. Bvrla regs apply when the car is being returned to the owner, ie the lease company or the finance company if voluntary terminating. In a trade-in scenario, the dealership is buying the car off you and settling the finance.
> 
> Cooks


I'd go with this, but I think he said the current car is on pcp, so will have any damage deducted from the guaranteed final value?

The best solution is to talk to the dealer, get them to value the car with the damage as it is and with it repaired. You will probably find it won't be that much different, certainly not £650. Don't forget that if they take the car as is and then do the repair themselves it's going to be a lot cheaper than you paying a body shop for the work. If the damage is as you describe, I'd guess they'd be looking at knocking a couple of hundred quid off the trade in, maybe £3-400 at most, which they'd then pay £200 to get done. Definitely not worth the hassle.


----------



## Rayaan

Too late for insurance claim from 3rd party IMO. Should have done it at the time - the 3rd party will just claim that you've gone and done it yourself as 1 year is a long time for a new dent to appear. 

You'd have to go through your insurance but remember that the claim lasts between 3-5 years so its not £30 as you said but £90 minimum. However, I can almost guarantee it'll go up more than £30 for 3-5 years after.


----------



## Kerr

renton said:


> The car is currently on a skoda pcp finance package, we are looking to trade it in, settle the finance and use the equity that is left toward a deposit on the new car.


I see you've had the car for less than 2 years.

I would be surprised if you've got any equity in it at all especially if it's a 4 year deal and not 3 years.


----------



## renton

It's running about £1500 equity at the moment.


----------



## Rob_Quads

Out of interest how bad is the damage? 650 / 1000 sounds like a fair old whack not a bit of a ripple?
A local smart repair guy fixed our S-Max when she clattered another car which dented the corner of the door and the rear wheel arch (and into the door shut) It was all repaired for £220 and can't see any 'approved' bodyshop would have done any better. I would highly recommend looking into this as it may sway you towards the fix it yourself than even bother trying the insurance route.


----------



## renton

Rob_Quads said:


> Out of interest how bad is the damage? 650 / 1000 sounds like a fair old whack not a bit of a ripple?
> A local smart repair guy fixed our S-Max when she clattered another car which dented the corner of the door and the rear wheel arch (and into the door shut) It was all repaired for £220 and can't see any 'approved' bodyshop would have done any better. I would highly recommend looking into this as it may sway you towards the fix it yourself than even bother trying the insurance route.


The other door skin has stretched around the side impact bar and where the PDR guy couldn't get down to knock the dents out its still quite rippled. I will try and get a photo.

Plus the paint is down to bare metal in a couple of places as well.


----------



## c87reed

Have the garage pointed out the ripples? Or are they just more noticeable with a detailer's eye?

Whenever I've traded cars in, things that I've thought were bad the dealer has never even thought twice about.


----------



## Kerr

renton said:


> It's running about £1500 equity at the moment.


How are you working that out?

A quick Google shows people having deals with cars having around £11k set as the GFMV. Car valuation sites show 4 year old trade ins being worth £11k.

I'm curious how you can be ahead early when there doesn't sound like if there is much equity in the deals others have quoted.


----------



## renton

Kerr said:


> How are you working that out?
> 
> A quick Google shows people having deals with cars having around £11k set as the GFMV. Car valuation sites show 4 year old trade ins being worth £11k.
> 
> I'm curious how you can be ahead early when there doesn't sound like if there is much equity in the deals others have quoted.


Hi mate.

We've had the car exactly two years now. Dealer we are looking at pxing through got a settlement figure and his PX quote was 1500 above this.

I think it helps that we put a large deposit down on the car.


----------



## renton

Just to update.....

Insurance have said I can still claim, excess is £350 though and putting my details into confused etc with a claim showing has little effect on my insurance (Maybe £10 a year)

They will also supply a courtesy car.

Ive had a quote from a local bodyshop and its come back @ £450 which is better than others however he doesn't have a courtesy car and I will also need to buy the door weather strip from the dealers as they get damaged when removed.

My only other option is looking for a door in the same colour and fitting it myself.

Which way would you all be going with this ???


----------



## Shiny

Personally i wouldn't be claiming for the sake of £100. There will be a fault claim logged on the Claims Underwriting Exchange for 5 years and "loss of one life" on your protected NCB. It may only be £10 now, but your circumstances could change. If you have any other accident in the next 5 years and you have no choice but to claim, you'll have 2 fault accidents logged against you and that will have a much bigger impact than if it was just the one.


----------



## renton

Quick question.........

If I put the car through the insurance rather than paying for it myself would the repair get done any differently?

I.e would the insurance repair company look at replacing the door rather than just giving it a skim of filler ??


----------



## Shiny

renton said:


> Quick question.........
> 
> If I put the car through the insurance rather than paying for it myself would the repair get done any differently?
> 
> I.e would the insurance repair company look at replacing the door rather than just giving it a skim of filler ??


A garage "should" be treating private customer's and insurance company's repairs the same.

I'm sure a garage wouldn't dream of charging for unnecessary work just because they have a fixed labour rate with an insurer and a fixed mark up on parts.


----------

