I work at a Hospital returned today at lunchtime to my car to find the nearside front and rear doors stoved in. There with a note on the windscreen with an apology to say my car had been "bumped". They left their car registration, telephone number and name. She has already informed her insurance company who are going to contact me directly. What I would like is some advice from you guys. Firstly the car is only just over two months old with 3000 miles on the clock. Obviously I want the car returned to "New" condition and not done to the lowest cost. I do not want the doors reskinned. How can I make sure that the doors are repaired to original spec, ie:- with any sound deadening panels and damp membranes replaced as per original. Will the whole side have to be resprayed including front and rear wings etc etc to obtain a colour match. Perhaps I am being rather cynical of the insurance industry:rolleyes: Would it be better for a Skoda Dealer to handle the whole process. I have attached some photos for you all to see. For the record the parking space next to mine was some3 metres + wide and still they could not park in it without hitting another car............scary stuff

Buses should only exist so Nimrods like this have a way of getting round.

You need to think of the positives here, at least they owned up

Blimey, that's not just a bump is it?! :eek:

I agree, how much worse would you feel if there was no note and details - just the damage

Has it been assessed by the other insurance company yet? Might also be worth popping into your local dealer, to see what they would do to get it back to factory condition. Then you have something to compare with once the insurance process starts.

Steve

There with a note on the windscreen with an apology to say my car had been "bumped". They left their car registration, telephone number and name.

10/10 for her honesty! you are lucky (i know it doesn't seem like it at the moment tho'!)

I do not want the doors reskinned. How can I make sure that the doors are repaired to original spec, ie:- with any sound deadening panels and damp membranes replaced as per original.

You wont get a say in how they are repaired, however being such a new car door skins may not be readily available yet so they may change the whole doors (they will have to if the door frame is bent) Not sure how you will check that the membranes are replaced properly unless you remove the door panel and check yourself.

Will the whole side have to be resprayed including front and rear wings etc etc to obtain a colour match.

It is normal practice to blend the repainted panel in by doing half of the adjoining panel as well.

Would it be better for a Skoda Dealer to handle the whole process.

No, i would make sure it goes to a reputable body repairers (ask around for recommendations) at the end of the day you have the final say in where the car is repaired - you may not get a courtesy car from them if is not your insurers recommended repairer.

The first thing to remember is that there are two ways of handling this.

Method 1

You claim on _Your_ insurance and get your insurance company to claim the cost off of the other party.

If you have an excess, you will have to pay this and then claim this excess, along with any other out of pocket expenses off of the other party. Most people have "legal cover" for the costs in making this claim.

Provided you succeed in claiming your excess etc in full, normally your no claims bonus is not affected.

The advantage of this method is simplicity. You don't have to do much.

One disadvantage is that you are subject to whatever your policy says about who fixes the car and how.

Another disadvantage is that you are risking being stitched up by an insurance company - and loosing some NCB and excess.

Method 2

You _Tell_ your insurance company about the accident (you must do this!). - but tell them that you are not making a claim at this stage.

You then claim directly off of the other driver's insurance. You tell them you want the car fixed, properly, your way - and they have to pay everything

All questions of Excess no longer apply. They are entirely the problem of the other party.

All questions of NCB also no longer apply. That is also entirely the problem of the other party.

What _your_ policy says about who repairs it no longer applies. You aren't claiming under your ploicy.

What _their_ policy says about who repairs it also no longer applies - you are not bound by their terms. They MUST have 3rd party insurance cover - and that means the full cost of fixing your car, properly, if it is their client's fault. They must also pay for car hire etc. (But do this directly)

So the advantage of this method is you have very much more control.

There are some disadvantages.

The big one is that you should only use this method if it is "beyond doubt" that the other party is entirely at fault, and you know who they are and you know they are insured.

Another big one is that if your car is so badly damaged that it might be written off, you may loose certain benefits - like "new for old" (for new cars) etc.

(I don't think either of these apply here, but you must consider these points carefully before going this route)

The third disadvantage is that it is more bother this way.

Note that insurance companies will lie, cheat, pressurise you in all kinds of ways. If you can and do go the second route, you must be prepared to stand up to them - but you do gain a lot of control. So if you want it fixed by a Skoda-approved body shop, then provided they can justify the estimate as being reasonable, you should be able to

insist on it being done this way.

More advice on this option can be found here:

Honestjohn: Frequently Asked Questions

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I had a lady drive into my previous car in a car park (and she initially tried to drive off) - I went route 2, and dealt with the "insurance company from Hell" (AKA "Sainsburys Insurance") . And got a very good job done - in the end. I'm more than happy to help you with what I learned if you choose to go this way.

Andrew

Also, looking at the damage, I think it unlikely they will try and re-skin the front door. I reckon the frame will be damaged too. Less sure about the rear door.

As someone else pointed out, given that it is new, It's quite likely that the only option will be a new door anyway - and it's bound to be a genuine Skoda Part at this stage!

So just find a really good bodyshop, ideally by recommendation. If you think highly of your Skoda Dealer then they would be one good place to ask - and they may well have a body shop.

I think another issue you may face is availability of parts - and delays.

Such a shame it's happened to your new motor! Good luck with the claim and the repair!

I am gutted for you mate, I would be livid!

Unlucky with the damage mate, but you are so so so lucky the other party was honest. When I had my vRS someone reversed into it and did similar damage, but buggered off leaving me with a hefty bill.

good job you folded the mirrors in though

sorry to hear.

not nice but at least you got their details and at least no-one got hurt.

chin up !

Firstly Buy her a big box of chocolates for owning up, shes saved you at least your excess, so many dont own up.

Secondly you can go direct to her insurer, Ive just done it & was succesful although it took a few weeks, probably being over Christmas didnt help

Thirdly & most Important you dont have to use the Insurers prefered repairer despite how hard they try to push it & having had 2 repairs over the years from "prefered repairers I would never go that way again as both were shall we say rushed !!!

I would find out who is best in your area & include a Skoda main dealer & get the estimates now, that will ensure a good repair & using the Skoda garage "assuming they have a good reputation" will guarantee the Skoda body warranty is preserved. Also say when you go for the estimates you wont accept "filled" doors, from the piccies they look too far gone anyway but some might try

good job you folded the mirrors in though

in ny country we have a assotiacion of inssurances that pays until the guilty is found, or if not found they pay without 20% iva (VAT), there the problem is fixed can you say to me if your dash board panel ilumination works with your reostato light, the lifght stays more higher or lower

good job you folded the mirrors in though

in ny country we have a assotiacion of inssurances that pays until the guilty is found' date=' or if not found they pay without 20% iva (VAT), there the problem is fixed can you say to me if your dash board panel ilumination works with your reostato light, the lifght stays more higher or lower[/quote']

spider - my dashboard lights do dim a lot from full to min. the lowest setting makes some of the switches around the columbus and the interior light switches too dim so i have to turn it up from the min setting to about 20%. I really think you have a problem with your switch. I hate bright dashboards at night and its fine for me.

jcblincs thank you for your answer, mine is allways too bright when i try to lower him down it is a little well 3% maximun and doesn´t do any more than this, this is ****y me off they won´t to desmount all car because of this the car have been at the dealer 6 times and stays allways the same and they say they don´t know what to do i wrote toi the factory in CZ and no answer

spider - my dashboard lights do dim a lot from full to min. the lowest setting makes some of the switches around the columbus and the interior light switches too dim so i have to turn it up from the min setting to about 20%. I really think you have a problem with your switch. I hate bright dashboards at night and its fine for me.

Many thanks for all your help. The situation is well on its way to being resolved. The offending drivers insurers rang me today and told me to get an estimate from whoever I wished to use ( I was already actually there Hi Hi ). Also asked me what car I would like to be given while mine is in for repair (Ferrari, Audi R8, Bentley Continental came to mind ) However a Superb would be nice or a downgrade to a Passat at a push. Seems the body shop wants it for two weeks and I have been assured that everything will be as before. Also the doors are in stock as are the chrome trimmed mouldings. As I know a few of the guys there I guess it helps. Total cost is going to be around £1800, just glad I am not paying it. As for the comments about buying the Lady a box of Choccies I was going to. It was nice to see honesty in action and it deserves to be rewarded.

Is there not a clause as it's so new that you can effectively ask for a new car?

It was nice to see honesty in action and it deserves to be rewarded.

Of course you will end up rewarding stupidity in the process but whatever!!

How annoying to see the damage on your new car....all credit to the driver who owned up...its every new car owner's nightmare, coming back to see damage done to his/her car, and its not even run in!!

i sincerely hope you get all the panels sorted, within an acceptable time frame.....failing that if it were me id be considering contacting my insurance with a view of getting the 3rd party ins to give you a new car....regardless if they say you loose 2-3k on driving out of the dealer forcourt....you paid a lot of money for that car and you expect it to be indistinguishable from brand new....its the thought of a brand new car being repaired that would prey on my mind.....thats why , god forbid, if i have an accident the car goes full stop...even if its repaired.

keep us posted on how you get on .regards skodanut

Skodanut:

My late father was in a very bad crash in a car 18 odd years ago. That car was newish, but not new enough to get replaced. It was repaired, apparently properly, by a very reputable repairer with a very good reputation - but that car was never the same again. He traded it very quickly (being totally honest with the dealer, I might add).

So I know what you mean - and if my new Skoda was damaged so early, and the damage included the main body, I'd probably try for what you say.

But in this particular case the damage to Drummonds car does seem to confined to the doors - and so it should be possible to get a full and complete "no compromises" repair in every sense of the word. The car really would be returned to "as new".

I'm pleased to say that it looks like Drummond is being offered something which will repair the car that thoroughly.

A.

Remember you should claim for "uninsured losses" from the other driver's insurance co. Time off work to go to bodyshop, phonecalls and most of all I think the effect that your car being damaged/repaired will have on its future resale value.

Not sure of the flowers to the offending driver but good of them to own up.

I think reality checks are needed

The only time you normally stand a chance of getting a new car is if the old one is totalled within a few months of purchase

The Insurer is only required to repair it to the condition it was in & at the time being brutally honest if sold it would be classed as a second hand car. As for only loosing 2-3K when driving it off the forecourt in the present market Im afraid you have lost a lot more.

Anyone in the motor trade will tell you that cars are often repaired due to damage during delivery & many are far worse than this. A friend was involved with a repair facility near a port that imports cars & he told me some horror stories, they had one jap car that was rolled onto it side when coming off the boat & yet was repaired & delivered as new. That is considered perfectly acceptable in the trade so any new car may have been through far worse than this & you will never know.

When we repaired the superb after it was keyed all down one side we found topcoat under the last coat of primer. I gave skoda a grilling & it transpired the shell had a complete respray at the factory as the quality of the first "attempt" wasnt up to standard

A properly repaired car should be as good as new & you are incredibly unlucky if it isnt, the damage to this car is quite minor & a suitably skilled bodyshop with new panels should effect a perfect repair.

The one thing I would question is why they need it for 2 weeks, 2-3 days should see that sorted. (are thery subcontracting it to another shop ??) raise the question politely & if in doubt to the answer just ask to see it whilst its being repaired. (also note the mileage although they will possibly trailer it)

The only other tip I would give is send the car in spotless, photograph it if you want, tell them youve done it & if they havent already realised tell them your pedantic & you expect a better than perfect job, point out the inside isnt full of dust ( cars can oftem come back with a film of dust on the inside ). If it goes in dirty & full of sweet wrappers they will assume you dont care & you may get it repaired to what they percieve as your standard.

A tip for others on older cars is say you will want to see the reciepts for the panels. Pattern panels are available for older cars & some shops are "tempted" to use these to increase profit.

Stuart that is very usefull information which may also be of interest to other group members as well as myself. I am lucky in that the body shop I am going to use is local to me (agreed by the other parties Insurer without a quibble). As this is a rural area evrybody know each other and they do have a very good reputation. They do most of the VW group vehicles down here as well as BMW and Mercs. I have already spoken to them and they know how fussy I can be:) When I pick it up I will be going over everything with a fine tooth comb before I accept it. Have no firm date as to when it will be done but I will be quite happy to get the repair done once this horrible weather we have been experiencing abates. Anyway I have not prepared myself to downgrading to a Passat or an Audi Rental car:rofl: just yet!...................

Stuart that is very usefull information which may also be of interest to other group members as well as myself. I am lucky in that the body shop I am going to use is local to me (agreed by the other parties Insurer without a quibble). As this is a rural area evrybody know each other and they do have a very good reputation. They do most of the VW group vehicles down here as well as BMW and Mercs. I have already spoken to them and they know how fussy I can be:) When I pick it up I will be going over everything with a fine tooth comb before I accept it. Have no firm date as to when it will be done but I will be quite happy to get the repair done once this horrible weather we have been experiencing abates. Anyway I have not prepared myself to downgrading to a Passat or an Audi Rental car:rofl: just yet!...................

Looks like your on the ball with this one, dont forget the ladies choccies

and free lessons on parking:)

As others have said it is good to see some honesty in this world. I would not be too hard on her either as I am sure she does not make a habit of running into cars as she parks. We are all human and have the odd lapse of judgment etc.Maybe she was having a bad day and mind was not fully on the job or something else distracted her. We all have these little lapses from time to time and should not be shot for it!!!!!

Also this claiming for everything is what is putting insurance premiums through the roof. The car will have lost no resale value due to this little knock so trying to claim for it is ridiculous!!!!!