Hi folks,

 

Wondering if anyone can offer any advice. My sis was involved in a crash where she was on inside lane and driver came in from outside lane to get to an exit and smashed the side of her car (damage to drivers door and front wing). Looked like bodywork damage and after exchanging details etc. she drove off only for car to break down half an hour later due to loss of water in cooling system. ie. leak somewhere.

Insurance took it away but other party say not their fault. Anyway, car got repaired but when she picked up, it overheated on way home. It seems that repairer only did bodywork repair and no mechanicals got done - this despite her putting on her claim form that she lost coolant.  Car is a Honda and got taken to Honda dealer who said water pump knackered but refused to say it was result of crash so insurance company washed their hands of the issue. So she had to shell out for it to be replaced - when they took it out, the pump blades were shattered. Anyway, she got car back last night and it broke down again on way to work this morning. She is in bits. Honda dealer say it is a new issue and esitmates are for £1600 to fix!

Can't help but think it is all the result of the smash. anyone know how this can be escalated back to the insurance people. Is only recourse the insurance ombudsman?

 

I hope nobody has had to go through a similar experience but if anyone has any advice it would be appreciated.

She is not with the AA or RAC so not sure if they would help.

 

Cheers.

 

KMC

What year is the Honda?

 

I know that £1600 sounds a lot, but to me that sounds like a new door, wing and blow in, so no major damage. 

18 minutes ago, jars said:

What year is the Honda?

 

I know that £1600 sounds a lot, but to me that sounds like a new door, wing and blow in, so no major damage. 

Hi there, it is a Honda CRZ and it is 2011 I think.

The £1600 is for the new work that is required.

So basically, the insurance company has approved repairs for the damage from the crash which seemed to be mainly bodywork.

Then my sister had to fork out for a new water pump which 'failed' when she drove away from the insurance repair place.

Now she is looking at further £1600 to fix the issues relating to the issues that caused her car to break down the next day after picking up the car after the water pump replacement.

 

Her car was running fine until the accident so she is peeved that due to an accident not her fault, subsequently, she has further failures which seem highly likely down to the accident and not picked up by the repairers and which the insurance people are adament are not down to the accident.

 

First prove that the broken water pump was within its service life. I think she's going to struggle with that one I'm afraid. :(

 

A bit like how most VAG independents automatically quote a new water pump on the 1.8t and 1.9 TDi cam belt change even though it's not part of the service schedule.

Firstly, the accident should have been investigated rather than simply accepting the 3rd party's excuse that it wasn't their fault. What is the third party's version of events leading to the crash? 

 

Secondly, the insurer has failed in its duty to repair properly so all associated costs should be met by them.

 

Thirdly, what is the new issue that Honda are claiming costs £1600 to repair? Has the car got full Honda service history to the Honda schedule?

 

I definitely would not be accepting any of the charges. It sounds like laziness on the part of Honda and  the insurers.

 

 

Edited 2 November, 20178 yr by Jigger72

13 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

First prove that the broken water pump was within its service life. I think she's going to struggle with that one I'm afraid. :(

 

A bit like how most VAG independents automatically quote a new water pump on the 1.8t and 1.9 TDi cam belt change even though it's not part of the service schedule.

 

13 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

First prove that the broken water pump was within its service life. I think she's going to struggle with that one I'm afraid. :(

 

A bit like how most VAG independents automatically quote a new water pump on the 1.8t and 1.9 TDi cam belt change even though it's not part of the service schedule.

 

Yes, I think that is what the Honda garage said - the pump was original. Either it is bad timing or the crash sent it over the edge. What is more concernign is that the crash repairers probably drive the car with the pump dmaged and maybe this has caused the new problems that she has now got but the Honda garage should have spotted these when they did the replacement and changed the pump.

27 minutes ago, Jigger72 said:

Firstly, the accident should have been investigated rather than simply accepting the 3rd party's excuse that it wasn't their fault. What is the third party's version of events leading to the crash? 

 

Secondly, the insurer has failed in its duty to repair properly so all associated costs should be met by them.

 

Thirdly, what is the new issue that Honda are claiming costs £1600 to repair? Has the car got full Honda service history to the Honda schedule?

 

I definitely would not be accepting any of the charges. It sounds like laziness on the part of Honda and  the insurers.

 

 

 

Thanks for your comments, the other driver was blaming my sister. My sister had a witness who said that the other driver was driving like a maniac before driving into my sister. Interestingly, the driver didn't say a word at the time and it was his partner who was doing all the talking and blaming my sister. Sister's Insurance company cited some previous similar case where the driver in same position as my sister lost the case so were saying it wasn't straightforward. Think the other driver tried to claim my sister drove into him. So impasse.

Insurer claims they have done the necessary repairs and refused to acknowledge even the failed water pump.

Hence, I wondered where else she can go to be heard.

Just got an update, the latest failure is that both cats on her car have overheated and burnt out. How that happened no idea now. 

1 hour ago, kmc said:

 

 Interestingly, the driver didn't say a word at the time and it was his partner who was doing all the talking and blaming my sister. Think the other driver tried to claim my sister drove into him. 

 

 

Perhaps the " Other Driver " shouldn't have been driving for one reason or another. 

 

 

21 hours ago, Auric Goldfinger said:

 

Perhaps the " Other Driver " shouldn't have been driving for one reason or another. 

 

 

 

Exactly!

21 hours ago, Auric Goldfinger said:

 

Perhaps the " Other Driver " shouldn't have been driving for one reason or another. 

 

 

 

12 minutes ago, Jigger72 said:

 

Exactly!

 

I have just fitted front and rear Dash Cams for this reason so the driver cannot deny he wasn't driving. Could be vital for showing who driving, altering lanes, driving like a **** ect, ect

 

Also has voice recording turned on to record anything that was said so no one can alter there story later

Edited 3 November, 20178 yr by Auric Goldfinger

If you launch an official complaint with the insurer that's the only way you'll get to the Ombudsman - you can't go direct without having gone through the prescribed insurer's complaints process. You might find that the insurer capitulates once they listen to the calls where your sister says there was a leak. If not you can escalate it to the Ombudsman once the insurer issues it's final response. It would cost you to get an independent engineer's assessment but that might be worth it to you.