Long story short, after a disagreement with a metal barrier my trusty old car is body damaged beyond reasonable repair and I don't know whether to go through insurance or just scrap it? The barrier was 100% unscathed and didn't even have a scuff of paintwork on it, a combination of heavy rain and I suspect oil or diesel on the road caused a low speed spin and a meeting with a barrier. Do I even need to tell the insurance that anything happened or can I just scrap the car and tell them it's been scrapped? It's over 15 years old with 150k so it's worth bugger all, it's mechanically sound but to put it bluntly from a bodywork perspective it's f****d!!
Yeah - If no one else is involved and its going to cost alot to repair then scrap it. If you go through insurance they may give you a payout but you will pay more on your premiuim. Whats the car out of interest?
Yep I'm fully comp, and tons of protected no claims so in theory I shouldn't lose anything other than my excess. However I imagine I would have to start answering yes to "have you had an accident in the last 5 years regardless of fault" which is likely to raise premiums. How long does my NCB 'keep', I've read 2 years but not sure if that applies across-the-board or is just some insurers. I could be using the taxi of the GF for a little while, or I guess be a named driver on her car. It has done really bloody well, in 7 or 8 years it's only needed a new fuel pump, idle air control valve, exhaust from the downpipe back (after the cat luckily), and replacement rear fog and reverse light housing due to corrosion with them being so low on the car. Everything else was just wearable items or maintenance bits. Just to cover myself I won't say publicly what it is. I'll PM you if you're dying to know
Id be inclined to scrap it an not let the insurance know as well. Nothing illegal in doing that just have to dispose of the car yourself. Plus you can get a "new" car an given the cost of cars I've seen lately its crazy how much cheaper they've become.
Unless you're driving a 15 year old Ferrari or something, it will just be written off and you'll get feck all for it, lose any no claims and have a claim on your record for future insurance. So just scrap it and go car shopping. Or as has been suggested, just keep driving it as is.
If its not in a dangerous condition and will get you to your next MOT then carry on driving it. If however its not safe and is pretty much a dead duck it might be time for a new car
It's "safe" if I could put the bumper back on, get a new light (the housing is cracked but the light was working last night), and bonnet, and maybe push back in some of the plastic around the grill, I drove it home because I didn't really have any choice but it's looking a bit mad max at the moment with no front bumper. The damage looks a whole lot worse than it is, basically the front drivers corner side took a minor shunt which pushed the bonnet and cracked the light housing/mount, the rotation is what pulled the bumper half off, and if I had had something in the car to keep it attached I wouldn't have need to pull it off entirely. There is a dent/scuff in the rear wing which is my main concern, it would need popping out, refilling and painting which would cost more than the car is worth without looking at the frontend at all. I have been advised by someone in the insurance business to tell my insurance company that I came into contact with a barrier, the barrier has no damage, I am not making a claim for the car at all or stating that I had an accident but merely telling them in case the Highways Agency want to claim against it. I have someone going to look at the location and the barrier today so hopefully I will have proof that there is no damage. Then I'll just scrap the car at my leisure and find something else...
I'd be careful of telling your insurance, some have been known to treat it as if you've made a claim even if you just phone to tell them and not pursue it yourself. I know of people who have fallen foul of this, and it was on Watchdog a while ago If I remember right - that could be your NCD down the drain for nothing gained. Of course, you probably should tell them in case there is any invisible damage, but they won't do anything about it anyway - I'd make sure there is no damage to the barrier and carry on... A bit more slowly.
Yeah I wouldn't tell them, the other party in this case the post has suffered no ill effect or damage as a result of the impact. Its like if you drove into a post on your drive or clipped the wall, you wouldn't claim you'd just get it fixed. Same principle really. If you notify your insurer you have had an accident then you may be seen as more of a risk which could bump up your premium.
I have decided not to tell them, someone I know who was coming back that way stopped to check it out and took a video of the barrier, there is no damage or anything to suggest anything happened so I will just leave it. That is what changed my mind, someone I know had their car keyed and decided to just pay for it themselves. The police told them they needed to report it to insurance even though they weren't going to claim and due to that it went down as an at-fault accident for the next 3 years on their insurance. I definitely wasn't going excessively fast, 35-40mph near the top of a sliproad (to join a large motorway) off a very large multi-lane roundabout - it honestly felt like I had driven over one of those kickers they have on skidpans to purposefully throw the back end out, one moment I was driving in basically a straight line the next I was nearly backwards. My girlfriend who is my biggest critic (especially when it comes to driving) said she had no idea what happened and I couldn't really have done anything else in that situation. I do think my counter steer is what sent me into the barrier as starting to get traction back pointed me at it rather than just rotating around, but at the time it's just instinct to try not spinning and the alternative may have been going down the other side of the sliproad onto the carriageway - not the best outcome but certainly not the worst!
When insurers ask you "have you had an accident in the last 5 years", they're not asking "have you claimed for an accident in the last 5 years". If your insurer, or future insurers find out somehow, then that's bad news if you have to make a claim. I mean, unless your claim handler reads these forums, and happens to put things together, then it's probably pretty unlikely, but just be mindful.
Yeah, a lot of people seem to think that non-disclosure on insurance applications isn't a big deal, but it really can be.
I still wouldn't tell them. They can stick it frankly. And yes, your premiums will be increased by having an accident on your record - even a non-fault one with 0 costs against your insurer will up your premiums (guess how I know? ).
Oh I fully appreciate the potential severity of the issue, and if I had actually caused any sort of damage/injuryinj all I would just hold my hands up and say it. Thanks for all the input guys. I guess I should start looking for a new car! Maybe I'll get a mod just to delete this thread in case anyway?
I'd be tempted to repair it with some bits from a scrapper (eBay is a goldmine for this), and then keep using it. Sounds like it's a good car, better the devil you know than the one you don't!
