Is this repairable? Passenger door & offside rear quarter panel damage :(

[Michael O'Connor]

Annoying, went to pick up a screw for my glovebox at the audi parts department... Pulled out of some lights into a one lane road that splits into two after 10 meters or so... Went to pull over to the left before it split into two and a woman drove up the left side of me as I did that. I suppose it was my fault I was in front of her and should have checked before moving over, though she could have backed off a bit, people cut you up loads on roundabouts and you just have to let off or crash into the side of them. Anyway, lesson learned, thank god it wasn't worse. I'm sure it'll turn out to be the most expensive screw I've ever bought.

The bottom of the passenger door is ruined... I'm thinking to maybe try and get a whole new door off of eBay. There seem to be quite a few in the same colour available, hard to tell what their condition is like though.

The bottom of the O/S rear quarter panel is wrecked... Lots of dents along the bottom, seemingly where the metal is pretty thick too, plus one crease on the front of the arch. FYI the upward scratches in the picture below were always there. Had a look for rear quarter panels on the net and they're pretty expensive, then put a respray and fitting on top of that, I think it'll be really dear. Also they're huge, so god knows how I'd collect one or have it shipped... Beyond doing that, does anyone think these dents could be pulled out/ banged out?

Also, scuffs that miiiight? polish out along the side of the rear quarter panel and door. Plus a weird, fairly faint tyre scuff on the front of one of the rear alloy spokes, that I couldn't seem to clean off. Am about to phone my insurance up to make the claim but wanted to see what people think on here as well... Thanks

 

[samuelh_888]

No, person at the rear is in the wrong. She was undertaking. Hope you haven’t accepted liability.

Did you indicate or just pull across?

Why eBay? If you’re calling your insurance just let them sort it?

 

[Michael O'Connor]

Hi Samuel. Ah I see, that's what my mate said about undertaking when I told him too. When I spoke to Admiral, they also said the same, judging by my description of the incident, and the damaged areas on my car in relation to hers. I didn't accept liability.

There's 2 'right only' lanes into the one lane, which is wide enough for two really but no marking for 2 lanes until a little further down. I've never seen anyone treat that unmarked section as two lanes. I've noticed in the past people pulling out of the lights usually give way if the car in the other right turn lane is slightly in front of them, and let them go ahead. I've only ever noticed people indicating 'right' out of the inside lane to move into the outside, after it's split.

So I didn't really pull across or feel the need to indicate; I was first out of the lights, the person next to me was slightly behind, gave way and followed me into the one lane. Once it straightened out I slowly went over to the left to accommodate the lane split. Mad though, it felt like she just came out of nowhere, she definitely wasn't next to me at the lights or we would have collided as she tried to zip past me on the inside of the turn out of the lights. Really confusing.

Well, if I make a claim I'll have to pay the excess and repair costs, so I was thinking to get a new door if it could be cheap enough to repair/fit myself without claiming. As the door could be replaced by me for just the cost of the door, I could just cover the rear quarter damage. I spoke to the woman in the other car before I spoke to Admiral and she's said she's already spoken to her insurers, so it's going to affect my premium either way. In the meantime Admiral has recommended me a garage that'll do a free estimate, though I can see it being ££££, for the paintwork alone. My old man used to work at Mercedes and a few other dealers and knows a few bodywork and mechanic guys he used to work with that are good at pulling dents, paintwork etc. So if they'll do a better price I'll do that and not pay the excess.

Something pretty annoying: when I got the cover I paid for optional NCD protection. However, tonight the woman on the phone from Admiral said that as it's my first year of driving and I haven't built it up to a full '1 years no claims' yet, the protection doesn't cover me or even protect the months I've built up up to this point (10 months), it just reverts back to 0 years, 0 months. On my policy documents, it says nothing of this, it just says that it protects you for up to two separate claims. When I took out the cover, I did tell the person on the phone that I had no NCD, and they still offered me the protection, which I obviously took, obviously rather blindly. Also as I said this to her, my mate butted in and said you have to have something like 4 years NCD in order to be eligible for protection cover. I asked the woman if this was true and she didn't know. So they've basically been taking £20 or so off me a month for that option for the last 10 months, even though it could never apply to me until the time I renew my cover e.g. after a whole year. If what my mate said is true, then I could have effectively been paying for it for 4 years without ever actually being eligible for it should I need to make a claim, or anyone claims against me!

To end it on a slightly more positive note in amongst the crap, she said that as I've paid for legal protection, if it's declared a joint liability by the assessors they'll recover half of the repair costs and excess, whether I have it repaired through them or do it myself and dodge the excess.

 

[samuelh_888]

Hmm - if you have zero years NCD I’m not sure what you’re covering. See if you can get that refunded.

On the excess - you’ll pay the excess, typically to the repairer, that will be the only cost - you don’t pay for the repair cost as well.

Also, now you’ve told your insurance company they’ve logged you as a higher risk, even though you may not be at fault. Don’t bother getting doors and that off eBay now, just let insurance sort - the side of the car will need to be painted regardless (to blend the paint).

 

[Michael O'Connor]

Not sure either. I thought it would mean that if say, I haven't claimed over 10 months but then need to, it would protect that 10 months of 'no claims' and then allow me the 2 month remainder of the year to build up 1 year NCD. Maybe not

Excuse my complete inexperience here, I've never really dealt with an insurance claim. So I think what she said is i pay the excess and they can then recover half of it if the liability is split. If the repair is less than the excess, then that's all I pay, not the full excess.

Is that high risk logged as me as a driver overall? E.g. If I went with another insurer at the end of the year (and obviously still declared the claim made for this), that insurer would also charge me more for being high risk too?

 

[pilla]

I was going to say "just use any old screw for the glovebox hinge"

 

[Michael O'Connor]

I was going to say "just use any old screw for the glovebox hinge"

Haha tooo late

 

[Michael O'Connor]

So out of curiosity I went on compare the market to see how much this would raise my premium... The car I put in was a 2011 8P3 S3, the car I was hoping to buy next summer and had been putting away about a grand a month for for the last 6 months. Put all the details in hypothetically to mimic my age next year, when the claim was made, years driving etc etc.

Premiums ranged from like £1500 (lowest, I'd be perfectly willing to pay that or more). However... every insurer listed the excess as £3000! WTF.

My mate seems to think if I don't make a claim on my own insurance and just pay for it myself, then this won't affect my premium and excess in future, pretty sure this is completely wrong as the woman has already made a claim against me and I'd still have to declare that in future, no?

I mean if that was the case, I'd probably pay myself to get the car sorted out, I'd rather pay out money now than have crazy excess on my next car. But it isn't the case, that's not how it works surely.

 

[pilla]

It wont matter, the claim will be there and the only difference will be the overall cost of the claim if you dont opt to have your vehicle repaired. It will need to be declared for 5 years and WILL raise your premium, especially if you were found to be at fault. i have a non-fault claim on mine from 4 years ago, my premiums went up by a hundred pound or so.

 

[Michael O'Connor]

It wont matter, the claim will be there and the only difference will be the overall cost of the claim if you dont opt to have your vehicle repaired. It will need to be declared for 5 years and WILL raise your premium, especially if you were found to be at fault. i have a non-fault claim on mine from 4 years ago, my premiums went up by a hundred pound or so.

Yes that's what I was thinking as all the comparison sites ask you if you've made a claim or had one made against you. That crazy excess was even me putting it at split liability. I mean I'm sure she undertook me but with her claim against me as well that's surely what it'll end up as...

 

[voorhees]

These insurance companies are amongst lawyers,estate agents, money lenders and the mafia in being money strippers of decent hardworking peeps,I pay for protected no claims but if I do claim I will have to tell the next insurance company about any claim ???? WHY THE HELL DO I ? I thought it was protected against impact on my cover ?