[- Paul -]

Hello all,

Had a bump recently and asked for the chap to send me the cost of the repair.

It's an S Reg Astra and the quote is as follows

Wheel tracking £18
Headlight £62
Wheel Trim £22
Brackets £11
Car Rental for 3 days £45
Paint and Materials £96
Labour £270

Total £628

Now, the damage to mine is minor and I 'll be repairing myself. I couldn't get photos or see the damage to his car at the time as it was on a busy M1 underpass/roundabout where we both going in different directions ( nor could I be bothered as returning from my cousins funeral)

Bearing in mind the insurance excess and cons that go on nowadays - would you just pay up?

He seems a genuine chap and has been open and upfront with his communications. If I was to pay him, how do I protect myself from a future claim via his insurance etc?

[dxb335d]

You had abump and now his wheel tracking is out?

[- Paul -]

18 in the context of 628 I won't worry about Carl, There was no glass at the scene etc - Lets say the work required is genuine - does £270 labour and 3 days car hire sound right - The car cant be worth much more.

[Hotcoupe]

Originally Posted by - Paul -

If I was to pay him, how do I protect myself from a future claim via his insurance etc?

Provide him with a statement stating that the sum of £628.00 you've paid him is in full and final settlement for the costs/associated costs of having the repairs done to his car,and any future claims from any parties will not be considered or paid.

Get him to sign and date the receipt.

[dxb335d]

So confused.

[Hotcoupe]

Originally Posted by dxb335d

So confused.

It's never that hard though is it Carl

In fairness, at the time you originally posted,only part of Pauls original post appeared, and it looked like this:

Hello all,

Had a bump recently and asked for the chap to send me the cost of the repair.

It's an S Reg Astra and the quote is as follows

Wheel tracking


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Bizarre I know,but there you go

[Kerr]

A minor bump can cost a lot.

£270 is only 3 or 4 hours labour in many garages.

For the sake of your NCB and excess I would pay that amount.

As above make sure there is evidence to prove an agreement.

[Dannyrado]

Originally Posted by Hotcoupe

Provide him with a statement stating that the sum of £628.00 you've paid him is in full and final settlement for the costs/associated costs of having the repairs done to his car,and any future claims from any parties will not be considered or paid.

Get him to sign and date the receipt.

+1, Exactly this.

I'd much much rather pay £628 than go through insurance. He'll be having some of that himself, but who cares, over and done with.

I'd also put on the statement that no injuries occured to any parties.

[- Paul -]

Cheers chaps

[IanS100]

You could always ask him if HIS policy covers him for car rental, I doubt it does - on the other hand would you have asked for this had the position been reversed? I'd bite the bullet & pay the guy but, as others have said, get him to sign for full & final settlement.

[makkan00]

Originally Posted by Dannyrado

+1, Exactly this.

I'd much much rather pay £628 than go through insurance. He'll be having some of that himself, but who cares, over and done with.

I'd also put on the statement that no injuries occured to any parties.

+1 About personal injuries.
Some people claim for personal injuries later on. So make sure you get that covered in your document and get it signed.

[dxb335d]

Is your premium gonna go up by 600notes? Probably not.

[Kerr]

Originally Posted by dxb335d

Is your premium gonna go up by 600notes? Probably not.

No. I would imagine he will have a £250-350 excess to pay and he will lose some NCB.

Even if Paul has protected NCB the accident will still cause an increase to his premium.

Factor that in over the long term and it will cost a few quid that way too, although you will be paying it back over years of insurance policies and not up front.

[- Paul -]

£350 excess. I do have protected NCB. If its claimed on the insurance, if it goes up £100 then it will only be two years before I break even plus no claims to tell the insurance about.

I've offered to pay him which he's accepted but he's now asking whether it would be acceptable for that money to pay for another car instead. AFAIC it makes no odds to me. Any other thoughts?

[Kerr]

Originally Posted by - Paul -

£350 excess. I do have protected NCB. If its claimed on the insurance, if it goes up £100 then it will only be two years before I break even plus no claims to tell the insurance about.

I've offered to pay him which he's accepted but he's now asking whether it would be acceptable for that money to pay for another car instead. AFAIC it makes no odds to me. Any other thoughts?

You would have never known unless he told you first.

He will probably sell his car for a few quid, pocket your cash and be better off than the real value of a good S plate Astra.

I suppose as long as you still cover yourself with him signing a disclaimer it hardly makes any difference. You will still be out of pocket the same amount.

Although he would not need car hire now.

[- Paul -]

Good point re the hire car - He only told me as I'd asked for a signed and dated receipt for the work. It's a better proposition for him as he gets to keep/sell the Astra then buy another motor with my cash or add mine to the proceeds of the sale of his Astra.

[willhollin]

How much does an 'S' reg Astra go for these days? Answer - fuck all.

Any insurance company will write the car off and offer him a few hundred quid.

Offer him £350 and tell him to fook off.

[- Paul -]

I could tell him to go through the insurers but didn't want to because of the hassle , rise in premiums etc.

[BGM]

tricky.

1) pay for the repairs
2) buy the car off him for something reasonable and scrap it getting back ~£150 (it will be < £680 net)
3) make him an offer as above

i'd potentially go for #2 even if it is a bit of hassle, #3 is a bit rude for me

[- Paul -]

He doesn't want the repair now so will offer £500 or buy the car at £600 I think (then scrap for £150)

[dobbo99]

what a palava for a minor bump - currently going through the same process.

my thoughts are that Id just offer him £500 and be done with it. Clearly the £500 is worth more to him in his hand than the repair of the car - if he wants to actually repair it then he'll shop around to get a cheaper price to get all the bits done, either way he is up in the pocket, and your not claiming through insurance.

ive just offered my guy £350 which he has said yes to, I know full well I'll see the car driving about with the dent still in it, but he's £350 up so its up to him what he does with it.

[- Paul -]

It is - especially when the damage is so minor. I've offered £500 so will see what the response is.