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The Pub For General Automotive Related Talk |
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#1 | ||
Regular Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 223
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Hi all, looking for other's experiences when its come to making insurance claims for minor damage. Hope the whole scenario doesn't seem petty...
My scenario: Took the Tornado thru a McDonalds drive through and have swiped the curb with the front bumper on the passenger side, taking off a section of paint, down to the raw bumper in some places, about the size of a two iphone 5s' end to end. Made me sick to my stomach when it happened. The issue with this drive thru in particular is the curb around the drive thru is the same height, its the base of the drive thru that tapers down to the centre from the curb edge on both sides to a drain. So as you are driving round the drive thru turning right, you are paying more attention to not collecting the drivers rear, so you take it a little wide, then as you turn harder right to get around, the drivers side lifts because of the ground profile and the passenger side drops because of the ground profile and the bumper collects the curb. The ute is standard factory height all round as well. Has anyone had any experiences similar ; ie, had damage due to carparks, drive thru's etc? and made an insurance claim. Im not the first person to his this curb and i wont be the last. Ive seen this same mark on other falcon bumpers in the area and the curb is rubbed up all black from tyres etc. Please no comments about my poor driving, just trying to find out if anyone has made a successful insurance claim for something like this and if premiums went up or it was/wasnt worth it in the long run. My view is we are expected to have vehicles meet a standard (height ) and drive where designated, so if i cant drive my standard height car through a designated drive thru without sustaining damage, there is an issue with this drive thru in particular. It hasnt happened in other drive thru's in the last 4 years of ownership of the ute. ....
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2008 BFII Tornado in EGO. Manual #207. 2011 SZ Titanium TDCI SOLD - 2006 BF 1 GT-P in Mercury Silver Manual ![]() |
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#2 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 1,705
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If the excess is more than the repair bill don't claim is my rule.
You could try asking maccas to pay the excess but I would think their response would be something along the lines of "our curb doesn't move mate".
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Previous Rides Bionic BA MKII XR6T 245kW I6 Turbo, 6spd Manual Grey (yuk what was I thinking) AH Astra CDX Coupe 93kW NA I4, 5spd Manual Sensation FG XR8 290kW NA V8, 6spd Automatic Current Rides Octane GTF SC V8, 6spd Manual, Manta 3" X pipes and hotdogs Starlight Lotus Evora S 258kW SC V6, 6spd Manual |
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#3 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Central Tablelands. NSW
Posts: 894
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Fix it and forget about it, if you make a claim the insurance Co will not forget, your premium will go up next year.
Even one claim on your record is one claim too many. Hopefully you have learnt a lesson, you won't do it again.
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Don't try and teach a pig to sing, it just wastes your time and annoys the pig.
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#4 | ||
Peter Car
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: geelong
Posts: 23,145
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Excess would probably be more than the cost to fix.
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#5 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 776
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The advice so far is 'spot on'. You can, though, read the Provisions of your Insurance Policy in terms of preserving No Claim Bonus (i.e. Lifetime Rating #1 etc.)
If this obstruction at Maccas is tricky AND they are aware of it AND have done nothing to remove / reduce the risk, you could have grounds for a claim. Worth 'trying on', especially if you have a Lawyer as a friend. If you do pursue it, put the details in a carefully worded letter headed "Without Prejudice" and see what happens. Always worth a try. |
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#6 | ||
Experienced Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Australasia
Posts: 7,541
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You can only ask them to pay but I think we all know the answer, just cannot understand why you went through it knowing the risk of this happening.
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#7 | ||
Banana
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Wandin North, VIC
Posts: 2,031
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Fix it yourself.
Might cost $100 or so in materials and half a day. Start with a sanding block (or a DA sander if you've got one) with 180 grit, then 240 and 320 to feather the edges. Couple of coats of primer, basecoat and then clearcoat. Polish the edges. Job done. Google "Custom Spray Mods" on youtube. He has a couple of videos on how to do it all with spray cans. That low on the front won't be an issue with the colour as you won't be painting to an edge. Then sit back with a couple of frothy's admiring your handiwork.
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2024 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 w/PP 2012 WK2 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland CRD |
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#8 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: W.A.
Posts: 691
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3 weeks after i bought my 2012 ford focus, missus went shopping at coles and someone reversed out and scraped some paint off the bumper and drove off.
It wasn't bad but it was noticable if you were looking. Anyway, got insurance to fix it, lucky i did $500 excess and the job cost $1750 because they had to take the bumper off and respray the whole bumper with metallic black ect. Just get it fixed, since it happened in car park, it doesn't affect my no claim bonus apparantly. |
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#9 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 2,806
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depends on what cover you've got. fully comp will cover it no questions, but you will pay the excess and unless you have protected your rating 1 then your premium will go up next year.
3rd party or claim off Maccas? forgetit. |
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#10 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,013
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another option might be a mobile paint touch up, especially if there isn't too much damage to the bumper. most of them offer free quotes.
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#11 | ||
Bathed In A Yellow Glow
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: NSW Central Coast
Posts: 2,530
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Get a quote and compare it against your excess payment and you may find it's better to just pay for the repair yourself.
Be aware the insurance company will see it as a ‘you’re at fault claim’ and that may have ongoing repercussions in that if you change insurance companies you’ll be asked for the next 5 years have you had a ‘you’re at fault claim’ and it if you stick with your current insurer they’ll know anyway. That could impact on your premium. Also you can discussion these issues with your insurance company without raising a claim. They can advise you straight up what this type of claim will do to your policy. As you’ve done here getting advice is free, I’d speak to the insurer and get a repair quote then make an informed decision. I had a P plater run into the back of my car last Friday and I know it’s different as I’m not at fault but a phone call to the insurance company sorted it all out in my head and now the claim has been made, the quotation done and lodged and I’m now waiting for the insurer to approve the quote so the work can go ahead. All that took about 4 hours of my time with the phone calls and driving over to an approved repairer. All quick and easy and it’s not going to be the huge inconvenience I thought it would be. Arm yourself with knowledge and that'll make the decision easy for you. |
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#12 | ||
The one and only
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Carrum Downs, Victoria
Posts: 9,053
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Claiming off Macca's is laughable.
Get the repairs quoted ASAP. Then if it's high enough over your excess, then lodge a claim. I normally go on a rule of 150% of the excess to claim, that will justify any change to NCB and/or premium.
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1992 DC LTDHO 360rwkw built by me Tuned by CVE Performance Going of the rails on a crazy train Other cars include Dynamic ED Sprint, Dynamic DL LTD, Sparkling Burgundy DL LTD, Yellow, Red & Blue XB sedan & Black XB Coupe
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#13 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Melb north
Posts: 12,025
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if it was for myself i would not even bother thinking about making a claim for 2 or 3 hundred dollars, just not even worth mucking around with insurance companys imo,
it would be fix it myself on the weekend if i was able , or just drop it off to someone who can do it, pay the money and never worry about it again, and perhaps find another drive through. |
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#14 | ||
Cruising...
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Perth
Posts: 3,819
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Don't pay insurance, save the hundreds of dollars each year that would have gone to the insurance company and then you have a wicked sum of money after 5 years and you'd just go and get resprayed then use other drive throughs
![]() Insurance is happy to take money, they will take back every cent they give you.
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FBT '98 BA XT '04 F100 4x4 '82 Subaru Outback '02 |
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#15 | |||
Bathed In A Yellow Glow
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: NSW Central Coast
Posts: 2,530
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Quote:
Apparently he’s upset because if he doesn’t cough up cash for the repairs the insurance company have told him they’ll start recovering the costs by taking his damaged FG XR50 but that’s what you get when texting is more important than watching the road ahead of you. |
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#17 | ||
Cruising...
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Perth
Posts: 3,819
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Tongue in cheek more than serious.
But each to their own regardless.
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FBT '98 BA XT '04 F100 4x4 '82 Subaru Outback '02 |
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#18 | ||||
Force Fed Fords
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Enroute
Posts: 4,050
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Quote:
Have you got any pictures of the damage? How much have they estimated the damages to be? Did he run into your car whilst driving on the road or in a car park?
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If brains were gasoline, you wouldn't have enough to power an ants go-cart a half a lap around a Cheerio - Ron Shirley Quote:
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#19 | ||
Just slidin'
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Brisvegas
Posts: 7,791
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You say that plenty of people have hit it. Look at the otherside of the coin, how many people go through this drive through and dont hit the curb. Just repair it yourself and save the hassle.
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#20 | |||
Bathed In A Yellow Glow
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: NSW Central Coast
Posts: 2,530
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Quote:
You can’t see the ripples and buckles where the bar has flexed or the damage to the underneath of the diffuser on mine. And his bar also has a noticeable buckle and is pushed in under the passenger side headlight which the photo doesn’t show. It was just a love tap by someone who was inattentive and uninsured and for that the repair bill to my car alone is just over $7,000 and that is if there is no other underseen damage. He was lucky as the Mercs usually absorb this type of low impact without doing any damage to the body and frame. As an example there was a C63 parked at the same repairer that had been hit in the rear and pushed into the car in front at a much higher speed which caused a lot more damage and the repairer said it was going to cost about $30,000 to repair. For mine: 3 day job Disassemble & fit Paint & blend New rear bar New rear diffuser New 3 piece absorber mount plates Replace body hardware & Clips Check exhaust alignment & repair if necessary Check boot alignment & repair if necessary Car rental These type of rear ender accidents are so common the car has already been approved for repair and the work starts next week. As my old man used to say to me, if you can’t afford to insure them you can’t afford to drive them as the car you may eventually hit could be a Rolls Royce. And looking at the photos there is hardly any damage and yet I still wouldn’t want to be paying out of my own pocket. The moral of my story is if you are uninsured and have an at fault accident then the other driver’s insurance company is going to go all out to recoup its money. ![]() ![]() |
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#21 | |||
Bathed In A Yellow Glow
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: NSW Central Coast
Posts: 2,530
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Quote:
I was stationary in a line of traffic consisting of about 30 other vehicles. Lucky it was a car he hit and not a child. |
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#22 | ||||
Force Fed Fords
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Enroute
Posts: 4,050
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Quote:
Being 33 years old and still a red P plater, also uninsured, I think we may surmise this genius has lost his license before, and is not smart enough to get at the very least third party property. You're really lucky he didn't try to flee the scene.
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If brains were gasoline, you wouldn't have enough to power an ants go-cart a half a lap around a Cheerio - Ron Shirley Quote:
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#23 | ||
Regular Member
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 431
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People that damage C63s should be deported to Siberia.
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#24 | ||
Regular Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 223
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Cheers for the input. To answer a few points, yes full comp insured with protected maximum NCB. Reason for going through the drive through was i was unable to walk into the store at 0330 on a sunday morning after just leaving the hospital. The main reason for enquiring about insurance is if worst case scenario the damage cant be fixed by myself or a mobile scratch repairer, then insurance would cover a proper repair.
Ill enquire on a mobile repairer for a quote and go from there. Express: I hope your C63 repairs are made promptly and correctly. Cheers
__________________
2008 BFII Tornado in EGO. Manual #207. 2011 SZ Titanium TDCI SOLD - 2006 BF 1 GT-P in Mercury Silver Manual ![]() |
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#25 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 3,336
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Quote:
All they will do is send to a debt collector. The debt collector would then recover the money, they would just keep calling him, sending letters. I think it may be against the law for items to be taken as payment. |
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#26 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 3,336
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In regard to the damage, get a repairer to quote if less than the excess get them to repair, if more get the insurance to fix it. Its as simple as that.
In regard to insurance price increase etc. The price may go up because you do make a claim and you may loose a Rating/No claim bonus with that insurance company, but each insurance company have their own system for Ratings/No claims bonus and you will probably find that it is not a massive deal to make a claim at renewal time. Rating and No claims bonuses are the same thing, just different states / insurance companies call them different things. One thing people do is get caught up with a Rating/No Claim bonus. Basically each insurance company have their own way of calculating your Rating/No claim bonus. Yes by making a claim it may have an impact, but that's when you go to the next insurer at renewal time who gives you a better price and probably a Rating 1 for life/Maximum No Claim Bonus for Life. If you are concerned call your insurance company up and ask them, what would happen if I made a claim when I hit a gutter. What will happen with my Rating/No Claim Bonus and premium. |
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#27 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,312
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I think only a Sheriff of the Court can seize personal property if there's a judgement against them.
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My ride: 2007 Falcon Ute BF XR8 Orange, MTO. |
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