IS got side swiped!

[wharfhouse]

My experience of two recent claims

1. On my Lexus IS 300h - at night in the dark hit a tyre that has been shed off a lorry on the motorway (a couple of other cars hit it too) - called police but they were already there as the lorry was on the hard shoulder further back. Police said to swap details with the lorry driver. Lorry driver very good (ASDA lorry) and said that ASDA would call me. Had to get the car flat bedded (not drivable) and so decided to take it direct to a Lexus dealer. This was now midnight so left it at the dealer and went back the next day to explain. Then called my insurance (Admiral) and told them what had happened and that the car was now at Lexus. They said if I want Lexus to repair it then I would have to pay the excess after repair while the claim was sorted. However, the claim management company for ASDA called me later that day and they took full responsibility. Told them it was at Lexus and they said that was fine and Lexus to send the quote to them which Lexus did (it went to their Lexus/Toyota body shop). ASDA claim handler organised a hire car for me (Mercedes C200). Called Admiral and said the 3rd party had admitted all liability and were handling the claim so Admiral closed my case. Long story short - repairs took 8 weeks and cost £13,500...! More extensive than it looked. ASDA insurance claim handlers were very good, had the same hire car for those 8 weeks. When finished car was handed back and matter closed.

2. My daughters 12 year old Ford Fiesta - someone in a hire car clipped the back bumper (their fault) but were being very awkward over giving any details but my daughter had their number plate. We reported it to our insurance (Admiral) who confirmed the 3rd party car was insured and asked us if Auxillis should handle it - we agreed. Her car was assessed (she had a hire car for a couple of days - new hatchback - during that time). Car was deemed a CAT-D write off as the repair would have been some £1,600 as needed a new bumper skin and paint, although was only cosmetic damage. However the car was perfectly drivable and so was declared a drivable write-off (so my daughter could use it so didn't need a hire car) while the claim was being sorted. Assessors gave us a write-off value which was very fair (to my surprise) with the option to buy back the write off (for peanuts if we wanted it). 3rd party driver was being a PITA and not responding to Auxillis (my daughter got a name and a mobile phone number but that was most likely false as Auxillis couldn't get through) but Auxillis  did an excellent job tracking this all down and liaising with the other insurance company at no cost to us. It took a few months to get it all sorted as the 3rd party driver was the problem - not sure why - but Auxillis assured us that they would not give up and the claim would be paid at no loss to us as the other insurer had to pay regardless of what the driver of the hire did or didn't do. Outcome was that it was indeed all sorted, we accepted the write-off value (and put the money in the bank) and bought the write-off back as that made very good financial sense (the car was in good mechanical condition at that point) - just had to have an MOT and Admiral were happy to continue insuring the car - still running happily today over a year on from the accident.

The upshot of the two stories is that if your car is drivable then it may be worth delaying any repair work - get the estimate done by Lexus but don't give the go-ahead for the work until the 3rd party insurer has accepted liability - Lexus can then deal direct with them once they admit liability - no excess to pay on your side and Admiral will close down the claim. Clearly the accident wasn't your fault and so the 3rd party insurance will have to pay up with no costs on your side if you can wait for the repair and you have every right to have the repair done by Lexus if you choose. Any replacement car during repair should be as like-for-like as makes sense. If you do involve Auxillis then they should act on your behalf to get this sorted but not sure under what terms repairs are then carried out - they sent my daughters car to one of their approved repairers for the estimate. In our dealings with them have to say they were very good in what was a difficult claim although absolutely no fault of my daughter and they resolved it all in the end.

[Blisteringblue]

19 hours ago, is200 Newbie said:

oh.... and I forgot ... the ambulance chasers will be on your case ... leave your phone off at night !!!

GDPR should stop that now, and what's that I can see? is it those pigs flying by 😡

[rayaans]

20 minutes ago, Blisteringblue said:

GDPR should stop that now, and what's that I can see? is it those pigs flying by 😡

Havent had any calls at all so I guess GDPR is good for something

Im taking the car today to Lexus Bradford for a quote. Will update in due course

[Britprius]

Rayaan be aware although your no claims discount is protected the premium you pay is not. This means your insurer "can" still raise the price of your premium, and give you your discount off the new figure. Very clever or devious depending on how you look at it on behalf of insurers.

John.

[rayaans]

5 hours ago, Britprius said:

Rayaan be aware although your no claims discount is protected the premium you pay is not. This means your insurer "can" still raise the price of your premium, and give you your discount off the new figure. Very clever or devious depending on how you look at it on behalf of insurers.

John.

Yep, dont worry I know the insurance price this November will most likely go up but I cant do anything regarding that. 

Just an update really then. Been to Lexus Bradford. They've taken photos of the damage and sent it to their bodyshop who will send the quote directly to my email address. I got in touch with Admiral Law today who said its probably best to go through third party's insurance. Phone them up and give them details of the damage meaning it wont cost me my excess and Ill still get a courtesy vehicle (although its not really needed atm)

[olliesgrandad]

Apologies to start. I haven't read entire thread. Firstly you may have legal cover in your household insurance. Secondly Choose your own repairer and negotiate a free courtesy car. You need a good bodyshop to blend that white pearlescent paint. That doesn't always mean a Lexus approved bodyshop. Seek advice from a trusted source. My wife had a claim a few months ago and we went to a local guy who did a great job and insisted on replacing the front panel on a fiat 500 which only had tiny crazing in the paint. The reason is plastic panels once flexed can have paint issues a few years down the line. He specialises in classic cars and had a new porsche in for bodywork when our car was there The excess shouldn't be too hard to claim back as your vehicle was parked. Worse case scenario issue a small claim in County Court online. Very easy to do, but suspect third parties insurance will just pay it. 

[Jayw13702]

oh.... and I forgot ... the ambulance chasers will be on your case ... leave your phone off at night !!!

Either that or put the fear of god up them and ask where they got your details from?

If they baulk or faulter tell them that under the new GDPR regulation they have to tell you.
Then demand to be removed from all their mailing lists, it’s amazing how quickly that happens [emoji4]


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[rayaans]

An update - Bodyshop has quoted £1400 for the work and roughly 3-5 day job. 

 

[Glover]

Rayaans you have the legal right to choose your own repairer.  See https://www.motorclaimguru.co.uk/your-rights-as-a-consumer.html for details. You can also look at the VBRA website or go to any VBRA registered repairer and they will be happy to advise.  See also https://www.nonfaultcaraccidents.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/know_your_rights.pdf isn't Google wonderful.  It's a few years since I've used one but in the past if I haven't liked the insurer's approved repairer I've chosen my own VBRA approved repairer.

Incidentally Lexus Nottingham have a shared (with Toyota and Jaguar) bodyshop on site so if distance isn't an issue (Nottingham to Leeds is about 90 minutes) that's an option. When you renew get a quote from NFU Mutual; they come top of the Which ratings and are a pleasure to deal with.  They also give discounts to loyal customers; now that's different!

[DanD]

I got roped into using Admiral's multicar policy, which seemed a good idea at the time. However, when it came to renewal time, they were far, far more expensive than the competition, and also a lot more expensive than if I were a new customer.

I called them and straight away the quote dropped by £250, but they were still more expensive thant others. I eventually went back to LV (multi car also), with whom I was insured previously for some years. I always found them very good to deal with and very customer focused. When I called Admiral a second time to confirm that I was not renewing with them, the guy was very pushy - to the point of being rude - and explained that the Admiral person I had spoken with previously did not know what he was talking about, and that he could get me at least another £200 off!
My response was that if they could save me £250 + £200 after two phone calls, why did they not offer a cheaper premium in the first place. I am now with LV.

Incidentally, I add my son to my non-Lexus car insurance whenever he is back from uni for the holidays. Admiral charged me £50 per week for the privilege, whereas LV charged me £10 per week two years ago, and have charged be £98 to add him for the next 10 months (admittedly he is now 1 year older at 22).

[DanD]

@Rayaans Did the van hit another car as well as yours? - the damage to the van seems to be much higher that you would expect it to be given the damage to your IS.

[rayaans]

3 hours ago, DanD said:

@Rayaans Did the van hit another car as well as yours? - the damage to the van seems to be much higher that you would expect it to be given the damage to your IS.

No just hit my car. He was reversing to maneuver in order to let a coach pass. Didn't look in the mirror obviously and scraped the car

[baviaannl]

22 hours ago, rayaans said:

No just hit my car. He was reversing to maneuver in order to let a coach pass. Didn't look in the mirror obviously and scraped the car

Sorry too read this, at least you won't be without it for too long.  Out of interest, what kind of black are your alloys?  Looks really smart with the light body paint colour?

[rayaans]

1 hour ago, baviaannl said:

Sorry too read this, at least you won't be without it for too long.  Out of interest, what kind of black are your alloys?  Looks really smart with the light body paint colour?

The car is driveable so should only be without it for 5 days roughly.

They're the standard F Sport wheels but were refurbed by the dealer before bought. They're slightly darker than original F Sport wheels. I think they're Toyota Phantom Grey. 

[rayaans]

Just an update. Got an email from Admiral today saying that the repair has been approved. I'll contact RRG body shop in Bolton tomorrow and get it in for repair. 

So far, not too bad from Admiral. Will have to pay £450 excess to the bodyshop but I'll try to claim this back from the third parties insurance company once the repair is done 

[rayaans]

Booked the car in for repair. Earliest they could get it in was 11th. Bodyshop can provide courtesy car but they need a cover note from Admiral. Admiral don't provide a cover note as it's not their approved bodyshop. Or insure it myself.

Therefore will have to forego the courtesy car  as there'd be more hassle of claiming it back so booked it in for 19th July as car is driveable and my son is around to ferry around if needs be. 

The bodyshop is removing the affected bumper, ensuring there's no damage underneath and then painting/refitting and corrosion protection to Lexus standards to maintain the 12 year corrosion warranty, something which I have no doubt the insurance approved bodyshop would conveniently miss out!

Lesson to self and maybe others - if you want to use your own repairer, strongly advise buying motor legal cover! Ill try claiming the excess back but didn't want to risk hire car charges at £300 per week for a premium auto hatchback or £450 per week for like for like vehicle. If I had motor legal, I would undoubtedly be getting a hire car for my wife whilst car is in for repair

[Jayw13702]

I have been following this with interest and it does seem that admiral are not the best company to be insured with!!

I have never known anyone have to pay an excess on no fault accidents, or have to forego an foc hire car, this all seems very sloppy on their part.


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[Zoot1948]

8 minutes ago, Jayw13702 said:

I have been following this with interest and it does seem that admiral are not the best company to be insured with!!

I have never known anyone have to pay an excess on no fault accidents, or have to forego an foc hire car, this all seems very sloppy on their part.


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Don’t think they are the only insurers doing this!

[First_Lexus]

I (and I'm sure many others) generally insure based on price. I only go for a company I've heard of, but I haven't really thought about 'how' companies will deal with me should I need to claim, assuming that they're all pretty similar. Reading this thread has been a wake-up call for me. I'm with Admiral, but next time will look at service ratings as well as price. NFU will be on my list.

Renewing my home insurance this morning I did look at the various feedback sites and ended up going for Direct Line. Upside was they were also one of the cheapest, and the simplest in terms of the questions they ask. I was with More Than last year, but when their renewal quote went up by 50% based on the price paid last year (and they wouldn't reduce it, saying it was their best price) I decided to look elsewhere.

[Zoot1948]

@First_Lexus Funnily enough Ed, I insured our home for the first time this year with Direct Line for the same reasons as yourself. I think once you insure with a company for the first year the premium will inevitably increase at renewal. That is the norm in that business.

Also last year I insured my Lexus and my wife’s Toyota with AVIVA as they offered the best price for the cover at that time.

34 minutes ago, First_Lexus said:

I (and I'm sure many others) generally insure based on price. I only go for a company I've heard of, but I haven't really thought about 'how' companies will deal with me should I need to claim, assuming that they're all pretty similar. Reading this thread has been a wake-up call for me. I'm with Admiral, but next time will look at service ratings as well as price. NFU will be on my list.

Renewing my home insurance this morning I did look at the various feedback sites and ended up going for Direct Line. Upside was they were also one of the cheapest, and the simplest in terms of the questions they ask. I was with More Than last year, but when their renewal quote went up by 50% based on the price paid last year (and they wouldn't reduce it, saying it was their best price) I decided to look elsewhere.

 

Edited July 1, 2018 by Zoot1948
Incorrect spelling (predictive text)

[Guest]

Someone I know just had to pay out excess for a no-fault claim to get his vehicle back. He has reported the company to financial ombudsman and they have taken the case on as say shouldn't have to pay anything. It's what insurance is for.

I don't know much detail but thought I'd mention it.

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[Guest]

We insure our house and two cars with Direct line and have found they have been good to deal with,sometimes just speaking to the right person can make a big difference.

The big test is when you need to claim of course and a few years ago I needed to do this when someone rear ended our Porsche Boxster.They dealt with it well and we didn’t need to pay any excess as non fault.they also sent us a letter to say there would be know increase in premium for the following year.

[rayaans]

OK so just a few things to clarify then that I have learnt:

1) The excess actually goes to the bodyshop. You have to pay an excess to the bodyshop regardless of fault if you use your own repairer.  This is the case with admiral and all its associated companies and is because Admiral do not have an "using your own repairer" excess which other companies do - this is normally £250. 

2) Motor legal cover is a must if using your own repairer.

3) Whilst you can get a "Guaranteed" courtesy car with other companies, even if using your own repairer this is usually a 1.0l manual hatchback. I can guarantee my wife will either sit in the house not doing anything if she was given a 1.0l hatchback, or crash it into someone. Shes had autos since 2004. Some companies offer "guaranteed courtesy car plus" etc. Again, these are usually not like for like, instead just giving you something a bit larger like a 1.6l mid-size hatchback

 

To be fair to Admiral, they've been polite and handed things well. It hasn't taken them too long to do what they needed to do. Ive compared their policy with others, and generally you do have to pay something or other if you're using your own repair shop, be it £250 non approved repairer fee or your policy excess.

Admiral did say that if I chose one of their own repairers, I would not pay a penny. The issue is that I dont really trust their approved bodyshops. Ive heard nothing but bad things about insurers repairers. Additionally, Admiral Law, whilst under the Admiral name are just "normal" lawyers. They essentially told me to do everything myself i.e. claim back the excess as the other insurance company won't want to be dealing with lawyers as it ultimately means they have to pay out more. 

 

So, my plan for renewal is still to go to the cheapest insurer that I have heard of but will buy motor legal cover entitling me to claim back any uninsured losses such as non-approved repairer excess and hire car charges. The main issue here is that you don't know what to expect until something happens as the policy doesn't cover all scenarios

I used to be with direct line many years ago until I bought a Lexus and they pumped up my price to £1k per car. I pay £1k for both at the moment! 

[C Mclean]

3 minutes ago, rayaans said:

3) Whilst you can get a "Guaranteed" courtesy car with other companies, even if using your own repairer this is usually a 1.0l manual hatchback. I can guarantee my wife will either sit in the house not doing anything if she was given a 1.0l hatchback, or crash it into someone. Shes had autos since 2004. Some companies offer "guaranteed courtesy car plus" etc. Again, these are usually not like for like, instead just giving you something a bit larger like a 1.6l mid-size hatchback

When my one was in for repair, I had an i20 initially as a courtesy car supplied by Enterprise but swapped it for a Vauxhall Mokka. Only cost me £35 for just over one week.

[Guest]

Insurers repairers are contracted to do things in a time and price. I don't believe quality sits up as high as cost.