My jeep got smashed in to, what 2 do?

[ollyit]

it got hit pretty violently the other night whilst parked and got pushed violently 15ft in to a shop window as it mounted a high kerb side on wheels straight, handbrake on and in gear and still managed to travel a massive distance on the pavement fully, if someone had been walking along or just out of the pub next door they would have been flatened for sure - cant believe i didnt hear it! - I was sanding down a door at the time looked out the window for some fresh air and there was my car in next doors shop sorrounded by police! some dozy young birdin a convertible chav escort had run in to it pretty fast by the state of her escort near side wheel flat and caved in along with wing and bonnet

heres a pic below of what happened - I've been given a hire car incase its not safe to drive, but been advised to get a qoute on any repairs from a local garage of my choice, not sure what to look for structurely all i can see is obvious dents, scratches in paint work, its worth about £500 on my 3rd party,fire+theft insurance - my concern is safety mine and everyone elses in these vile weather conditions at present

your thoughts anyone? never been involved in anything like this before, fanx

[ian mcconnell]

not a happy bunny i bet.

insurance companys will try and get a way with a lower first offer, the best thing to do with an older car that will not show in glasses guide or the cap auction guides is to provide evidence of actual value, go on to the autotrader site & local rags, your car looks in great condition so you need to be showing your insurance company cars similar in age & condition to yours i bet you if your selective enoth you can wrestle a decent amount out of them normally by there 3rd offer!!

Lastly if you are claiming for a hire car through the 3rd party, keep hold of it until the money is in your hand, my administrator waited nearly 4 weeks for the money after she gave the hire car back..(she was blond) decission's are arrived at quicker when its costing them by the day

good luck

[Nos4r2]

you'll get a pm in a mo.

[ollyit]

its not perfect but it is an 1985 (21yr oldcar) and fairly clean (i know the bad bits)

thanks for your sound advice there, I'm off now to get genned up - thanks again buddy

[Pete7]

Assuming someone else is paying for the car hire take your time. Fill in the paperwork your insurance company sends you along with the quotes and pop them in the post the week before Xmas that way you get the hire car over the Xmas period. Sadly you might have to accept that the car is scrap and take the insurance offer, but only if its an approripate amount.

Pete

[ollyit]

thanks pete, I'll drag out the paperwork pleased i posted on the site as Ive had some sound advice , feel a bit of a nonce asking but I have no experience in matters like this - see u all at the church then and xmas meal , (in my hire car!!)

[codprawn]

If they say it's a write off - which they usually do on lder vehicles - you can usually buy it back off them.

[jyasaki]

Not really ideal to buy back, though. You usually have to re-register it as salvage, which drops any resale value to absolutely nothing. At least, here in the States you do.

Was that pic of the jeep post-accident? I don't see a whole lot of damage (surprising if it got pushed 15 ft from parked and secured.)

Had the same thing happen to a neighbors car that he was trying to sell. Moved more like 30 feet. Unfortunately for him, he had let the insurance lapse as he wasn't driving it. It ended up in much worse shape than one would have thought; the rear edge of the trunk was relocated to something just forward of the bottom of the rear window (sedan.) The frame had a distinct U shape afterwards, as well.

Best of luck to you, Olly;

jky

[simmons0]

You probably know this, but if you don't then SJ's are popular off-road toys. Even declared off the road and without MOT and Tax one a good runner with working transfer box will go for £600 to £800 on ebay.

[Hightower]

I'm sorry to hear this bad news Olly. Have you got legal cover on you insurance as they normally pursue claims on your behalf.

By the way, when she hit you she damaged that TFT widescreen TV you had in the back and that new computer you'd just bought and to add to the injury you fell down the stairs at home rushing to see what had happened to you pride and joy

[ollyit]

thank you all for your usefull pointers, much appreciated, oh and andy (hightower) you are a true prankster!!

[Richard B]

Olly, we've just been through a similar situation, ie a non-fault total loss, and I'm sorry to say you're probably at a disadvantage in this situation with only 3rd party f&t insurance. We had our claim for the car negotiated by our insurance company and the advantage was huge - a very swift settlement at full dealer retail value. As Andy has said, I hope you have legal cover as it can be very useful, although I guess there aren't any injuries to claim for.

Did you sign any paperwork for the hire car? Is there a daily rental figure quoted? Is there an invoice address? Is it stipulated who is responsible for the hire charges?

Be aware that there's a legal requirement (not an insurance industry guideline, but a legal requirement) to minimise your expenses following a road traffic accident. This means that of you can use another vehicle, or public transport you should do so. You can claim the cost of this, along with a daily loss of vehicle inconvenience allowance (about £10 a day I think). Delaying sending any paperwork to the insurance company may be seen as not minimising your expenses and will only lengthen the time taken to reach the point of receiving an offer. I would recommend dealing with the insurance company in a fair and responsible manner - you may just be pleasantly surprised with the reasonable way that they treat you.

Good luck with sorting it out, hope it's straightforward.

[Pete7]

Olly, taken the opportunity to choose your next car for you:

http://boatmad.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7581

Pete

[Jizm]

Beat me to it pete!

Do you a good discount Olly!

See my signature for bigger pic!

[prairie tuber]

Is that a Jeep or a Suzuki??? We don't have any Jeeps that look like that one here in North America, but it looks some of the like the Suzukis we have here.