Its Back 5 Months To Repair ..........

[harv]

Well nearly 5 months to the day since it happened the car has returned .

I'll be sad to see the E class return to the hire company , also knowing that direct line paid for an e class (well at 30k rental costs they paid for the Eclass i have been driving)

add on top a total repair bill of 14k + vat due to a few extra mechanical bits but its back ..... and drives better with less creaks than before it was knocked .

The bodyshop have done a great job , can't fault all the work , though the time was long ,due to the supply of parts i'm told .

however here it is ......

also thanks to craigsplates for the black lexus fit numberplates , i really like the fit into the rear gap , as it looks much better ,though how long before i get told to take them off who knows.

pics after the repair and back on my drive.

and a reminder of how 14k's worth of damage can not look that bad.

before.

now just to get the 5th injector and ecu mods done ,as i never got the chance for it to see a 10k service.

[Mark W]

So Direct Line have paid out +44K ....would have been more in their interest to write-off!

Just out of interest - Your fault claim or someone else? (ie can they recover the costs elsewhere) If your fault, I'm amazed at how well you've been treated by the insurance company - Rental for 5 months - and a Merc at that......dont think you'd get that from many insurance companies....

[harv]

So Direct Line have paid out +44K ....would have been more in their interest to write-off!

Just out of interest - Your fault claim or someone else? (ie can they recover the costs elsewhere) If your fault, I'm amazed at how well you've been treated by the insurance company - Rental for 5 months - and a Merc at that......dont think you'd get that from many insurance companies....

Hi mark , no it wasn't my fault , was hit by a drunk driver , directline was his insurance co , mine were never even informed as i went straight to a no fault management company .

day 1 i had an equivilent or better car (why should i be put out ?)

it went to directlines bodyshop so any delays they couldn't say a word .

and when the car was estimated the repairs were looking to be 11k , however when the engineers look at it they don't consider rental costs (tis why if you had been a directline customer at fault you get a poxy little shopping car during repairs)

they also could never have know how long some parts took to get in from japan via lexus uk.

the management company have stold up for me every step of the way , and not let me ever get fobbed off , directline wanted the rental back when i was in the states on business ,but i stated my wife would use it , they said she could use her own car , true but why should she ,she's use the lexus if i was i way because maybe she didn't want to drive the lotus or the porshe or even the 205 for that matter , they argued and the car stayed (especially when i mentioned maybe they should be carefull who they insure? )

so yes , a long process but a good lesson in if its clearly not your fault go straight to a decent no fault management company , !!!!

[Mark W]

Sounds like excellent advice to me and nice to see the innocent party not being stitched up for a change.

Wouldnt like to pay the drunk drivers insurance premium (when they get their licence back) - 44K claim + a DR on their licence...

Is it worth mentioning the company name as you received such good service?

[Steve ( West Mids )]

Car is looking as good as new :) Nice job been done.

I suspect it won't be long before you get pulled for the front and rear plates, is it a producer or penalty amd maybe points? I know when I has private plates they gave me a producer and I had to take car to an MOT testing station to state they were now legal. But times have changed and I'm sure they can take the cherished plate and maybe a £100 fine now. Be careful with them.

[harv]

Sounds like excellent advice to me and nice to see the innocent party not being stitched up for a change.

Wouldnt like to pay the drunk drivers insurance premium (when they get their licence back) - 44K claim + a DR on their licence...

Is it worth mentioning the company name as you received such good service?

Vision Vehicle soloutions limited 0800 08 555 08 ...

[harv]

Car is looking as good as new :) Nice job been done.

I suspect it won't be long before you get pulled for the front and rear plates, is it a producer or penalty amd maybe points? I know when I has private plates they gave me a producer and I had to take car to an MOT testing station to state they were now legal. But times have changed and I'm sure they can take the cherished plate and maybe a £100 fine now. Be careful with them.

yep i am sure the black and silver plates won't last forever , however it not like i am trying to decieve .......

for example our elise is on small plates and has been for years , there are stacks of nice cars round this way that run black plates , i can think of several range rovers localy , a silver macmerc slr which is where i saw the silver carwith black plates , and a landrover ,and a DB9 ......

[ihpj]

The penalty for having improper plates is £30 fine (no points)...repeat offenders get a Summons to Court (or thats where you might find yourself on 'strike one' if you are unlucky) where the presiding Magistrate (usually) will take a very dim view ;)

Get proper plates and don't spoil the fun of having your car back.

As for your whole experience, I think you got a very good result and the wait seems to have been worth it - although (and purely out of interest) was the damage recorded agaisnt the car at all?

[TigerFish]

End results look real good and you certainly got your moneys worth out of his insurance B)

On the insurance, as far as I am aware, you are obliged to tell your insurance company of any accidents regardless of blame. I would check your policy booklet as it would be a real shame if you needed your insurance one day and they refused a payout because you witheld information.

[harv]

The penalty for having improper plates is £30 fine (no points)...repeat offenders get a Summons to Court (or thats where you might find yourself on 'strike one' if you are unlucky) where the presiding Magistrate (usually) will take a very dim view ;)

Get proper plates and don't spoil the fun of having your car back.

As for your whole experience, I think you got a very good result and the wait seems to have been worth it - although (and purely out of interest) was the damage recorded agaisnt the car at all?

Not wishing to sound sharp you mustn't have quite caught the years we have run small plates on our elise or for ages no front plate at all , till it was a pain at petrol stations getting the pump turned on...... i mean 3 inches by 7 on the front , with no woes .

i don't belive i will have any issues with the ones on the lexus either , but then again who knows , i am sure being asked to remove them won't spoil my enjoyment ,so if its all the same they'll stay .......

oh and btw make sure you don't stray over 70 on the motorway will you ;)

[Northern Boys Luv Gravy]

I got rear ended in July (<700 miles on from new) and got my car back after 5 weeks. Total bill was somewhere around £7500 + hire costs of a Merc C lass @ £180 a day through Accident Exchange. AE pursued the 3rd party and I didn't claim on my insurance. I did, however, notify them and they marked the file "Notification Only" - they do require you to do this even if it's not costing them anything. Although the hire charges were £180 a day and on paper this racks up a big bill, this is only for a starting point for negotiation with the 3rd party's insures and they settle on a sum considerably less.

[Unregistered_User]

Congratulations on the return of the car, glad to see it is back and in business...

Jamie

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

Harv - glad to see it - looks new. Cool!! On the plate front, it will fail an MOT, and you might not just get a ticking off...it could be a fine and points...it all depends on who/what you get and how fussy they are...but the chances are you'll be OK...

Black/silver plates are for registration marks that are pre 1970ish or non year specific I think...so beware...My Pug failed it's MOT because the "11" had a smaller gap than permitted - and it wasn't even a cherished plate....just some plate maker who got it wrong!! The MOT station had a tool for measuring the digits...as do some patrol cars...

So it depends on how penickity they want to be...

PS - I thought each plate maker now had to make plates to standard or face a fine themselves?? I know loads of companies make whatever you want, but I thought the law was firmer...??? Clearly not!! At least you haven't made the 7 into an L or O into a 6 or something....

[Northern Boys Luv Gravy]

PS - I thought each plate maker now had to make plates to standard or face a fine themselves?? I know loads of companies make whatever you want, but I thought the law was firmer...??? Clearly not!!

You can get "Show Plates" made up - basically, the platemaker will space the reg or use any font you want provided it is for use only at shows and events and not for use on the road. A lot of people keep their show plates on and a legal set in the boot so if stopped they can say "sorry, officer, I must have forgot to swop them back".

Friends in the force do like a chuckle at that one as they write the ticket out..

[simon k]

when my old is got rear ended i got my hire car from accident exchange, the cost per day was over £200, as previously said this is not what the insurers will pay out its probably at least half of this amount,

[Wosket]

glad to see the car's back and looking good, i had a crash in 2005 and it took lexus months to actually get it back to how it should've been. like you mine was a no fault accident and handled through one of these no fault management companies (which was part of my adrian flux insurance). i had a beemer 3 series as a replacement car, the hire charges came to about £12k and i had to go to court to justify this over a year after my accident as the other insurance company were disputing it. hopefully you wont get called upon but just be prepared, it will be in the small print of whatever you signed with the management company.

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

Gottobesaid - it's these extortionate costs why the insurance premiums are so steep. Someone somehere is having a laugh...when in reality all of your cars should have been written off....

If only they knew....

[Wosket]

Gottobesaid - it's these extortionate costs why the insurance premiums are so steep. Someone somehere is having a laugh...when in reality all of your cars should have been written off....

If only they knew....

i agree, it's outrageous! i certainly wont be doing it again if i end up in the same position - i had to provide a years worth of statements for all my bank accounts, credit cards etc in court as well as a shed load of other documents. took ages preparing everything and working with the solicitor - total ball ache!

[harv]

Gottobesaid - it's these extortionate costs why the insurance premiums are so steep. Someone somehere is having a laugh...when in reality all of your cars should have been written off....

If only they knew....

i agree, it's outrageous! i certainly wont be doing it again if i end up in the same position - i had to provide a years worth of statements for all my bank accounts, credit cards etc in court as well as a shed load of other documents. took ages preparing everything and working with the solicitor - total ball ache!

for a start the hire car costs are never taken into account wether to write a car off or not , the same as personal injury claims think about it some of those go to 10's of thousands and thats held as the claim value but not against the vehicle damage .

I have not been asked to provide any evidence as to justify the hire charges as directline agreed them ,and it was repaired in their aproved repairer at their request so the time taken was down to them .

Yes they will pay out close to that amount as thats the rate that was negotiated with the insurer after the accident , trust me i am aware of ever step of whats happened as i have helped fight in the situation that they wanted the car back while i was in the states on business.

Wouls i go the no fault route again if i was obviously not at fault .... dam straight i would , i use my car for business , i would have done at least 15k miles in those 5 months and you can bet your life there is no way i would have put up with being in a shopping car to churn those motorway miles.

yes its why insurance goes up , but ask yourself ,why should you be incovinienced by for example a drunk driver .

as for the plates Jamboo .... i'm well aware of the laws with regard to plates , and i know these arn't correct , just like all the people round here who have done similar . but its not a silly font or numbers being made to look like letter they arn't .... as for mot ....... whats an MOT we have those on the classic cars we own , but nothing else gets to mot time before its replaced .... not with my mileage .

[TigerFish]

I still think you will find that you have to report it to your own insurance company, whoever the blame falls on.