Mercedes needs a repair -insurance claim?

[Fox]

Hi All

Our Mercedes has been with us for over two years know and its had its fair share of knocks and bumps. Have finally decided to get it sorted and claim on the insurance however as the renewal is up next month. Was wonderiing whether it would be prudent to wait until after the renewal date before claiming? or does it make no difference as we have full protected (for life) no claims bonus???

Cheers

Fox

 

[deejaybee]

Probably worth waiting until you renew

Not sure what the T&Cs are on your policy, but most protected NCB schemes only allow a very limited number of claims over a 2-3 year period before the NCB is reduced or lost. Suggest you check yours, but it may be worth waiting until you have renewed because you are then certain that you have nearly a years worth of cover at a good price.

One thing worth remembering if you are going to claim for repairs to cumulative damage, presumeably this will be on the basis of an "at fault claim", i.e. not attributable to a 3rd party. This is probably alright all the while you stay with your current insurer, but if you do change insurer you will have to declair any claims you have made in the past 3-5 years and any "at fault" claims will always have more potential impact on quotes than those caused by a 3rd party.

By all means go ahead with this if the value of the claim is fairly high, but may not be worth it if < £500? Probably best to get some repair estimates and check with broker or insurance company before proceeding.

Best of luck,

Dave

 

[jberks]

your No claims discount is protected but your premium isn't. So they can simply charge you an arm and a leg and you get 60% off it. They get you in the end. One claim and moving insurers gets expensive so you may put yourself over a barrell.
I'd agree with the £500 figure - any less and its simply not worth it. If it's just supermarket dings and the odd scratch then you'll probably find that a dent devils type outfit can bring it back to mint for a lot less than £500 and you're better off not claiming

 

[Fox]

Thanks for the advise guys. You're both right if the work is less than £500 it's not worth claiming however the damage definitaly looks like it will cost more than £500 as it's not just the bumper that's been wacked - its the grill, the bonnet and nsf wing as well! :cry: (don't ask...)

I think I'll pay the renewal and wait until the policy has been renewed before venturing forth. At least that way if the premium does go up it will be in 2010.

Just wondering though whether to get it done at the insurers approved work shop or Mercedes as apparently...


"...It is your choice by law to decide where you will have your Mercedes-Benz repaired. Using our Mercedes-Benz Approved body shop will not affect your right to claim from your insurance company. Using us will ensure your warranty is not invalidated and we only use genuine Mercedes-Benz replacement parts...." http://rsi-cda.mercedes-benz.com/co.../services/0/Accident___Emergency_Support.html

 

[Rory]

One thing worth remembering if you are going to claim for repairs to cumulative damage,

Can you really do that? I would have thought they'd treat separate incidents as separate claims.

Years ago I had a bump (OK, a fairly big smash) which damaged the front end. I also claimed that some damage on the side had been done at the same time (by the fence post I crashed through :roll: ) and they let it go, although the assessor was very dubious.

 

[jberks]

The same thought had struck me. You will need to demonstrate that the damage was caused by a single incident or they'll treat it as multiple claims.
The point about an approved bodyshop is true too. I had an ins co try to persuade me to use an 'approved' bodyshop for my audi a few years back, but they couldn't find me an audi approved one so I sent it to the dealer anyway. They didn't argue.

 

[Xtractorfan]

Yes each claim is seperate, and you will have to pay the excess each time for each claim, so if you have 3 claims and £250 excess it will cost you £750, and you cant change insurance companies with damage already on the car and expect the new company to pay, this is fraud, well that is how they will see it.. or if you claim for previous damage from the old ..last years policy..same thing they wont pay up..

 

[Alex M Grieve]

your No claims discount is protected but your premium isn't. So they can simply charge you an arm and a leg and you get 60% off it. They get you in the end. One claim and moving insurers gets expensive so you may put yourself over a barrell.
I'd agree with the £500 figure - any less and its simply not worth it/

Has anyone on the Forum done the sums on how much a claim does cost, in total? The point here is a good one, and hard to factor in, but even a straightforward claim will cost the insurance excess, plus a higher premium in each of the next two years (usual practice to knock your NCB back by 2 years in the event of a claim).

If you go to a bodyshop for an estimate, in my experience it is not uncommon to be asked "private, or insurance" - and the estimates for insurance work have been significantly higher. More than one estimate is also a sensible precaution.

So if it is a non urgent issue which does not prevent you from using the car, it is worth assessing the true cost of an insurance claim v what it will actually cost if you pay for it yourself and preserve your NCB.

I suspect that someone will tell me that the insurer demands to know that the vehicle has been in a collision, even if no claim is made, but that is a separate issue.

 

[Xtractorfan]

Alex I would have thot differntly from yourself. With the bigger bodyshops and especially the franchised ones the private estimate tends to be the higher one, simply due to the fact that insurance claims today are subject to a standard pricing factor set by Thatcham (Thatcham is an industry standardised company set up by and funded by the insurance companies) . Although there are a few different computer based pricing systems that the insurance companies use these are again based on mainly thatcham times and pricing, The only variation to this is the manufacturers times, which in general tend to be more generous, especially on the time factor.

 

[brandwooddixon]

Unless your after keeping a Mercedes warranty for the body work. Check out your local body shops for a NON-insurance quote. They may be cheaper than you think.

 

[Fox]

Hi All

Just an update on this one - I took it to local body shop in London on the weekend and they informed me it would cost £1000 to £1300 that included a new bonnet,grill, nsf wing and bumber with moulding but excluding the massive door scratch on the rear passenger door (caused by a disturbed individual) inc Paint + the VAT off course . As it was way over what I would be prepared to pay privately I've decided to give it to the insurance company The insurance company suggested DWS Bodyworks but I had never heard of them and insisted that it should be a Mercedes Approved Body Shop - they then suggested another garage (which I will either name and shame or approve of later) instead. So I asked them to collect the car.

I visited the garage yesterday and the only thing they said they would replace is the nsf wing and bumber moulding - they would keep the existing bumber only repaint it. I asked them about the grill and bonnet and they said it was a seperate claim so as the damage is minimal I thought I'm better off leaving it for now as I didn't want to make another claim and pay another £250 excess. They showed me the estimate £2500 ! just for a new nsf wing and bumber moulding, refurb one alloy and some paint! I asked for a quote for the scratch on the rear door and they said £800-£900 - I said I might as well buy a new door instead! I am thinking may be I should have insisted on the local garage instead - as by the sounds of it they would have done a lot more for a lot less. It's too late for me now however - I definately recommend getting a few quotes from as many different places as possible - even if you intend to claim under the insurance!

 

[jberks]

£800-£900 for a door tidy up?
Surely not. Did he wear a black and white stripy jumper?
A couple of years ago, the Mrs caught my just purchased 11 month old E class on the garage wall. Dinted the rear wheelarch, scrapes on the wing and rear door. My local indie has a bodyshop so popped down there. £175 later - all sorted. He priced (very roughly) around £90 for a panel repair and £60 per panel to blend - so 1 panel (wing) and 1 panel (blend - inc losing the scratch) and job done. Unless the door needs reskinning, he's so high he's orbital.

I think hes so over the top on the other work, I'd be having another word, suggesting I may want to have a chat with teh insurance co about it, or would he like to use some of his excessive profits to fund a new grill.

The rule is always use the devil you know and can talk to, there are some real crooks out there. Check their handiwork very carefully before you sign off the job as in my exeprience, dodgy overcharging garages can do some really shoddy work.

 

[Fox]

Thanks for the advice jberks - you're right better the devil you know than the devil you don't!

I did ask them for a discount for the door scratch and they said the best they could do is knock the VAT of it and do it for £600 - still way too much. But rest assured I will get the magnifying glass out when I go to collect.

 

[turbopete]

£2500? i would want a total re-spray for that kind of money!! and if i made a few enquiries, id probably get 1 too! that said though, id probably attempt it myself! I'm so tight i squeak when i move!