August 2013
Daughter more than recovered the cost in the first minor traffic altracation she was involved in. Absolutly Proved she was, and had been stationary.
And I just got mine back after an inattentive driver in a Roomster pulled our drivers door mirror off while we were parked. Our car was empty, no witnesses about, so he drove on after checking. Happened in a 30mph zone in a village.... Read more
Can some experts please guide?
My car was waiting in traffic when another car shunted me from behind. My car was propelled forward hitting another car as well. In total three cars were involved and my car is badly damaged in the rear and a relatively lesser damage on the front. I reported this to my insurer and they processed my claim (under my fully comp cover stating that they would recover costs from the third party), but a few days later the third party claims management company called saying that their client (the person who hit my car on the rear) had instructed to deal with my claim. As I had to pay an excess on my insurance and also bear the risk of losing my no claims discount (if all costs were not recovered) I decided to switch and initiated claim on the third party direct though their claim management company. The third party insurance company have now declared the vehicle as a total loss and have offered cash settlement, less the salvage value of the car. I do not agree either to the total value offered nor their salvage value as both are not fair (I have some evidence to back this). Some of the salvage companies that I have contacted are only offering far less for my car. The questions... Read more
In effect you have a heap of expensive scrap to sell, and very few interested 'buyers'. Unless you feel strongly that you are a better valuer of scrap than those 'buyers', you may grudgingly have to accept the best price you can get, especially if it is only about £300 off your expectations. Unless you have time, money and principle to spare, of course.
Last night I was driving home and exited a three lane roundabout onto a dual carriageway. There are traffic lights on the roundabout and they had been on red so I wasn't going very fast as I pulled onto the dual carriageway. A lorry had pulled out on the entry slip in front of me, and the exit was obscured by his trailer so I stayed slow.
I indicated to leave the roundabout and there was a car in front of me with normal rear lights displayed. I presumed that it was making forward momentum the realised tha tthis was a parked car, one cars length from the roundabout on the inside lane of the dual carriageway. They had their driving lights on, but no hazards, indicators or brake lights, so it wasn't obvious that she was stationary initally.. I tried to pull into the outside lane to avoid hitting her, but there was a car travelling at speed in the outside lane, so I ended up rear ending her. Due to trying to overtake, I hit the drivers side corner of her bumper with my nearside headlight.
She was an elderly lady who had stopped there to read her map as the road she should have travelled on was closed and she was confused as to where she should be and couldn't see any of the large yellow diversion signs placed at regular intervals around the roundabout.
I phoned my insurance company this morning and they want me to admit liability and write my car off.
I have taken my car to a reputable garage. He needs to inspect it properly but thinks that as I was not travelling fast, I just have some repairable body damage and nothing major or strutural. He will confirm this once he's had it over the pit etc.
He thinks that he can repair it very cheaply by using parts from the scrap yard and heating the wing/ bumper and moulding back into shape if nothing untoward has happened to it, and replace the headlight unit which is the main damage.
The car is a diesel Focus with 140,000 miles on the clock and is serviced every six months, it has new tyres and full year MOT and has never let me down.
Whilst I fully understand that I should have been travelling slow enough to stop, she should surely have to take some responsibility for parking in a dangerous place. She was not broken down, merely reading a map and could have moved much further down the road and into a pull in. She did not have her brake lights on, or hazard warning lights, or indicators and admitted that she was confused and didn't know where she was.
So ..... advise please ....
Should I admit liability? Have photographs of the accident area, with the debris ont he road and clearly at the junction, but nobody stopped, so it's her word against mine. I feel very strongly that she was parked in a dangerous place and that she should take some responsibility for the accident.
Should I scrap my car, or pay to get it repaired? The insurance company were not bothered about coming to see it, they suggested that it should be scrapped, and offered to arrange salvage. The agent suggested I got an unoffical quote for repair first which I can then submit formally if is not too high. The problem is the mechanic said that he could do it cheaply if I had replacement parts from the scrapyard, but the insurance company would want new which would be more expensive.
I am insured fully comp, so will now lose my no claims.
Neither of us were hurt because I wasn't going fast luckily, but it looks like I may lose my car unless I pay for the repairs, along with my NCD.
At the moment I am not quite sure exactly what my fully comp insurance is for
Advise please? Read more
You are between a rock & a hard place. If the police were not involved, then implying the other driver was partially at fault for dangerous 'parking' is simply your claim. The most you may be able to do, when you provide all pics/details, is to persuade your insurer that its 50/50. However with a low value vehicle (yours) your insurer will want to take quickest/cheapest option.
Since we do not know the reg details of your car (hence trade value) and repair cost its not possible to advise with any certainty on your best way forward with write off/repair options
Hi All,
Has anyone ever used "Motor Servicing Direct" for the servicing of their car? I found them on the web, and was wondering how good/reliable they are, they don't appear in any search engine for independent reviews, which in itself is a little concerning.... Read more
Just as an experiment (had no intension of using them) I tried a similar company that a colleague at work used. Came with all the "keeps your warranty intact, only OEM parts, full service as per manufacturers schedule etc" and their price was the princely sum of £50 less than the main dealer.
But on further investigation there were differences, first they said the car required a service every 6 months not the year as in the manufacturers schedule and 2nd when I asked about what oil they used the reply was "if you want the correct high spec oil its another £40"....
Hello. I wanted to find out what anyone thinks of my next step buying a pre-owned vehicle from Westwood Car and Commercial in Kent last year.
At the time of buying the car, I hadn't owned a car for several years and was unaware of the 'new look' MoT certificiates. So, when I paid for the car, the paperwork was handed over to me as normal with a fresh MoT certificate as promised by the dealer. However, this was an A5 (half of A4) piece of paper, and I commented on how small it was, it which I got no reply.... Read more
So if you still have the mot certificate you describe ,it will be a useful tool to use in the small claims court .
But time has moved on quite a bit, and last year's MoT printout could have been cut in half by anyone. The original seller has been deceptive, and many punters will not know about looking at MoT history on line. Not worth the cost of pursuing legally, spend the money on new track-rod ends.
i have recently been having engine cut out problems,i have had 2 recommended auto electricians diagnose my BSI unit needs replacing.Its going to peugeot where its £450 for the unit and configuration i am fine with that.Since ordering and paying for the part the mechanic rang up and informed me that they are fitting the BSI unit under the dashboard and not the bonnet ??????? im confused can anyone tell me if a 407 has 2 units or is the main bsi under the dashboard.Please put my mind at rest otherwise i may have to pay again if this doesnt solve the engine problem THANKS Read more
thank you,when i said engine cut out it actually means that the whole car is immobilised when driving,no dials indicators wipers nothing everything goes then it just starts up again because it happens when im driving the diagnostic cant pick anything up.Im hoping for the best really start off with the dearest and work my way down its just one of those things but thanks for your reply
Looks good from the outside, how about the interior? Read more
Hyundai is going to re-generate its status in terms of hatchback on account of the new model of Hyundai i10 is about to launch, this is really good news for hatchback lovers, isn't it.
Hi all,
I always fill my car up when it needs refuelling. My mate only ever fills his half way arguing that the extra weight of a full tank increases weight and therefore reduces mpg.
My car has a 60 litre tank, so a full tank weighs 30 kg more than a half full tank (1 litre = 1 kg).
Personally, with 250 commuting miles per week, I don't want to keep refuelling it all the time. A good fill up can last almost two weeks.
What are your experiences and what do you prefer? Read more
If you have a diesel with DPF then always fill to the brim and only fill when almost empty, putting a tenners worth in will soon deplete you additive since it injects an amount into the fuel tank everytime you open the fuel filler flap
On the above car I have noticed a lack of willingness to change up in gear.
This only happens periodically and always when changing from 3 to 4 and sometimes 4 to 5.... Read more
Hello
Can anyone help me please im looking for location of EGR valve on vauxhall vectra 2.2 direct 2006 i think its next to fuel injection pump on right side of engine under the cover can anyone confirm ?... Read more
Browse
Yeah, I'm thinking about one myself. Almost needed it on the Fosse Way on Saturday:
I was fourth with a BMW in front of me and a Lancia Coupe in front of that and something else leading. The beemer in front of me overtook both cars and I hung back to see if the Lancia was going to pull out. I gave him about 5-7 seconds and then went for the overtake when he made no move. I was half way down his flank, my bonnet right outside his drivers window when he decided to pull out to overtake without looking to the side or behind. Luckily I was in third, all 260 horses on tap and there was about 3 feet of road left to my right. He never pulled back in!!!!!! I simply had to use my cars power to get past quick enough before he hit us!!!