Damaged vehicle

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
View Threaded
Fri 24 Jan 2020 00:57
Damaged vehicle - Gareth Philipson

Hi whilst I was in bed for doing a 12hr night shift the bin man smashed the mirror in my wing mirror which he admitted liability he was in contact with my partner and said he would sort it out himself which I was happy with but the day after the accident I was reversing my van outside my mothers house and the damaged passenger wing mirror was closest to the curb when I have hit the neighbours car which was parked on the path might I add which the wheels were over hanging by 3" it wasn't a lot of damage but it broke my mirror off completely and the neighbours car had a scrape from the front wing to the rear driver side door now I have paid for that damage as it was my fault but I have stopped using my van incase I damage or cause any further accidents the worker has since told us that he has informed his boss at the council iam in contact with the council but as I have stopped using my van I have been getting taxis to work which is only 3 miles away but still this is 4 times a week now I know I can't claim for the neighbours damage but can I claim for my taxi fares to and from work and do I just buy the replacement mirror lens and fit that to my damaged wing mirror

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 24 Jan 2020 05:43
Damaged vehicle - Wee Willie Winkie

Difficult to unravel all that due to a complete lack of punctuation.

Put it in the hands of your insurer, or speak to the council to get their insurance details and speak to them. I wouldn't have thought you can claim for taxi journeys when the issue is so easily solved.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 24 Jan 2020 10:10
Damaged vehicle - catsdad
If you have already paid for the damage you did then is the only outstanding item your broken mirror glass?

If so I suggest you don't ask your insurers to handle it as you will probably lose your no claims bonus even though it's not your fault.

Just buy a temporary mirror glass online to get you back on the road until the council or the driver pay for a proper repair.

Technically you probably could claim for taxis if the van is not road legal due to the mirror damage but the council might well resist as it's so easy to fix. You would then need to get the insurance company to deal on your behalf but you are risking a lot of inconvenience and possible expense for the sake of a broken mirror glass.

I think you will find you need to notify your insurers of both incidents anyway (check your policy) but make sure you are just notifyiing, not asking them to deal with the matters for you. If they deal your premium might be affected.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 24 Jan 2020 10:47
Damaged vehicle - galileo

The OP says when he misjudged his parking and hit the neighbour's car he knocked his mirror off completely, so a new glass will not solve the problem.

This is also more damage than the council lorry caused, so may not be a simple claim.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 24 Jan 2020 12:51
Damaged vehicle - Gibbo_Wirral

Deleted, wrong thread

Edited by Gibbo_Wirral on 24/01/2020 at 12:51

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 24 Jan 2020 13:14
Damaged vehicle - catsdad
Galileo, you may be right but as the OP specifically referred to the passenger mirror in the second incident I assumed it was a second mirror. This would mean the original mirror is still the council's responsibility and the second mirror the OP's.

In that case, having paid for the third party damage he caused in the second incident, I wouldn't think it makes sense to claim for the second mirror.on his insurance.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 24 Jan 2020 13:34
Damaged vehicle - galileo
Galileo, you may be right but as the OP specifically referred to the passenger mirror in the second incident I assumed it was a second mirror. This would mean the original mirror is still the council's responsibility and the second mirror the OP's. In that case, having paid for the third party damage he caused in the second incident, I wouldn't think it makes sense to claim for the second mirror.on his insurance.

bin man smashed the mirror in my wing mirror which he admitted liability he was in contact with my partner and said he would sort it out himself which I was happy with but the day after the accident I was reversing my van outside my mothers house and the damaged passenger wing mirror was closest to the curb when I have hit the neighbours car which was parked on the

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 24 Jan 2020 14:19
Damaged vehicle - catsdad
OK Galileo, your optics beat my cats' eyes!

The OP still refers to replacing the lens so presumably if it's all one mirror it's still repairable.

Either way if we are just talking about damaged mirror(s) then I would not be putting it into my insurers hands or running up taxi fares if it was readily temporarily repairable.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 24 Jan 2020 16:02
Damaged vehicle - thunderbird

The last time I had to buy a mirror lens it cost me about £10 in the mid 80's.

But the last time I remember a colleague having to buy a complete mirror assembly it was for a Honda Jazz and the cost was about £170 in possibly 2006 (ish). That was an electric mirror but to the colleagues delight it came colour coded, no need to pay a body shop to match it.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 24 Jan 2020 16:10
Damaged vehicle - Bromptonaut

Unless being unable to use the van was a direct consequence of the damage done by the council lorry impact then there's not a snowball's of a claim on the council for taxis succeeding.

My reading of the OP is that at least in part the second accident has dented his confidence and it's for that reason he's not driving.

Edited by Bromptonaut on 24/01/2020 at 18:03

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 24 Jan 2020 16:36
Damaged vehicle - Andrew-T

If it's just a matter of replacing an entire mirror you may be able to find one on Ebay (less likely for a van I guess?) and DiY for not much money.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

We give you the low down on how to save on insurance, little-known tricks and tips, what insurance groups mean and how to use insurance aggregators to beat insurers.

Insurance group finder and how to save on insurance

From economical vans to those that have the largest payloads, we have a shortlist for everyone - click to find out which will suit your needs.

Undecided on which van to buy? Our Top 10 shortlists can help...