Hard luck NW, happens to everyone sooner or later.
Don't go anywhere in it until it's been fixed. May be just a bent track rod but other damage is possible.
|
|
|
My **guess** would be LH steering rod has buckled a bit. Not too difficult a job to fix and the part is not dear - if its a very minor buckle then maybe leave it and just adjust the tracking back. Even if the rack is damaged they are not that expensive on the Almera (about £150 exch. from a factor). Wishbones are also a reasonable price on the aftermarket (Primera ones are about £25 from QH, Almera should be similiar) - however if the impact was as gentle as you say then wishbone is probably OK.
Its a bit more than Kwik-Fit can handle, but a decent independent with some optical alignment kit should be able to do the job, no problem. I would hold off on the insurance until you have had the damage checked. It may very well cost less than your excess.
Check the wheel and tyre carefully for any damage or bulges. Check for cracks if you have alloy wheels.
I wouldn't drive the car far until its inspected - at the very least you'll scrub rubber off the tyre.
|
|
If it becomes an insurance job, does your cover entitle you to a courtesy car? Just a thought, although you're cutting it fine for Wednesday.
|
|
I would inform your insurer with a view to getting a courtesy car for your long journey, after all the Ka driver may still claim against you in which case it probably would not be worth stumping up cash for the combined cost to protect any bonus you have.
|
|
If the accident was in heavy rain you would not be able to establish the level of damage. I can dell you that the is the KA impacted your wheel then the KA will have sustained damage. This sounds like a staight insurance Job and a courtesy car for you. No doubt the other party will claim and you may loose your NCB is not protected and your excess. Report it book it in and get on. Regards Peter
|
I wouldnt be so quick to call in the insurers, You swapped details withthe other driver, give them a ring nd ask how they are etc, appologise. You may get an idea of how bad the damage is. Ask if they have had it checked, sometimes what looks trivial can hide something more serious.
Meanwhile try and work out how much the cost needs to be before you are better off claiming on insurance. Remember that your ncb will be shot and you get a loading on future premiums.
I would say that if the cost to fix is less than double the excess or say £500 then diy. You can hire a small car for the day for £25 I think.
good luck
|
When ever there is a third party involved *always* inform your insurer even if no claims are involved. You have no control or influence over the third party and at any time they can go pear shaped. The insurance company will be awfully upset if they dont know and will throw toys out of pram if it all comes back to them.
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
|
Happy Birthday for yesterday Now Wheels. It was my birthday too!
I knocked my wife's vectra on the kerb a few weeks ago, with the same result - steering wheel at a funny angle, wheels angled inwards etc. I had done a fair bit of damage despite the very low impact speed, and it turned out to be an insurance job.
You need to get it checked pronto, if you are really not happy about driving it to the garage (which I wouldn't recommend) inform your insurers, and they will arrange collection to the approved repairer.
--
let me be the last to let you down....
|
|
You must inform your company whether you claim or not;read the small print.
|
Many, many thanks to everyone who offered help and advice -- it was really useful. (oh, and happy birthday to you too, Adam :P)
My friend whose husband is in the trade called as well to say that there might be similar damage, so I set off this morning prepared for a fairly big bill. However, when I went back at the end of the day, it turned out that there was nothing broken, and that adjusting the tracking had done the trick. Phew!
Best of all, final bill only £29 (I was expecting upwards of ten times that). I was very relieved ... and now I can set off my long journey tomorow without having to faff around fitting my gun rack to a hire car ;)
Anyway, this morning I called my insurer and told them about the incident, but said that at this stage I was not making a claim, which they seemed happy with. When I called the other party this evening, it turned out that my insurers had promptly called her after I'd put down the phone to them, to check her out.
But then it turned out that I was in luck. First, she was still being as nice about it all as she had been at the time, and told me that she was fine, which was a relief. The next bit of good luck was that she put me on to her Dad, who she said was more knowledgeable than her about these things.
That was good luck because not only was he very nice and very sensible, it turns out that he happens to works for my insurers ... and takes the view that this sort of thing happens, and it's only a metal box, so best to get it fixed with minimal hassle and move on. Anyway, he said that if they took the car to the dealer, they'd charge a few hundred for respraying the whole bumper, which he reckoned was daft, and instead he was going ti take the car on thursday to the local Chips Away man. Phew!
He reckons it'll probabbly cost about £40 to £60, but that they'd get back to me as soon as they had an estimate ... so I explained that I'd be away, but didn't want to delay things and if it was going to be less than £100, please get it done ASAP and I'd pay up.
So, fingers crossed, it all seems so far that I have been very lucky: if I was going to have a collision, it couldn't have been with more reasonable people.
Just one further question to y'all. They are going to send me the bill for the Chips Away work, for which I'll reimburse them pronto (and add a few quid for their trouble). However, it occurred to me that it would be a good idea all round to add a note saying something like "By accepting this cheque you agree that you accept it as full and final settlement for any liability arising from the collision on 27th March". Is that a good idea?
Thanks!
|
no.............
youve been given very goodwill dont leave a nasty taste afterwards.
if as they say less than £100 you are a lucky lady pay the bill stick a twenty in the envelope for the man to have a drink and move on.
--
\"a little man in a big world/\"
|
no............. youve been given very goodwill dont leave a nasty taste afterwards. if as they say less than £100 you are a lucky lady pay the bill stick a twenty in the envelope for the man to have a drink and move on.
Thanks, oldman, I think you are right. There was something about that idea which didn't feel quite right, but I couldn't figure out what!
|
I'm made up you've got it fixed very easily NW but I fear you may be suffering from some sort of post traumatic stress for it was Lordy's birthday not mine.
Thanks though!
(Mine's the 22nd August. Put it in your diary)
|
Rather than adding "a few quid for their trouble" why don't you send her some flowers (or other gift) with a "Sorry we met like that" message?
Much nicer than a few quid in an envelope I would think.
Kevin...
|
|
If it were me I'd rather have the few quid....
|
|
Glad it turned out alright. Like I said further up, just a mild bend in the steering rod. You'd be surprised how many cars there are with this - usually from hitting kerbs etc. I once bought a Merc that had a steering rod bent like a boomerang - yet someone had managed to set the steering straight! I replaced it with a new one straight away!
|
Hi Aprilia,
I had a similar problem hitting kerb with my merc on snow.. I dont knw if the steering rod is bent. when I straighten one wheel the other wheel seems to be in different angle. I havn't made a visit to a mechanic yet. Do u think I would need to change the rod? the rims have to be changed. how much would it cost be to change the rod? please suggest.
Thanks
Akshay
|
Hi Aprilia
He last visited the forum on Tue 26 Feb 2008
Maybe someone else with similar experience and knowledge can help you.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 06/01/2010 at 20:10
|
Aprilia,
We all know most guys would prefer beer tokens. However, I have it on good authority that 'unexpected' and 'thoughtfull' gifts are sometimes appreciated more than money by the illogical^Wfairer sex.
Kevin...
|
The only thing that seems strange is that "my steering wheel was pointing 15-20degrees to the left" would seem to be more than a slightly bent track rod, nevertheless if it is a reputable dealer that has looked at the car then rest assured that all is well.
Reckon a £10 bunch of flowers shows more thought than £20 in an envelope.
|
Its a woman Cheesey me old mate. It was more like 1.5 to 2 degrees.
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
|
The only thing that seems strange is that "my steering wheel was pointing 15-20degrees to the left" would seem to be more than a slightly bent track rod, nevertheless if it is a reputable dealer that has looked at the car then rest assured that all is well.
Thanks, Cheddar. I didn't really think about that at the time, 'cos I was so delighted to escape a huge bill.
But what I did do before I drove to the garage was to park up with the car pointing straight ahead and see if I could spot any difference in the angle of the front wheels, and I couldn't see anything. I'm holding onto the notion that if it was big trouble, there'd have been a visible difference ... and please don't disillusion me!
Reckon a £10 bunch of flowers shows more thought than £20 in an envelope.
I think you are right, so I have ordered a present for her. She told me her occupation, so I decided to give her a little-known book which I hope would interest someone in her line of business.
TVM wrote:Its a woman Cheesey me old mate. It was more like 1.5 to 2 degrees.
:P :P
Ah, but this is a woman with a scientific education who had an engineer father. Back in the iron age, when I was a young 'un at NowWheels Manor, it was a serious misdemeanour not to measure things properly.
Anyway, honest, it really was 15-20 degrees! I even measured it with a spirit level and protractor. Howzat for a saddo girl ;)
|
Might be worth getting it rechecked at the next service.
I was inclined to ignore TV Man's (do you do aerials?) remark though I have to agree, Mrs "Cheesey" would not notice 45 degrees and would probably reckon that a protractor was a fancy John Deere, well she was brought up in a farming community you know.
|
Bent steering arms are not unusual at all. That's why they are made of expensive forged steel which can bend 'like a banana' and still retain most of its strength and toughness.
Optical tracking will probably notice whether anything else in the suspension is damaged, but the wheel itself may be slightly buckled - easy to check - and wheel bearing damage is also a possibility, although this may only show up later.
I must congratulate NW on choosing a decent person to have a collision with, and for her own obviously charming behaviour. However she should beware of showering the lady with too many gifts, or she may find her lying in wait at another blind junction one day hoping to revive their friendship.
|
And I hit a bus! The bus driver wouldn't accept any flowers.
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
|
The car has been damaged, and you know it is not right.
So do the decent thing and take it to a reputable garage and get it off the road and fixed.
|
|
Sandy, the original question is nearly 4 yrs old. I'm pretty certain that NowWheels has another car by now.
|
|
|
