To not bail DD out with car damage

This every time.

I mean, you’re right, but it’s as well to be forewarned that it might be a much more awkward conversation than she might realize.

Better late than never.

I’m sure if she explained she’s new to having her own car and didn’t realise she should tell them because she thought it would be easier to just pay the other car owner, they would be lenient. Even if they told her she’d have to pay the claim she would still have done the right thing.

I do realise that ‘doing the right thing’ is a pathetic, wishy washy, middle class, woke, etc. etc. concept.

I had a young girl drive into my car (slightly different - no ice, but I suspect she was on her phone). I was happy enough to get a private quote and she pay me or the garage directly. The cost was just over £500.

Thought it was all sorted, until her Dad rang me and started to haggle on the cost. I immediately shut him down (the cheeky sod) and told him that he was now responsible for me going straight to my insurance company and dealing with it all correctly. She then phoned me and said ‘sorry’ and she was ok with the £500 and she would pay me £100 a month!!!

If I was the owner of the other car, I would just go through the insurance.

Sorry but your DH is beyond cheeky.

She’s working and going to college. Hardly ‘ spoiled brat’ territory.
What a deeply unkind post

She’s 18, at college and works.
What a great kid.
Some people need to learn lessons first hand. I think you’re being a bit mean here.

What an arsehole her father is but she's 18 and old enough to know the difference between right and wrong. She damaged someone's car and she needs to pay for the repair (and she absolutely should be doing this through her insurance).

Check her policy. You say this happened a few weeks ago. Your policy will say the time frame within which you are supposed to inform them after an accident.

Oh, I think that’s a shame.I think a better idea would be to sit with her, read through her policy together and highlight where it tells her she must report all accidents. Then explain the possible consequences of not doing so.

Good, he has her best interests at heart on this issue.

Lumping her with years of v high insurance premiums for what was a unavoidable incident is cruel, imho.

I don't think the private land thing washes... damage is damage, what she doesn't want is the guy claiming against her via insurance.

Considering the OP says when it was really icy a few weeks ago her car skidded in the college car park, causing £600 worth of damage to another car. there isn’t much window left to inform the insurers without any consequences.

The private land thing is of course rubbish.

But the other owner is also disincentivised from reporting a small accident. No fault claims do NOT mean no cost. Their premiums may also increase. The insurers look at it like this person parks in an area where they are likely to get hit by others (many of whom drive off, meaning they pay for the repairs) therefore the risk exposure is increased.

I haven’t RTFT, but the father sounds sensible.

Yeah, sorry, it was more of a rhetorical question. 😉 I realise about the perception of increase in premiums and loss of NCB.

The problem is that’s not only partially a false premise but not taking responsibility for their actions which potentially could bite them on the bum. They could find themselves backlisted not just by their current insurance company but refused by others in the future. Insurance companies work very closely together to prevent fraud etc. Nobody likes a liar and there are consequences.

Despite what people on here say about the ‘correct’ way of doing things, claiming on insurance for only six hundred quid would be madness. At 18 it would cost thousands in excess and increased premiums for years.
Any sensible and honourable person would immediately pay for the damage and shut up.
So someone has to lend her the money. With a repayment schedule. This is called education. Kids are daft and need to learn.

Tell her that's bullshit, pull up links if you have to, and explain to her that she will have no protection if the garage does a terrible job or the other driver tries to mess her around and it could likely end up costing far more. If she goes through insurance, they will sort out everything, she never has to deal with the other driver, she just pays the excess (presumably) and that's the end of it. No further stress. Perhaps tell her that if she doesn't use insurance, you will not contribute to the premiums when the policy renews.

If she insists on being an idiot after that then there's nothing you can do.

Your husband has increased the likelihood that the other car owner will report the accident and damage to their insurance if she follows his advice.

It's time for her to be paying all insurance on her car.

Her father has told her not to go through insurance and actually argue the price down of the quote for the private repair!
He also says as the incident happened on private land (she’s an independent college) that changes things legally.
I honestly despair

I'd let them sort it out between them tbh (and refuse to pay half of the insurance when it renews).

Course I’ve got car insurance. What a silly question to ask

dh had to pay his excess when hit a car but he didn’t do damage to his van

They're scared of higher premiums or losing a no claims bonus.

I haven't had to make a claim for about 15 years, but I do seem to recall that the hit really wasn't that terrible. I appreciate there are a lot of factors at play, but still.

But this is what insurance is for. Not having to scrabble around finding the money and not having to worry about getting ripped off or done over by a cowboy mechanic or false claim. It's protection. Use it!

So again, is she making any contribution to the household from these "good wages"?

i'm aware a lot of parents don't ask for this, saying they want to support their DCs in saving "for a place of their own" or whatever, but that hardly applies here since your DD isn't saving at all

I know what you meant. It isn’t weird - it’s logical, because it means that people can’t drive (legally) and then claim that they can’t afford to pay for damage they caused.

Excess is usually part of the cover for the damage you cause to your own vehicle. If insurers did not add excess to claims, drivers could be forever claiming for every scratch and dent in their car. And also, if an accident claim goes to court, the driver is much more likely to cooperate and support the claim if some of their own money is involved. They are less likely to give a dam if the claim is all about their insurance company’s money.