Bumped a car, excessive quote

[lilsquish]

morning, last week i bumped a car in a school car park causing slight damage to both cars.

I exchanged details and took photos of the damage. Very slight, scrapes - no dents. The owner stated she would take it to a garage to get a quote for repair. All fine.

When i got home, my huaband wiped down the scrapes with some T cut and it was good as new. I contacted the other owner and suggested she try this however she wanted to take it to a garage instead.

My husband had a quick look at her car the next day (it was in school carpark) and 100% certain the damage was less than my car and would buff out.

Now iv just had the quote from the garage through and i feel its very excessive.

Theyre quoting £550, itemising repair abd repaint in two areas and refitting the bumper.

Has anyone had any experience if this and know what i can do?

I wanted to settle it without claiming insurance to prevent premium going up etc but i feel this quote is ridiculous.

Its definitely a real quote etc, I dont in any way think the girl is trying to get anything more than she is due, i think the garage tho has bumped up the bill as they think insurance is paying........help!!

I didn’t have to run around getting quotes for my insurance company either, when I scraped my car. They collected my car, organised a loaner in its absence, and fixed it at their approved body shop with the work guaranteed. This was during lockdown in April, too, so I was pretty impressed with the service. It was all very hassle free.

As far as I can see, the most inconvenient option for her is if I DID go through insurance as the insurance company will want her to get a few quotes before progressing and more likey to be a while before its fixed.

That is not how it works at all, as pp's have already pointed out. I think the key thing here OP is that you need to remember she is doing you a favour and,no matter how you try to dress it up, not the other way round.

[quote ExclamationPerfume]@Ideasplease322 in my experience insurance companies work exactly like you think. They have their own designated places you take the car to and usually get a courtesy car. I have had my car repaired about 5 times through no fault of my own and have never had to get quotes.

@lilsquish Your insurance company will want to know why you haven't informed them already if you do decide to claim after all.[/quote]
That is why I always assumed People are asking for a favour when the ask not to involve insurance companies.

It is much more convenient and all the organisation, risk and responsibility is taken by them.

No quotes, so awkward negotiations, a courtesy car etc etc. The downside is all with the at fault driver - I.e. future premiums.

Of course OP’s insurance company might operate differently than my understanding.

Yeah. When I got hit I went through my insurance. They dealt with everything and I got a loan car til mine was fixed. I wasn’t inconvenienced.

When the wee boy scraped his name all over my car with a stone it was a serious ball ache.

I had to schlep to the buffer bloke, then contact the woman and say I wasn’t happy.

Then I’d her and her husband texting me moaning if I wouldn’t be happy with the buffing.

Then I’d to wait til she contacted the proper body shop 2 days later. It was out of my way to drop the car off and I had to get a lift back and do without my car for 5 days.

Insurance will pick up her car, bring a hire car and take her car to the insurance providers approved garage.

It'd be easier for her to go through insurance, especially if she gets a hire car.

@SlippersForFlippers

Insurance will pick up her car, bring a hire car and take her car to the insurance providers approved garage.

It'd be easier for her to go through insurance, especially if she gets a hire car.

And then she will be hounded for a couple of years by places that push fake personal injury claims.

If a mobile damage repair company can do it on the drive it's far more convenient.

And then she will be hounded for a couple of years by places that push fake personal injury claims

I haven’t had a single approach from one of those since my scrape and insurance claim in April. That’s a very oblique reason not to use insurance.

I think everyone was just correcting op when she said it would be more inconvenient for the lady she hit to go through insurance because the poor lady would have to run around and get a lot of quotes.

That doesn’t seem to be the case.

I get fake personal injury calls all the time and I haven’t been in an accident.

In this case, with op not being happy about quotes and getting the mobile place in, I think I would rather go through insurance.

When my car was recently bumped the guy at the centre told me to be careful - people often underestimate the cost of repair, ask people not to go through insurance then kick up A fuss when the bill arrives. Body work is always expensive. He said he has seen countless disputes.

Op seems to be going to pay okay, so hopefully this will be sorted to both drivers satisfaction.

But I can see why people refuse to handle these things imformally if they are not at fault

Zombie thread I know.
Please can you share the details of who you used, just incase you are local !

She needs to stop inconveniencing herself and just claim on your insurance. Not in a million years would I be running around getting multiple quotes to protect someone else’s NCB.

We had someone bump into our car last year, they also wanted to go off insurance, (you do still have to let your insurance company know). Very minor dent, bit of damage to the paintwork but not too bad. Took it to a garage, they quoted £1300. To our minds utterly ridiculous but as he explained, it’s not a case of using hot water and a plunger (as per YouTube and tiktok)

I would just pay and write it down to experience, involving insurance will cost you more in the long run.

Body work is surprising expensive. She has a right to have the car in the same state it was before for her resale value to not change.

I was in a similar situation a few years ago. My car got damage and we decided to do it privately to avoid this.

My garage told me it would be £150 but add £100 and pocket some money from yourself.

In the end we just went through Insurance because the woman ended up going MIA and I later found out she wasn’t even insured.

So I’d be very careful. Just becuase it’s come from a garage doesn’t mean it’s legit.

Your premium will not go up that much.

Mine didn’t. And a year later I had my car stolen and my insurance was fine!