whats the worst that can happen? Success

[peanut]

Well it had to happen one day i suppose. I got rear-ended this morning by some plonker in a Toyota Yaris .
Slowed from 15mph to a gradual stop as I waited for cars to feed through a speed chicane in our village.

Next thing i know theres a big thump from the rear and the Pig shunts forward a few feet.
I wait for the last 2x cars to feed through the chicane and get out just in time to notice all the witnesses to the accident drive away at speed.

I look back to the parked car which had caused me to stop as he was about to drive off as well []

I shout out he stops and I tell him he is a witness and he must stop to give his details.

I turn back to the Yaris owner who has shunted me as he waves to the only witness . Yes the witness and the yaris driver are old buddys ![]

I check the cars . The Yaris ....nothing at all. Turn to my Porsche S2 and something doesn't look right. Closer inspection reveals the bumper has been shoved in so hard it has jammed in with part of the end of the bumper wedged over the rear wing. Fortunately the rear valance and bulkhead hasn't been damaged and the wing looks ok.

What to do ?


My once perfect 89 S2 now has accident damage. It will probably be written off and I'll have a higher premium to pay next year.
Worse still its going to cost several hundred pounds to replace the bumper and respray. The car will be Cat D and I'll have lost a £1k off the value .


What would you do ? Ask the Yaris driver if he is prepared to pay cash towards the repair and get it done privately so we both keep our no-claims and the car isn't written off ?

 

[944 man]

If the only damage is to the compressed fibre bumber then it wont be written off. If youre proactive then you can have a great influence on the outcome (sort out your own repair quoates, use a used bumper etc).

 

[peanut]

yes but through insurance companies ? or privately with the Yaris owner ? which would you do ? The Insurance assessor could assess the damage as £750 + which could easily exceed what he thinks is viable for a 21 year old car . What value can you expect on such an old car which hasn't been in the book for 10 years ? plus losing my no claims bonus ?

 

[zcacogp]

Sounds like you have left the scene, so suggestions about taking photos are too late ... If it was a rear-end shunt, it needs a very good reason for the other (guilty) party to not admit blame, either then and there or later on. I had my S2 rear-ended twice in less than 6 months recently. As Simon said, replacement of a bumper isn't that pricey, and shouldn't write the car off. Any more damage and it's a downward slope from there ... have it assessed properly, and take it from there. If the guilty party is willing to play ball then you can save yourself (and him) a lot of money. Talking to him sensibly is your next step. Did he admit liability at the scene? Oli. ETA: Last quote for repair was £830, from an OPC bodyshop. Insurance paid for that with no quibble, plus some out-of-pocket expenses. My S2 is insured for £4k, or thereabouts, so I can't imagine that yours will be substantially different. PM me and I can send you the quote for repair of mine.

 

[peanut]

ORIGINAL: zcacogp Sounds like you have left the scene, so suggestions about taking photos are too late ... If it was a rear-end shunt, it needs a very good reason for the other (guilty) party to not admit blame, either then and there or later on. I had my S2 rear-ended twice in less than 6 months recently. As Simon said, replacement of a bumper isn't that pricey, and shouldn't write the car off. Any more damage and it's a downward slope from there ... have it assessed properly, and take it from there. If the guilty party is willing to play ball then you can save yourself (and him) a lot of money. Talking to him sensibly is your next step. Did he admit liability at the scene? ETA: Last quote for repair was £830, from an OPC bodyshop. Insurance paid for that with no quibble, plus some out-of-pocket expenses. My S2 is insured for £4k, or thereabouts, so I can't imagine that yours will be substantially different. PM me and I can send you the quote for repair of mine.

Thanks Oli. a repair quote would be very helpful. I'd be strapped to get one locally . nearest would be a 35 mile hike for me and i can't leave my Dad unattended at the minute. No guilt admitted although he did excuse himself by saying the road surface was very slippy (which it was surprisingly ) His mate in the parked car claims he saw nothing but I suspect they saw each other and yaris man was distracted for a moment and didn't expect me to stop in front of him. The whole incident was caused by several cars following each other through a chicane in front of me ,against the give way sign which was in my favour, forcing me to stop.

 

[Neil Haughey]

Peanut, sounds like you need a trip down to Tim O'Dowd (Marque21 Racing) down in Bridport. He isn't a body shop per see but as a Porsche specialist and car builder/restorer he knows all the best outfits in the west Dorset area. He drives a 944 himself and I am sure he can help you out.

 

[peanut]

ORIGINAL: Neil Haughey Peanut, sounds like you need a trip down to Tim O'Dowd (Marque21 Racing) down in Bridport. He isn't a body shop per see but as a Porsche specialist and car builder/restorer he knows all the best outfits in the west Dorset area. He drives a 944 himself and I am sure he can help you out.

thanks Neil that sounds like a useful link.I actually have a top quality body repair shop 1/2 mile down the road but the last time I took a 944 in there for a cill repair the assessor visibly cringed and turned his nose up when he saw my car.[] Might try them again tomorrow.

 

[944 man]

*facepalm*

 

[peanut]

ORIGINAL: 944 man *facepalm*

[]sigh[][][]

 

[Alpine]

I assume the Yaris guy gave you his name and address? I'd get a quote for repairs and send it to him, ask him to confirm he will pay. If he will, then no need to bother with insurers at all. If he wont, you could always take him through small claims track of County Court. As already said, if he hit you from behind then he is at fault for not leaving a sufficient gap in which to stop.

 

[peanut]

I think I might try that route. I'll see what price the local shop come up with . Oli has kindly sent me a recent OPC quote as a guide so one more quote should do it. If I can get a price about half the opc from a good bodyshop then it might be in Yaris owner's interest.

 

[Pastry]

my brother got shunted few years ago and the guy tried to wriggle out of it, so bro threatened to sue for whiplash. the guy then paid, car was written off, bro bought it back off the insurer and had it fixed locally for less than the payout. mind you it was only a metro [8|]

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: peanut If I can get a price about half the opc from a good bodyshop then it might be in Yaris owner's interest.

That should be easy, particularly if you get a 'used' bumper. BUT Make sure that the bumper is the only thing damaged. The quote I had (and sent you) is for no more than replacing the bumper (yes, extortionate for that, I know!) Have a GOOD look for any more damage ... Oli.

 

[peanut]

good news . The guy whose Yaris rear ended my S2 has contacted his insurance company and admitted guilt. His insurers phoned me and offered free repair from one of their approved repairers and curtesy car (brand new saloon) with free insurance and zero excess. As long as the repairers are willing to use Porsche paint and fit a new bumper and shocks I guess thats a result ? so what can go wrong ??? any further advice welcome

 

[MRGT]

Whilst I am very happy you have the result you were looking for, I would just add a note of caution about 'approved repairers' Some years ago my old Primera GT was rear ended by a Subaru pick up, it took 6 weeks for them to replace the rear wing and even then the panel fit was so poor that I refused to accept it (this in the Oxford area) This summer my wife had to have a new front grill and front lower valence on her Panda. The 'approved repairer' (Exeter area) this time took eight weeks and when the car was returned the lower valence was a slightly different shade to the rest of the car. They claimed that 'well the rest of the car has faded over time sir' I patiently explained that if my local body shop working out of a small unit in Okehampton can do a virtually perfect match on a 23 year old car then I am damn sure that they should be able to the same on a car less than 2 years old ! As you can tell I am not a fan of so called 'approved' repairers [] Howard T

 

[peanut]

mmm now you have aroused all my fears . I think i will still get a quote from the local repair shop who are very highly thought of locally. I don't like the idea of my baby being shunted around a car park for 8 weeks and being thrashed by the garage grease monkeys. I wonder if it is still possible to get Porsche paint ?

 

[Fred Hindle]

They should have a list of Porsche Approved Repairers. You can stipulate that the car goes to one of them. At least the people there will be used to dealing with Porsches so less likely for anyone to misuse it. Cheers,

 

[peanut]

ORIGINAL: Fred Hindle They should have a list of Porsche Approved Repairers. You can stipulate that the car goes to one of them. At least the people there will be used to dealing with Porsches so less likely for anyone to misuse it. Cheers,

there is only one centre near me Fred and it is 110 mile round trip and that just isn't an option I'm afraid. I can't see them offering to trailering the car to Exeter and back twice. My best bet is to use a recognised centre of excellence locally and insist they use Porsche paint

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Most insurers have a list of approved repairers. Problem is, the insurer has a list of requirements; pot plants, courteousy cars, flash coffee etc. This doesn't guarantee a good result, as they also have to come in at the lowest price so all the "free" extras are taken out of the workmanship. I'd rather trust a local, independant repairer any time. You should be able to argue it with the insurer as it'll save them money. Just don't expect a pretty Blonde to keep you distracted whilst the car is being repaired by a spotty trainee, it's more likely that the owner of the business will be doing the work while you get the train home, safe in the knowledge that he has a reputation to keep, rather than a contract to repair loads of Corsas at the lowest price. [8|]

 

[peanut]

no courtesy car..... no pretty blonde ....no coffee ... what kind of establishment are they running forcrissakes ?[]