One of my friends hit a car and was wondering what to do?
Posted by Unique_Rope2504@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 15 comments
A friend of mine, whose only just passed a few months ago, hit a Bmw M3 competition m xdrive auto. He was reversing at night and ended up damaging the door quite badly. Id say the dent is quite deep and most likely the guy will need a new door and potentially a new mirror. He is confident that he wants to go privately but I personally think that insurance may be the way to go. Were not sure of the cost of the new door etc but I suggested it would be a couple of grand and he seemed fine with it. He just doesn't want the hassle of his parents down his neck. Overall say it cost 5k at worst, it it better to go through insurance or privately. The guy he hit was very calm about it and said theyd work it out.
itsapotatosalad@reddit
Someone hit the rear door of my 320d a few years ago, it was a 9 grand repair.
Far-Radio856@reddit
Being nice back ( hopefully)
it might invalidate your contract with your insurance ( almost certainly would )
But is it fraud? I don’t think so.
Fraud would mean you have set out to deceive someone.
If I smash someone’s wing mirror ( for example ) and pay for it to be fixed, and they are happy with that; then that is not fraud.
It may invalidate my insurance ( a business contract ) but it is in no way committing insurance fraud.
ResplendentBear@reddit
If he doesn't contact his insurance he's committing fraud. But a lot of people, even people who work in insurance, do do that.
Beyond that you've got to hope if you do it privately the person you hit is nice about it, and a decent person.
Far-Radio856@reddit
That’s surly bollocks. There is nothing to say you can’t settle something privately between two parties.
ResplendentBear@reddit
It's surely not bollocks. If you insure a car (or house) you have to inform your insurer of any incidents.
I didn't say he couldn't then settle it another way. But at that point the no claims is gone anyway.
Far-Radio856@reddit
Yeah fair play I see where you’re coming from.
I don’t think that’s fraud though. If you Agree with another party to settle a “disagreement” then it’s non of your insures business
ResplendentBear@reddit
In the nicest possible way, you can think whatever you want, but that's not how the law works.
You've entered a contract and if you breach that contract by not disclosing material things you agreed to disclose, and potentially for your own financial gain, it's fraud. It's pretty black and white.
adeo54331@reddit
I genuinely don’t know the process, is going private fraud? Or can you tell them you are doing it privately but have to tell them? Are they ok with that? I have no clue.
imtheorangeycenter@reddit
Going private is not fraud, but not telling your insurer is against the T&Cs, which will tell you to tell them - partly because of filling out the risk picture of the customer, and partly because if there is more damage to your friends car in a weeks time on the same spot, they could reject any fix because "we do t know what is old damage and what is new".
Many people don't though.
ItsDominare@reddit
There's also the risk that you pay out however much in cash to the other party and then they later put a claim in against your insurance anyway to 'double dip'. You're then stuck, because if you admit you initially paid them directly they can get you for breaching the aforementioned T&Cs of the policy.
PowerApp101@reddit
Insurance, always.
Select_Yoghurt_1138@reddit
Go through insurance. That is going to be very very very expensive on that car, especially if the paint is individual. Could be 5 figures.
overcooked_biscuit@reddit
Yup a BMW M3 may look like any other regular bmw but it's priced as it is for a reason. The paint work alone could be worth in the thousands, and under the skin of the doors is a lot of electronics from the cables which connect sensors for the remote unlock, to various components for the sound system. If the owner claims a feature is no longer working such as the remote unlock which wires run along the side of the car, they could spend hundreds to have a tech diagnose the issue and if it can be linked back to OPs friend, you know the owner is going to try and rinse him for every penny.
moriath1@reddit
Person on the other end could fleece you without even trying. Its what insurance is for. But you have to contractually tell your insurance anyway. Up to you if you have 5k burning a hole in yr pocket. But my experience is that denting a door badly will probably involve more than just a new door. It could throw the sub frame out if there was enough force. And the seats behind it.
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