Insurance problem

[Denny]

Hi all, 7th of July my 71 c3 took a whack to the front end, bent bumper and a it of paint where the bumper hit the nose, the headlights still go up and down but are catching the bumper brackets, also a crack has appeared from the left side headlamp aperture towards the centre of the nose. My insurance company sent a engineer to look at the damage and he refuses to belive the crack was part of the accident. He says it's a preexisting paint defect and it's his duty to keep costs down for the other party. I have sent off some pictures of the car prior to the accident but have had no response yet.

 

[Chuffer]

Hi all, 7th of July my 71 c3 took a whack to the front end, bent bumper and a it of paint where the bumper hit the nose, the headlights still go up and down but are catching the bumper brackets, also a crack has appeared from the left side headlamp aperture towards the centre of the nose. My insurance company sent a engineer to look at the damage and he refuses to belive the crack was part of the accident. He says it's a preexisting paint defect and it's his duty to keep costs down for the other party. I have sent off some pictures of the car prior to the accident but have had no response yet.

Do you have classic car insurance with a guarenteed insurance valuation certicate ? If so you will have had to submit photos for the valuation to be agreed . I appreciate that this might have been a while ago but could help you fight your case . I would also insist that another assessor is sent to look at your car for a second opinion . You need someone with a good understanding of glass fibre cars . Assessors are usually independent sub contractors working for the insurance company so in my opinion you have a right to have someone who has a good understanding of your car . If you can prove the crack was not pre existing you have a legal right right to have your car returned to the same condition it was in prior to the incident . Don`t be fobbed off . Good luck , getting your car dinged is bad enough without having hassle getting it put right to an acceptable standard .

 

[Denny]

thanks for the advice, i will try to get the insurance company to send another assessor and see what happens.

 

[SESH]

Personally I would get my own independent assessment done. You can then produce this to the insurance company. If you get the assessment done by the bodywork company who are going to do the repair work you will probably get it free of charge.