Minor Car Accident Settling outside of insurance (2024)

TEDDYRUKSPIN Posts: 1,528 Forumite

22 April 2009 at 10:06AM

Motto: 'If you don't ask, you don't get!!'

Remember to say thank you to people who help you out!

Also, thank you to people who help me out.

22 April 2009 at 10:08AM edited 22 April 2009 at 10:31AM

You should be careful - there may be more damage than you think, and there may be more expense than just the car repair (hire car whilst car in dock etc).

And how will you know the figure suggested is acceptable. If the matter is dealt with by insurance, and eventually you are found liable, then you can still repay your insurance company the money they have paid and have the claim removed from your history (if by contemplating this action you are wanting to preserve your NCB ).

Kinder_2 Posts: 3 Newbie

22 April 2009 at 11:05AM

Thanks for the replies.

Sorry, I shoudl clarify. I have only 3rd party insurance so am not claiming for damages to my car. That being the case, my insurance company would not activate any claim against my policy unless the other party makes a claim against it surely, and if we settle outside then that wouldn't happen.

Ther damage is absolutely minimal and happened at almost no speed, it is only a scrape. If we agreed that it was full and final then the other party couldn't then claim a hire car etc. If that's whatthey wanted to do then I would just go through the insurance.

It was really the documentation side of things I wanted clarification on.

22 April 2009 at 11:24AM

You don't really save anything by taking the action you propose - the third party can either claim off his own insurance (if he has comprehensive cover) or direct from you.

However he proceeds, if you are subsequently found liable, then your insurer will deal with the third party, and ensure the claim is dealt with as economically as possible. After any claim has been settled, you will have the opportunity of paying your insurer back in order to remove the claim from your record, (if you want to preserve your NCB).

The incident is now on your record, and may well affect your future premiums whether or not a claim is made (and must be declared to any future insurer asking if you have been involved in any incident during the last x years - usually 5 years)

pedro123456 Posts: 815 Forumite

22 April 2009 at 12:39PM

"The incident is now on your record, and may well affect your future premiums whether or not a claim is made (and must be declared to any future insurer asking if you have been involved in any incident during the last x years - usually 5 years)"......

There you have it in a nut shell Kinder..........Insurance companies are a law unto themselves and are allowed to do just what they want when they want......there endeth my speech.

Pete

22 April 2009 at 12:50PM

No points from the floor after your speech?

When Kinder took out the insurance, the conditions (agreed at the time of the sale) will have included that the insurer must be informed of any incidents that occur, whether or not a claim is made!

geri1965_2 Posts: 8,736 Forumite

22 April 2009 at 1:01PM

pedro123456 wrote: »

There you have it in a nut shell Kinder..........Insurance companies are a law unto themselves and are allowed to do just what they want when they want......there endeth my speech.

Um, no they are not, and that's why there is an Ombusdman.

If you have nothing helpful to say then maybe this forum is not for you. Try Discussion Time.

pedro123456 Posts: 815 Forumite

22 April 2009 at 1:04PM

Thanks Quentin, my guess is that when signing on the dotted line Kinder had no idea he was agreeing the "insurance companies Conditions" of informing them of the accident, whether a claim or not etc...................and thats just what they are...........the Insurance companies conditions

Can you explain why the insurance company should be informed, if the 2 parties sort it between them that should be the end of it...............the IC should not be allowed to impose the condition......but as I've already said....."they are allowed to do as they please"........

ps....I dont need ya points

22 April 2009 at 1:08PM

They are conditions which you don't

to accept!

To put it bluntly, someone who has caused damage to another's property is obviously a worse risk than someone who has not. Their premium needs to reflect this.

MORPH3US Posts: 4,906 Forumite

22 April 2009 at 1:10PM

Settling without going through the insurance might save yourself from losing your NCB, but you will still have to honestly say that you have had an accident in the last 5 years when you buy insurance in the future...

Also, how much are you expecting this "scrape" to cost to fix?

My girlfriend used to have a little Fiat Cinquecento about 10 years old. A woman reversed into the passenger door and the dent was small so the woman asked to settle outside of the insurance.

However the bodyshop quoted £600 because it needed a new door skin fitting and then all painting up to match the colour it was now.

The woman soon changed her mind when she saw it was that much... how much did she expect it to be?