GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: AmbushReality on 14 November 2020, 23:27
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Some absolute weapon decided to speed down the road then swerve for a small animal, plowing through 2 walls, hitting my neighbours car which has then shunted it in to my car which has then hit the other car on my driveway. Calls to insurers tomorrow morning which will be fun...
Anyone know a good bodyshop near Cheltenham?
Not sure how to post pics so here are some links to some photos.
https://imgur.com/AKiSkR9 (https://imgur.com/AKiSkR9)
https://imgur.com/UIaZE8T (https://imgur.com/UIaZE8T)
https://imgur.com/aepX3l0 (https://imgur.com/aepX3l0)
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Ouch!! Looks a bad 'un. :shocked:
Sorry, not in the Cheltenham area but all the best getting things sorted. Hopefully the culprit is brought to book
Here is a list of VW approved bodyshops
https://volkswagenapprovedrepair.co.uk/approved-crash-repair-centre-list
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Really feel for you. Looks terrible. That person must have been absolutely flying to cause that much damage. The main thing though is that hopefully nobody was hurt. Easy to say I know, but a car can be repaired or replaced.
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Thanks Guzzle, I think I'll just ask my insurer to use a VW approved bodyshop and hope for the best.
Thanks king monkey, I'm really thankful no-one was outside when it happened, and I often work nights on the weekend leaving around that sort of time so could have ended up trapped between two cars.
Today my neighbour's Audi Q3 has been taken away so I finally got a good look at the damage, actually worse than I initially thought. Enough that I sort of hope it is written off as I'd be concerned about getting rear-ended on the road. I tried to see what the boot well looked like from the inside but the adjustable boot floor has been jammed so far forward I can't get it off to see. It's such a shame as I've come to really love the car the past year and don't fancy the new GTI at all so not sure where I go from here.
https://imgur.com/MhJvd9W (https://imgur.com/MhJvd9W)
The guy who did it stuck about, and is insured thankfully. Witnesses saw him speeding down the road but apart from that no other evidence so the police don't think they'll make their charge of driving without due care and attention stick. So apart from a hefty insurance bill he's gotten away with it. It's a 30mph speed limit, I think he was probably around the 50mph mark maybe more, but there aren't even any signs he was braking before hitting the wall so I imagine he was on his phone.
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Definitely a lucky boy if he doesn't get charged with anything for causing that much damage :angry:
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Wow that really sucks, good luck with the insurance and you get your wish that it written off, not sure but there might be come very late 7.5's around with very low mileage.
2019 GTI 121 miles on the clock 28k.... not sure how old yours was / budget.
https://www.cargurus.co.uk/Cars/inventorylisting/viewDetailsFilterViewInventoryListing.action?zip=pr41ax&showNegotiable=true&sortDir=ASC&sourceContext=cargurus&distance=660&sortType=DEAL_SCORE&entitySelectingHelper.selectedEntity=c59492#listing=145002880
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I don’t think I’d want the car back after a repair with that level of damage. I’d have less confidence in it. Good luck. Hope you get it sorted as soon as possible.
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Definitely a lucky boy if he doesn't get charged with anything for causing that much damage :angry:
I'd say little chance of being charged with anything. If he had insurance and mot and licence and nobody was hurt the cps won't be interested in pursuing any charges.
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Yep, sad reality is it will take a bit of effort to prove he was speeding so they won't bother even though it is blatantly obvious he was massively speeding. But oh well, no one was hurt was the main thing.
My car had 26k miles on it, and absolutely flawless apart from the standard stone chips. If it is written off i'm not sure what i'll do yet with regards to what I replace it with. My car is in the last 4 months of finance and I have GAP insurance to invoice value so financially I'm OK. I definitely would prefer it was written off, as desperately sad as I am to see it go, it has been an outstanding car.
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Heard back from the VW approved bodyshop today and they've said it is repairable. Because the damage was higher up it hasn't affected the chassis, and they will get VW to check the gearbox as it's an auto and was in park when it was moved about 2 metres. Price has gone to insurers now so waiting on their decision.
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Heard back from the VW approved bodyshop today and they've said it is repairable. Because the damage was higher up it hasn't affected the chassis, and they will get VW to check the gearbox as it's an auto and was in park when it was moved about 2 metres. Price has gone to insurers now so waiting on their decision.
Maybe if the shunt buggered the gearbox you might get into a write-off situation?
I had a bus shunt my 2 week old Golf 170TDI 12 foot when it was 2 weeks old back in 2007. I was hoping that it would get written off, but it didn't. The repairing garage made a piss poor job of the repair too (A VW approved bodyshop in the Benfield group - now Lookers). I hated the car thereafter. Does the bodyshop its going to have a good reputation? Just being VW approved is no guarantee of a good repair.
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Using a VW approved repair centre isn't a guarantee of a good job, but you should have more comeback in the event of a dispute with VW later down the line e.g. a warranty claim.
Should be ok to use a non-approved bodyshop as long as you trust them to do a good job, but if they don't do a good job and aren't VW approved you'll get nowhere in any dispute with VW.
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I'd still prefer a write-off but looking less likely as it's not a low value car obviously. The bodyshop did have all good reviews as well, and they guarantee their work for life. The insurer's did say their normal bodyshop would also guarantee the work for life and that guarantee wouldn't be valid if I went with the VW approved bodyshop as they weren't on their system but like you say, if it is VW approved I'm likely to get less hassle from VW themselves if I have any issues.
To be honest it's coming to the end of its finance so if it isn't written off it will probably be going back to them anyway.
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Hello!
Sorry to see and hear about the damage. Funnily enough I could've posted my last thread with the same title as yours. The tree outside my house fell onto the roof of my GTi a few months back when it was parked on my drive
It just so happens that I live in Gloucestershire too so can hopefully be a big help to you :cool:. My roof was quite badly dented, I took it to about 5 places for a quote and most screwed their faces up at it as it wasn't an easy repair (like paintless dent removal). Everyone said it needed the roof panel chopped off and replaced at the price of about £3,500. I found a place to get mine repaired which was excellent and they fixed it for under £600, to roof looks like new again. The owner said the other garages told me the roof needed replacing not because the damage was unrepairable, but because they didn't have the correct machine/tools to do so. They have a machine from Japan which fixes itself to the roof and pulls the dent out, then an extremely thin later of filler about the thickness of 2 sheets of paper, and a respray. They're a great professional bodywork shop and excellent at what they do. Couldn't recommended them enough and if I ever needed any repairs done I'll go straight back there
I'll PM you the details
Edit:// First time sending a PM on here. I think it sent but when I check my sent folder under messages it says nothing is there. If it didn't send then let me know
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Just a quick update, the total cost of repairs did not exceed value of the car and there was no structural damage so I will be getting the car back, eventually. Not my preferred outcome but I will withhold judgement until it is back in my hands. My neighbours car was written off so they already have a new car 4 years newer than their previous so a bit jealous.
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A bit unfortunate that the cost to repair didn’t trigger a write off going from those photos.
Maybe you should’ve used a more expensive body shop to push the cost over the line!!
I hope the repair is a good one though.
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The cost to repair was just over half the value of the car, and the repair bill was not small!
Using a different bodyshop wouldn't make a difference because the price has to be independently verified by the insurer anyway and the bodyshop had to agree to what the insurer would pay with regards to hourly rates etc.
The bodyshop rang today to say it isn't likely I'll get the car back by Christmas as VW took their time to supply some of the parts.
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Just a quick update, the total cost of repairs did not exceed value of the car and there was no structural damage so I will be getting the car back, eventually. Not my preferred outcome but I will withhold judgement until it is back in my hands. My neighbours car was written off so they already have a new car 4 years newer than their previous so a bit jealous.
Just bear in mind that insurers will only pay fir a new replacement if the write-off claim occurs in the first 12m of a car’s life. So that new car on your neighbour’s drive was not bought 100% by their insurer.
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Maybe they had gap insurance....
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No they absolutely forked out some extra, I was more jealous about them being back with a newer car of their choosing whilst I'm still sat waiting. I realise when I used the word new that was very misleading, it was 'new' to them. It's a used car just 4 years younger than their previous of the same model.
Also I have GAP insurance which was why I had no issues with mine being written off.
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Depending on how old the old car was and the new car is, there might not be much in the value...
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So as the damage is so high, does that mean that your car, once repaired, will recieve a cat class? or some other identification to show that it has had some fairly major damage repaired?
I only ask as, that would massively effect the future value of your car and as a no fault incident you should be compensated to reflect this.
:undecided:
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I'm pretty sure it only gets a CAT if it gets written off, as in the policy holder gets paid out in full and the car is sold as damage repairable.
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Dubber is correct. Categories only apply in circumstances where the insurance company writes off the car.
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/know-how/what-is-an-insurance-write-off/
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Surely you should get compensated in some way as your repaired car has to have taken a hit on resale value.
Is your car on PCP? Check with your dealer to see if they will still give you the original GFMV and even if not on PCP ask if the repair will have an impact on the trade price... I know I wouldn't fancy buying it after that repair.
One other possible option which I chose before in similar circumstances is that the insurance company found a dealer to buy my crashed car. Dealer paid me for the car and the insurer paid me the quoted price of repair. I ended up coming out with the original price I paid for the car (VW Passat) after two years of driving it.
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Interesting discussion. It is undoubtedly worth less if the buyer is aware it has been crashed. I am going to ask the bodyshop if they have any further pictures of damage once the boot and bumper were removed as both of these items were heavily impacted and therefore have been replaced, I don't know the extent of the damage behind these panels though.
I don't believe insurers would award you money for the inevitable loss of value, it would have to be through a private solicitor. The newer the car is the stronger your case is but for me as it is on PCP I don't know if it is worth the bother. Plus I knew the person who caused all this damage and inconvenience, they went to my school back in the day, and I don't think I'd have much luck collecting on any money owed if I went that route.
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Speak to Greg at Southam bodies, very highly recommended and not too far from you
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Bit of a thread revival. I got the car back just before Christmas with still a load of damage not fixed for no good reason so it went back start of February (useless insurers took forever to agree to fix it). Got it back again on Friday, there's some dodgy paint on the leading edge of the roof where they've clearly masked it poorly and the panel gap on the boot is still shocking. Getting beyond a joke now. Annoyingly I did choose the repair shop as they did have good reviews but I will be leaving one of my own to help others steer clear.
Also, I'm insured through Chris Knott, the solicitors they use to deal with the claim are completely hopeless, bad enough experience that I won't be renewing with Christ Knott even if they're cheaper by a huge margin, not worth the agro.
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You must be absolutely pulling your hair out.
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Just in response to the most recent thread posts, there's not a cat in hells chance of getting a repaired car and money for the fact that it's noticeable that the car's been repaired.
The insurer's job is to pay for a satisfactory repair to the point where you'd be hard pressed to know it has been repaired, except under expert scrutiny.
If the repair has been done by a VW approved repairer, whether it's up to scratch or not, you'll get your GFV or you'll just hand it back at the end of your PCP term. If the repair is crap, but done by a VW approved repairer, that's for VWFS to sort out with the repairer when you hand it back if quality of repair.is brought up by the dealer/inspector upon its return.
Absolutely do not highlight to the dealer that its been in a significant crash and had an extensive repair unprompted. Most people have some "equity" in the car against their next VW. If you highlight issues it may prompt extreme scrutiny rather than a cursory look over...and no equity to use towards the next one.
Do chase the insurer to pursue repairs to a satisfactory quality before you sign off on the job as complete.
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I was also pulling my hair out trying to research a good repair shop in the area. There's honestly very little information online so it's a nightmare trying to decide which one to go for :shocked:
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I took it back to the repair shop to point out the issues. They think they can sort the panel gap with a bit more care, so annoying it has to go back again though. My main concern is the panel gap can't be sorted because the body is warped because it had a new boot lid.
Another minor niggle I'm in two minds about complaining about because it might be too petty is the fact that the new numberplates they gave me have the ugly dealership label at the bottom, the dealership in question is a Seat garage as well. Before I had completely plain numberplates.
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I took it back to the repair shop to point out the issues. They think they can sort the panel gap with a bit more care, so annoying it has to go back again though. My main concern is the panel gap can't be sorted because the body is warped because it had a new boot lid.
Another minor niggle I'm in two minds about complaining about because it might be too petty is the fact that the new numberplates they gave me have the ugly dealership label at the bottom, the dealership in question is a Seat garage as well. Before I had completely plain numberplates.
I think they have a couple of attempted to rectify any problems and if they're unable you can refuse the car for a replacement.
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I think they have a couple of attempted to rectify any problems and if they're unable you can refuse the car for a replacement.
Wait, what? :grin:
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I think they have a couple of attempted to rectify any problems and if they're unable you can refuse the car for a replacement.
Wait, what? :grin:
I'm nearly certain someone told me they did that before because their repairer couldn't actually fully fix the car to an acceptable standard. (it's was leaking and everything)
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Heart breaking!!! I get anxiety when I can see swirl marks in sunlight on my paint... then it's a mad rush to get the paint corrected.
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I'm nearly certain someone told me they did that before because their repairer couldn't actually fully fix the car to an acceptable standard. (it's was leaking and everything)
Hmm I guess so, I've never actually heard about that happening before but I can imagine it could :grin:. When I took my car to get repaired the guy had lots of horror stories from the nearby garage which used to be the go to for multiple insurance companies whereas his is family owned. Total bodge jobs and cars resprayed with terrible colour matching. Then whenever you took the car back they'd deliberately add a week to how long they kept the car with every return and it mostly just sat in their carpark. I know someone who got their car repaired there though insurance and luckily it was ok, but they took ages and kept it longer than they said and had to pay some compensation to them. No wonder the garage closed eventually
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I wish I could update with better news but I took my car home today. I walked round the car whilst I was there and could see they still haven't fixed the panel gaps round the boot but just didn't have time to wait around to speak about it plus I need it on Monday. I have a feeling there is more damage than they've suggested which is why they can't get the boot sitting straight. I've emailed my insurance to ask them what they're going to do about it because I'm getting really pissed off now. The finance on the car is up at the end of the month so I know I can give it back but it's such a sad ending to my ownership of the car. I'm tempted to pay it off and sell it a dealership or WBAC as there is so much positive equity in the car I'd get a few grand back on it even with the fact it is crash repaired.
I think the bodyshop must think I'm mental because it wouldn't be immediately obvious the panel gaps are wrong but I know they are, and it was perfect before some thick thingy crashed driving down a straight road, so it should be returned to me in a perfect condition.
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If your not happy get in touch with the FOS, they'll assist you if they agree the bodyshop haven't done their job properly and advise the insurance company what to do to make things right.
https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers/how-to-complain
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You'll have to exhaust the insurer's complaints process before you go FOS. Worth mentioning that is your next step though.