GTI Accident Damage - advice needed

[Toon]

Thank you to the Turkish lorry driver with his 44 tonne left hand drive artic who side swiped my 8 month old GTI on the M4 last Thursday night. My wife was driving, overtaking you in the middle lane, when you decided to pull out when she was level with your cab because you didn’t use your mirrors and she was in your blind spot. Even better news was your inability to speak any English.  The nonchalant way in which you tore off an International Insurance Certificate from a pad of them in your cab tells me this is just another regular mishap on your 3 week round trip from Turkey as you pilot your articulated missile around Europe. The Highways Agency Pretend Plod and the Police both said "yeah, we can easily see what happened here - happens all the time"

Fortunately my wife wasn’t injured, but my car now needs 2 new doors, a new alloy wheel, a rear wing and a wing mirror.  You probably don’t even remember the incident as it’s one of many you experience on each trip. It’s a real shame your offside headlight was scratched. I hope you get it sorted soon. Don’t worry about me – I’ll have my car back in about 3 weeks.

My insurance is with Direct Line - they have been brilliant - car goes in to the repairers on Friday. They also have an international Turkish-speaking department who liaise directly with the insurers - such is the regularity of these sorts of accidents. Direct Line have their own repair subsidiary and they've been great.

Anyone got experience of lead time on these sort of parts? Are they all just standard Golf panels or is there anything "GTI specific" about them? Red lighting strip on inside front door perhaps?

[Gnasher]

Can't see the photos (as I'm at work) and can't really help in any way with your questions, but as you say, this happens all the time...

My Father in law was tagged on the back end of his car as a foreign lorry driver changed lanes -  it spun his car round so the lorry was pushing his car sideways down the M11 for over a mile. The police know that as they measured the skid marks (from the road, not his underpants). The lorry driver only pulled over as his truck seemed sluggish and the smoke (from the car tyres) made him think there was something wrong with his engine.

In their defence (which pains me) although they should take a hell of a lot more care being in a LHD truck, the physical makeup does seem to make it massively difficult when attempting to pull out etc. Although when they did cock it up, if they showed a bit more compassion and remorse for it at the roadside, no doubt peoples opinions would be a little different!!

[barrym381]

make sure they replace all the panels and not just repair them  and also check the bodyshop is vw approved that are repairing it

[Toon]

Yes - I've done that and the answer to both questions is yes

[Exonian]

Kind of ironic seeing the IAM sticker in the window.
UK spec trucks have mirrors all over the place nowadays, mostly to make sure moronic cyclists can be seen and as Turkey is part of the EU...
You can have all the mirrors you like, it doesn't mean that a driver who probably spends 12 hours plus most days sitting in his cab uses them to good effect 100% of the time.

Thankfully it's just panel damage and not people damage and thankfully the insurance side is all ok. Still VERY annoying.
My 'other' car was parked up and hit by a truck about a year ago. The driver was fine and apologetic but his boss was the most hideous human being I've ever had the displeasure of speaking to and tried to wiggle out of any responsibility other than saying it was just a bumper scratch and he'd pay a few quid towards repairs, which kind of speaks volumes about how regularly this kind of thing happens, when I said I was going to go through the insurance as he wouldn't accept that the wing was also pushed in and scraped he said he'd just deny everything. SP Logistics if anybody is in Tyne and Wear. If I'd not been laid up really unwell at the time I'd have been on a plane up there to rip the guy's throat out. All down to attitude really, accidents happen and it's how it's dealt with that makes the difference. The car was/is quite old but was kept in absolutely mint condition so it's quite galling. I just don't bother with it too much now, I didn't bother getting it repaired, I'll donate it to my L driver sons and if they crash the thing into a hedge I won't be overly upset.
If that truck had hit my Golf I'd have been on that plane...

Anyway, yes, the interior panels are GTI unique but the bodywork is standard Golf. Make sure you get it repaired in a VW approved bodyshop if you want to preserve the corrosion warranties etc.

[Toon]

Yeah - the IAM membership is mine and not my wife's. I was not in the car at the time. (I've been a member for 30 years and retake my test every 5 years - of course that doesn't make me a perfect driver)

The driver had been driving 2 hours - the Police checked his tachograph and breathalysed him too - all OK. And - yes - the cab did have additional mirrors for RHD roads but clearly they had not been used correctly. It was 2100 and obviously dark but he still couldn't see the Xenons from the GTI. He has admitted liability. The Turkish firm that own the lorry are a big company (EKOL Logistics) and the insurance company is one of the biggest in Turkey so I think things will be OK.

The accident repair shop is a UK wide chain owned by Direct Line called UK Assistance. They are VW approved. The assessor who came out to look at my car was very efficient and certainly knew what he was doing. In fact, he ordered the parts electronically from his tablet less than 10 minutes after leaving my house. I was most impressed with the way he plugged his tablet into the diagnostic port and downloaded the car history, spec etc. Very good.

[dubber36]

Father-in-law lives in Kent and sees this sort of thing on the M20 when foreign trucks have come off the boat.

We saw something similar happen down there. A CLK was in lane 2 overtaking a truck, when the truck started to pull across. The Merc braked and just squeezed back behind the truck. The truck driver must have seen him as he swung back into lane 1. I can only imagine that the Merc driver then flashed his lights as he began to overtake again only to be hit by the trailer as the truck moved over again.

I would have thought after the first near miss, the Merc driver would have held back, but the fact that he may well have 'flashed him out' without knowing what that meant probably says a fair bit about his driving and understanding of the unofficial ways of the road.

[Booth11]

Father-in-law lives in Kent and sees this sort of thing on the M20 when foreign trucks have come off the boat.

We saw something similar happen down there. A CLK was in lane 2 overtaking a truck, when the truck started to pull across. The Merc braked and just squeezed back behind the truck. The truck driver must have seen him as he swung back into lane 1. I can only imagine that the Merc driver then flashed his lights as he began to overtake again only to be hit by the trailer as the truck moved over again.

I would have thought after the first near miss, the Merc driver would have held back, but the fact that he may well have 'flashed him out' without knowing what that meant probably says a fair bit about his driving and understanding of the unofficial ways of the road.

Unfortunately as you say Simon, an all too frequent occurrence down this way.  As well as the M20, often accidents of this nature on the A2.  Part of my daily commute includes a section of A2 and regularly is disrupted by these sorts of incidents.  You need to have your wits about you when driving amongst all these foreign lorries. 

OP, glad none of your family were injured and Direct Line are being good to deal with.  Hopefully, once the car is sorted, move on and put it behind you and give foreign truck drivers a wide berth. 

[golfhappy]

make sure they replace all the panels and not just repair them  and also check the bodyshop is vw approved that are repairing it

That would be one helluva truck load off ISOSPOON P60(filler) if my memory serves me right!

[barrym381]

make sure they replace all the panels and not just repair them  and also check the bodyshop is vw approved that are repairing it

That would be one helluva truck load off ISOSPOON P60(filler) if my memory serves me right!

they might try repair 1/4 panel in a similar way to this 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkWm78ClA_M