Ah F*#K!

[robin]

Did he touch the rear wheel at all??? I'd be claiming for some upgraded toe links if so

A roll of gaffa tape will definitely write it off.

Fixed that for you.

[offshorematt]

....they want me to use JM Accident Repairs anyone heard of them? I'd rather use someone I know can do fibreglass without issue

Colleague had his one year old Elise in there a few months back for a new front clam, and there was at least one other Elise in there too at the same time. Presume they have the right experience therefore?

[robin]

All the people that I know who have had elise repair work done at JM in Wallyford have been unhappy with the results. Of course there are multiple body shops so who knows.

That said, you should most definitely contact his insurance company direct - you will still need to declare on your insurance but don't claim off them - not worth it given the car is mobile.

Tell them that you will have the car repaired at Willowbrae and they will be paying for it; they are welcome to find a repairer with the same reputation for a similar cost and you'll review their findings; otherwise they can take your word for it and get it repaired where you want it repaired. I would not take the car anywhere else, personally (in a world where I gave a sh*t about paint work, that is ). Tell them that in exchange for this agreement to repair at Willowbrae you won't want a hire car, etc., if that's what you need to do.

They can forget you contributing to the repair cost. If they don't like it, tell them you'll have to engage the services of a claims management company

Cheers,
Robin

P.S. Remember that whilst you may have weird terms with your insurer, you have no contract (and thus terms) with his insurer - the only thing that matters is their responsibilities to the 3rd party (you) which are to replace/repair or otherwise reach a satisfactory settlement to compensate you for your loss. Full stop.

[DJ]

You were stationary in a non fault accident. Forget all that dealing with the other party's insurance company and just call an accident repair company. Tell them what you want and let them take the grief.

This is over 20 years ago but when my Nova SRi (yes - I grew up in boy racer era) was rear ended it was repaired at Wallyford. When I went to pick it up initial impressions of the rear were good. Then I looked side on and could slide my whole hand in between the hatchback tailgate and C pillar and rest my palm on the inside of the rear window. Must have been about a 2 inch gap !

[AJT]

That is a shame Mark hope you get it repaired quicker than mine.

[robin]

You were stationary in a non fault accident. Forget all that dealing with the other party's insurance company and just call an accident repair company. Tell them what you want and let them take the grief.

A claims management company is a double edged sword - they inflate the repair cost massively - so when you declare the accident to your insurance next year you will need to tell them the total cost of the claim, which will be huge (relatively speaking).

I am not sure whether an accident repair company is anything different from a claims management company?

I realise it is some effort to do it yourself, but it keeps the total cost down which is good for everyone in the long run.

Cheers,
Robin

[mwmackenzie]

Went to see Craig then Martin at Willowbrae yesterday and they think it'll be a total loss as estimate the repair to be in excess of £5k plus VAT and an 8-12 week lead time on a new clam so a rental for that time might pop it over the edge of what the insurance will pay.....

The guys from JM Accident center were on the phone this morning and say they will normally repair the clam, I said I didn't want it repaired as the cracks will show again within a year from my past experience, they say it'll keep the costs low...I don't want it done 'on the cheap' so to speak and a repair is not something I want to entertain as it's the other guys insurance that will be footing the bill, I don't care how much it costs! They are however keen to see the car though to send the insurance company a quote, they say it'll be quicker as they are on the insurance company's list of approved repairers so no assessment engineer will be required and they fix clams on even the newest Lotus all the time.

I think I want to go through the CMC/Willowbrae route as I trust them. If the car is a total loss I will see what they offer but I'm not sure it'll be much as it is a previous cat D with plenty miles on the clock so not sure they will give me enough to replace it?? The other option is to do what Paul has done and buy it back and have it repaired myself...

So kinda on the fence at the moment about which way to go with it at the moment?

[tut]

I would advise you not to do anything Mark until the Assessor calls around to check the damage. He is the starting point and and will have a good idea if it is a write off, but will not necessarily tell you.

The Insurance company will then work out the costings based on his report. It could well be worth your while buying the car back if they will allow it and put a low enough price on it. I made over £3K selling mine on, on top of a higher pay out than I expected.

tut

[mwmackenzie]

Hi Tut,

The Insurance company want me to use JM Auto Repair, they are approved repairers so are the assessors so to speak, basically i take it to them and they send in the quote and repair it. If I want to use Willowbrae then the insurance company will need to organise their assessor to pop out and evaluate the damage. At least that's kind of what JM AR told me this morning, they are pushing me to get it to them as it'll be quicker to find out the outcome that way, whether it's a fibreglass repair by them (sounds like that's what they want to do) or a total loss if I push for a new clam, car is already CAT D so the title will not change if its a total loss, or they may pay for a new clam, undertray and rental vehicle which would be fine by me!

[tut]

I suppose the Companies all have there own way of dealing with claims.

REIS told me where they wanted the car repaired if it was not a write off, but had no problem with me having it sent down to Craig even though it would incur extra transport charges. Financially I should have kept it as £17K less the £4,750 that I bought it back for left a lot left over for a rebuild. There was no mechanical damage so it was bodywork and rear subframe plus some bracket welding. However it would have been off the road for some time through Spring and Summer which is why I bought its replacement, especially as cars of that spec do not come up very often.

tut

[douglasgdmw]

I am popping to John Martin Group in Bonnyrigg on Saturday as that is who ESure have recommended to sort the damage the low life did breaking into our 335.

Will let you know what I think of them as I am getting them to estimate before they undertake any work. I already have an estimate from a BMW Approved insurer so if they think they can repair rather than replace then I will be going with Eastern.

Obviously different kettle of fish compared to a Lotus but if they don't seem up to scratch with a "normal" vehicle I will let you know.

Funnily I also have this £250 additional excess if I choose my own repairer.

George

[campbell]

Gut feel says engineer it to be written off (again!), buy it back and repair it. But that's not based on calculations! And if CMC / Willowbrae are saying full clam replacement etc, then it simply may not be economic.

It saddens me so much that Elises are being consigned to write-off purely because of cosmetic damage. What an irony, given the original vision for the car and how it was "the affordable sports car with bolt-on panels".

[woody]

Just insured the focus with aviva today, £200 excess for choosing your own repairer. It's a 12 year old car, so not likely to be an issue.

[cjm]

This is what puts me off buying another Elise, I had three people drive in to mine in 4 years and I think it took 9 months to get a clam the last time.

[IanD]

I don't regard JM at Bonnyrigg very highly.
Repaired my 111r before I bought it, paint reacted a year later, they were loathe to fix it without me getting the previous owner to contact them due to 'data protection' although the guarantee was stated as transferable.
Previous repair wasnt perfect and then took 2 weeks to do the fix and I still rejected it 1st time, communication was really poor during the job I had to keep phoning and chasing them for when it might be ready, got the feeling it wasn't a priority to fix mine.

The excess and no car hire if you don't use their insurance approved repairs is quite common in policies now if you claim through your own insurance.