Insurance companies

Ok so I had a bit of a disaster last night, hitting a deer. The BMW is in a bit of a state and I have whiplash. Very sore

Anyway, I'm not happy with where my insurance company wants to take my car. And it's not even 2 years old yet so I would prefer it was done by a dealership so my warranty is still in tact. Where do I stand with this? Do I HAVE to go where insurance company want it to go or can I decide and send invoice to insurance company???

I'm clueless!!

[Red Herring]

Skip to the important bit....how is the deer?

Sorry MBK, couldn't resist it. I think it varies company to company. Best to read the small print on your policy but I be fairly confident that they wouldn't be able to get away with doing something that invalidates your warranty (I assume you are referring to the anti corrosion bit). I'd be quite surprised if a repair centre approved by your insurance company wouldn't be doing work to a standard approved by BMW.

[Bibio]

i'm afraid so, its a one party claim e.g. you are claiming. if it were someone hitting your car then you can demand it be repaired as you are a 3rd party. now this is the fun part, if the car is on HP the insurance company will pay the HP company direct for any outstanding debt and if there is anything left over then it's yours and hopefully you have enough for a new car. so all that money you paid while you had the car is pretty much written off as they will give you book value of your car.

Bib it won't be written off. Cars worth 12k still! I have gap insurance anyway.

I have had bad experience of the garage they want to send it to. I'm really not happy with it going there. I know their workmanship is shoddy. Already fallen out with the garage due to their attitude today.

Roof creased where it bounced. Radiator damaged. Air conditioning unit punctured. Driver door seal popped off. Driver wing dented. All bonnet latches gone. And bumper completely goosed. Or deered.

[TamSV]

Generally, you don't have to use the approved repairer. Insurers often don't like it and will do all they can to talk you out of it. Things to bear in mind;

- if you use your own repairer, you might need to get a couple of competitive estimates and then wait to get repairs approved by the insurer (causing some delay)

- they might send an engineer to inspect, whereas the approved repairer can often get repairs authorised on the strength of digital photos. This can be another delay although, if the damage is major, they might appoint an engineer anyway.

- if there's any problem with the standard of work carried out by your chosen repairer, that'll be for you to sort out. If you use the approved repairer then the insurer has to guarantee the repairs and you can get them to sort out any later issues that come to light.

- you might be in line to get a courtesy car from the approved repairer but your insurers won't provide this if you use your own repairer. Your own repairer might provide one as part of their service but you'll often have to bear the cost of insuring it.

It's worth checking with your insurers before you do anything - I've seen some "direct" insurers charge an additional excess where their approved repairer isn't used. That's pretty rare but not unknown. It's probably not impossible to write a policy that insists the insurer arranges repair but I've not seen that personally.

The only other issue is whether your chosen repairer is prepared to wait for payment from your insurers or if they'll want you to cough up. Main dealer should be OK waiting for the insurer I would think.

[squirrel_hunter]

Doe!

Oh deer.

Sound like its going to take a couple of Bucks to repair.

But good to know you're ok, and that I've ran out of puns.

[Bibio]

is insurance company saying that it's repairable?

if i were an assessor i would write it off, if i were the owner i would not be happy it getting fixed. i have seen brand new cars written off for less.

if the insurance is getting it repaired then you will just have to suck it and live with who they choose. that is unless you can find another official BMW dealer in the same area. TBH they will send it to an accident repair company with the body parts and have them do the work while they will more than likely do the mechanical stuff.

once it's fixed have a very very good look round it and if your not happy with the work refuse to accept it till it's put right. keep a watchful eye on the paint match as it might be fine in the daytime but under street lamps it might change all shades.

Thanks Tam. Was hoping you'd see this. I'm aware that BMW can invalidate warranties if not repaired in a BMW approved garage hence my concern.

I'll speak to my dealership and insurance company tomorrow.

[Essex of Essex]

I refused to let the insurance company place my Audi with anyone other than an Audi dealership, it went where I said and they paid up, so stand your ground.