UKC

Disclaimer : This is all theoretical

If I were to have damaged my car through sliding on ice into a sign (no other cars involved). The damage to the car is bodywork only, and a cracked headlight, an estimate from a body shop to repair it is £1200 (I suspect you could lessen this by ebaying or finding some parts in the scrappy. The other option is to claim on my insurance which would pay for it all, the car being worth enough to warrant repairing.

Theoretically, i'm unsure which option would be better. The damage will need fixed before it's next MOT, but the car is perfectly drivable up until that point. Paying out of pocket means I could save up to fix it before its MOT. Claiming on the insurance means it would be fixed now and I only have to pay a £200 excess, although I would lose my NCD (3 years). I suspect regaining my 3 years NCD will cost me more in premiums than paying out of pocket for the repair. However, theoretically, is it legal to not tell your insurer about damage to your car so long as you fix it on your own accord?

Many thanks, for any suggestions to this completely theoretical query

In reply to CMcBain:

How much Did it cost to replace/ repair the sign?



You diiiiid report it, didn't you?

In reply to CMcBain:

If you can get the right panels from the scrappy, I'd do that, better for the environment too!

In reply to CMcBain:

I would be surprised if a hit to your NCD cost you £1200. (I think with most insurance companies, you lose 2 years for a claim?)

It's legal not to tell your insurer about an accident. However, if you change insurer, they will often ask you if you have had any accident regardless of fault. It's also in many T&Cs that you should tell this on renewal.

If the street sign was damaged it is illegal not to have rung the police at the scene.

If your car headlight is damaged, it is illegal to drive it even if the MOT isn't due yet.

In reply to CMcBain:


Just to warn you that in this theoretical situation you are required to report the traffic accident to the police as soon as possible and in any case under 24H. Not doing so is a failure to report an accident punishable by up to 6 months in prison and fines up to £5K. This applies even if there was no other vehicle involved.

I am telling you this because I know first hand that these days the Police are not joking about this, if there is any damage to this theoretical sign you theoretically hit the police will get the paint residue analysed, check CCTV, monitor bodyshops for any repair on a car with the same paint, and then prosecute your theoretical ass.

In reply to RomTheBear:


That seems like an unbelievable waste of time and resource. So it probably is true.

In reply to RomTheBear:

The sign was undamaged, sign's probably the wrong word, it was a short metal post thing. A wee snow bank took the brunt, but the post was at the right height to crack the rear plastic bumper, which are apparently quite expensive to replace.

Re: NCD vs Out of pocket, I suspect I can get it fixed a bit cheaper than £1200 yet it will theoretically take 3 years to get my insurance to cost the same as it does now. I fiddled about with quotes, and mine will go up by around £400 with 0 years NCD. In reality, i'm not sure how much they bump up your premiums after an 'accident'.

In reply to CMcBain:

They bump them up for any reason at all. Even if you are considered not at fault, your premium still goes up! Insurance is the biggest scam of our era, and I begrudge them ever penny I pay them!! I had a non-crash one day in Dundee that an over efficient bus driver reported. I was in the R lane turning right, and thought the bus to the left of me would have to go left. So lights changed and we both pulled forward, and I realised bus was going R, so stopped. Bus slightly scuffed my bumper, and then stopped to fill all of our details into her bus company accident sheet. There was a miniscule mark on her bus. Neither party claimed for it, but her insurance informed my insurance that there had been an incident where I was not at fault, and I still have higher premiums now because of it!! If I had been particularly bothered, I may have used a little polish to sort the front of the car, but since that car had had several deer incidents it really didn't seem worth the effort!!
Don't give the scoundrels the satisfaction of getting more money from you!!

In reply to CMcBain:




No, its considered a non disclosure if you have an accident, repair yourself, and then lie when asked how many accidents have you had in last x years. Declaring the accident WILL have the effect of increasing your premiums by a small amount, but because you didnt claim you wouldnt loose ncd, the increase would ge similar to a non fault claim(where you claim but its recoverd from the 3rd party who is at fault.

The question really, is would you get away with it. Which is pretty likely. You would be found out if you let it slip, or during inspection of the vehicle for a subsequent claim evidence is found of previous repairs, either of which could* lead to you insurance voided.

in your theoretical accident though, you would be liable for the repair costs to the sign or any other property damage.


*much more likely is you would be charged an additional premium to cover the non disclosure

In reply to RomTheBear:


He was talking about clobbering a sign with a car, not attacking it with a donkey!
Good grief

In reply to girlymonkey:

I have got protected no claims bonus. About 4 years my wife damaged the car, it was an own fault incident resulting in large scrapes down one side of the car. The cost of the repair was about £2000. My premium did not go up at all. At the time I was with More Than and every year I was with them I negotiated a good deal when renewing resulting in having virtually no premium increases over a number of years. 2 years ago the renewal quote was about £50 higher than the previous year and this time no reduction. I got a great deal with Sainsburys and am still with them. I often read stories about ever increasing car insurance premiums but this has not been my experience.

In reply to icnoble:

age maybe comes into it

In reply to CMcBain:

True

In reply to CMcBain:

Don't claim if you can help it. Even if you have a NCD a claim will see next year's premium sky rocket. Aside from getting things MOT legal again, it is worth fixing up? How old is the car? Our car is pretty old now and covered in dents and bashes but I can't see that affecting its sale price any more. At the end of the day, it is a runner, not a shiny penis extension and I doubt buyers would be bothered about the odd scratch. So if you intend to keep the car for a while and don't mind the odd dent, I wouldn't bother. Waste of money. Remember - vanity is insanity!

In reply to CMcBain:

What's the point in having insurance if when you have an accident, you don't claim?

The mind boggles.

Not informing your insurance company may void it.

In reply to CMcBain:
I'd quietly replace the head light and look out for a cheap body part if it was me.

Not all things which may be illegal are also immoral (this is very instance dependent).

You could donate some of the money saved to a good cause to restore your Karma.