Damage, insurance and approved garage

[ShaneX]

Hi All,

despite owning a series of s**t cars forever, within 6 months of getting my MX, I get shunted from behind.

Damage seems farily limited to the rear bumper and a dented tailgate, and car is driveable.

But my question is that Direct Line has told me to use a garage, I've checked and they are not on the approved tesla list.
Tesla says they may not support the car warranty. Yikes!

This must be a well trodden path. What can I do - sure I can give Direct Line a list of garages and say "use one of them" but do they have to?

Cheers
Shane

 

[DJP31]

You definitely use a Tesla approved repairer IMO, and you have every right to use them and the 3rd party Insurer will pick up the cost of the claim, assuming liability is admitted. You would also be entitled to a like for like courtesy car whilst the car is being repaired, again paid for by the 3rd parties Insurer.

 

[WannabeOwner]

car is driveable

Don't let go of it until the body shop assures you that they have all the parts. Tesla parts delivery lead-time can be lengthy ...

 

[ShaneX]

Cool. is strange, this is direct line - more or less the tesla approved insurer I thought?

They are neither suggesting an approved garage, nor am I getting a like for like.

yes, hear the message also about making sure the spares are in before letting go!

will report back.

Shane

 

[WannabeOwner]

this is direct line - more or less the tesla approved insurer I thought?

Agreed

 

[ShaneX]

Thanks for help chaps.

Just got off phone with Direct Line. They seemed pretty chilled. TESLA gave me a local garage, I've now forwarded to them, so far nobody is saying "computer says no".

On the subject of like for like, what are reasonable expectations? Electric or hybrid seems near impossible; like for like seems to be on £ terms, so you get offered a crazy inefficient blinging gasser...

 

[DJP31]

Thanks for help chaps.

Just got off phone with Direct Line. They seemed pretty chilled. TESLA gave me a local garage, I've now forwarded to them, so far nobody is saying "computer says no".

On the subject of like for like, what are reasonable expectations? Electric or hybrid seems near impossible; like for like seems to be on £ terms, so you get offered a crazy inefficient blinging gasser...

I'm assuming the claim is being paid via the 3rd party? In any event the car should be repaired somewhere that Tesla approve of, full stop. As far as a courtesy car is concerned, you are entitled to the same level of car you are driving now. That means you hire a Tesla and the 3rd party pays the hire car bill. The options you have are hiring it yourself, I'd suggest Mark at Whitecar

www.white.car

or you could use an accident management company who will sort the whole claim, including a Tesla loan car.

Novo are excellent Novo Incident Management | Tesla Insurance | Vehicle Replacement and James Allenby will deal with it - they have made quite a name for themselves in helping Tesla owners out. They get their money from the hire car costs and this can rack up, particularly if the car is out of action for any length of time. @WannabeOwner is bang on with the parts advice, it can be a nightmare getting parts so if yours is drivable keep hold of it. Novo would of course prefer the hire car is with you for as long as possible, but that inflates the claim cost, and that eventually feeds through to all of us in higher premiums.

Unfortunately Insurers can be a pain to deal with, hence the rise of the "claims management" companies. At the end of the day you want your car repaired by a Tesla approved repairer and be able to drive a Tesla whilst it is off the road. The point of insurance is "to place you in the position you would be had the incident not occurred". That doesn't just mean after the car has been repaid, but from the point of the incident forward. You have a duty to help minimise the costs, but that doesn't mean having the car repaired by some bloke with a rusty hammer and driving a banger while he's doing it, if you get my drift.

 

[WannabeOwner]

On the subject of like for like, what are reasonable expectations?

Admiral attempts to get us like-for-like (their client biffed our car, all-in-all they were pretty on the ball about getting it sorted out).

They completely failed to get a like-for-like vehicle (or didn't like the price! I didn't push them ...) We've got other cars, so in the end we agreed a cash payment for use of own vehicle instead ...

 

[WannabeOwner]

As far as a courtesy car is concerned, you are entitled to the same level of car you are driving now

I know nought about it, but presume that depends on what you own insurance policy covers? i.e. other-party not obliged to offer you more than your own insurance policy would offer?

 

[DJP31]

I know nought about it, but presume that depends on what you own insurance policy covers? i.e. other-party not obliged to offer you more than your own insurance policy would offer?

If the 3rd party Insurer is liable, as would seem to be the case here, the OP is entitled to a Tesla, paid for by the 3rd party Insurer.

If it was the OP’s fault then his Insurer would provide a standard courtesy car if the OP had chosen to have that policy add on and if he agrees to using an Insurer approved repairer (unlikely to be a Tesla approved repairer).

 

[voidptr]

If the 3rd party Insurer is liable, as would seem to be the case here, the OP is entitled to a Tesla, paid for by the 3rd party Insurer.

If it was the OP’s fault then his Insurer would provide a standard courtesy car if the OP had chosen to have that policy add on and if he agrees to using an Insurer approved repairer (unlikely to be a Tesla approved repairer).

Is the at-fault insurance must provide like for like mandated in the UK? US they just begrudgingly give you whatever they can get for like $30/day, which is certainly not like for like if you drive a higher end car. When I got hit in North Carolina the at-fault parties insurance (USAA) gave me a Ford Fusion.

 

[DJP31]

Is the at-fault insurance must provide like for like mandated in the UK? US they just begrudgingly give you whatever they can get for like $30/day, which is certainly not like for like if you drive a higher end car. When I got hit in North Carolina the at-fault parties insurance (USAA) gave me a Ford Fusion.

The 3rd party will try to minimise their loss, and if they can get away with giving you something less than you were driving they will.

You are entitled to a like for like replacement.

 

[JHWJR]

I know nought about it, but presume that depends on what you own insurance policy covers? i.e. other-party not obliged to offer you more than your own insurance policy would offer?

What your own policy would or would not do has absolutely nothing to do with anything. The other guy ran into you. You are entitled to be compensated for the damages caused, i.e., the reasonable cost of repair (NOT the cheapest) and the reasonable expenses and losses you have incurred as a result. That includes the reasonable cost of a comparable substitute vehicle.

One problem, of course, is what someone else thinks is reasonable. I would not try to foist on someone else the often-exorbitant cost of renting a Tesla. It's practically likely that an arbitrator or judge would find that to be excessive.

 

[JHWJR]

If it was the OP’s fault then his Insurer would provide a standard courtesy car if the OP had chosen to have that policy add on and if he agrees to using an Insurer approved repairer (unlikely to be a Tesla approved repairer).

Nope. It's the other driver that owes everything and it's between him and his insurer whether the insurer covers his obligations. And whether he has selected rental coverage applies to himself, not others suing him.

 

[JHWJR]

The 3rd party will try to minimise their loss, and if they can get away with giving you something less than you were driving they will.

Exactly.

 

[DJP31]

Nope. It's the other driver that owes everything and it's between him and his insurer whether the insurer covers his obligations. And whether he has selected rental coverage applies to himself, not others suing him.

I agree, I was answering @WannabeOwner’s point about what your own policy covers. If it’s your fault you get a courtesy car based on your policy terms and conditions.

 

[DJP31]

One problem, of course, is what someone else thinks is reasonable. I would not try to foist on someone else the often-exorbitant cost of renting a Tesla. It's practically likely that an arbitrator or judge would find that to be excessive.

There’s an agreed daily hire rate, for a Tesla Model S it £200-£260 depending on the actual model.

http://www.gtacredithire.com/wp-con...-rates-wef-1st-July-2014-updated-27_9_17.docx

There was a recent case of an owner, on his way to collect his daughter from nursery, whose brand new X was wiped out by a guy ignoring a T junction. There was no X in stock in the UK so he had a hire X whilst they built his new one.

Apart from the fact he was entitled to it, he argued he had bought one of the safest cars on the road, and he wasn’t about to compromise his and his family’s safety by accepting anything less.

 

[ShaneX]

Sorry for slow reply all and thanks for your input.
Yes the other guy's insurers should cover everything as he was at fault.

My insurers are now thinking abotu the garage issue and will get back to me.

Once that (and spare parts etc) are sorted then I'll tackle the like for like. Its interesting that some of you have pushed for a tesla; I like to safety argument which is 100% valid and will use that. I really appreciate the links for tesla rentals.

cheers
Shane

 

[DJP31]

Sorry for slow reply all and thanks for your input.
Yes the other guy's insurers should cover everything as he was at fault.

My insurers are now thinking abotu the garage issue and will get back to me.

Once that (and spare parts etc) are sorted then I'll tackle the like for like. Its interesting that some of you have pushed for a tesla; I like to safety argument which is 100% valid and will use that. I really appreciate the links for tesla rentals.

cheers
Shane

TBH with a car as complex as a Tesla with cameras and sensors all over the place etc etc I don't see how any repairer other than a Tesla approved one would be up to the job. Do also bear in mind that until the car has been looked at properly and damaged parts removed, that the extent of the parts order will be known. Given the potential for a delay in getting parts, that's even more reason for pushing for a Tesla courtesy car. If it was a definite in and out in a day or so maybe I wouldn't be too insistent, but "Tesla repairs" and "quick" are not normally found in the same sentence.

 

[Beady3647]

I've recently had a fairly minor body repair and I have to say that it went amazingly well. My front 'nose cone' was ripped off in a private car-park by an inattentive parker, who promptly parked discretely checked his own damage and drove off! Fortunately for me I have access to the CCTV system and was able to download footage from several cameras which totally incriminated him!

So I contact Tesla at Digbeth (Birmingham) and ask to speak to someone about an accident repair. They reply that they do not do repairs and I should contact and approved repairer. I looked at the Tesla website and found the nearest was 'Individual Specialist Cars' who were around 12 miles (30 mins drive) away. I phoned them, told them the circumstances and their response was come in as soon as is convenient and we can look at the damage and give you an estimate. I was there within an hour and they suggested I might like to make use of an Accident repair management company to which I replied yes as I had had experience three years ago when rear ended in my BMW. Within 30 minutes I was on my way home, within 5 minutes of leaving I was contacted by Accident Exchange and asked them to phone again in a couple of hours. That evening I let them have the CCTV footage. Within a day and a half I was driving a Mercedes E345 AMG. Within a further 14 days my repair was complete and I was driving my pride and joy again.

Things I missed/disliked driving the Merc:-

Miss: Passive Entry, Regenerative Braking, Comfort, Automatic application of parking brake, Comfort, Touchscreen display, Performance (even in chill mode) and did I miss COMFORT.

Disliked: Comfort, lack of genuine performance, comparative sluggish performance and of course Comfort

Now I'm the wrong side of 70 and 225lb so comfort is most certainly an issue with me as you will have noticed, but having had BMW and Mercs for the last 25 years I was surprised how alien this Merc felt.

Anyway, all done and dusted now decided to treat myself to ceramic coating with PPProtect - 8 week wait but I'm certain it'll be worth the wait. Visited them and was very impressed with their honest approach and knowledge. I'll rate them more fully when the job is done.

Drive safely and enjoy what I consider the driving experience of my lifetime.