How much to replace rear bumper & insurance question

milan_ns · 05-03-2009, 04:48 AM

Hi all! Great forum! I picked up a lot of useful information here and have finaly decided to register... not for a great reason though :S

I was involved in a rear-end collision ("involved" may be too harsh, as I was stationary at the time) with a VW Transporter.

My rear bumper got smashed and nothing else from what I could see.

I have 2 questions:

1) Does anyone has an idea how much is to replace the bumper @ BMW dealer (inc railings; my car is an ES model, so no parking sensors)?

2) I've heard that it could take a while to get the other party's insurance to pay up, so I'm, considering to pay for the repair myself and than claim back the cash. Is this wise?

Thanks for the advice!

willhollin · 05-03-2009, 04:53 AM

Sounds like you have a clear cut case.

Enlist the help of an accident management company and let them deal with it. You should be supplied with a like for like car whilst yours is fixed and all costs will be recovered from the third party.

Try a search for - Drive Assist, Helphire, Angel Assistance etc.

You really shouldn't have to suffer for someone else's mistake.

Oh and welcome to the forum.

jjbirch · 05-03-2009, 05:29 AM

+1 what will says, end of the day your car was parked,i allways get the police there, makes the case much easyer, was you in the car when this happend, maybe not now but after a few days you could get neck pains, should get yourself checked out, and put in for a claim,

mjh93sa · 05-03-2009, 05:58 AM

When mine got thumped per the thread below, the cost of the repairs was in the region of £1500.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98385

dxb335d · 05-03-2009, 07:20 AM

I would not fix your car and try and claim back. You will struggle getting your money.

Let your insurance company persue the case.

I take it the other party has admitted liability

Welcome to e90post bud.

M3-FAST · 05-03-2009, 09:37 AM

I thought all insurance companies repair the car asap and then claim it back from the 3rd party afterwards?

The missus had an MR2 roadster a few years ago that got rear ended but pushed her into the car in front. Took a year for the insurance companies to sort themselves out (arguaments over blame etc), but the car was taken in for repairs within a couple of days.

Hope you get it sorted soon, but as Carlos says, defo wait for the insurance to sort.

alcook · 05-04-2009, 02:45 AM

I had my front replaced after the Mrs bent the lower splitter part on a low cut tree stump..

Ok, so there are a few more gizmos in the front, but the 'damage' at Wakefield BMW was about £1k.

milan_ns · 05-04-2009, 03:43 AM

Thanks for the advice & the welcome guys!

The other party didn't admit in writing, yet (bump happened on Saturday), but seemed a decent person. I took photos at the scene and also have a copy of his driving licence.

@jjbirch
Yep, I was in the car - actually I was at a crossroad, just about to move away, when this happened. My neck did hurt for a bit, but was fine after 30 mins and it's still fine 2 days later - I still feel pain when looking at my bumper though

)

I intend to get a quote from Blackheath BMW and offer him to pay up. If that doesn't work, my insurance says they will claim the damage from his insurance.

My worry is that my insurance says they will fix the car, but it also says I need to pay excess + my NCD bonus will be suspended untill (or if) they get their money back.

Should I just skip my own insurance and go to one of those 3rd party accident management agencies (if the guy doesn't want to pay cash)?

PeteJ · 05-04-2009, 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milan_ns

Thanks for the advice & the welcome guys!

The other party didn't admit in writing, yet (bump happened on Saturday), but seemed a decent person. I took photos at the scene and also have a copy of his driving licence.

@jjbirch
Yep, I was in the car - actually I was at a crossroad, just about to move away, when this happened. My neck did hurt for a bit, but was fine after 30 mins and it's still fine 2 days later - I still feel pain when looking at my bumper though

)

I intend to get a quote from Blackheath BMW and offer him to pay up. If that doesn't work, my insurance says they will claim the damage from his insurance.

My worry is that my insurance says they will fix the car, but it also says I need to pay excess + my NCD bonus will be suspended untill (or if) they get their money back.

Should I just skip my own insurance and go to one of those 3rd party accident management agencies (if the guy doesn't want to pay cash)?

Hi Milan_ns

I really feel for you on this one. I hate anything like this and always feel I need it fixed yesterday. I hit a deer 3 weeks after picking up my car and the whole front bumper needed replacing. £850 from Douglas Park BMW in Glasgow. Also, you'll find that the is a 10% parts discount which can be applied, so always ask!

However I would recommend one of the accident management companies and don't pay anything out yourself at this moment (however tempting!). Insurance companies will take there time, since it make financial sense for them to do so.

I would avoid involving your own insurer at this point. They will muddy the water even further. Give the guy the option to go around insurance companies, however if he says no then get an Accident Management Company to start working on it.

Hope this helps, and you get it sorted soon

milan_ns · 05-06-2009, 03:05 PM

I went with Angel Assist. What a difference from my insurance company. They booked me in with the BMW repair shop for the next day, with the replacement car waiting there. They did sell me a policy to cover the costs in the case the other insurance doesn't pay. Probably unnecessarily, but I went along as it's only £10.

They were slightly suprised that I contacted them directly and didn't go via insurance, which I found a bit strange.

Anyways, so far so good!

Thanks again for the advice guys. You saved me a ton of grief. If I went via my insurance I would probably still be chasing them and arguing, not to mention paying the excess & risking the NCD.

PeteJ · 05-07-2009, 01:34 AM

glad it's getting sorted, let us know how you get on

milan_ns · 05-19-2009, 04:43 PM

... and I'm back in action

After 14 days of using replacement Alfa 159 2.4D (lots of buttons, but in all the wrong places - pretty quick though) I'm so glad to have my car back.

Damage was £1407 (they replaced bumper, support and all the neighbouring bits).

Angel Assist people were very helpful. Not sure why it took 14 days to replace a bumper, but since I had a replacement car, this was not too much of an inconvenience (I guess they try to make money on the rental by prolonging the process a bit). All in all, I would recommend them.

yargnat · 06-01-2009, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milan_ns

... and I'm back in action

After 14 days of using replacement Alfa 159 2.4D (lots of buttons, but in all the wrong places - pretty quick though) I'm so glad to have my car back.

Damage was £1407 (they replaced bumper, support and all the neighbouring bits).

Angel Assist people were very helpful. Not sure why it took 14 days to replace a bumper, but since I had a replacement car, this was not too much of an inconvenience (I guess they try to make money on the rental by prolonging the process a bit). All in all, I would recommend them.

Probably because they are actually a car hire company who assist you with your accident claim. Thats where they make there money. Most of the 14 days the car would be sat at the dealer waiting for the insurance assessor to visit and authorise the repairs.
if you present them with a "fault" accident, you'll probably find they won't take on your case.

Used similar companys myself a couple of times. Once when my E90 was rear-ended, and once when my E39 was rear-ended. A word of caution though. In the event of a write-off, they can only claim for the value of the car (at the time of the accident) minus the scrap value. eg, car worth 10K, scrap value worth 2K, you get 8K. It's up to you to sell the scrap, and recoup the 2K. Happenned to me on my E39.

milan_ns · 06-05-2009, 07:16 AM

Repair bill: £1407
Rental bill: £2200

I guess they made few quid on the rental bit

Sure wish they'd offer me £2.2k... that would have bought me lots of travelcards... or a scooter

!

In my case, only the bumper went, but will keep in mind what you said about the write-off.

Sounds fair if they value the scrap properly (though it would be nicer if they took the scrap and paid the full amount... maybe it depends on the company).

05-03-2009, 04:48 AM	#1
milan_ns New Member 2 Rep 21 Posts Drives: E90 320i Join Date: May 2009 Location: London iTrader: (0)	How much to replace rear bumper & insurance question Hi all! Great forum! I picked up a lot of useful information here and have finaly decided to register... not for a great reason though :S I was involved in a rear-end collision ("involved" may be too harsh, as I was stationary at the time) with a VW Transporter. My rear bumper got smashed and nothing else from what I could see. I have 2 questions: 1) Does anyone has an idea how much is to replace the bumper @ BMW dealer (inc railings; my car is an ES model, so no parking sensors)? 2) I've heard that it could take a while to get the other party's insurance to pay up, so I'm, considering to pay for the repair myself and than claim back the cash. Is this wise? Thanks for the advice!
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05-03-2009, 04:53 AM	#2
willhollin Major General 268 Rep 9,915 Posts Drives: VW T5 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Worcestershire iTrader: (1) Garage List 2007 BMW E92 330d SE [10.00] 2010 Transporter T5 ... [0.00]	Sounds like you have a clear cut case. Enlist the help of an accident management company and let them deal with it. You should be supplied with a like for like car whilst yours is fixed and all costs will be recovered from the third party. Try a search for - Drive Assist, Helphire, Angel Assistance etc. You really shouldn't have to suffer for someone else's mistake. Oh and welcome to the forum.
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05-03-2009, 05:29 AM	#3
jjbirch Banned 75 Rep 2,927 Posts Drives: E60 530D M SPORT Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: england iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 320d m sport [0.00]	+1 what will says, end of the day your car was parked,i allways get the police there, makes the case much easyer, was you in the car when this happend, maybe not now but after a few days you could get neck pains, should get yourself checked out, and put in for a claim,
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05-03-2009, 05:58 AM	#4
mjh93sa Major General 147 Rep 5,080 Posts Drives: 530d Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Gloucestershire iTrader: (0) Garage List 2012 BMW M135i [10.00] 2011 Mini Countryma ... [5.50]	When mine got thumped per the thread below, the cost of the repairs was in the region of £1500. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98385 __________________ Gone: Fiesta - Focus - E46 320dSE - E91 330dMSport - E82 135iMSport - R55 JCW Clubman - M135i Now: 530d
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05-03-2009, 07:20 AM	#5
dxb335d The Tarmac Terrorist 949 Rep 29,345 Posts Drives: 997.2 GT3 Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: ''Fandango Towers'' iTrader: (3) Garage List 2010 Porsche 997.2 GT3 [9.50] 2003 BMW E46 M3 [6.00] 2007 BMW E92 335D [5.50]	I would not fix your car and try and claim back. You will struggle getting your money. Let your insurance company persue the case. I take it the other party has admitted liability Welcome to e90post bud. __________________ 997.2 GT3
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05-03-2009, 09:37 AM	#6
M3-FAST Defected to the dark side..... 210 Rep 5,795 Posts Drives: BMW M5 LCi Join Date: May 2007 Location: Stafford, UK iTrader: (11) Garage List 2009 E90 M3 [10.00] 2007 325i M-sport C ... [9.00]	I thought all insurance companies repair the car asap and then claim it back from the 3rd party afterwards? The missus had an MR2 roadster a few years ago that got rear ended but pushed her into the car in front. Took a year for the insurance companies to sort themselves out (arguaments over blame etc), but the car was taken in for repairs within a couple of days. Hope you get it sorted soon, but as Carlos says, defo wait for the insurance to sort.
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05-04-2009, 02:45 AM	#7
alcook Captain 22 Rep 639 Posts Drives: M4 CP Convertible Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Yorkshire, UK iTrader: (0)	I had my front replaced after the Mrs bent the lower splitter part on a low cut tree stump.. Ok, so there are a few more gizmos in the front, but the 'damage' at Wakefield BMW was about £1k.
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05-04-2009, 03:43 AM	#8
milan_ns New Member 2 Rep 21 Posts Drives: E90 320i Join Date: May 2009 Location: London iTrader: (0)	Thanks for the advice & the welcome guys! The other party didn't admit in writing, yet (bump happened on Saturday), but seemed a decent person. I took photos at the scene and also have a copy of his driving licence. @jjbirch Yep, I was in the car - actually I was at a crossroad, just about to move away, when this happened. My neck did hurt for a bit, but was fine after 30 mins and it's still fine 2 days later - I still feel pain when looking at my bumper though ) I intend to get a quote from Blackheath BMW and offer him to pay up. If that doesn't work, my insurance says they will claim the damage from his insurance. My worry is that my insurance says they will fix the car, but it also says I need to pay excess + my NCD bonus will be suspended untill (or if) they get their money back. Should I just skip my own insurance and go to one of those 3rd party accident management agencies (if the guy doesn't want to pay cash)?
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05-06-2009, 03:05 PM	#10
milan_ns New Member 2 Rep 21 Posts Drives: E90 320i Join Date: May 2009 Location: London iTrader: (0)	I went with Angel Assist. What a difference from my insurance company. They booked me in with the BMW repair shop for the next day, with the replacement car waiting there. They did sell me a policy to cover the costs in the case the other insurance doesn't pay. Probably unnecessarily, but I went along as it's only £10. They were slightly suprised that I contacted them directly and didn't go via insurance, which I found a bit strange. Anyways, so far so good! Thanks again for the advice guys. You saved me a ton of grief. If I went via my insurance I would probably still be chasing them and arguing, not to mention paying the excess & risking the NCD.
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05-07-2009, 01:34 AM	#11
PeteJ Diesel Head 12 Rep 550 Posts Drives: 320d M Sport Convertible E93 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Edinburgh iTrader: (0)	glad it's getting sorted, let us know how you get on
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05-19-2009, 04:43 PM	#12
milan_ns New Member 2 Rep 21 Posts Drives: E90 320i Join Date: May 2009 Location: London iTrader: (0)	... and I'm back in action After 14 days of using replacement Alfa 159 2.4D (lots of buttons, but in all the wrong places - pretty quick though) I'm so glad to have my car back. Damage was £1407 (they replaced bumper, support and all the neighbouring bits). Angel Assist people were very helpful. Not sure why it took 14 days to replace a bumper, but since I had a replacement car, this was not too much of an inconvenience (I guess they try to make money on the rental by prolonging the process a bit). All in all, I would recommend them.
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06-05-2009, 07:16 AM	#14
milan_ns New Member 2 Rep 21 Posts Drives: E90 320i Join Date: May 2009 Location: London iTrader: (0)	Repair bill: £1407 Rental bill: £2200 I guess they made few quid on the rental bit Sure wish they'd offer me £2.2k... that would have bought me lots of travelcards... or a scooter ! In my case, only the bumper went, but will keep in mind what you said about the write-off. Sounds fair if they value the scrap properly (though it would be nicer if they took the scrap and paid the full amount... maybe it depends on the company).
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