Getting cash out of insurance company (vs repair)

[Makaveli]

Hi,
My sister had her mirror smashed by a package dropped by a bike courier.
This is going though courier insurance now.
I have spare mirror for her AE101, and I would rather get cash of quoted repair instead of going through repair with panelbeaters.
The insurance company is resisting.
The company is Westpak insurance.

Is there any chance of her getting cash? How is this process supposed to work?

Maybe your English isn't good, but most people on this forum were under the assumption/impression that you were in possession of a spare mirror already.

While I know where you coming from in terms of quality of craftsmanship & I agree with you based on many occasions where work hasn't been done well.

Panelbeaters: not colour matching correctly.
Tow Trucks: that incorrectly tow and bent my tie rod end.
Suspension Place: not doing wheel alignment correctly - steering wheel not centered.

[solitaire]

Suspension Place: not doing wheel alignment correctly - steering wheel not centered.

This happens constantly... drives me insane...

[sergei]

Maybe your English isn't good, but most people on this forum were under the assumption/impression that you were in possession of a spare mirror already.

My English is good enough (sometimes I eat the words, but that is not because my English ).
assumption comes from the following text:

I could have fitted the mirror on the day.

The text should read: I could have gone to pickapart on the day, gotten mirror and fitted it.

[sergei]

As for the panel beater insurance jobs, I don't have any positive experiences. I haven't dealt for my own cars as I avoid driving in Auckland at all costs.

Here are the problems (with cars my mother owned):
dirt in the paint.
sanding marks under the paint.
wrong colour.
clear coat peeling off after a year.
pliers left in engine bay (near the belt area).
forgetting to tighten bolts on the door handle.
Broken trim clips (don't bother to replace).
Taking very long to complete the job.
Not using flexibility additive when painting plastic bumper (results in paint cracking).
Orange peel.
Oh and what is up with excessive use of filler? What part of panel beating these "qualified" people do not understand?

[duddley]

I have never had any problems with my panel beater (
A Dracevich Panelbeaters Ltd
378 West Coast Road, Glen Eden) every time any of my cars have been in there they have come back looking like new and have had a full groom and polish. Perhaps you need to shop around instead of slagging off an entire industry.

[rolla_fxgt]

I had quite a good chat with a pannel beater one day, after he was dropping me back off while they had my car.
He said that the NZ insurance companies are the cheapest barstards he's ever worked with (used to work in aus, and has worked in the US) they only ever want to use second hand parts (he said IAG were the worst), and don't want to pay for gettting things fixed properly, leading to them doing the bare minimum needed to get the job done, as thats all they're paid for.
He said he wouldn't even insure a classic car in NZ, as it would never be finished to the correct standard, and forget about it totally if it was show quality.

The insurance companies insure based on the average/crappest quality of car/owner. Doesn't matter if the owner spends extra on getting getting decent tires, using genuine parts. Have to make a claim, and they'll use generic parts, second hand wherever they can, and if its a right off they won't pay more than the cheapest they can.
Makes you wonder why you bother.
Oh and they hardly ever put a car through a wheel alignment.

Apparently in Aussie its compulsary to use new parts on insurance repairs. Would be a good start here too.

I've never had problems with paint match, but have had problems with clear coat bubbles and overspray.
I have had wheel nuts not done up, just finger tights (WTF, how unsafe is that).
Bumpers loose & mudflaps loose and banging on the car
Lights not connected (got pulled over by the police, and had fix it then and there or face a ticket)
Taking over a month to repair a car, but they did blame that on the insurance company and the broker not talking to each other, and arguments over how long to wait for parts to become available.

[sergei]

I have never had any problems with my panel beater (
A Dracevich Panelbeaters Ltd
378 West Coast Road, Glen Eden) every time any of my cars have been in there they have come back looking like new and have had a full groom and polish. Perhaps you need to shop around instead of slagging off an entire industry.

I am talking about insurance panel beaters. Not a panel beater you choose.

[duddley]

My insurance company lets me choose my repairer.

[Anth_555]

not called panelbeaters any more, Collision Repairer is now used. cars have changed alot and the steal isnt the same in new cars as what it was. you cant just put heat on a panel and hammer it up the steal is to thin and will strech even more. youre left to ether filler or replace the part but if insurace says you cant replace it you have to fill it
every panelbeater dose insurance work if your not happy with one place take it esle where you dont have to go where they recomend you to go

that job dose some prity unacceptable, i cant say ive had problems like that before

[BZG Wagon]

Wait till some muppet decides it needs to be compulsory. Then watch those parasites collude and milk the captive market for all they can.

Insurance needs to be compulsory - those of us with insurance have been subsidising the uninsured for years.

Want to stop 15 - 18 year old teenagers from killing & maiming themselves in high perfrormance jap tin cans? Compulsory insurance - no one will touch them and if they do; they won't be able to afford the premiums. Plus my premiums will go down - win win.

Re: Sergei's mirror - make sure they do it up to your standard if you go through insurance. Otherwise talk to the courier (or their company) and try to get the $50 or whatever it cost out of their company. It'll be less then their excess.

[sergei]

My insurance company lets me choose my repairer.

Most likely as long as it is authorized repairer by that insurance .

[wde_bdy]

Wait till some muppet decides it needs to be compulsory. Then watch those parasites collude and milk the captive market for all they can.

Insurance needs to be compulsory - those of us with insurance have been subsidising the uninsured for years.

Want to stop 15 - 18 year old teenagers from killing & maiming themselves in high perfrormance jap tin cans? Compulsory insurance - no one will touch them and if they do; they won't be able to afford the premiums. Plus my premiums will go down - win win.

BULLSHIT.

Go look at what compulsory insurance costs you elsewhere in the world. That crap about 18 year olds financed to the eyeballs in fast cars is rubbish too, for starters you can't finance a car without insurance on the car so they already get insurance. Not to mention even if it was compulsory, so are wof, reg and cert for mods. How many people ignore those?

Normally I am all for personal responsibility and paying your own way, in this case all a captive market will do is increase the costs for the people who are being responsible while ending up with less coverage than they already pay for.

Callum

[Mr.Phreak]

BULLSHIT.

Go look at what compulsory insurance costs you elsewhere in the world. That crap about 18 year olds financed to the eyeballs in fast cars is rubbish too, for starters you can't finance a car without insurance on the car so they already get insurance. Not to mention even if it was compulsory, so are wof, reg and cert for mods. How many people ignore those?

Normally I am all for personal responsibility and paying your own way, in this case all a captive market will do is increase the costs for the people who are being responsible while ending up with less coverage than they already pay for.

Callum

+1

[Dell'Orto]

I lost you at "qualified".
I am sorry I have been in the trade long enough to know that most of the people who do repairs are not even close to qualified.

This is not Germany where you have to go to tertiary school to become a tradesmen.

People drop out of school at 16 and become "qualified" panel beaters.

The whole industry is full of cowboys, and you are telling me I am not "qualified"? This is just hypocritical point of view.

Do panel beater get the panel beating "licence", after seating theoretical and practical exams at some panel beater university? (don't answer that).

So what qualifies you to comment on collision repair practises? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're in IT? And formerly worked at an importer?

[Lloyd]

Can someone change Sergeis username to Yuri please?



She chose to insure the car, they have the option to restore the car with whoever and whatever parts they choose as long as it meets the standard. Its what she signed up for, get over it.



And yes it sucks because panelbeaters f*ck around with when things will be ready but thats the luck of the draw with who you end up having to deal with (or who your insurance company chooses deals with).

If they handed out cash for repairs then ever second person getting their car fixed would have a "mate" who fixed it and they just want the cash. The whole system would turn to sh*t.

[Bling]

Just say you'll fix it yourself if they throw you some courier tickets or something.

No need to go on another rant about how shit everyone else is. Just because someone doesn't have a qualification doesn't make them bad at their job. I see work in my trade all the time that just makes me wonder what they were smoking when the did the job.... qualification is only part of the puzzle.

[BZG Wagon]

Wait till some muppet decides it needs to be compulsory. Then watch those parasites collude and milk the captive market for all they can.

Insurance needs to be compulsory - those of us with insurance have been subsidising the uninsured for years.

Want to stop 15 - 18 year old teenagers from killing & maiming themselves in high perfrormance jap tin cans? Compulsory insurance - no one will touch them and if they do; they won't be able to afford the premiums. Plus my premiums will go down - win win.

BULLSHIT.

Go look at what compulsory insurance costs you elsewhere in the world. That crap about 18 year olds financed to the eyeballs in fast cars is rubbish too, for starters you can't finance a car without insurance on the car so they already get insurance. Not to mention even if it was compulsory, so are wof, reg and cert for mods. How many people ignore those?

Normally I am all for personal responsibility and paying your own way, in this case all a captive market will do is increase the costs for the people who are being responsible while ending up with less coverage than they already pay for.

Callum

Look at what compulsary insurance covers elsewhere in the word.

NZ vehicle insurance doesn't cover personal injury - that's worn by ACC. Hence higher premiums overseas.

If the government thinks insurance is uncompetitive they can simply start their own insurance business. Hell they did it with a bank.

Personally I think we should bankrupt uninsured that have accidents they can't afford. I have several friends with 3rd party who get $10 - $15 p/w from uninsured people who cause accidents.

[wde_bdy]

The vast majority of insurance policies (including 3rd party only) have an uninsured motorist extension, so you have no loss of no claims discount and no excess where the other party is identified (and if they aren't you're screwed anyway). So your freinds picked the wrong insurance. I've been out of pocket for a $1,000 excess myself but compulsory insurance wouldn't have helped and I would have paid way more in the long run. Captive market in NZ will end up with a cap at the top end (can't charge irresponsible solo mums $3k a year for insurance) so the market gets squashed and the low risk subsidise the high risk while the cover reduces. $&#$% that, I'm happy with my $150 or less a year. Shit I pay less than $250 a year for a modded KP Starlet on full cover.

Callum

[S T E A L T H]

Fundamentally, any law which legislated for compulsory consumption of a good or service provided by a private enterprise is a f#@k up.

Compulsory insurance no matter how you look at it will be another tax .

As it has already been pointed out, the low risk will subsidise the high.

More specifically, insurance and finance companies will successfully negotiate for government subsidies to insure thousands of people with mulitple disqualifications, poor accident history, the 17 year-old solo mother of 3 from Papakura on a learners license, etc.

Then there's the obvious issue of us car enthusiasts who own several cars. In my case, I have 6 . Between all of them they have probably been driven approximately 15000km in the previous 12 months. (we have company cars which are used daily). Only 1 of them is insured, as it was financed when I bought it, however is now paid off - and I won't be renewing the policy.
To put it mildly I'm not happy about the fact that I already have to register them all and pay ACC levy content, and I'm f#@ked if I will be paying insurance on the whole lot on top of that.

Compulsory insurance, strewth. Next minute someone will bring up the ol' crock of sh1t about restricting cc limits for younger drivers.

we're way off topic again...

[Grrrrrrr!]

To put it mildly I'm not happy about the fact that I already have to register them all and pay ACC levy content, and I'm f#@ked if I will be paying insurance on the whole lot on top of that.

So don't.. if they are driven as little as you say they are just keep them on exemption and swallow the fine on the off chance you are caught driving one. Keep the wof up to date to prove to the police that the car is safe, then explain why you refuse to pay the rego. The fine is less than a years rego I beleive, so its only the demerit points you stand to lose.

Thats what I plan to do once I get round to building a weekend/track toy. Licence is clean so i can deal with 20(?) demerit points if I ever get caught. The only downside is you have to avoid parking in places parking wardens are known to haunt, but thats what the daily beater is for.