Polemicist

Been a while since I last posted - life-changes 'n' all that - one change was a little incident in my Prius on Christmas Eve.

A fawn decided it would be a good idea to jump over a wall and into the front of my car. Thankfully I managed to hit the brakes so the speed at impact must've been relatively low; the resultant damage was a cracked windscreen and some slightly misaligned panels, most notably the LH wing and the bonnet.

There was absolutely no paintwork damage at all; not even a minor scratch or abrasion and most definitely no dent in any of the metal work. No clips broken on the front bumper cover or anywhere else, light units all unscathed. Nothing 'broken'.

The fawn ran-off happily over the fields.

I have now been informed by the insurance company that the bill for the repair came to £2,179.66 plus VAT. Staggering.

Clearly I am not a fully trained body shop 'technician' but aside from the windscreen replacement, there was little more than a full-shift required to realign the panels.

The front bumper has been repainted (not a new one I may add), as has the bonnet and the front wings. Completely and utterly unnecessary.

No wonder we're paying inflated insurance premiums if the insurance companies are willing to cough-up seemingly without any appraisal of the repairs they (in reality, we) are paying for.

sound_wave

I completely agree - my car is in for some front wing damage. From what I can see (and what the manual says) I think it needs a bumper respray (some scuffs there), a new n/s/f wing and the two brackets that hold them on.
I wouldn't be suprised if the bill that comes back includes a new headlight (the current one is mis-aligned but nothing is broken), a new arch liner, new bumper, new front splitter. All that is really needed is a bumper and splitter respray and a wing and braket replacement.

My confirmation letter actually said that they automatically authorise for repair, providing it isn't bordering a write off, or if there are repairs that they are unsure of.

Sounds like a blank cheque to me, and then you get the people that claim for 'whiplash'. Don't get me started on them!!!

BenRNBP

And try going to a body shop and getting them to give you the time of day. As a non-insurance customer it's just not worth their time when they can charge that kind of money.