Minor bump, call insurance?

lee1101

lee1101

lee1101

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Evening

Just been rear ended at slow speed waiting at a set of traffic lights. Was a fairly hefty bump.

It's dark and it's raining so it's very hard to see it there's much damage but it seems to be a few bumper clips have popped off by the exhaust. Car is a 2016 fiesta ST.

Question is whether it is worth calling the insurance company or not? I've exchanged details etc but don't really want to report it if there is only a few £ of damage. Or is it better to be safe than sorry and just call the insurance company anyway?

Thanks :)
 
What did the person who went in to you say? Did they offer to pay for private repair? Personally I'd do my best to avoid going down the insurance route for a minor bump and get a quote tomorrow from a bodyshop so you have a better idea. Then if it's costly you can notify your insurance but if not the offender may just settle up.
 
He was very apologetic and was happy for me to call the insurance company. Am I ok to wait until tomorrow when it's light to check for damage before I call the insurance company?
 
Hard to say without seeing it. It's best to leave insurers out of very minor stuff, or you often end up paying more in the long run. It's much quicker doing it off the books as well.

But if the bumper is cracked or out of shape it will be expensive. If it's just a few broken clips it will cost peanuts.
 
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If thier happy to resolve outside of the insurance companies then I'd do that. But I'd get a quote from a garage as soon as you cam, if it ends up being a costly repair then the other party may not want to pay out and you'll have to go through th insurance companies
 
Thanks :)

I'll have a proper look in the morning.

I work next to a ford garage, I might ask if they can have a quick look to see if there is anything they can see. Not sure if it's something they would do but worth a go!
 
I'd say expect damage behind the bumper.. new plastic bumpers often just bounce back into shape and you don't see the actual damage behind. So have a good look at the boot floor and from under the bumper etc.
 
Fairly hefty bump from behind? 12 month old car? Other party admitted fault/likely to admit fault?

Go to insurance and tell them you want Ford to carry out the repairs. If a non approved bodyshop does the repairs, you could lose things like the anti corrosion warranty.
 
grudas said:
I'd say expect damage behind the bumper.. new plastic bumpers often just bounce back into shape and you don't see the actual damage behind. So have a good look at the boot floor and from under the bumper etc.
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This. get someone to inspect under it for any damage and then decide which route to go down. if there's anything out of place then insurance, if it's just a couple clips then private.
 
You are meant to inform your your insurance company of anything like that, it can invalidate your insurance, or so they told me once, when i did not go through them
 
Been out this morning and there doesn't seem to be any visible damage. All the bumper lines up and the gaps look ok. Boot floor is also ok.

Going to pop to Ford at lunch and see if they can have a quick look under for me :)
 
Haze said:
You are meant to inform your your insurance company of anything like that, it can invalidate your insurance, or so they told me once, when i did not go through them
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They want any excuse to get more money off you as they will increase your premium for informing them. Unless they have a crystal ball they do not know half or more of the no claim accidents ever happened. They are just scaremongering and hope you believe it would invalidate cover.
 
Haze said:
You are meant to inform your your insurance company of anything like that, it can invalidate your insurance, or so they told me once, when i did not go through them
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Officially yes, but most people don't for minor things. Just never tell them about it :)

Last time I had a scuff, I just paid a good local guy to paint it. Even paid in cash lol
 
Finglonga said:
They want any excuse to get more money off you as they will increase your premium for informing them. Unless they have a crystal ball they do not know half or more of the no claim accidents ever happened. They are just scaremongering and hope you believe it would invalidate cover.
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They wont increase your insurance for just telling them....
 
Why else would they want you to tell them? :)

They will put it on record, which will up the price at the next renewal.
 
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lee1101 said:
Been out this morning and there doesn't seem to be any visible damage. All the bumper lines up and the gaps look ok. Boot floor is also ok.
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I thought you said it was a fairly hefty whack from behind? Can't have been that hefty if it hasn't so much as scratched the paint on the first point of contact!
 
Haze said:
They wont increase your insurance for just telling them....
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Maybe not straight away but when you've got to declare it as an accident or claim in the last 5 years at renewal time you can bet your backside they will.
 
I had a bump 2 months ago. My fault i rear ended someone didnt move at junction when clear and i lifted my foot up on the clutch. but any who I Thought about settling out of insurance but in the end the cost of damage to him and to put mine right was to high and so for my premium to go up by x when y was 10 times greater i informed them and both cars are sorted. Yes my premium may go up by £100 or so but its better than forking out nearly 2 grand to fix both cars. crash was at like 5-10mph.
 
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