Accident Repair- What should I do?

[Praveen]

Hello everyone.

Never posted on this forum myself but here goes. Was slowly pulling out a side road after a bus flashed me to go and got hit by a moped who narrowly overtook the bus and was blind to me and I was blind to him. Rider hit front right wing and flipped onto bonnet. Luckily damage wasn't too bad(could  be worse) and the bumper and front right alloy wheel is fine, but the right wing is quite badly crumpled and there are a few fairly large dents on the bonnet. Moped rider said he will cover his own costs and since the damages were not worth making a claim, I am going to get the repairs done myself. 

I was wondering what kind of cost it will be to repair the bonnet, and whether it can be repaired easily or has to be completely replaced. I was planning on replacing just the wing for now and sorting out the bonnet later in summer but am not sure if it is better to get it all fixed in one go since paint may need to be blended into the panels(was going to buy wing as pre-painted part and fit it). Also I have some slight laquer peel on my rare bumper so maybe buying an unpainted wing, repairing the bonnet, then getting all 3 parts painted as well as blending into the door maybe a better idea, but have no idea what kind of costs it may come to. From what I know:

Wing(unpainted)- £35   Wing(Painted)-£140   I can DIY fit it

Bonnet(unpainted)-£110    needs to be painted and fitted professionally

Bonnet REPAIR: £?????

Sorry if I dragged this out but I'm struggling to make this decision. I appreciate any help!

Thank you

[Magnet]

PHello Praveen, 

Sorry to hear of your problem, and it is likely that what I am suggesting you think about may not be to your best advantage.

From your description, it would seem you were pulling out of a side road into the road on which the collision occurred, and despite the bus driver calling you out, I think you will find it is your responsibility to ensure the road you are pulling out into is clear. In this case it wasn't, and the the moped rider collided with your car when he was (seemingly) correctly overtaking the bus. In other words, as unfortunate as it is for you, the accident appears to have been caused by you, and the moped rider has little to lose by claiming  against you.

If he does, then there is no point in you repairing the car yourself since your premium will be affected irrespective of the total value of the claim' so you just as well have your car repaired by a body shop. 

Now of course, you may well have other relevant information which points to the moped rider definitely (should be in capitals) not claiming against you for some reason. 

Good luck with sorting this out.

Kind regards,

Gareth,

 

[cliffcoggin]

If the moped rider was blameless I wonder why he is not claiming from Praveen.  Somehow I don't think we have the full story.

[WPAWS]

does sound like the moped owner was lacking something like insurance tax or even an mot, very strange to say he would cover his own costs unless he had something to hide 

[Praveen]

Moped owner said his parts are pretty cheap just a few panels that need to be replaced can get it done in a day. He said he's not too fussed and If I want to go through insurance I can. Obviously if my excess is pretty much the same as cos of damages making a claim it isn't worth losing my NCD over hence we agreed to cover our own costs. It's difficult as technically I may be the one to bare the blame but it was totally unforeseeable and just complete bad luck. This is a main road in Battersea right by the Thames, a road which is usually very busy. Bus drivers never give way, in fact one went past initially but the 2nd bus that came stopped to let me out. I pulled out carefully and slowly, took my time to make sure it was completely clear on the left. As I moved forward my eyes were to the right at the corner of the bus where cars could come from. But due to just complete lack of visibility around the bus it was impossible for him to see me and for me to see him. I couldn't exactly sit there and edge out dead slowly because the bus was waiting for me to pull out. I just never expected a moped to pull out of all things. I'm assuming he thought the bus was stopping at a bus stop hence thought the road was clear. It's just sad really that this bus driver had good intentions to let me come out the side road but in the end resulted in far more than anyone could've expected. Moped owner was a pretty chill guy in general. After he got out of his initial shock he was nice about the whole situation. 

All that said, what kind of cost am I looking at? One garage said £500 bonnet and wing. But I just need some other opinions, and to whether i should just buy a painted wing alone and do the bonnet later or get  an unpainted wing, fix the bonnet, and blend the paint.

Thanks guys!

[cliffcoggin]

If you have been quoted £500 for new bonnet and wing, fitted and finished, I would snap it up. That seems remarkably cheap for an Audi job.

[Magnet]

Hello Praveen,

I'm very much with Cliff on this.This would appear to be bordering on the too cheap to believe side.

Secondhand panels?

It would be worth registering your wants with the on-line parts finding agencies into which the scrap yards link - Parts Finder (I think) etc.

Although it sounds great if you can find panels of the correct colour, it is realistic to keep in mind that even if you do find the correct colour ones, they are unlikely to be free from minor storage/transit marks and so its possible they will need some refinishing.

If it were me  - and sorry to continue to be pessimistic - I would still be wary of the moped rider being advised (been involved in in accidents Sir? type salesmen) to claim against you at some point. It would be a great shame if you had then spent your money only to find a claim materialised, and you lose out both ways. Let's hope not. Worth holding fire for a little while? 

Good luck.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Praveen]

Thanks for that I'll take a look at getting some second hand panels. I did try looking but didn't have much luck I guess I'll just look over time till something pops up. 

I don't think the moped owner is trying to pull off anything but either way I will do the repairs at the end of summer. The damages don't look too bad to manage with, as long as the car is mechanically sound I'm not too fussed.

Thanks!