Lock up your lawnmowers!

[Jookeone]

Driving along today and had a council man on one of the big drive on mowers crash into the side of me. Apparently his foot got stuck on the accelerator. First incident I've ever been involved in, but we've swapped details and everything.

I'm certain it will be an insurance write off, but am after advice from you guys on buying the car back - not sure how this works and what I should expect to pay? Regardless as to whether I look to repair it it's got plenty off good bits to keep.

A couple of pictures show the damage, original wheel is wrecked and blown out hence the metric spare...

[Sanchez]

Ouch, sorry to see that.

i was offered mine back at 10% of the market value.

[Jookeone]

Yeah I'm absolutely gutted.

I'll definitely be going for that then. And am I right that the insurance will pay out at market value rather than the the estimate I put down for my policy.

It's an '87 325i SE so not sure what to expect really...

[andysheep]

Proper bummer hope you great it sorted.

[Kos]

Non fault so you can push to get it fixed

However that rear arch looks like it's seen some action before

[andyp]

how thick is that filler on the rear wing below the moulding, get yourself a quote now for it to be repaired and send it off to there insuers, telling them you want it repaired 1st, very unlucky to have that thing hit your car.

[Jookeone]

Would I need to push via my insurance, or wait to hear from the insurers of the mower bloke? I'll have a look into quotes for a repair then - sounding a little hopeful!

I was surprised by the amount of filler but I knew both sides had the arches done by the previous owner. Is(was) all good metal, I can't see the weld line for the repair, must be higher up than is exposed.

[Carmo13]

Also ask if there is anyway around having the car written off.
I was involved in a non fault accident and as it was my first ever time dealing with an insurance company i just went along with what they said.
I wish i tried to come to an arrangement so my car didnt get written off as it will always effect the resale now, even though the damage wasnt bad at all!!
I purchased my car back for £180 if i recall correctly.
I also had a very long and boring fight with the insurance company trying to get a decent price for my car.
Their first offer was £1000 and in the end i got £2250, so make sure if they do write off the car to fight for every penny and never take their first offer!

[Cloggy Saint]

Getting hit by a lawnmower has to be a zone first.

[steve_k]

Getting hit by a lawnmower has to be a zone first.

I eas expecting this thread to be started by pony with a title like that

[Speedtouch]

Did you 'grass' him up for cutting it so fine?

[Jookeone]

Sounds good advice Carmo13, once they've assessed it and passed on to the insurers I'll look into that. I'm interested to see what they do offer me - did you have to give examples of similar cars to justify the price?

I'm assuming it must be a first, can't imagine many cars written of by lawn mowers... I've not been involved in any other crash to compare it to, but felt like a tank rolling into me!

It did make for a catchy title, sorry to disapoint no pony here...

[Carmo13]

Yes i did send them examples to try and justify why i wanted more money.
They told me that my car (1987 Tech 1 Sport) wasnt in the Parkers price guide which is what they use to get the market value.
It may be worth having a look around and finding examples of your car and saving them so you have some evidence ready.
My experience really has sparked a hatred for insurance companys. We all pay lots of money each year and when we finally are involved in an accident they try and completley rip us off!!

[Jookeone]

Yeah sounds good advice. Thanks again, I'll try to find some evidence.

I am getting a new BMW as a courtesy car in the mean time... They said it may be a slight downgrade due to the engine size but will still be a "presitige car"

[ross_jsy]

I can't see the weld line for the repair, must be higher up than is exposed.

I don't think there is one. That looks like it's been built with gunk from the picture.

There is a zoner who offers advice with dealing with insurance companies, can't remember who it is now though

[Speedtouch]

E30beemerlad was the chap - not sure if he's still on here nowadays though...

[Jookeone]

I did find a weld line in the end, doesn't look a bad repair - and all good rust free metal. Just a lot of filler to fair it in.

Ah a shame he's no longer about. I'm not sure I'll be able to avoid it being a write off, but will be buying it back anyway.

All cleaned up and ready for what may be it's last car show anyway

[ChrisHC]

The last topic in which E30beemerlad posted was http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... sc&start=0 which is similar to your situation, and might be helpful to read.

[Jookeone]

Thanks I'll have a read through that when I get a minute, I feel like I've been on the phone 24/7 since it happened!

[BROOMY]

Got given mine back and some pence.a˜ƒ

[Jookeone]

After expecting the car to be written off I got a call today to say the repairs have been approved.

The assessors asked what I valued my car at and I said £4-5000, they said they had came up with the same which was a nice suprise.

Until it's repaired I've got a Mercedes A200 hire car... The best thing about that is the cup holders - I can't wait to get the E30 back on the road now

Thanks for all your advise over the past week!

[Sanchez]

Cool.

With e30 prices rising less will be written off as the value increases.

[andyp]

how much was the estimate to repair the car ?

[Jookeone]

Yeah it has been nice to see the prices slowly creeping up. Haven't been interested in selling it, but it does make a difference in this kind of situation.

Repair estimate was £3200 - They've said that they will only replace the 1 rear tire which will leave me having to pay for a second to prevent the miss match in wear. Am I wrong to have been expecting both to be paid for?

[ChrisHC]

Yeah it has been nice to see the prices slowly creeping up. Haven't been interested in selling it, but it does make a difference in this kind of situation.

Repair estimate was £3200 - They've said that they will only replace the 1 rear tire which will leave me having to pay for a second to prevent the miss match in wear. Am I wrong to have been expecting both to be paid for?

Afraid so, I think it is what insurer's call a pair and set clause in their contracts. Which is a provision stating that if one-half of a pair or part of a set is lost or damaged, a reasonable and fair percentage of the value of both will be assessed. The insurer is not required to pay for the total value of the whole set.

[Jookeone]

After waiting almost 3 months, my car finally went in for repair yesterday. Can't wait to get it back on the road

In the mean time I have taken full advantage of the 60+ MPG of the courtesy car. Covering over 4000 miles must have made myself a nice saving!!

[Jookeone]

Coming into the autumn I'd hope the majority of grass cutting has been done - all in good time to finally have my car back on the road. Its been just over 4 months since the crash and I received the car back from repair yesterday.

I'm currently running on a spare wheel as 4 months appears not to have been long enough for them to arrange repair of the original, after realizing the bottletops are NLA. I'm hoping to get the wheel back later in the week, unless they now decide it's not repairable.

Anyway, I'm glad to be back in the old E30 and it's been a nice day to get out for a spin. I'm enjoying going back to basics without the; parking sensors, hill start assist, rear view camera, electronic hand brake, and leftover cash at the end of the month due the increased economy of a modern diesel.

Thanks for your advise along the way - I hope as I, you're pleased to see another E30 saved from the scrappers.

[Speedtouch]

Looks great! Did they fit a new quarter panel, or repair the original?

[Jookeone]

Thanks, I'm very happy with the result and the paint is looking great. Next job will be to get some wax oil/dinitrol down into the joints to future proof it as best as possible.

They've replaced the quarter panel and the outer arch. They finally let the truth slip, and apparently the first quarter panel they ordered went missing - partly explains such a long wait!

[Speedtouch]

Result then! Nice to know you now have a really solid rear end, on one side at least.

[Jookeone]

Yeah, I have the one good quarter now

It's difficult to tell how far they blended the paint but I notice they have gone all the way along the bottom of the door, its a shame they didn't repair the scabby bits at the bottom with it just sprayed over - but I cant expect that.