Would appreciate opinion on this: A car went into the back of mine on a busy rush hour road and the driver admitted their guilt. All going through insurers okay but as my car is only 8 months old, is a limited edition model, and was perfect before the accident (which caused an indent/mark where the other car hit mine, and put the rear panel out of alignment with the left-hand side panel) I expected the garage to just order a new back panel and replace it, thus putting my car back into the position it was prior to the accident and guaranteeing no loss to its value. However, they did a repair only. Furthermore, just after they brought my car back, I noticed the the two panels were still not perfectly aligned so I immediately notified them and my insurers. My insurers said it was up to the garage if they replaced the panel or just repaired it. The engineer is coming to see my car early next week to assess the situation. My question is, am I within my rights to demand a new panel be ordered and fitted as opposed to just having the existing panel repaired?

In short: I purchased a car on the 7th and picked it up on the 9th which needed a service and cambelt. One of the tyres deflated slowly on the way home. I was not told that the car had a slow puncture. That said, I don't like using tyres on second-hand cars because you don't know if they've been repaired...etc so wasnt bothered about replacing them. The wheel locking key which was supposed to be in the glove box was missing I purchased a replacement and had the tyres replaced at my cost when it arrived a week later (16th). The dealer just stated that it should be in the car. I went to perform the service yesterday and didnt get far. Upon removing the undertray there was a clear sign of the clutch slave cylinder inside the bell housing was leaking and has been for some time. The consequences of this could be hundreds and its a big job that Im reluctant to tackle myself. At a garage the cost could be as high as £1200. The car cost 2.5k which was top money by the price guides . There is a warranty but they will just replace the cylinder leaving the clutch in a state whereby I don't know if it will fail prematurely. There are several other problems, some of which Im prepared to repair, others not. Firstly, I asked in the initial conversation about the car if any fluids were leaking or if there were problems with the engine/gearbox to which they said no. As this is under 14 days I presume I can just reject? Secondly, what if any are my options with the new tyres? I might phone up the tyre place to see if they can refit but I doubt thats an option . They cost just over £400 so I dont want the dealer to benefit. I cant drive the car for fear of the clutch failing and yet again have a hire car. At least I still have all the service parts and can return them because I didnt want to do any work to the car after discovering the faults

Hi all. A friend of mine has had his DLA stopped because he missed an appointment for a Health Assessment. He knew nothing about the appointment because for some reason they were sending all correspondence to the wrong flat in the house he shares. When someone moved in to the empty flat, the letters were unnearthed. This was unfortunately a couple of days after he was meant to have gone to the assessment. He then recieved a letter (wrong address again) saying his DLA is stopping, and his claim for PIP was denied. All because he never turned up for assessment. He telephoned last month and explained the problem to the DWP, they changed all address details to the correct address, and said they would put it to the claims manager to be dealt with. He was meant to get paid today (if he was still getting DLA) but nothing went in his bank. He has rang them and a rather rude man said it's still waiting for a decision on the claim to be made. A decision was already made as they had sent a letter stopping his DLA, and refusing PIP. But that was not his fault. Should they not still keep paying him his DLA (which he was originally meant to get until the year 2020) until they ask for another Health Assessment? I think it's a bit cruel since they were sending his letters to the wrong place. Please help.

I have had an accident 2 days ago - as both airbags deployed I am being told it is a write off - car was 7K 13 months ago from a garage - financed and all running smoothly until accident - tp came out from junction into my path. If car is def written off (Awaiting assessors report) i reckon i will get 4k ish for the car - but owe 6600 to finance Company - finance company DO NOT offer GAP insurance on their policies I never thought about it (My bad) am I totally stuffed - is their ANY feasible way of me claiming the 2500 ish shortfall as finance company have said if written off they want it within 3 months. What options if any do I have? Thanks Paul

I have a 2012 Vauxhall Corsa D that has developed an intermittent fault. It won't accelerate and jerks. The fault code is P2138. A local mechanic told me that this is a fault known to Vauxhall but it has not reached recall status. Vauxhall wrote about this in a service bulletin (13-E-3066 Accelerator Pedal-Engine Power is reduced - 2016-04-21) They have also produced a pack to fix it. I was dismayed to be told that this could cost several hundred pounds to fix. I can't understand why I should have to pay this if Vauxhall are aware of the problem. (My car is now out of warranty.) any advice? Who should I complain to? Thanks

Hello everyone, We bought an xbox for the children in December 2014 which we're having problems with - it keeps switching off randomly. I would imagine the warranty was 12 months, so it's expired. This 'turning off' issue seems commonplace - is there any chance I'll be able to do anything under the Sale of Goods Act with Argos? I've tried with Microsoft, but after 40 minutes online chat we're barely beyond 'hi'... I'm still trying now! Any ideas?

Hello all My Grandmother purchased and had a stairlift installed from a well known stairlift company. Said stairlift company offered a 12 month warranty, plus one free service at a 6 month interval, however..they did not service it at the 6 month point, they serviced it far earlier on into the 12 month period. My Gran being 92 didn't even think about complaining, but did mention it and they fobbed her off saying 'oh we just do it whenever' (or words to that effect.) Anyway roll on to a few weeks ago..she was using the stairlift and it stopped (sods law it was about a week or so after they rang up offering the extended service/warranty) thankfully it started working again, and the man came out promptly and fixed the issue but said she'd get a big bill. She has received the bill for £190, and I don't really feel it's acceptable that a company can charge someone when it fails just outside the warranty period..if the same happened to a car, then the garage would still pretty much put the car right. Now I don't know whether because it was reconditioned, that affects any rights I may have, but you guys seem to know your stuff from a previous issue I had with my car, so I thought i'd grab your thoughts if that's ok?

Hi All, Got a bit of an issue. In Jun 2016 I got rear ended while on my motorbike by a car. In short driver jumped out of bus lane to hit me on purpose. After he hit me I tried to block him he reversed and hit ambulance, hit my bike again and drove off. I did take photo of his car, plate and gave correct description of driver. Took police over a month to trace him but he was found. His insurance company is not contesting liability but their offer for vehicle is pitiful and leaves me in huge minus. My vehicle is PCP so total value with credit is 11000 for bike alone. Bike was 6 months old when he hit me so brand new. They offer 11000 exactly plus I keep the bike so 6600 in cash plus bike on CAT D. Bike is PCP so they cannot keep it they have to give it to me allegedly. That does not cover value of outstanding credit and leaves me worse off as I would have to pay it ASAP as soon as CAT D is recorded on V5. At the same time cost of accessories is 3k they say they are accessories and I should claim via uninsurable losses but not sure I agree with that: New exhaust, new heated grips, crush bungs, front forks cardrige kit upgrade while all are aftermarket accessories they are not an add-on but rather replacement integral part. Am I right in thinking they have to bring me back to pre-accident state? If so can I demand they fix the bike no matter if value of fix is higher then 50% or not. Bike is lightly damaged its the vehicle rental cost that made this claim big and that is their problem as their 3rd party decided to run away. If I cannot demand they fix it can I contest the value they offer as I was told I have to accept it which I know is not correct. Cheers, Lukas

Greetings everyone, I left my car with the garage for a repair (it was already paid for before the repair). The car was tolled by the council because they left it at the side road. Now the council is fining me for it. Should the garage be responsible for this penalty, as it was them that put it at the side road? What should I do? Thanks in advance.

Hi My misses was driving the car on Thursday (A3 S Line 2011) she was stationairy waiting for the lights to turn green when a HGV ran straight into the back of her and smashed all the back of my car in which also result in her being thrown into the back of someone elses car, there is only minor damage to the car in front and very little to the front of my car but this HGV from Bidvest Food Services is not for admitting liability even though the police has done him for driving without due care and attention The bloke has obviously been messing with a hand held work device, or a mobile phone or just quiet simply not been watching the road but how do you hit a car when the lights are on red baffles me. Santander have done nothing but mess about trying to contact the woman whos car we hit to clarify what went on ive told them im not interested what your trying to do with her i want to know whats going on with my car and when its going to be picked up to be taken away to be repaired. My car is now sat on the drive way waiting to be collected and i am no closer to having this simple task carried out. They have also turned round and said to me if they cant get hold of her they will need to refer me to there underwriters co op insurance which means i am liable for the excess dont see how this is my problem when it wasnt our fault

Hi, quick precise: April 2016 Test drive on a 2007 Ford Cabriolet with hood down, then put roof up and inspected. Decided to purchase. Collected car after several problems with DVLA First attempt to tax - DVLA had no records of Reg. No. Telephoned DVLA - would look into it Next day car appeared as untaxed, unsorned since August 2015 Next, DVLA could find no owner for the vehicle. Told garage not happy - explained they had purchased it in August 2015, laid it up for winter, mot'd February 2016, a nd were able to tax prior to collection Car collected, again hood down. Half way home red engine light permanently on, returned and left on garage forecourt as they were closed. Put right next day. After driving around for a day, top up, noticed and 'nasty' interior smell. Again told garage about that and a couple of small faults, told make a list and book in. I have had dealing with this garage previously, and no problems. They just recently hired a car salesman and were now offering cars for sale. over the next couple of weeks, the smell got consistent and worse, attempted to book in for works to be done, especially smell, each time I was told salesman not available and no one else could deal. Eventually, car went in for warranty repairs, including a new set of cherished number plates. Repairs took 2 full weeks, and on a Friday was told car ready Monday. I contacted DVLA to be told we cannot do this online as there is a problem with this car's Licencing History. By this time I was completely worried about this car, so visited dealer again and told them we were rejecting the car - he laughed in my face and said you've paid, so hard luck!! Car was left outside my home 2 days later, and guess what, smell worse than ever. Took to a Ford dealership who immediately found the fault, interior carpets were mouldy (pad underneath). Suspected roof leaf. Upon going on internet I found this was a well known fault with the vehicle. Dealer says all cabriolets should be laid up August to March! a fact they did not observe during the last Winter. Will do nothing, surely this is unfit for purpose and an inherent fault? Many thanks in advance for opinions

Hi all, Over the past 6 weeks or so, ive been having intermittant crashing of the xbox which has started getting more and more (so far today in 1.5 hours 4 crashes). Ive been on live chat who got me to do various trouble shooting. It happened with 1 game more than others so ive even replaced the game but it still happens (maybe the game is more processor hungry) I purchased the console approx 29th Nov / 1st Dec 2015. Can store exchange it (GAME) or does it have to be MS? Thanks

Hi all, So a bit of a story so I'll try to summarise whilst keeping main points. Kuga on 3 year finance from Ford. Finance and V5 in parents name. Car Reg date 30th June 2015. Myself as main driver and policy holder. Policy through Lloyds (Covea underwriter). GAP not taken as policy has New for Old for vehicles less than 1 year old. Drunk driver (who has now been prosecuted) crashed into my parked car, writing it off on 11th June. He was fully insured Lloyds collect car, deem it right-off and pass to underwriter to handle. Covea collect car from them and confirm write off. So here are my concerns/questions that I'm hoping for some advice on. Firstly, Covea have offered me a settlement of £1150. Yep for a 1 year old vehicle, with less than 15K on the clock. Surely this must be a mistake yes? Covea are also charging me my excess? Surely as I'm not at fault I shouldn't be charged this? Only after all this has happened I realised I have made an error, and put on the policy that I am registered keeper on V5 and not my parent. Should I be worried that they now won't pay out. Everything else is 100% correct. Lastly, I am due to go to France in 2 weeks. I am driving down. Lloyds (through enterprise) have provided the courtesy car but have said I'll need to pay in the region of £300 to take the car abroad. Should I be expected to pay this? What are my options? As you can see it's a bit of a cluster****. Due to it not being my fault (I was sat on my couch!) if it all goes tits up and I end up having outstanding finance or having to pay to take the courtesy abroad would I have much chance claiming through small claims court against the idiot who caused all this? Any help, just even to put my mind at ease would be appreciated. Thanks all

Hi Hoping to get advice regarding an issue that has taken two years to investigate but I don't know where I stand regarding my rights and any form of recourse. June 2014 Car taken in for a service. This included replacing brake pads and discs as they were worn. The day after the service I emailed the garage informing them of excessive noise from the brakes. the garage advised to run in the brakes over a few hundred miles. However the excessive brake noise persisted and it was captured over a number of recordings which was shared on youtube. July 2014 The car was returned to the garage and they attempted to fix the issue. The garage returned to car to me and reported the problem as fixed. However on my journey home the brake noise persisted. I emailed the garage the same day and reported the issue. Same advice as last time, do a few hundred miles and report back. The problem persisted , again recorded the noise, and asked for them to fix it. August 2014 Car returned to the garage to be fixed. I was told this should now fix it. However the next day the car still suffered from excessive brake noise. I was fed up with the situation, it took over 30 emails, 3 total visits to the garage, numerous video recordings and I cant recall the number of calls so I gave up and did not contact them to report the issue. I also had lost confidence with this garage. November 2014 I took the car to a different place for a 2nd opinion, the mechanic agreed that the brakes were too loud, offered to change the pads but he insisted I try to contact the original garage to get new pads. The original garage did send 2x pads at no cost as i had explained that the problem persists. December 2014 - April 2014 The noise from the brakes reduced significantly, we have noticed that there is a relationship between outside temperate and the brake noise, warmer weather would increase the noise, very hot days the noise is unbearable. Summer 2015 Horrible noises but I was resigned to just put up with it. I also didn't have funds to replace the brakes as we do't think there was a safety issue, just excessive noise. Earlier this month As the temperatures rose again the sound was just unbearable! I asked the 2nd mechanic to replace the rear pads and discs with a different brand and this solved the problem. the mechanic also noted that on close inspection of the brake discs that there were visible marks perpendicular to the usual radial effect found on brake discs, he said this suggests a fault with the discs which may have caused the noise. Eitherway the change of discs has fixed the issue i have had since June 2014. I have contacted the original garage to explain that the issue has only just been resolved via a different mechanic. I explained that the change of brake discs specifically has fixed the issue and that the usual marks on the discs could have been the issue. I asked for an explanation as to how faulty brake discs could have been used especially is the brakes are Audi originals. I also said that I feel that I am owed at least a partial refund as the brakes should have lasted longer but the noise was unacceptable. The response: 1. They accept that there was excessive noise. 2. It is highly unusual for this to happen, in fact they say they have not had issues with a single set of Audi discs they've ever sold. 3. They make clear that they have not seen my car for a year so it does not give them a chance to see the issue and on that basis to even know there was still a problem. They also came back again to me to say: 4. They've not spoken to me for at least a year since sending me out the pads so as far as they knew the problem was over and I didn’t contact them to say otherwise Finally they made clear: 5. I will not get any money back at all. I am unsure my position. It is two years down the line and over a year since I was last in contact with them. Could I have done something sooner, yes but I didn't have the funds in 2015 to do more, and I had given up for a while. But I do think this is right, they fitted faulty brakes, they had two occasions where the car was returned to fix it, exchanged 30+ emails, videos, Ithink it was reasonable of me to go elsewhere. Although it took me two years to pay for another set of brake discs, I didn't get full use of the brakes, those rear discs were used for 10,000 miles and were not even 50% worn. Any advice please? thanks very much in advance

I bought a pair of expensive reputable headphones from a high street store that also operate as an online retailer with good reviews. I purchased directly from the physical store as it was easier. In less than a year the headband formed cracks from normal use on the left and right ends. The manner which they appeared flagged a design fault or a material defect. I took pictures of the cracks, eventually one side snapped. The headphones are not usable, so not fit for purpose. I went to the store with the entire box, headphones and purchase receipt and asked for a replacement. The seller invoked 2 year manufacturer warranty and claimed he had to follow the repair/replacement process and send it to the manufacturer. I explained that my approach was merely based on SOGA rights, the product failed and it is not my fault as easily proven hence I wanted a new one. Because he was cooperating I tried not to make a big fuss and went for the warranty which I now regret. He admitted the damage is not repairable and as soon as they check back with the manufacturer they will replace with a new pair to avoid a delay on my end. I believe they should have given me a new pair and deal with the manufacturer on their end. On the other hand if I refused, it may have looked as they tried to provide a solution but I didn't comply with the process. Still I have to be without my headphones for unknown time...they claimed 6-10 days. I have in the meantime spotted information online that suggests there are batches with this problem and I plan to use it. I am not keen on the "repair" element, just want a new pair. I wanted to know if I got things wrong here, 1. would I be within my rights to demand a new pair if not satisfied? 2. shouldn't the seller replace the product? Why retailers persistently disregard the SOGA terms? 3. I have the option to invoke a credit card refund if not happy after all else...

I bought a brand new ford van last May 2015, form a Ford dealership. Within a few weeks there were faults with the sliding door , gear box etc. Each time I take the van back to ford they seem to do some cosmetic work and the problem reappears. Now Ford are telling me to pay for repairs to the gear box and instructing me to drive the van fifteen miles way, to another Ford dealership for further malfunction investigation. The van has a 3 year warranty. I require a reliable van for my work which is why i opted to buy a New van. The van does not seem to be fit for purpose & I just want it to be replaced with another van. Can I get Ford to replace the van with another van?

in the past I was total apple iphone only upto the 6 I would replace both my handset's every year with question until they released the 6 so thin it looked liked the camera was superglued on the back such a bad handset (hopefully the new one will be better) I always buy my phones second hand to save on money, in the past I have purchased an iphone that got network blocked, I took the handset back to apple who told me the phone was blacklisted in the UK but not to worry and promptly replaced the phone with another without any questions what so ever so a few days ago my wife's Samsung S7 edge came up with emergency calls only spoke to samsung live help (which were of no help at all) took the phone down to stoke (100 miles round trip) Samsung took the phone in and told me give us an hour to check it out, got a text telling me the phone is all sorted now, went to collect the phone to see the same fault, the advisor there then checked on a free website http://www.imeipro.info/ and told me phone was blacklisted, if I have any other problems feel free to go back and see her... Apple simply replaced and keep your phone working through out the warranty period, Samsung just didn't care

I purchased for 15,000 euros for a market sales wagon (a Fiat Ducato van, fitted with cooling units, shelves and such). Prior to the purchase I paid for a "car inspection" and purchased the van on the basis of a generally favorable review. However, the review missed the fact that the van was completely rusted underneath. It was purchased 2-3 weeks ago. I do not see how the inspection missed this. As the inspector's request, the van was taken to a garage so that he could see everything underneath (this was expensive as the license plates and insurance had lapsed, so needed to buy for short term transport). It is so rusted underneath, it is requiring 10 hours of welding work. On the report, it is stated that there is minor rusting under edge of one door. Not that the entire thing is completely rusted underneath. For what it may be worth, the garage has taken photos. All this was done in Germany by ADAC (local equivalent AA / RAC). I know that the forum is UK oriented, but I cannot post on the German forums (I speak almost no German) and hope that the advice for the UK is likely applicable to me in Germany. So, is this simply a case of bad luck for me or do I have any legal rights? Thanks for any advice on what I can or should do? Regards, Doug

Looking for some advice please. I bought a second hand car just under six months ago, it is on HP. I also took out an aftermarket warranty with Warranty Direct. The dealer gave a 3 month warranty but I know the company they use are rubbish so I decided to get my own. A few weeks ago it broke down. Had it towed to my local garage (didn't take it back to where I bought it as its quite a way from where I live and they have any proper workshop facilities). To cut a long story short the engine has been stripped right down, and the diagnosis is seized oil control rings. Warranty Direct sent an engineer out who has reported back to them ( I am getting a copy of his report) and they have refused to pay out as in his opinion the fault has been present since before I bought the vehicle and has just got worse over the time I've owned it. The car only has 77000 on the clock and has a full service history so no one had expected an engine of that age to have this fault. I'm now left looking at at £1300+ bill. Given that I have something in writing to say that the fault was present when I bought the car do I have a claim against the dealer and/or finance company? And if so how should I proceed? Thanks for any help

I hope someone can help with the below. This is all new to me and it's making me very stressed! I was involved in an accident a month ago. This is my version of events. I drove down a slip road then joined a dual carriageway. Shortly after this I overtook the car in front. I checked mirrors and it was safe to change lanes. As I was moving into the lane I felt a collision take place. Looked in my rear view mirror and saw a car behind me. They have damage to their front passenger side wing (small car). I had a scuff on my rear driver side alloy (I have a 4x4) but no actual damage to my car so will not be claiming. In my opinion they were not in the lane when I started the manoeuvre. I have said I assume they were in the same lane as me but then we both moved to overtake at the same time. The driver of the other car was very young with a brand new car. For him to come out of knowhere I think speed was a part of it but insurance said they are not interested in that. Initially I was told any claim would be a split claim. Now I have been told the other party have said it was all my fault, I drove into their lane etc. My insurance company are saying that it will go as 100% my fault as its up to me to make sure it's safe to pull out (I did the lane was clear!) and the other person was more established in the lane based on their version of events. There are no witnesses or cameras. I have said I do not accept 100% that it was my fault. I've been driving for 18 years and I guess I'm lucky this was my first accident and lucky my kids were not in the car. Also a lesson learned is to to have my dashcam turned on as I had unplugged it! I just want to know what happens now? Do I have to accept this? How does it affect my renewal (due soon!) if a claim is 100% my fault or say 50% my fault? Thanks for any advice in advance.

In January of this year, I was hit by another car that drove between two lanes of traffic to overtake me from the left. The car pulled out in from to me, lifting my car off the ground and damaging the front side panel and bumper. In doing so they damaged all of the side of their car. Their damage to their car starts at the top higher up and then drops down. There were no witnesses to the accident , but there are photographs of the damage, which I believe support my case. The other driver has claimed that I overtook them from the right, in doing so that I mounted a raised diver between separating me from traffic coming from the opposite direction. I do not think that the evidence supports this. However Aviva are now saying that the want to settle this as a no fault claim, unless I can provide a witness of CCTV evidence, which I can't. Worse still, the are implying that may settle the claim in favour of the other driver, unless I accept this. I have indicated that I am not willing to and would be happy to go to court on the matter. Any advice please ?

Bit of background on this issue. Bought a 11 plate car in Feb 2015 from Bristol Street Motors, had a few issues from purchase which was mainly a problem with the tyre pressure going off but unable to reset it. It went back to Skoda (paid for by Bristol Street) and had an ECU reset. There was another issue with the car revving up when braking which would clear when I pressed the clutch. I told the manager of the service depot in Bristol Street about this ongoing issue and he said he would phone me back to book it back in. He never did. As it was an intermittent issue and didn't want to be back forth yet again, I left it. Fast forward to now, and my cruise control has stopped working. A common fault on these cars is a clutch switch, which would also explain the revving up when slowing down, according to several posts on Skoda forums. My question is would I have a claim with Bristol Street, even though they only supplied 3 months warranty. I know I am likely to have to prove that the faults are related and it was likely an underlying issue that was there when sold. I want to go down first and see what they say (likely to **** off I guess) but thought I would ask here first to see what you guys would do and be armed with any relevant info before hand. Thanks in advance DY

Hi, I bought a used car from a dealer on 3/2/16 who is a 6 hour return journey from where I live. I paid a small cash deposit and had the rest on finance. When I arrived at the dealership the condition of the vehicle didn't match the description I had been given by phone e.g., there were scratches that had not been mentioned and that the the pictures didn't show, 2 of the tyres were bordering on being bald and one of the electric windows didn't work. Because of the distance I had travelled by train, and because I was in need of a vehicle quickly, I was put in a bit of a position so when the dealer knocked £200 off the price of the car and included a 6 month warranty (to enable the window to be repaired) I went ahead with the purchase of the vehicle. Some time after getting the vehicle home I started to notice that there was some fluid leaking from it, and when I looked into it I found it was steering fluid and the vehicle was loosing all of it's steering fluid in the period of a couple of days and continuously has to be topped up. I informed the dealer about this and they told me that I should either get the vehicle repaired under cover of the warranty, or take it back to them (6 hour round trip) for the repair to be carried out. I took the vehicle into my local garage for inspection and they confirmed that some pipes need to be replaced costing £360 but the work is not covered under the warranty. I informed the dealer of this and sent them a copy of the estimate, and I asked if it would be possible to have the repair carried out locally as it is not practical to travel for 6 hours to have this done, but they have just ignored my email. Will someone please be kind enough to advise me what my rights are in this situation and what my next move should be please? This fault was obviously present when I bought the vehicle even though it was given a new MOT. Thank you

Hi all Unfortunately, last sunday I had my first ever car accident and I accept that it was my fault. My car sustained some damage on the front i.e. bonnet, bumper and atleast a headlight. I have claimed on my policy. The insurance company have arranged their car repair partners to pick up the car for repairs. I wonder if I can get advice for following questions please?. 1. How do I know if the insurance company will repair the car or write it off? 2. If the insurance company decides to repair the car, do I have the right to ask for the cash in lieu settlement? I would prefer cash in lieu settlement so either I can just sell my car and top up the settlement cash with my own money and get a new car. Alternatively, i can get it repaired at a lower cost and then keep the remainder of the settlement money for next years increased insurance premium. Thanks

Hi there. I was involved in an accident that wasn't my fault last night. They reversed their car into their drive and didn't see me as I was driving past and swung out into my car. There was a witness who saw it all. I haven't informed my insurer yet but have already received a text message from the other party's insurer: 'Admiral ref.******* - We are sorry to hear you have been involved in an accident with our insured. We would like to help with any damage caused to save you claiming with your insurers, paying an excess and we will also supply a free replacement vehicle to suit your needs - Please call 03303335531 ext 25256. Please note SMS responses are unmonitored' Does this mean he has already admitted liability to his insurer? Is it safe to settle with his insurer and not inform mine so that I don't get stung with increased premiums? I have protected NCD. Do I HAVE to inform my insurer? Any help greatly apreciated