Car Insurance Claim going from bad to worse! Please help.

[ste_eck]

Hi,

1st post I hope I'm in teh right place!

We have a big problem and would appreciate your advice, its a long story so I will try to keep it brief.

 

My girlfriend had a bump in her car just before xmas. She was at fault and helds her hands up. The other driver got his car fixed and his whiplash claim in (he wern't injured), so all is good for him. My girlfriends insurance arranged for our local Ford dealership to repair her car, they came and collected it, but refused a courtesy car as that had none available for 3 weeks. So we began to hire a car at approx £110/week as she needs it for work.

 

Her car suffered front end damage, bonnet, slant panel, radiator, headlights and other bits and bobs. Ford contacted us to confirm that the car would be ready to collect on 10th Jan. On the 10th they phoned us to say the car had been completed and just needed get upto running temperature, then get valeted, final inpsected then its ours again later that afternoon, hurray!

 

Then the problems started, Ford phoned back saying that after valeting the car will no longer start, but they have their ex-peugeot mechanic coming over to have a look at it (the car is not a Ford, but the insurance company instructed Ford to fix it). They then phoned back late on Wednesday telling us they think a crankshaft sensor has failed and they've ordered a replacement for the day after. Then Thursday I'm ringing them all day to be told the parts not yet arrived, at 3pm they told me it was in transit in a traffic jam. So Friday comes and they phone me to tell me the part had come and they've realised this were NOT the problem and that the problem was from some control box (similar to ecu they said, or rather its the immobiliser system) that had failed. So I pointed out the car except for the damage was running when they took it, which they confirmed as he said on the Wednesday that prior to valeting the car was running perfectly.

 

Now they are saying that the electrical failure had nothing to do with the crash and the insurance wont pay for it to be fixed. They also said the failed part had simply just failed and has nothing to do with them, therefore we must pay £400+vat + fitting for the new part. This is on top of the £400 excess and over £600 that we have already spent on the hire car.

 

Where do we stand on this, as far as I can see Ford have done something during valeting that has damaged the electrics, so they should put it right at their cost? Do they have a duty of care?

 

Also Ford had promised the car would be ready on the 10th (which meant they'd had it a month already), so would we be within our rights to ask them to foot the car rental from the 10th as the problem now is their fault?

 

We would really appreciate your advice as we do not know which way to turn? This is creating a heavy burden on our family finanaces and has already spoiled our Chrismas.

 

Best Regards and many thanks.

 

Steve

[unclebulgaria67]

Very difficult this. How do you prove that the part that failed was damaged in the accident or that the Ford garage has done anything wrong ? Yes it was working while Ford had it in the garage before the valeting, but parts can and do fail at a time of their own choosing.

 

I think the only possible way to look into this which would probably cost (no guarantee to get the cost back) is to ask the AA/RAC for an independent inspection report. Ask the Insurers whether they would pay the additional amount, if you received an independent report from AA/RAC advising that the part was damaged as a result of the accident and this was not picked up in the original inspection carried out by Insurers/garage.

[Mwynci]

Ste_eck, have you spoken to the insurers about this? or are form making all the decisions?

[Mwynci]

sorry meant to say are the garage making the decisions or is it the insurers who are telling you this?