is there a time limit for insurance repairs on vehicular damage

[poppa smurf]

some will remember how I reversed into the drawbar on our caravan before xmas (yeah! I know, getting old is a bugger)

well I had a word with our local repairer just after i did it and he reckoned about $600 damage but he was busy until after chrissy

in between this time there has been chrissy (of course) new years, aussy day, our 35 wedding anniversary and a few birthdays

I havent had time to report the damage to our insurance and have it repaired

so to my question......is there a time limit from the time of damage to the time of repairs?

[FPV414]

Don't think so mate. I waited a couple of months before calling to get a hail damaged vehicle assessed after XMAS 2011 Tulla hailstorm damaged my car. The car was still driveable so there was no rush, so I waited until all the fuss had died down before making a claim. The guys at AAMI had no problem with that, and told me the time limit but I cannot remember it.

It'll be in your PDS anyways.

[dieseltrain79]

Better off paying the $600 to fix instead of payin the excess and hurting no claim maybe ?

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by dieseltrain79

Better off paying the $600 to fix instead of payin the excess and hurting no claim maybe ?

my excess is $250, I have lifetime protected no claim bonus so that wont be hurt

at my age I guess lifetime doesn't mean all that much.....we had 3 acquaintances fall off the perch just recently who were at "our stage of life"

I guess the sooner I get it in to be repaired the better......

[xisled]

No time limit as long as the damage does not get worse due to not being repaired.

[Yellow_Festiva]

If the damage was self inflicted, and no other parties were involved who's to say you didn't do it Friday arvo of the long weekend that just passed.... if you know what I mean?

Seems you won't have any issue anyway regarding the time the accident happened.

[chopstar87]

Statue of limitations is between 6 1/2 to 7years if i remember correctly... so u have time, as long as delayin repairs dont cause further damage to ur vehicle, there should be no issues.

Check ur insurance as u may have a rating 1 for life, but lodging a claim my affect some benefits on ur policy as some policies give free hire cars etc, but they may be removed after a claim is lodged, depending on how your policy is.

So maybe contact ur insurance and discuss ur policy and their repair processes inrelation to your situation.

Hope this helps...

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

I guess the sooner I get it in to be repaired the better......

Best idea. Who'd want to see their car damaged? personally I don't.

Originally Posted by chopstar87

Statue of limitations is between 6 1/2 to 7years if i remember correctly... so u have time, as long as delayin repairs dont cause further damage to ur vehicle, there should be no issues.

Check ur insurance as u may have a rating 1 for life, but lodging a claim my affect some benefits on ur policy as some policies give free hire cars etc, but they may be removed after a claim is lodged, depending on how your policy is.

So maybe contact ur insurance and discuss ur policy and their repair processes inrelation to your situation.

Hope this helps...

Exactly right.

[poppa smurf]

[QUOTE=LTDHO;4608138]Best idea. Who'd want to see their car damaged? personally I don't.


actually i am very surprised at the cost of repair.......if you are familiar with a drawbar of a caravan or trailer for that matter then you will understand what i'm about to say

I reversed up and into the drawbar of the van and heard a "pop".....got out to find the adjustment bolt on the ball receiver had penetrated my rear bumper just to the left of my tow hitch

this produced a small hole about the size of a 5 cent piece with a very small indent which popped out again leaving a very small scuff mark.......hardly noticeable at all.....certainly not at any distance......I'm surprised it meant a new bumper and respray with a possible new sensor actually

remembering what Yeti said about "crash repair shops are no longer repair shops but are now part replacement shops" then I guess I shouldn't be surprised

but I have since rang our insurance and spoke with a lovely lady who has said to make a time to suit myself and our repair shop.......time is not a factor as far as they are concerned......she also stated that my lifetime rating one and all benefits remain unchanged

[I reckon]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

If the damage was self inflicted, and no other parties were involved who's to say you didn't do it Friday arvo of the long weekend that just passed.... if you know what I mean?

Seems you won't have any issue anyway regarding the time the accident happened.

Yeah great advice just lie .

[Nickxb]

It falls under the Stature of Limitations and for SA I believe it is 6 years. However the insurance would only pay for the damage and not any deteriorated damage (such as rust) if it went unrepaired.

[xisled]

That is incorrect there is no time limit.

The insurance code of practice does not state a time limit on when a claim needs to be made also no insurance PDS has a time limit either.

http://www.codeofpractice.com.au/Por...0FINAL%20l.pdf

When I was doing claims people used to say you have 7 years to claim, unsure why this was the case. When I was involved in the legal side of claims, I was told there is no time limit, but if someone did lodge a claim 5 years later, it would be looked at very closely

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by xisled

That is incorrect there is no time limit.

The insurance code of pratice does not state a time limit on when a claim needs to be made also no insurance PDS has a time limit either.

http://www.codeofpractice.com.au/Por...0FINAL%20l.pdf

this is what I was led to believe when on the phone to my insurance....however whether or not the conversation would stand in a court of law or not may be a different thing

my many years of dealing with insurance agencies has left me suspicious.... but, having said that, I have had a few dealings with them in later years and found them to be nothing less than extremely helpful and they couldn't do enough for me

even ringing back at a later date in their own time to see how i was progressing, then a follow up from the agency to see whether I was happy with the repairs

times change and companies must do the same or go under I guess

[mik]

600 buks is`nt worth much these days.

[mike_nofx]

Just watch that no claim bonus for life thing, they still jack up the prices next year, as well as any new policies you take out.

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by mike_nofx

Just watch that no claim bonus for life thing, they still jack up the prices next year, as well as any new policies you take out.

yes mate, I have all my insurance with the one mob so I have a lot of leverage

I keep comparing, easy thing to do now thanks to the inter web, if this mob are not as cheap or cheaper for the same cover I am willing to shift providers

[Olbucko]

Originally Posted by mike_nofx

Just watch that no claim bonus for life thing, they still jack up the prices next year, as well as any new policies you take out.

And after they have jacked up the price it never comes down again. Much cheaper to pay for repair yourself.
At least in the past when you lost some of your no claim bonus you could get it back again after a year or two. You knew were you stood.

[Landau Stable]

Why don't you try and scour the wrecking yards before making a claim? Mate of mine with a silver BA found a top condition bootlid for around $150 a few months back. Far cheaper than excess or regular price, and was fitted within minutes, so no downtime without the car. If you are a bit handy, why not do it yourself and save the hassle? There's bound to be a bumper out there if you go looking and are patient enough. It also means there are no doubts about your insurance premiums in future.

[poppa smurf]

yeah! looked into that....locals want my first born for a decent bumper

I'll just book it in and get the vehicle back to new, time is the killer, working 12 - 14 hour days, 7 day weeks doesnt allow much spare time to go mucking about with bumpers.....it would cost me far more in lost income than the excess

cant afford to go without the vehicle for deliveries either so I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place

may have to hire a car until the repairs are completed....bit of a bugger just at the moment

[Peter B - CV8]

It might be worth reading the fine print in your policy. Most insurers expect you to lodge your damage claim in a timely manner. They also reserve the right to reduce or deny your claim if you haven't done so.....
I'm not sure what they list as "a timely manner" - I guess it depends on the reason/s causing the delay.

[poppa smurf]

yep!...I asked about "timely manner" as it was raised by my repairer....the answer given to me by the girl on the phone was "that doesnt mean much"....

once again words over a phone line arent worth the paper they are not written on

when things calm down here I will book it in.....if the insurance wont pay well.....no big deal.....I dont think it will be a problem though

[xisled]

Another thing you can do is lodge a report. It is exactly same thing as a claim, and they should get all the same info, but it a report not an actual claim. That way when you want to claim, you just call up and they turn the report into the claim.

Just for your info, I have 2 claims at the moment and both happened in 2010, no problem with either. I am now just getting around and having time to get the damaged fixed.

[poppa smurf]

good idea......never thought of that....I shall give them a ring now!