Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

Following a nasty 4 car accident (luckily noone was injured - how is a miracle !!) our car is seriously battered. The insurance company, for the driver at fault, has agreed to settle all cars repairs. Our insurance company has arranged for our car to go to a local repair garage. The car is 11 years old and we have had it from new.
Our worry is that although we know this particular body shop/garage is very good on car cosmetics - how do we know if any chassis work, jigging etc has been done to a safe standard. Is there anywhere we can take post repair for it to be checked for road worthiness/safety ?
In the UK it would without doubt have been written off - but here they just keep saying "It can be fixed as good as new" and we do not want to be driving around in a car that looks good but still has serious defects - which may make it unsafe.
Thanks

Sorry can't answer your particular problem but I do know for there is a Cut and Shunt outlet near Guzelyurt that a local once told me is always very busy.

You are in the lap of the gods. Only safe way is to get it repaired. Sell it but Inform the purchasers that it has been in an accident and then buy a new one. You will feel safe and you have not sold a pig in a poke.

Not entirely relevant to the question but I have a clause in my insurance that states that, if my car is damaged in any accident, it will go to the main agents for repair (Kombos in this case). At least I know then that they will use original parts and are unlikely to do substandard work.

Agobard wrote:Not entirely relevant to the question but I have a clause in my insurance that states that, if my car is damaged in any accident, it will go to the main agents for repair (Kombos in this case). At least I know then that they will use original parts and are unlikely to do substandard work.

That sounds desirable!

What insurance company please?

Message 5: Capital Bank Insurance. I specifically requested this clause as I wouldn't want my vehicle to go to some back street metal bashers just because they are the cheapest! Capital were perfectly OK with this requirement.

According to the police offier who was dealing with our case we had the right to ask the insurance company to send the car for repair to a garage of our choice. We requested the main dealer but the insurance company told us that the car was too old (11years ) to be repaired there as the costs would be too high - we argued and argued and they refused and refused. I know that the labour costs alone in the main dealer are much higher than the small garages.
Anyway it has gone to our 2nd choice and we went into speak to them once they had collected the car. It was a reassuring chat as they went through what they would be doing/new parts etc IF the insurance company do not write it off. This garage is just down the road so we can keep popping in to check.
Still not totally happy but feeling better.

What we were NOT happy with - the police (we assume) called the breakdown trucks to take away the vehicles. They loaded the cars - then once the police had gone they wanted cash off of us to take our car away to the garage that they worked for. Didn't ask any of the other Non UK drivers even though one of theirs was on with our car - just us ! Were very politely told to go away, he repeated he wanted cash and we told him to go and speak to the insurance company - He then said "Well someone has to pay for this and it is you " - it was clear he really wanted hard cash. At that point our insurance man arrived, we explained to him and he said we didn't have to pay anything to anyone. He spoke to the recovery man and away went the truck with no further comment.
They wondered why we didn't want them, in particular, to repair the car !!!!

Agobard - thanks a lot for that, having read ifonly's saga, I think that a lot of us might make that stipulation!

Ifonly - thank you also for the insight into the inner workings of the insurance, repair, and recovery companies - it would seem that you only receive what you are prepared to stand up and fight for!

Were the brokers/agents that sold you the insurance any help during the claims/repair process?

Duplicated

In 2012 we had an accident causing the insurance company to write off our car, I was quite surprised as it didn't seem irreparable but reasonably happy that we wouldn't have to drive it again. It took about 4-5 weeks before we got the full value that the car was insured for then off we went and purchased another car.

A year or so later we saw 'our' car back on the road, it's now being driven around in Catalkoy. Could it be that it was more profitable for them to give us the money, repair and resell or did the garage repair it unbeknown to the insurance company and resell it? I certainly feel that the value on the insurance policy was quite a bit less than it was worth - we bought it cheap and the insurance company kept decreasing the value year on year over the 4-5 years that we had it. So it's worth making sure that the amount the car is valued at on the policy is representative of what you'd have to pay to buy similar should it be written off.

keithcally - we have been with our insurance agent for many years and our friends are too. We have house and car insurance with him and he has been great. We have claimed on the house insurance and it was paid with no quibble - our friends were burgled and again he was more than helpful - went to the house and arranged for the smashed windows to be repaired - went to the police station with them to make statements - insurance money paid out no problem.
During our recent problem - as soon as hubby could get out of the car and had located his phone - he rang our insurance man. He took a while to get to us but that is not surprising considering the traffic jam that the accident had caused - sent the recovery man away with a flea in his ear - liaised with 2 of the other drivers (not the one who was at fault !) - helped us get home and then came to the police station on the night when we had to make statements. He then took us back to his office to complete the necessary nominated garage form and has liaised with us at every step.
He has been so helpful now and in the past. He is arranging a courtesy car for us.
Top marks to him.

The police too were great - helpful - explaining everything - flexible about when we went to the station and even waited there for us even though they were technically off duty.

So many people stopped at the scene to offer help - English/Turkish/Turkish Cypriot/Pakistani - it was very reassuring and very kind.

It is the uncertainty of the standard of repairs and the value of the car if written off that is causing the most concern now.
It is not something we thought about in advance and we didn't know what to expect in the case of such an accident.

Ifonly, please keep us posted!

I hope that everything works out ok for you.

No further on yet - the insurance company are still considering the damage v write off issue and in discussion with the "at fault" insurers.