Freelander 1 Bump in the night costs ££ $$

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htr

htr

Well-Known Member
Posts
1,557
Location
Central Otago, Southern New Zealand
I was visiting one of my sons who just bought his first home. I parked on a quiet no exit side street under a street light, but when I came out in the morning...


Sadly due to the FL's low value this bump could put me off the road. I've fixed the bumper already - wonderful what some boiling water can do, and can supply my own replacement lamp ass'y.
:(
 
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How bloody annoying for you. It saddens me that people think it's perfectly acceptable to cause damage to another's property, then drive off. :(
That part of the body is quite difficult to repair from the inside as it's multi layered.
Me, I would cut out the damage metal and graft in a matching section from a scrap Freelander. The cost would be way under the value of the vehicle, even if you get it painted again professionally.
Although damage looks bad. It's definitely fixable, even on a budget;)
 
Most annoying to say the least, the person as got to have been drunk to do that surely, after the description of how you parked how they managed to do it other wise, have you checked if the rear door still opens as it should without catching etc,
 
Rear door has moved a bit, needs a quite a yank to get it open. Value of vehicle £2500 [ as listed on the insurance - prob' a bit high] vs cost of repair [£750 to £800] to beat it out. Repair is even higher it a new bit is grafted in £1000 maybe more = goodbye FL. I'm a stubborn sort so I'm contemplating getting some other prices to beat it out just to compare. Possibly pay for repairs myself rather than lose all my work and the goodies that I've put into it. Most prob' think I'm nuts [ eccentricity is strong in my family!] but it is my hobby and I get a lot of enjoyment driving and tinkering with it. Makes me wonder about insurance. The company seems to have a lot of say over my FL, re repair options [or not] and how parts are sourced. I may reconsider third party, fire and theft as an alternative. Hmmm
 
I would do the repair myself as it's something I've done before.
It's expensive getting professionals involved but they are used to charging top dollar, mostly because insurance companies are paying.

What I'd do is look carefully at the door shut gaps for all doors, checking for distortion.
Also look at the top of the panel between the rear door and rear window. These are where the body begins to distort in a rear impact. The box section at that point is quite soft, so distortion shows up well.

I would think the if you are good with your hands and ok working with metal, you could do an acceptable repair for only a modest outlay.
I piece of rear panel large enough to cover the damaged area will cost little money, especially as you don't have rust to worry about.
 
I feel for you. blinking toe rags doing that damage and legging it:rolleyes:

If you can do the repair yourself, or at least mostly yourself, then IMHO, do so. Keep the "insurance" company out of it as much as possible - they are not philanthropists, and will find any **** excuse to not pay out, or pay out less than its gonna cost! And this is before we get into any of the "conspiracy" theories about them writing older cars off for the sake of a "handshake" from the car manufacturers.....

My experience of insurance companies is rather tainted by the fact that we are still living in a caravan in our garden, five YEARS into a ten WEEK repair to our home :( - which is now a ruin, having been full of snow in the winters up here... etc., etc..... :eek:

Once you have invested time into a vehicle, and know it well, its worth the extra in a situation like this. I fully appreciate the injustice here, but, sadly such is life:mad:
 
Is it possible that an HGV has used the cul-de-sac as a reverse turning point? The damage area is very high for a car to be the culprit. I would expect an ordinary car to have suffered some damage too as that point on the Freelander is reasonably sturdy.
Obviously an HGV wouldn't suffer much damage or might not have even noticed anything.
Whatever the cause, it's very annoying.
 
x1 to last post; its so high it's likely a turning truck. trailer or van of some kind, especially the direct angle of the damage. **** who did that may not even have been aware of what happened.
 
could put it to your insurance company for repair. If they decide to write it off, tell them you want buy the car back as salvage. You get to keep the car and get a contribution from the insurance company to fix it. (nb don't send the original V5 or MOT to the insurance company if you want the salvage)
 
Andy_J said:
could put it to your insurance company for repair. If they decide to write it off, tell them you want buy the car back as salvage. You get to keep the car and get a contribution from the insurance company to fix it. (nb don't send the original V5 or MOT to the insurance company if you want the salvage)
Click to expand...
I'm not sure if the NZ insurance system is the same as ours. It may be an option though.
 
If you buy the car off the insurance company in NZ, they will almost certainly 'deregister' the vehicle. This in effect means its very unlikely to ever go back on the road as it will cost $$$ to have the car inspected, certified and re-registered. When you add these costs to what you pay the insurance company plus the increased insurance premiums, its not very attractive - probably even less attractive than all the other options which are also not attractive!
 
GrumpyGel said:
If you buy the car off the insurance company in NZ, they will almost certainly 'deregister' the vehicle. This in effect means its very unlikely to ever go back on the road as it will cost $$$ to have the car inspected, certified and re-registered. When you add these costs to what you pay the insurance company plus the increased insurance premiums, its not very attractive - probably even less attractive than all the other options which are also not attractive!
Click to expand...

Nice ! :rolleyes::rolleyes: NOT !! :mad::mad::mad: I really haven't much time for them :mad:

Do you have to tell them ? Or can you fix it, and carry on ?:)
 
That's a bummer. I live in a private no through road and every car I have owned has had a knock while it's parked outside my house when I've been at work. The last knock cost £1200. I had a W reg freelander many years ago and the dustbin lorry backed in it while I was at work. I now have to keep 2 wheelie bins in front of my car 24/7 cause I know it's going to happen again :(
 
Sorry to hear things like this happening but here is what to do with you next car get 2 dash cameras one front one back and run them off a independent battery so they do not switch off and if it happens again you will have the proof of who it is ,saying all that there must be some one who knows something about it I would be visiting every house.
 
Good news! The insurance co is going to pay for the repair! Delighted and surprised too. I was told that most will pay out up to about 75% of the vehicle's value. Mine's insured for $5K NZ which is about £2.8K. So I guess that repairs run to about $3200 or £1800 ouch. £2800 value for a '98 FL1? It's got great tyres and a year old VCU & bearings plus lots of work done to it and no rot, is the insured value about right?
 
That's a result :)

I think you're valuation's about right, there was an early K sold for almost $5K on TM recently. I thought that was a decent price for the seller - but someone paid it - so that's the valuation :)
 
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