Insurance or accept cash to repair it myself?

[SpokesT]

Hello,haven't posted  in ages, so maybe this is my punishment.... having just collected my bike, a red 03 plate 600 with just 14k on the clock, from the mechanic having had it fettled to within an inch of its life, new brakes front and rear, full service, etc, I parked it in town and two minutes later a young woman, 20yrs old, reverses her 16 plate Audi A1 into it. Up and over it goes, pivoting on the centre stand, and falls directly onto the kerbstone, smashing in the nearside of the tank, bending the bars and clutch lever against the tank, tearing off the mirror and cracking the fairing in the process. Who knows what other little bends an dniggles lie beneath it all.


Now. She wants to go down the cash route. I've told her a new tank is around £700 unpainted, god knows how much a fairing is. It will be a write off for sure.


So, do I swallow it being written off, buy it back, do it up on the cheap, probably below standard compared to what it was like before the ding? Or do it using her cash?


I have zero experience of this so would really appreciate some expert input if possible. Cheers.

[darrsi]

Insurance value of the bike will highly likely have it written off.
Unfortunately no matter how decent the bike had been kept, the book value is what they go on, and it's simply a 14yr old bike.
The way insurance is rapidly rising i would try and avoid any claim if i was you.
My mums car insurance was £340 last year, this year was quoted £840, with no claims, they just take the piss.

[fazersharp]

She is keen not to go down the insurance route and so are you but I think if you go quoting to her full factory brand new replacements like £700 just for the tank then she will just say "oh ok then lets go through insurance". I know it wasn't your fault but if you want it out of insurance hands then you need to source beakers prices and live with some dents.
She is a young driver and I know if it were were my daughter looking at £2000 cash - top price for everything then I would be telling her to go through the insurance.     

[darrsi]

At her age as well it will undoubtedly be a bad move for her to get insurance people involved.

[Mick-H]

Ask her for £1500 put £500 toward it and buy a minter off ebay, sell yours spares or repair £850/£1000 ish, puts you £500 ish in pocket.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/YAMAHA-FZS-600-FAZER-MOTORCYCLES-2003-1-OWNER-8550-GENUINE-MILES-12-MONTH-MOT-/382124952054?hash=item58f86c09f6:g:0~kAAOSwVJhZPkYg
That bikes nothing to do with me BTW

[Mick-H]

On closer inspection its not that mint    but you get my drift.

[midden]

 


Is she a babe or a minger

[SpokesT]

Pics

[SpokesT]

Nother pic. Two estimates put the damage at the £1500 mark. Now her dad wants to look at the pics I took of the damage (i.e. These ones). I've suggested i take the bike round so he can assess the workshop guys knowledge of bike mending and associated costs. I can see this going to insurance. Thanks for replying, everyone.

[Dudeofrude]

I know it's your pride and joy but personally looking at that I'd take as much money as they're willing to give you and use it to replace the mirrors/bars/levers with some nice upgraded parts then live with it.
Doesn't look like it'd be worth writing it of for a set of bars and a dented tank. But like I said that's just me, your well within your rights to want it all putting back straight at her cost

[fazersharp]

Now her dad wants to look at the pics I took of the damage (i.e. These ones). I've suggested i take the bike round so he can assess the workshop guys knowledge of bike mending and associated costs. I can see this going to insurance. Thanks for replying, everyone.

Ah - herm!
 

I know if it were were my daughter looking at £2000 cash - top price for everything then I would be telling her to go through the insurance.     

I would take an amount of cash and only spend it on that what is needed to get on the road and live with scratches and dents and keep the rest in my pocket towards a new bike in the future

[dazza]

Bare in mind that your insurance will go up even as a non fault claim if you go through her insurance. You're better off being realistic about the price you can get it repaired for or source second hand parts from a breakers.
Just my opinion but it's your bike and ultimately your decision what you decide to do.

[midden]

I was about to mention the premium going up but dazza messed my phone up to make himself look brainy.   *cough cough* knob


Anyway it will also effect other premiums including car insurance

[Dea-ville]

If you're going through the insurance bear in mind that most insurers have a time limit on reporting an accident, (assuming you haven't notified them yet) i had a similar situation a couple of years back with my van. A woman ran into the side of me & the husband said he would pay cash to get it repaired rather than go through the insurance, he came round to look at the damage & started making back peddling noises like "its an old van" & "i know a mate" etc etc He then proceeded to offer me £50 as a good will gesture!! i told him to go get himself fucked & that i would be going through the insurance. Luckily this all happened within 24hrs.

[SpokesT]

Cheers everyone. The die is now cast. Daddy clearly said, "£1500 pfffft, that's just a scratch" and five mins later I get a call from my OWN insurance asking me about the incident! My spanner man reckons he can sort it all out for me for about £500 using eBay parts and his top spray paint mate, so maybe buying it back once it's written off is in order.


My premiums are low as I'm an old fart, so I'm not too worried about all that tbh.


My other option is to cut and run and move on completely to something else as I have a spare couple grand I could chuck in to any payout.


A pleasantly painful dilemma...

[Dudeofrude]

Depends how much the insurance wants to buy it back. If it's only £500 to fix I'd buy it back and do that,  even if you keep it as a winter hack and put the rest of your money into something a little more exotic for the summer 🤔😎

[fazersharp]

On the other hand a 20 year old ( if that ) girl in a BRAND NEW - last year Audi A1 WTF 
Daddy brought the car Daddy can pay for HIS mistakes


HOLD ON -Driving in flip flops !!!!!!  im sure her insurance will have something to say about that. I had all symphy for this girl but it is fast dwindling 

[midden]

Cheers everyone. The die is now cast. Daddy clearly said, "£1500 pfffft, that's just a scratch" and five mins later I get a call from my OWN insurance asking me about the incident! My spanner man reckons he can sort it all out for me for about £500 using eBay parts and his top spray paint mate, so maybe buying it back once it's written off is in order.


My premiums are low as I'm an old fart, so I'm not too worried about all that tbh.


My other option is to cut and run and move on completely to something else as I have a spare couple grand I could chuck in to any payout.


A pleasantly painful dilemma...

Sorry but that just makes you sound (imo) a twat........ 20 yr old girl more than likely paying rip off insurance premiums wants a helping hand by not going through insurance and all you clearly want to do is fleece her for a meesly grand.

[fazersharp]

Cheers everyone. The die is now cast. Daddy clearly said, "£1500 pfffft, that's just a scratch" and five mins later I get a call from my OWN insurance asking me about the incident! My spanner man reckons he can sort it all out for me for about £500 using eBay parts and his top spray paint mate, so maybe buying it back once it's written off is in order.


My premiums are low as I'm an old fart, so I'm not too worried about all that tbh.


My other option is to cut and run and move on completely to something else as I have a spare couple grand I could chuck in to any payout.


A pleasantly painful dilemma...

Sorry but that just makes you sound (imo) a twat........ 20 yr old girl more than likely paying rip off insurance premiums wants a helping hand by not going through insurance and all you clearly want to do is fleece her for a meesly grand.

You see I was thinking along the same lines until I saw the 2016 A1 audi. Daddys money - Daddy needs to pay. Or its on finance in which case she should not go paying for status symbols she can not afford ---------- or stop trying to drive in flip flops !   

[celticdog]

From experience go down the insurance route.That's what we ALL pay it for.
Once foolishly agreed not to invole the insurers when someone rear shunted the cage with the missus driving.
Never again, insurance every time.

[mtread]

Well 'Daddy' clearly knows f-all about motorcycles. Show him a list of replacement parts prices and tell him it's £1500 cash or insurance. As said, if it's insurance, buy it back. She needs to learn an expensive lesson, and how to use her mirrors when reversing.

[YamFazFan]

Cheers everyone. The die is now cast. Daddy clearly said, "£1500 pfffft, that's just a scratch" and five mins later I get a call from my OWN insurance asking me about the incident! My spanner man reckons he can sort it all out for me for about £500 using eBay parts and his top spray paint mate, so maybe buying it back once it's written off is in order.


My premiums are low as I'm an old fart, so I'm not too worried about all that tbh.


My other option is to cut and run and move on completely to something else as I have a spare couple grand I could chuck in to any payout.


A pleasantly painful dilemma...

Sorry but that just makes you sound (imo) a twat........ 20 yr old girl more than likely paying rip off insurance premiums wants a helping hand by not going through insurance and all you clearly want to do is fleece her for a meesly grand.

Does it?

Sounds quite sensible to me.

Would she give SpokesT a 'helping hand' if it had been the other way round?. I guess we will never know.

This going down the cash route is all well and good up until the evening of the event when things have cooled down and the driver starts getting helpful 'advice' from friends and family.

 Usually along the lines of...'You don't want to pay that!', 'I wouldn't pay this!', 'It's just a scratch!' etc etc.......

[darrsi]

This is what insurers will be looking at.

[Dudeofrude]

This is what insurers will be looking at.

What site is that darrsi?  I feel like being pissed off haha

[pilninggas]

Cheers everyone. The die is now cast. Daddy clearly said, "£1500 pfffft, that's just a scratch" and five mins later I get a call from my OWN insurance asking me about the incident! My spanner man reckons he can sort it all out for me for about £500 using eBay parts and his top spray paint mate, so maybe buying it back once it's written off is in order.


My premiums are low as I'm an old fart, so I'm not too worried about all that tbh.


My other option is to cut and run and move on completely to something else as I have a spare couple grand I could chuck in to any payout.


A pleasantly painful dilemma...

Sorry but that just makes you sound (imo) a twat........ 20 yr old girl more than likely paying rip off insurance premiums wants a helping hand by not going through insurance and all you clearly want to do is fleece her for a meesly grand.

Does it?

Sounds quite sensible to me.

Would she give SpokesT a 'helping hand' if it had been the other way round?. I guess we will never know.

This going down the cash route is all well and good up until the evening of the event when things have cooled down and the driver starts getting helpful 'advice' from friends and family.

 Usually along the lines of...'You don't want to pay that!', 'I wouldn't pay this!', 'It's just a scratch!' etc etc.......

Agree 100%.

Also be wary of 'settling' yourself.

The other party might get tapped up by a no win, no fee in the future. The whole thing is clearly her fault, but people can easily taught to lie when the promise of £thousands is mentioned. With no hard evidence of what happened, apart from a collision you could be liable for a massive payment with no way to disprove false accusations; and your insurance wont want to know as you never informed them at the time.

Take a bit of a hit on your premiums [seems to affect the price of car insurance more than bikes] get the insurance involved and dont turn a fender bender into a possible financial disaster