Hi all,
Had the misfortune of being side swiped by another car last week. Damage to driver side front wing, bumper and bottom of drivers door. Luckily the other driver has admitted liability, insurance companies are in agreement and repairs arranged for this week. This happened on Thursday.
Now this morning I have gone to the car and found that the windscreen has developed a 15cm crack ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. A couple of questions:
1) Could a low speed impact on the drivers side cause this?
2) Should I inform the insurance company, or will they think I'm trying it on?
3) If this is just an unhappy co-incidence, would the insurance company deal with it as a separate claim, or, since the other parties insurance are paying up, add this in?
Given its Sunday today and Bank Holiday tomorrow I would be looking to call the insurance on Tuesday, so any advice before then would be appreciated.
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>> Now this morning I have gone to the car and found that the windscreen has
>> developed a 15cm crack ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. A couple of questions:
>> 1) Could a low speed impact on the drivers side cause this?
Yes. The body will twist on impact, and stress the glued in place windscreen. It may have been slightly badly installed at build time and in contact with the metal body shell. (it should be glued in place with a mastic but glass not touching any bodywork) Could have been weekend by the crash and cracked subsequently.
>> 2) Should I inform the insurance company,
Yes
>> or will they think I'm trying it on?
they might. They might claim its unconnected, broken since the crash by a stone, or caused by a pre existing chip. Is there a chip anywhere?
>> 3) If this is just an unhappy co-incidence, would the insurance company deal with it
>> as a separate claim, or, since the other parties insurance are paying up, add this
>> in?
If they don't accept its part of the crash It will get replaced as part of your insurance policy, subject to your windscreen excess (50 quid?) and usually without loosing your no claims bonus
At the very worse outcome, its only the 50 quid windscreen excess at stake, nothing to loose any sleep over.
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Can't add much to the excellent reply given by Zero, but I think it is worth getting your own insurance company onside over the cracked windscreen. It's in their interest to get the other lot to pay the cost of replacement (minus your excess of course).
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Thanks for the comments guys. I'm going to speak to insurance co. in the morning and try to get their agreement that it was caused by the accident. they are waiving all excess as it is 100% no fault, so if I do end up paying £50 for the windscreen excess it's not the end of the world. With a bit of luck though it will cost me nothing at all.
(Of course we'll see come renewal time just whether being completely blameless is still translated into a higher premium...)
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I wouldn't care less about the £50 (sure it's that low, many have crept up now?) I'd be much more concerned about why it cracked some time after the impact, ie does that mean the body is twisted?
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Cars do twist... its not normally anything to worry about.
As long as the panel fit is the same as before I don't think any major damage will have been done.
As already said, the windscreen may have been stressed in the impact, and perhaps a change in temperature opened the crack.
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SEAT Leon - Side swiped! - Zero
