Rough lifetime cost of at-fault car claim vs paying cash.

LAfle on 07/02/2020 - 17:21
Last edited 07/02/2020 - 17:21

Hi,

I hit a parked car that was parked over the line. I am still at fault though right?

What are the consequences of an at-fault claim being on my record? That is, beyond the obvious cost of the excess.
The only consequence I can see is when signing up for new insurance they ask if you have had a claim in the past 3 years and charge a bit more if you have. On my current car, I have a lifetime claim-free bonus, so that is fine.

Are there any other costs of making a claim vs just fixing damage? Is there a permanent record that this will go on and affect me in the future?

Thanks.

Automotive

Comments

  • tsunamisurfer on 07/02/2020 - 17:25
    -2

    I am still at fault though right?

    I read this and I stopped caring.

    tsunamisurfer on 07/02/2020 - 17:25 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
    • Afle on 07/02/2020 - 17:55
      +2

      I don’t have any experience in this situation and all my friends are young. If he was in the line I wouldn’t have hit him but I appreciate that this is 99% my fault.

      • bobbified on 07/02/2020 - 22:38

        If he was in the line I wouldn’t have hit him..

        Lucky it was only a car this time. I hope you never have to be referring to a [dead] person.

    • Muzeeb on 07/02/2020 - 18:19

      Member Since
      1 hour 4 min ago

      I read this and I stopped caring

      • GangGang on 07/02/2020 - 19:24
        +1

        If op created a drawing, would you care?

    • crentist on 07/02/2020 - 19:13
      +6

      This is pretty terrible, just rushing to point fingers and not wanting to consider anything beyond the assignment of blame.

      None of the rest of the post, including the title, questions whether it's their own fault or suggests that they think it might not be.
      It's entirely beside the point of the post, and was clearly just thrown in there to confirm their own belief that it is in fact their own fault…

      …while asking about the best way to handle their responsibility.

  • CMH on 07/02/2020 - 17:27
    +5

    I am still at fault though right?

    Absolutely.

    What are the consequences of an at-fault claim being on my record?

    You pay more in insurance premiums. A single at-fault minor claim won't affect you too much, and most insurers only ask for the last 5 years, so in 5 years you can safely say you haven't had a recent at-fault claim.

    Is there a permanent record that this will go on and affect me in the future?

    That insurer will have those details, but it won't be publicly available.

    • Bargain80 on 07/02/2020 - 17:35
      +2

      there are some that only ask the last 3 years.

    • Afle on 07/02/2020 - 17:53
      +1

      Thanks for the help

  • Hithere on 07/02/2020 - 17:28
    -3

    Is there a permanent record that this will go on and affect me in the future?

    There is now that you've posted the information on the Internet for all to see.

    • ozboygsl on 08/02/2020 - 07:47

      yeah, coz he/she is so identifiable…and that is such compelling evidence…NOT.

  • arkie0 on 07/02/2020 - 17:33
    -4

    I hit a parked car that was parked over the line.

    100% not your fault

    • CMH on 07/02/2020 - 17:36
      +1

      T'was the dog.

    • Afle on 07/02/2020 - 17:52
      +2

      Are you being sarcastic or serious?

      • Muzeeb on 07/02/2020 - 18:21
        +1

        Definitely serious about the dog.

        • arkie0 on 07/02/2020 - 18:33
          +1

          Serious. 100% the dog's fault.

          • Ozpit on 08/02/2020 - 08:13

            @arkie0: No, the dog owner’s fault, the dog should have been on a leash… no, wait, the dog owner’s missus left the gate open and the dog got out. Ask your solicitor to write to the dog owner’s missus demanding payment for all costs to both vehicles, then you’ll have a completely clean accident record with no future ‘at fault’ repercussions.

  • kerfuffle on 07/02/2020 - 17:35

    I hit a parked car that was parked over the line. I am still at fault though right?

    Really?

    Edit: Oh hey, it's a new member …

  • SBOB on 07/02/2020 - 17:37

    I hit a parked car that was parked over the line. I am still at fault though right?

    nope.. Clearly the other vehicle is at fault and you should be making a claim against their insurance for the dint they left on your vehicle
    :/

  • SlavOz on 07/02/2020 - 18:03
    -4

    Wait, what line is OP talking about. If a car is parked illegally or obstructing incoming traffic then surely their insurance will not cover it, so OP should be taking this to court.

    • bobbified on 07/02/2020 - 22:43
      +1

      If you hit a stationary object, you're at fault.

  • pegaxs on 07/02/2020 - 19:31
    +4

    I hit a parked car that was parked over the line.

    As for parked over the line, it's more about how far away they are from the centre line.

    I am still at fault though right?

    Yes. Their shit/illegal parking doesn't absolve you of any wrong doing. Now, if they were pulling out of the parking space and you hit each other, that is different. (So many other misleading comments in this post, and I'm already out of negs for the day.)

    Is there a permanent record that this will go on and affect me in the future?

    If you pay for the vehicle repairs yourself, then no. There would be no record against yourself. But if you make a claim with your insurance, this would be on their file forever, but after a certain time and a good track record, it would have no impact on your policy. (Source: My last insurer from a few years ago still had my crash from 1992 on their file from when I was with them back then.)

    • Hirolol on 08/02/2020 - 21:03

      Thanks for clearing that up.

      Was going to mention that someone I know hit a car that was stopped past the line at a round about and the insurance said the other party was at fault because they were over the line.
      So what you say confirmed it for me, not parked car.

  • 87percent on 07/02/2020 - 20:28
    +3

    If you are paying out of pocket yourself (ie; not through insurance) make sure you sign something confirming that you are no longer responsible for any further costs

    • pegaxs on 07/02/2020 - 22:26

      Oh yeah, forgot to add that. This is super important.

  • Azrael169 on 07/02/2020 - 21:17
    +3

    It is 100% going to affect your renewal premium. You may have a lifetime claim free bonus that dosnt get affected by claims blah blah blah but all that happens is your gross premium goes up.

    Example
    Your a good driver, you have earnt a 65% no claim bonus for life that isnt affected by claims.
    You havent had any accidents so the insurance company works out your gross premium for the year at $1000. Then they deduct your no claim bonus of 65% and your left with a $350 premium
    Now you have a claim in the policy year. Time for renewal
    Well your a good customer, you have your 65% no claim bonus for life, but you did have a accident in the last year. Since you had a accident your are statistically at a higher risk of having another accident. Because of this your gross premium for this year is $2000. Now you still have your 65% no claim bonus, but your left with a gross premium of $700

    Your no claim bonus is irrelevant. Whenever you get a renewal you should shop around because likely you can find another company that will insure you for cheaper. Insurance adjust prices depending on whether they want to increase their client base or revenue per customer, its a constantly swinging pendulum.

    Also - Not at fault claims can affect your premium to. If people constantly ding your car at the local shops you are at a higher risk of making a claim. If you keep making claims you cost the insurance company back. The insurance company isnt a charity, it needs to make money so it will charge you more. Their argument can be, well you clearly live in a shitty area, so its not your fault, is just the 'rating factors' like location.

    Addit - You may think 'well i just wont tell the insurance company about my claims, that way when i switch i can get a better premium'. Stupid move, your lack of disclosure invalidates your insurance policy and the company can walk away without paying out your claim. They can and do investigate claims, also 3-4 companies actually own the majority of general insurers in the market anyway, so chances are if you had a claim the company probably already knew about it

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurance_in_Australia

  • mskeggs on 07/02/2020 - 22:36

    Some insurers ask if you have had any at fault accidents (not just claims) so even if you pay cash, you will still have to declare it to some companies.

    In terms of cost, if I could get everything fixed for under $1000, I would probably pay cash, more than that probably make a claim. But I have a high excess, of $750.

  • HeWhoKnows on 08/02/2020 - 09:38

    OP could blame the parked car if it jumped out in front of them.
    Especially if there was no indicator!

  • Euphemistic on 08/02/2020 - 10:00
    -1

    Depends on the cost of the repair. The more the cost of repair the better off you are to pay out of pocket.

    • Emerald Owl on 08/02/2020 - 16:40

      Wouldn’t it be the less the cost of repair?

      • Euphemistic on 08/02/2020 - 17:36

        Oops. less the cost of repair is what I meant.

  • AncientWisdom on 09/02/2020 - 15:53

    Rather anacdotal, but I had an at fault claim, cost of repair was around $4500, premium went up by about $100 (15%) the next year after which it started declining again as my rating increased.

    It might help that I always cancel my insurance and apply for new insurance (much cheaper with my insurer for some reason).

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