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Hello,
Thought I'd ask on here rather than asking the insurers, not sureif they log such things and they count against me.
Anyway. Wife borrowed my van (2004 Mk6 Transit). Got a puncture. Well meaning but clueless guy stopped to help. I described to him over the phone how to work the big hydraulic trolley jack and where the jacking point was.
He then proceeded to jack it up on the sill. It has made a right mess, that jack has enough oomph to do some real damage. Going to need quite a big section cutting out and replacing, maybe the step by the driver's door too. I can't weld so will be a garage job (should learn, given how much rusty Transits need doing) Not had a quote yet, only just happened, garage not open until Monday, so just thinking.
i know the insurers would tell me where to go if I tried to claim for damage I'd inflicted through incompetant maintenace but where do I stand with this?
I'm happy to leave it until it more than likely fails it's MOT next March, it's not rendered the vehicle dangerous in any way, but if I'm going to claim should I do it sooner rather than later?
The only claim I've made in 13yrs is for a windscreen which doesn't really count. I've got protected NCD and a £100 excess.
Thanks
(Fully expecting being told off for being happy to drive a vehicle which I think is likely to fail an MOT but I'm happy it's safe)
Nope, you were negligent by letting him do it not a chance they’d pay out.
He’s at fault but given the circumstances you’ll probably have to suck it up. Tricky one, if I was the other bloke I’d feel pretty bad about it but I’d probably not of offered to help if I didn’t feel confident I could help. At least he got her sorted without having to call AA or some such.
You probably can claim but it doesn't sound worth it. If you have a friendly welder it won't be that expensive. If you make a claim you'll still have to pay the excess, then your premiums will go up too.
Well meaning but clueless guy stopped to help. I described to him over the phone how to work the big hydraulic trolley jack and where the jacking point was.
He then proceeded to jack it up on the sill.
The first sign of trouble "... clueless guy ..."
The second sign of trouble hydraulic trolley jack (most people have not used this type mechanism before let alone knowing where to stick it).
I am afraid to say suck it up and pay for your own repair as you might loose your NCB, but if NCB is not affected then claim. Expensive repair that.
🙁
Should've just claimed you'd mashed it on a high curb, but you've posted on here now so that would be fraud...
Wouldn't it have been if I hadn't posted? Damn, missed that boat.
I didn't really let him do it, I was forty miles away and couldn't see a thing, and the wife wasn't watching, small child keeping her attention elsewhere. But on the other hand I did make no attempt to stop him, just assumed that he was using the jacking point I described and which was in the Haynes book my wife had given him.
Hydraulic jack makes thinks so much easier. Swap summer/winter tyres twice a year and it saves loads of time. But then I had the benefit of reading the destructions before I first used it. Scissor jack takes forever, especially on the front as the suspension is in the way of the handle so it goes round about 1/8 of a turn before you have to remove the handle and replace it 1/8 turn back and turn it a little again, and so on and so on, not a good design. Jacking on the sill would also solve this issue...
Any mechanics in? Rough guess for two feet of inner and outer sills, driver's side front, on a Mk6 Tranny? Just cut out and replaced, not painted or anything.
Nope, you were negligent by letting him do it not a chance they’d pay out.
I think it's quite likely they wouldn't pay out, but I'm surprised if negligence was the grounds. They pay out if you crash by driving negligently, provided you weren't drunk or drugged.
Jacking up an old rusty transit on anything but the wishbone/sub frame or axle is asking for trouble.
Ps Jack has no more force than any other jack ....it's the mass of your car that caused the damage not the jack.
Any mechanics in? Rough guess for two feet of inner and outer sills, driver’s side front, on a Mk6 Tranny? Just cut out and replaced, not painted or anything.
I am guessing so not accurately ... just trying my guess btw.
£500 ... 🙁
Yes, didn't phrase that well. If he'd been using the scissor jack it would have got very difficult before much damage was done and he would hopefully have given up sooner, this jack just kept going was what I meant to say. His mate showed up and did it properly but the damage was already done by then.