Insurance claim estimation - Skoda Fabia - Marikar Engineers - Kochi - Team-BHP

parichay · 10th September 2009, 01:42

I had an accident on my fabia while driving down the Krishnagiri highway when I hit a canine that just sauntered across the road when I was doing about 120 km/hr, as a result of which the right side of the bumper was damaged significantly. I first took it to Vinayaka Skoda - whitefield who said that the bumper would need to be replaced and the cost would be about 15k; however since my insurance was from Kochi i decided to drive down there and get it done (owing to the overall ease of claiming it). I gave the car to Marikar Engineers last week and now they claim an estimate of 75K!! When I spoke to the engineer there he said this is normal as they want to be sure that everything is covered when they claim but I will be charged only for what is actually changed. Questions : 1. Is this hyper inflation of estimates normal? 2. What is the impact of the same on my insurance premium ? 3. Do you guys think there is something fishy going on or am I overreacting?

bharti22shresth · 10th September 2009, 01:58

1. There must be something fishy only because 75k is 5 times more than 15K! I suppose those Marikar engg. guys will most probably show that more work was done on the car and take more money from the insurance company. Though you'll still end up paying whatever the depreciation difference etc one has to pay.

2. No affect on your insurance premium.

3. You aren't over-reacting. Same thing the Honda guys did with me for my activa. Anycase, I bargained with the showroom owner into me not paying any money at all (After all it was my vehicle they were minting money from the insurance guys against).

Fountainheader · 10th September 2009, 02:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by parichay

Questions : 1. Is this hyper inflation of estimates normal? 2. What is the impact of the same on my insurance premium ? 3. Do you guys think there is something fishy going on or am I overreacting?

Given that its a Skoda, no one will have doubts about this one

If its just the bumper, then its natural that only the replacement will be sanctioned by the Insurance surveyor. If I were you, I'd stand right next to the surveyor and get the final figures before proceeding with any work.

parichay · 10th September 2009, 10:06

Hmm...I am thinking of pulling it out of marikar and getting it done in elsewhere. They have estimated headlamp assembly, intercooler etc in their estimate whereas when I got it inspected in Vinayaka Skoda in Whitefield the issue they found was with the bumper and the foglamp assembly.

GTO · 10th September 2009, 12:51

Instead of going blindly by the numbers, a more sensible approach would be to:

1. Assess the actual damage

2. See which parts need to be repaired / replaced

3. Then, get a quote on the same.

Could be that Vinayak only quoted you for the bumper, and Marikar found internal damage?

mjothi · 10th September 2009, 13:38

If I am right, its not just the dealer who is going to prepare the quote and start the work. If it exceeds like 25K (may vary with insurance guys), then they do have a independant surveyor who is suppose to give a report on the vehicle.

So, dealers cannot just put everything under the carpet.

Coming back to the quote. yes, it would be more in estimation. Then will come down on Surveyors report. Then still it will come on actual bills.

In case it needs to be increased during the repair, they cannot carry out the repairs until the surveyor checks and approves that part replacement / repair.

parichay · 10th September 2009, 17:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Instead of going blindly by the numbers, a more sensible approach would be to:

1. Assess the actual damage

2. See which parts need to be repaired / replaced

3. Then, get a quote on the same.

Could be that Vinayak only quoted you for the bumper, and Marikar found internal damage?

GTO : The guys at Marikar have not even taken a look at the car (though its been lying there for about 2 days now). They have arrived at a ballpark estimate based on what "could" be wrong from my description of the accident. Just wondering how they arrive at such numbers in the first place! When I spoke to the guy in charge at Marikar, he said that this is just an estimate and that they need to look at the vehicle in detail before they can really access the damage but they include every potentially damaged part into it. Vinayak quoted me for the bumper but after examining the vehicle in detail whereas Marikar seems to be interested in the quotation first and then examination. My issue is with the way in which they just inflate the initial estimation. Gives the owner a shock and the insurance people run for cover.

parichay · 10th September 2009, 17:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjothi

If I am right, its not just the dealer who is going to prepare the quote and start the work. If it exceeds like 25K (may vary with insurance guys), then they do have a independant surveyor who is suppose to give a report on the vehicle.

So, dealers cannot just put everything under the carpet.

Coming back to the quote. yes, it would be more in estimation. Then will come down on Surveyors report. Then still it will come on actual bills.

In case it needs to be increased during the repair, they cannot carry out the repairs until the surveyor checks and approves that part replacement / repair.

Yes; there is a surveyor sent by the insurance company (oriental in my case) and I have asked the survey to be conducted when I am present. I know for sure that only the bumper and the fog lamp plastic is damaged (from the evaluation done by Vinayaka) and will definitely not want to pay for the intercooler and headlamp assembly etc which are part of the marikar estimate. It maybe that this is the normal mode of operation where the dealer first covers every part that could have been damaged and then charges only for the real damage but 75k comes as a shock even though its an estimate. I had a similar accident once on my cedia but luckily got away with just a broken skirting. Cost me about 4K to fit it back.

CrackedHead · 10th September 2009, 17:24

^^^
Insurance people can see thru the inflated initial estimate (its their job) and the inflated initial estimates are a norm (and not an exception).

Here's my understanding of the process -

- The initial estimate includes everything that could potentially be wrong with the car. The damaged parts can't be dismantled before the car is surveyed.
- The insurance survey is done and the necessary repairs/replacements are approved by the insurance agency. This is the bit where you need to be careful. Only the approved work with be paid for by the insurance cover. Additional (unapproved) work needs to be carried out at your own expense.
- The repairs are carried out.
- Another survey is done to ensure that the repairs are done as directed and upto the mark.

The initial estimate is always prepared as a worst case scenario - don't go by Vinayaka Skoda's 15K estimate. They did not give that in writing did they? And a hit to the bumper at 120km/hr would definitely cause internal damage that isn't visible to the casual observer.

The second estimate seems to be more realistic (given that there could be damage behind the bumper) - the actual amount will be know only once the repairs are finished.

parichay · 10th September 2009, 17:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrackedHead

^^^
Insurance people can see thru the inflated initial estimate (its their job) and the inflated initial estimates are a norm (and not an exception).

Here's my understanding of the process -

- The initial estimate includes everything that could potentially be wrong with the car. The damaged parts can't be dismantled before the car is surveyed.
- The insurance survey is done and the necessary repairs/replacements are approved by the insurance agency. This is the bit where you need to be careful. Only the approved work with be paid for by the insurance cover. Additional (unapproved) work needs to be carried out at your own expense.
- The repairs are carried out.
- Another survey is done to ensure that the repairs are done as directed and upto the mark.

The initial estimate is always prepared as a worst case scenario - don't go by Vinayaka Skoda's 15K estimate. They did not give that in writing did they? And a hit to the bumper at 120km/hr would definitely cause internal damage that isn't visible to the casual observer.

The second estimate seems to be more realistic (given that there could be damage behind the bumper) - the actual amount will be know only once the repairs are finished.

Thanks CrackedHead. Now I understand how the insurance claim process works. I also realize now why the marikar guys would not open up the vehicle to assess the real damage to come up with the actual estimate until the survey is done. I guess all the skoda horror stories on this forum have had their effect that now anything they do/say is considered to be evil

parichay · 22nd September 2009, 12:44

Ok, my worst nightmare has come true. The accident has resulted in a disconnection of the joint that holds the intercooler of my car to the body. Its not fallen off or anything but one end has detached. What shocked me is that now Marikar claims that the intercooler has to be replaced along with the sensor. Cost : about 17K. Need advice. If the intercooler itself has not been damaged nor the sensor; if one end of the clip that holds it in place has detached is it normal to replace the entire intercooler + sensor?

10th September 2009, 01:42	#1 (permalink)
parichay BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 54	Insurance claim estimation - Skoda Fabia - Marikar Engineers - Kochi I had an accident on my fabia while driving down the Krishnagiri highway when I hit a canine that just sauntered across the road when I was doing about 120 km/hr, as a result of which the right side of the bumper was damaged significantly. I first took it to Vinayaka Skoda - whitefield who said that the bumper would need to be replaced and the cost would be about 15k; however since my insurance was from Kochi i decided to drive down there and get it done (owing to the overall ease of claiming it). I gave the car to Marikar Engineers last week and now they claim an estimate of 75K!! When I spoke to the engineer there he said this is normal as they want to be sure that everything is covered when they claim but I will be charged only for what is actually changed. Questions : 1. Is this hyper inflation of estimates normal? 2. What is the impact of the same on my insurance premium ? 3. Do you guys think there is something fishy going on or am I overreacting?

10th September 2009, 01:58	#2 (permalink)
bharti22shresth BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: panchkula Posts: 270	1. There must be something fishy only because 75k is 5 times more than 15K! I suppose those Marikar engg. guys will most probably show that more work was done on the car and take more money from the insurance company. Though you'll still end up paying whatever the depreciation difference etc one has to pay. 2. No affect on your insurance premium. 3. You aren't over-reacting. Same thing the Honda guys did with me for my activa. Anycase, I bargained with the showroom owner into me not paying any money at all (After all it was my vehicle they were minting money from the insurance guys against). __________________ They say a man shares a bond with 1 machine... I guess i'm the luckiest of the lot cos for me it's 3(still counting)..

10th September 2009, 12:51	#5 (permalink)
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 18,786 View My Garage	Instead of going blindly by the numbers, a more sensible approach would be to: 1. Assess the actual damage 2. See which parts need to be repaired / replaced 3. Then, get a quote on the same. Could be that Vinayak only quoted you for the bumper, and Marikar found internal damage? __________________ GTO Work backward from your imagination, not forward from the past! Please don't PM for support. Use the Contact Form instead. Please read the NEW Team-BHP FAQ section for all your queries.

10th September 2009, 17:24	#9 (permalink)
CrackedHead BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 266	^^^ Insurance people can see thru the inflated initial estimate (its their job) and the inflated initial estimates are a norm (and not an exception). Here's my understanding of the process - - The initial estimate includes everything that could potentially be wrong with the car. The damaged parts can't be dismantled before the car is surveyed. - The insurance survey is done and the necessary repairs/replacements are approved by the insurance agency. This is the bit where you need to be careful. Only the approved work with be paid for by the insurance cover. Additional (unapproved) work needs to be carried out at your own expense. - The repairs are carried out. - Another survey is done to ensure that the repairs are done as directed and upto the mark. The initial estimate is always prepared as a worst case scenario - don't go by Vinayaka Skoda's 15K estimate. They did not give that in writing did they? And a hit to the bumper at 120km/hr would definitely cause internal damage that isn't visible to the casual observer. The second estimate seems to be more realistic (given that there could be damage behind the bumper) - the actual amount will be know only once the repairs are finished. __________________ The man who smiles when things go wrong has thought of someone to blame it on.

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10th September 2009, 10:06	#4 (permalink)
parichay BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 54	Hmm...I am thinking of pulling it out of marikar and getting it done in elsewhere. They have estimated headlamp assembly, intercooler etc in their estimate whereas when I got it inspected in Vinayaka Skoda in Whitefield the issue they found was with the bumper and the foglamp assembly.

10th September 2009, 13:38	#6 (permalink)
mjothi Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,150 View My Garage	If I am right, its not just the dealer who is going to prepare the quote and start the work. If it exceeds like 25K (may vary with insurance guys), then they do have a independant surveyor who is suppose to give a report on the vehicle. So, dealers cannot just put everything under the carpet. Coming back to the quote. yes, it would be more in estimation. Then will come down on Surveyors report. Then still it will come on actual bills. In case it needs to be increased during the repair, they cannot carry out the repairs until the surveyor checks and approves that part replacement / repair.

22nd September 2009, 12:44	#11 (permalink)
parichay BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 54	Ok, my worst nightmare has come true. The accident has resulted in a disconnection of the joint that holds the intercooler of my car to the body. Its not fallen off or anything but one end has detached. What shocked me is that now Marikar claims that the intercooler has to be replaced along with the sensor. Cost : about 17K. Need advice. If the intercooler itself has not been damaged nor the sensor; if one end of the clip that holds it in place has detached is it normal to replace the entire intercooler + sensor?