[GTO]

Originally Posted by sary

it has developed quite a few scratches & minor dents.....

Is it a good idea to have insurance claim and get the vehicle repainted? (I have almost decided on this).

Unless your guardian angel is also an insurance surveyor, he is not going to clear a complete paintjob based on "few scratches & minor dents". They are a part of daily life in urban India. Insurance companies would go bankrupt with repainting cars every 3 - 4 years!!

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by white_vdi

this is exactly what i went through today. my best friend has a 2004 blue NHC with loads of scratches all round and even rust at places. paint has lost all its lustre and looks worse than what it actually is. went to Ring Road Honda, Peera Garhi today. his car is insured from iffco tokio.

the insurance guy said he can paint the entire car and we would be required to pay only 500 bucks as per the clause. will take them 6 days to completely paint the car.

he said there are two ways of getting a claim for the entire car
1. use screw driver or nail and scratch the car on all sides. then go to the local P.S. and file a complaint and get some D.D number. it is not a FIR. just a report that somebody damaged your car parked outside your house. having some contact at the P.S. will obviously help you to get the letter without any issues. otherwise they might ask you to grease their hands a little. with the letter, charges for painting the car 500 bucks.

2. scratch the car against some wall or tree on both the sides. surveyor will pass the claim for repainting of the entire vehicle. again charges only Rs. 500.

he will get his car painte in a couple of weeks using the 1st way.

Perfect - let's not hear anyone crib about insurance prices hitting the roof then! First we game the system, then we rationalise it!

[vineethvazhayil]

I'm sure the insurance guy and the police would also want to make some quick buck from your friend for supporting this. Just be sure you don't ultimately end up paying more than what honda would charge you.

[sary]

Originally Posted by white_vdi

he said there are two ways of getting a claim for the entire car
1. use screw driver or nail and scratch the car on all sides. then go to the local P.S. and file a complaint and get some D.D number. it is not a FIR. just a report that somebody damaged your car parked outside your house. having some contact at the P.S. will obviously help you to get the letter without any issues. otherwise they might ask you to grease their hands a little. with the letter, charges for painting the car 500 bucks.

2. scratch the car against some wall or tree on both the sides. surveyor will pass the claim for repainting of the entire vehicle. again charges only Rs. 500.

he will get his car painte in a couple of weeks using the 1st way.

The first option actully works and is followed by many ! Even Insurence agent & Honda guys adviced the same thing to do !

[sary]

Originally Posted by pmbabu

If cost is the concern, there are several other paint shops that do this job at a very reasonable cost - without any compromise in quality or color. Please search for threads on this aspect.

Well, IMO its not a good idea to get the job done locally. Have not seen good results in the past. I trust Honda and the quality of job they do.

I am also considering factors like vacume painting , steam painting, etc which local paint shops might not be capable of.

Originally Posted by white_vdi

@ swaroop77 : mate i dont think he will sell the car anytime soon if he gets her done completely. so NCB shouldnt be a consideration.

@ pmbabu : dude nobody will do it for that amount and then i am no gandhi who would let go of this opportunity. no offense but i feel its a very subjective thing and i back my decision.

MODS can we have a poll on what do to in this situation? to go for a claim and get the car repainted for 500 bucks or not?

Thats right, the car has proven itself without any fury and i cant afford to sell it in near future. In fact, NHC delivered me a milege of 18.2KM/lt on Goa Nashik highway (plus some city driving) with full time AC on.

[filcord]

Originally Posted by white_vdi

honda is charging 4000 bucks per piece for paint. that means an approx total 50k for paint.
plus he hasnt claimed even once in these 5 years so why not? i know its unethical but in india how many follow rules? i dont care if it saves you almst 50000 and that is some amount!

The following rules for moral guidance emerge from the above:

- Stealing is okay if the price of the object is high ("honda is charging 4000")
- I've been a good boy for so long, I can steal for once ("plus he hasnt claimed")
- If the neighbour is stealing, it's ok for me to do so. ("but in India how many follow rules")

It's really easy to lapse into unethical behaviour.
The real test of your character is when you do not do so, but take the higher moral ground, even if it will cost you, as it always will.

[vasudeva]

We should remember that we pay car insurance for precisely this: getting the car painted when it is dented at the expense of the insurance company, which is ready (mostly) to pay for all the expenses with as much frequency as required.

The funny thing in my experience has been with Bajaj Allianz. With them, one has to intimate the dent and get it painted within a week. Otherwise no claim. Now, a bumper scratch is usually ignored (why go to the hassle of giving your car for 2-3 days). However, they said that a preexisting dent is not covered. Bottomline: they are willing to give claim on 365 days per annum. The minute you get it dented, do not wait, go and get it painted at their expense (mostly). The next week, repeat the process again.

[sary]

Originally Posted by filcord

The following rules for moral guidance emerge from the above:

- Stealing is okay if the price of the object is high ("honda is charging 4000")
- I've been a good boy for so long, I can steal for once ("plus he hasnt claimed")
- If the neighbour is stealing, it's ok for me to do so. ("but in India how many follow rules")

It's really easy to lapse into unethical behaviour.
The real test of your character is when you do not do so, but take the higher moral ground, even if it will cost you, as it always will.

We have been regularly paying insurance premium for last 4 consecutive years, so why not get the benifit out of it !

Take an ex of mediclaim policy, you pay the premium and they take care of you as and when you are unwell. No matter whatever is the cause !

[sukrit7]

can you actually claim insurance for a whole body paint job?

[arindamray]

Originally Posted by sukrit7

can you actually claim insurance for a whole body paint job?

no you can't.
the insurance can be claimed for only one incident, and getting the scratches all over the body is not possible in one incident.

Originally Posted by vasudeva

We should remember that we pay car insurance for precisely this: getting the car painted when it is dented at the expense of the insurance company, which is ready (mostly) to pay for all the expenses with as much frequency as required.

The funny thing in my experience has been with Bajaj Allianz. With them, one has to intimate the dent and get it painted within a week. Otherwise no claim. Now, a bumper scratch is usually ignored (why go to the hassle of giving your car for 2-3 days). However, they said that a preexisting dent is not covered. Bottomline: they are willing to give claim on 365 days per annum. The minute you get it dented, do not wait, go and get it painted at their expense (mostly). The next week, repeat the process again.

Very true, I had three incidents and could claim only one :(
This may also be because one has to pay a compusory excess of Rs 500/1000 for each claim, and thus they will not allow to club the claims.

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by arindamray

Very true, I had three incidents and could claim only one :(
This may also be because one has to pay a compusory excess of Rs 500/1000 for each claim, and thus they will not allow to club the claims.

Unless there is an emergency (as happened with me in 9/2007), my process for painting thru insurance is this:
1. small scratches and dents-feel sad but do not rush everytime.
2. when they accumulate on 2-3 parts (usually left side, but since I have now said this, will happen on the right side soon, for that is what happens when you speak too soon), take it to the paintshop.
3. usually, a story can be made for rear bumper, front bumper, or fenders combined. This should not be considered unethical. This is because the insurance company has contracted to pay for all damages. It is only you tried to save them money (by getting 2-3 scratches on 1 piece painted once rather than multiple times) and saved yourself some hassles.

For this query, I am uncertain whether a good enough justification can be given for the entire body paint. They may buy one side, but they may also see the other side. Now, by contract, the insurance company should pay for all, but by their policy (intimate immediately and get it painted within a week), they are excluding full paint unless you have a really compelling (and far fetched story). I would suggest this:
1. get one side or some panels painted at local. This will show to the insurance company at that time that the whole car is not damaged and also will not require a really compelling story.
2. get the other side painted by insurance company.
3. after a month, get the other side also painted.

I consider this not unethical and cheating, simply because the contract specifies insurance to pay for all damages, whether they happen once in a lifetime, or once a day. For this contract, you pay an insurance premium, do you not.

[lancer_rit]

Ok, a few points on this.
like someone posted already - the dents/scratches better look less than a week old. All claims are forfeited otherwise (National Insurance told me so specifically and if they strictly implement what is written in the insurance contract we sign, we have to take to the garage within one day or something - but usually, they let you do it within a few days). If its a longer period, then you have to provide a written application as to why you could not do this earlier (for eg. travelling on work, or whatever). I don't have specific experience with private insurers, but read your contract - all the fine print is in there.

For one accident, there is less than 10% chance that you can claim damages on both sides of the car leave alone all sides. Unless there is an accident where the car topples etc. Have discussed it with multiple insurance assessors and insurance company officials.

And I do agree with what was posted earlier. Making fraudulent insurance claims makes life for all other law abiding consumers worse - they have to put up with bureacracy, extra questioning and now that there is deregulation, hike in premiums. Atleast, here on tbhp, we should condemn this.

Cheers,