[dass]

Since we are talking about being 'practical' and not really what would have been the correct thing to do, here is what I feel.
Establish with the police that the mistake was the drivers. I am sure the truck owner would have already paid off the police to make it look like an unavoidable accident.
Make sure you tell the truck owner/driver that you are looking for an out of court settlement provided it doesn't make you pay more
Try to get as much cash as possible from those morons, don't think about their condition or how they will pay. It is their problem, if they had been careful, this situation would not have arose in the first place.

[sdp1975]

That is a shocking accident. If there had been passengers in the rear seat, they would've been seriously injured , if not killed. Does the truck driver have a valid license/permit/insurance ?

The truck driver was entirely at fault if he hit a stationary vehicle at a signal. He should've also provided medical assistance to the injured - these are explicitly stated in the MV Act.

If the trucker doesn't pay up , make sure that the FIR is modified appropriately and the chargesheet has the relevant criminal charges against the driver - I'm not sure what the process is , but visiting the jurisdictional ACP might help if the local PS is not co-operating.

[Mad Max]

Sorry to hear about the fracture. Hope your SO gets better soon.

Please don't wait for things to happen before the FIR has all the details. The FIR is the only documentation that you have at this point. I am not sure why the driver's name was left out. You should insist on it. Considering your wife speaks Marathi, I am sure someone in her family can help out. If the local cops don't oblige, the higher ups usually do. Get this done first before you think out of court settlement or anything else.

From the insurance perspective, you could request the insurance evaluator to declare this a total loss and maybe try to negotiate it that way. You may not get all the IDV back, but you could always get a new car. Once in an accident of this proportion, I'd advise not to go for the repair costs unless you have an attachment to the car itself.

Have you taken photos of the accident itself and the other vehicle i.e. the truck? You could use a few of those in case you end up talking to the other party. In your present status, I am sure they have a bit of a stronger ground considering the driver's name is not there. If you have the proof and threaten to go to court, they may think twice about it.

[chittybang]

I too would prefer going for total loss but my insurance surveyor insists its not the case. So what do I do? My concern is even after the repairs I am not going to be comfortable. I will end up selling the car.
Can someone advise me how to go about updating the FIR, if it is possible. Especially since my wife's injury was detected on that evening after we could visit the doctor and get a CT scan done?
We do have photographs of the truck on location. We have an eyewitness who has given us his contact. I am frustrated with the system. Everything seems stacked up against us.

[bread]

This is in relation to post # 428 with the following photos.

Went to the HASS for the same and this is what the advisor told me.

For the offset front bumper :
The metal frame that holds the bumper has taken some damage and is bent. There will be no issues if I get it repaired in october when my service is due.
Is that true? Will there be any issues if I keep it that way till october?

For the scratches on the rear left fender :

The primer is intact.only the layer of paint has peeled off. There is damage to the metal i.e. tiny dents and hence they will have to use body filler and repaint the whole part. No further damage will occur to the metal(rust) if I let it be as is. The paint will very slowly peel off tough with every thorough wash.
My question now is that can I paint a clear coat from a can of acrylic paint. Those 400ml cannisters we get for 200 rs. I want to do this to prevent the paint peeling off till the time I get it fixed which will be october. I have used them to paint my PC Cabinet and am well versed on how to use it and work with the coats.
I think the following steps will work.

1. Sand the area with 800 grip sand paper.
2. use paint cutter/rubbing compound and then clean the area.
3. apply 3-5 coats with 15 min intervals for each coat.
4. Let it cure for 2 days.
5. clean it and buff it with wax and then use paint selant.

Your inputs is what i need now. Is it worth it? will it work?

Links to the photos from the aforementioned post.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...t-dsc_1393.jpg

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...t-dsc_1394.jpg

[manishkapadia]

Hello All,

Recently on a trip to Alibaug , my Honda City ( now 4 years old ) got dented from left side . It led to a very deep scratch on the door and the runner ( area below the door ).

Dont know why Big stones are kept at road corners . While taking a left turn my dad could not see it and this happened. The car had not had any claim so far and was under 50 % NCB . So i had no intention of claiming insurance.

I have so far never used non company garages for even the minutest work . However i was recommended this garage called Alfa Auto Works in Andheri East( Mahakali Road )

When i went to Alfa Garage i met an ex service Advisor who used to work in Car Torque ( Veera Desai Area ) . Car torque was a Tata Garage and used to even do Rally Modifications way back . So it was nice to see a familiar face .
His Name is Ashish. We recognised each other instantly . Being an ex indica owner the garage visits were quite frequent .

Ashish is a Partner in Alfa Garage along with a Parsi guy called Cyrus . Both are very decent people .

I decided to give it a shot . Attached pictures show the outcome . They have own paint room and i think the paint finish is top notch.
My total Damages came to Rs 6,000 and the breakup is as under.

Door Repaint - 3000
Denting - 1500
Runner Repaint - 1500

I know now where to give car for Denting Painting jobs . When i picked up my car i saw a Merc getting painted out there.

I am not associated with this Garage in any way and dont mean to advertise . This is just a shout and i think will benefit other TBhp members.

[arnabchak]

Dear Manish

Is it just me? I can still see the dent pretty prominently on teh running board with a hint of a colour mis match!!

[saket77]

Looks like a slight hint of dent on the running board. Kind of pressed in a little in the marked area. However, not everyone would notice in practical life may be, more so, because of the angle one would usually look it at.

[lapis_lazuli]

Hi Manish,

The dent has not been properly pulled from the running board. It seems like a putty fill job (likely). While it is minor, if you feel, you might ask them to redo! White shades are prone to yellowing if not baked and dried properly after refinish. So, get this point agreed as well if possible.

[Shwetank]

Originally Posted by arnabchak

Dear Manish

Is it just me? I can still see the dent pretty prominently on teh running board with a hint of a colour mis match!!

You are right Arnabchak. The running board depression IS visible. We could've expected a better job for the money charged.

[poloman]

Running board is the most common place the body shops cheat customers come for body work with putty jobs. I had the same experience when blocks of putty started falling off the repaired area.

[manishkapadia]

I will need to see how the Paint Job stays . He had said that he would need to cut out that much portion to mend it and actually kept my car for a good 3 days to fix it so that car dries properly and door be polished . Colour matching is in fact to my satisfaction . That portion is shining more because its polished . I think after i give the whole car for 3M treatment post monsoons , the shine would be uniform.

For guys who experienced putty fall off , After how much time does this happen ? . Its about 10 days since the repair and car has been to another outdoor trip in extreme monsoon and parked in the open.

[don_carmaster]

Hello,

Searched and couldn't find a similar topic hence thought of posting this query that most of the buyers of the luxury segment will come across.

My Brother's Audi a6 is in Mumbai currently, while taking out of his society buildings' Multi level car park in bandra, dented the front passenger side Fender badly.

Now, there are three options to go about it-

A) Pay the Audi ASS a sum of 48k for replacing the complete body part, because as per them, the fender is made up of aluminium and it cant be repaired.

B) Get the same done through insurance. If insurance route is followed, this is the second year of the car and the insurance was recently paid at 80k after deducting a NCB of 20 percent for the first year. If taken this route then, next year insurance premium will have to be paid in full

C) Get the same done up at some decently specced workshop in Mumbai, but

# Will it affect the paint warranty that the audi india provides

# Will it in anyway affect the comprehensive warranty of the car?

# Need help from Mumbai T-bhpians for referring a good garage that can handle an Audi

Would request all to suggest any other better methods

Attaching a picture to garner a wider perspective:-

[vinjosep]

Originally Posted by don_carmaster

Hello,

My Brother's Audi a6 is in Mumbai currently, while taking out of his society buildings' Multi level car park in bandra, dented the front passenger side Fender badly.


Attaching a picture to garner a wider perspective:-

First and foremost I don't own a luxury car. However if what I gathered from your picture is correct, then this is not a major damage and can be rectified easily by a specialist paintless-dent-removal expert, followed by a good round of polish. A couple of scratches might remain as an evil charm ward-off.

Should stay well within 2K if you were in Bangalore.

[ajaypjayaraj]

The most hassle free option would be to let Audi do the part replacement and finishing work payed by the insurance guys. If the work is in 40-50k range, it's better to claim insurance.
It could be done much cheaper by skilled hands in which case you won't need to claim the insurance. But take that chance only if you know a place that has experience in dealing premium luxury cars and has a good reputation. It's not worth the risk giving it to any other place for work on these cars.