My beloved GTi got pranged. Where to go from here?

Anything about BXs
Dollywobbler
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Post by Dollywobbler »

Straight from the third party's insurance. You can speak to them direct. Wish I'd done that last accident I had... (after someone ploughed into the back of my recently restored 2CV. All sorted in the end, but what a palaver!)
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Philip Chidlow
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Post by Philip Chidlow »

Yes, the TP has to have provided you with their name and insurance details. Contact their insurers direct. They will then confirm (hopefully - do you have witness/police references?) that it was their client's fault and deal with you accordingly. At least that was my experience. Did the TP admit liability?
• 1992 Citroen BX TZD Turbo Hurricane
• 2006 Xsara Picasso 1.6 16v
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Philip Chidlow
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Post by Philip Chidlow »

The only drawback with the whole thing was when my insurance company quoted on renewal it had gone up by 60%. They said my 'driving history' (involved in a blameless accident :shock: :? ) was taken into consideration.

So I switched to another company!
• 1992 Citroen BX TZD Turbo Hurricane
• 2006 Xsara Picasso 1.6 16v
Gibbo2286
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Post by Gibbo2286 »

The third party's insurance company can stall you in some cases by saying they haven't received instructions from their insured to act for him, which can be a bind if the tp is a drunken layabout and doesn't respond to them when they ask for his side of the story.

One of my customers had such a case, in the end he had to go to the tp's house himself and 'persuade' the guy to sign a pre prepared letter to the insurer.

The prat came to the door in his pyjamas, stoned out of his head at six in the evening but he did sign.
citronut
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Post by citronut »

if you are fully comp your insuranc company should do all the work/chaseing the other company,


regards malcolm
curent ride
K reg BX 17TD TZD est
also own
K reg D special

no longer have
H reg CX saffari 2.5 TRI (now gone to Malaysia)
R reg xantia 1.9TD est (gone to meet its maker)
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Tim Leech
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Post by Tim Leech »

I was at Medway CItroen in Chatham today and noticed a few red panels knocking about, inc wings.
Lots of Motors, mostly semi broken....
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Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Roverman wrote:I was at Medway Citroën in Chatham today and noticed a few red panels knocking about, inc wings.
Why didn't you come by for a cup of tea?

Reg the Body down there could repair that wing in his lunchbreak, I reckon. Definitely repairable. Sad story, good luck.
(Red BX 1.7TZD ("Well, it is a style icon" - Tom Sheppard)) "Was", Tom, "was"
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Tim Leech
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Post by Tim Leech »

Oscar wrote:
Roverman wrote:I was at Medway Citroën in Chatham today and noticed a few red panels knocking about, inc wings.
Why didn't you come by for a cup of tea?

Reg the Body down there could repair that wing in his lunchbreak, I reckon. Definitely repairable. Sad story, good luck.
I drove past your house Oscar aswell, unfortunatly a overturned lorry on the M25 made me late, or I would have dont so sorry. :cry:
Lots of Motors, mostly semi broken....
GT
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Post by GT »

Thanks for the helpful info. Unfortunately the damage runs a bit deeper than just the crumpled wing. On closer, inspection the damaged wing has moved back and is touching the passenger door and the other (uncrumpled) wing has moved maybe a centimetre from the body. Also the join of wing and flitch has a kink and the bottom of the flitch is badly crumpled. It may need jigging and certainly needs a lot of work. Who would have thought that a low speed glancing blow could do so much damage? One thing I can say is that, by swerving to try and avoid the impact, I probably did more harm than good. If I'd stayed in a straight line and hit front on, the impact not have been borne by a small area at the corner of the car. But who has time to make such decisions under the circumstances. Hey-ho.
Anyway, off to Cropredy now (in the rain). But no GTi gliding serenely over the bumpy fields this year, sadly. Update on Monday.
Why do cars have to die when you still love them?
citronut
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Post by citronut »

the wing to door gaps alway move even on relativly light impact,

the point to be looking at are any creaseing rear of the suspension turret's like wise the chassis rail in the same area,

anything forward of these points dose not realy need jigging,

first thing to do is whip the wings of to have a closer look at inner wing damage,


they quite offten look 200% worse than they realy are as the outter skins/metal fold a lot easyer,


regards malcolm
curent ride
K reg BX 17TD TZD est
also own
K reg D special

no longer have
H reg CX saffari 2.5 TRI (now gone to Malaysia)
R reg xantia 1.9TD est (gone to meet its maker)
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catsinthewelder
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Post by catsinthewelder »

That's a bugger.

Like the others have said pull the front wings off and see if there's any real damage underneath. Our estate arrived having met with a stone wall on the o/s front corner. Took less than an hour to remove one outer wing and all the lights etc to check the damage, bent it back with a hammer and a crescent wrench. Its not perfect but its gone through 2 MOT's.:roll:

We had another minor accident last autumn, a guy in a hire car clipped the n/s front corner of our BX while him and my mrs were reversing out of adjacent parking spaces (his fault only witness his passenger). We happily settled 50/50 and put on a new indicator while his policy payed out about 3 grand to straighten out the whole side of the hire car.

I'm in Ludlow, so not too far away from you, there's a few spares in my loft. I could give you a cracked (well slightly holed) n/s indicator, a perfectly good headlight and a slightly rusty n/s front wing in white. Could probably get you mobile while you look out for better parts.

I'd offer to come over but I'm on duty at work every day for the next 3 weeks :x
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GT
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Post by GT »

After various garage visits, and despite the good advice from those who replied, I realise I just don't have the resources or skills to mend this car myself. I wish I could keep it as a "hobby car" but that's not an option for so many reasons!
So, I've advertised it for spares or repair. Here's the link
http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/cla ... rno/146523

Of course, I'll give preference to someone from this club :wink:

I still have a separate issue with the insurance company as to when is a claim not a claim but a notification....hohum.
Why do cars have to die when you still love them?
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toddao
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Post by toddao »

What's that about 'Teflon pipes' then? Is that what you used to replace the original ones?
Todd


this yellow writing is really hard to read
GT
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Post by GT »

Yes, a few years ago one of the long steel pipes corroded through, so all the front to back pipes were replaced with teflon coated pipes. Don't know if these were standard parts or custom cut and belled. The last pipe I had replaced recently, the spiral one from engine to body, had to be custom made.
Why do cars have to die when you still love them?
citronut
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Post by citronut »

the standerd pipes these days are black powder coated,

the very early BX's had galvanise coated pipes like most earlier citroens,

regards malcolm
curent ride
K reg BX 17TD TZD est
also own
K reg D special

no longer have
H reg CX saffari 2.5 TRI (now gone to Malaysia)
R reg xantia 1.9TD est (gone to meet its maker)
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