Hi all - I've been trying to get bodywork sorted on my van. Panels bubbling up a bit and paint really faded.
On trip back from Cornwall yesterday, in a BP garage I managed to reverse into a yellow bollard, the type that sit either side of a petrol pump. It was bent over from a previous collision so I couldn't see it from my LHD side.
I'm trying to figure out what to do next. I need to speak to insurance obviously but it would seem like a good time to get bodywork sorted. Wondering if there will be shared liability due to it bollard not visible. Wondering if I can put the insurance money towards a total respray etc.
Any advice would be great before i speak to the insurance company.
That panel’s repairable, the rot around the rest of it will be an issue , insurance will end up asking you for a betterment contribution IF you can get anyone to quote for an insurance repair . highly unlikely you’ll get money from a post you reversed into because your vehicle is LHD
I've got photos from the internet with the bent bollard so that's ok but not sure if it is bent enough. I think the LHD was the main thing but it was also bent the other way, towards me as I reversed.
That rear panel is cracked horizontally below the bumper, could just be paint though. The bumper is defo hanging down on one side quite badly and I wondered if the other panels are damaged then it might get too expensive for the insurance co. to pay out for. I think the write off / buyback could be a blessing if it pays for the body work.
What I'm not sure about is if it's repairable how do you go about getting a specialist who knows the vans - do the insurance co normally suggest someone or can I get several quotes myself?
multisi wrote: ↑18 Aug 2025, 15:27
Forget the insurance and just get all those rusty/bent panels cut off and replaced with new steel, Brickwerks do budget panel panels.
Yeah I had it booked in for last May for the whole shebang but got let down, disappointed as it took long enough to justify it in my mind. My understanding is to do it properly the inside needs to be got to.
The only reason I'm considering the insurance is if it could help reduce the cost in some way.
Thanks for help so far - does anyone know what a garage/insurance would do regarding paintwork. So the panels etc seem easy to fix but then I'd have either just primed panels or a respray that wouldn't match the old colour. How does that work with the insurance? I'm guessing any bodyshop would suggest I need a respray to make it all match.
Anyone know bodyshops that know these vans and accept insurance work?
You're very unlikely to successfully claim off anyone else's insurance for reversing into an immobile object that they own, especially if it was painted yellow! It's not their problem that you couldn't see it.
So you'll have to claim off your own insurance. Because of the problems they'd have finding a repairer willing to do the work (because of the nature of repairing old vehicles with corrosion etc) they would likely write the van off.
You could take the payout, buy the van back off them for salvage value and use the difference in these figures to pay towards getting it repaired yourself, amongst the other rust repairs around the vehicle. However once you figure in the insurance increases in future and the cost of your excess plus all the hassle, I'd be surprised if it makes sense to do this.
Personally I would just forget about any insurance claim and continue using the van until whatever point that you decide to give the bodywork a once over.
Thanks yeah I am considering the insurance increases. I'm not really expecting to share liability tbh. The van is insured for an agreed value of 14k (when it was in better condition). Excess is £250 with 9 years unprotected no claims.
I'm half wondering if the hassle would be worth it to allow me to basically pay for the bodywork like finance in that I'd pay it back via my increased premiums over next 10 years.
Insurance is a scam. You will never be “better off” from a payout thrugh them. Bite the bullet, big boy pants on and get it repaired from your own pocket.
BarnyE wrote: ↑22 Aug 2025, 16:53
Insurance is a scam. You will never be “better off” from a payout thrugh them. Bite the bullet, big boy pants on and get it repaired from your own pocket.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Not even when someone ends up with life’s changing injuries and has 24hr care for the rest of their lives , scam ??
