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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2020 14:14:38 GMT
While abroad, I trusted a friend to look after my car. The deal was he drives around 5 km every 3-4 weeks to keep the battery alive. When I got the car back after 5 months abroad, I discovered he drove more than 10.000 miles. Now the car makes a very suspicious rattling noise and there are paint damages on the front of the car. My car insurance allowed me to drive less than 3.000 miles per year. What is likely to happen? How should I go about it to avoid being penalised by my car insurance? (My car insurance needs to be renewed in 2 weeks time.)
How much money has the car lost in value for driving 10.000+ miles in 5 months (it is a Qashqai that was worth £5-6000 just before leaving my car at that 'friend'?
What would you do if you were me?
How much would you make this despicable individual pay? And how - if he refuses ?
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Post by ChrisM on May 23, 2020 14:34:46 GMT
Greetings.
First things first..... 5km every 3 to 4 weeks won't be enough to keep the battery charged, the car will need a longer drive than that just to replenish what was used to start it. But km...... so what country are you in, this forum is UK based and most of our legal knowledge is of UK law.
How does your insurer know how many miles the car has driven, do you have to let them know every year because in the UK we do not normally have to do this.
Loss in value: will depend on what country you are in as well as mileage.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2020 15:20:29 GMT
I imagine proving that would be impossible.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2020 16:48:24 GMT
Greetings. First things first..... 5km every 3 to 4 weeks won't be enough to keep the battery charged, the car will need a longer drive than that just to replenish what was used to start it. But km...... so what country are you in, this forum is UK based and most of our legal knowledge is of UK law. How does your insurer know how many miles the car has driven, do you have to let them know every year because in the UK we do not normally have to do this. Loss in value: will depend on what country you are in as well as mileage. The car was always in the UK with a car insurance in the UK. The mileage went from 42.517 miles to 53.086 miles. The insurer will know how many mileage has been done thanks to the MOT, am I wrong? |
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2020 16:49:28 GMT
I imagine proving that would be impossible. The guy has not denied that he has driven the car behind my back. It is a question of how to make him pay for all the damage. |
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Post by LandieMark on May 23, 2020 17:03:01 GMT
If he is unwilling to agree to pay for the damage, then the only way is to issue a money claim online. There are procedures to follow before doing so. I would think proving it is somewhat difficult as it is his word against yours. Sometimes life is too short, but that is your decision.
The insurance issue is interesting. If you had him on your policy, then the milage may be an issue, but if he insured himself on it or used his 3rd party cover, you didn't actually drive more than the policy allowed so wouldn't be in breach, I wouldn't have thought.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2020 17:12:49 GMT
If he is unwilling to agree to pay for the damage, then the only way is to issue a money claim online. There are procedures to follow before doing so. I would think proving it is somewhat difficult as it is his word against yours. Sometimes life is too short, but that is your decision. The insurance issue is interesting. If you had him on your policy, then the milage may be an issue, but if he insured himself on it or used his 3rd party cover, you didn't actually drive more than the policy allowed so wouldn't be in breach, I wouldn't have thought. He was not on my insurance. He was insured for his own 2 cars and could drive any other car. I never mentioned this to my insurance, which may have been a mistake, I am not sure how it works, it is the first time I trust somebody with my car. Have I breached my insurance policy by not letting my car insurance know of the fact that my 'friend' was looking after my car? What is a money claim online? I know that life is too short but to tell you the truth I am so hurt by such a behaviour and feel so betrayed. I never imagined a friend could do such a thing. |
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Post by LandieMark on May 23, 2020 17:53:19 GMT
I can't imagine you are in breach of your policy in terms of Milage, as you didn't do the miles and he wasn't insured on your policy. Money claim online is a way of issuing a claim in the small claims court. It's quite informal and doesn't usually need solicitors but you must follow their procedures. www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome |
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2020 18:47:10 GMT
Many thanks, Trevor, for your comments and suggestions. Do you think that Citizen Advice Bureau could help me with this?
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Post by LandieMark on May 23, 2020 18:48:57 GMT
Yes, I would suggest you talk to them before anything else.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2020 19:04:40 GMT
Thank you very much. It is just difficult getting advice or taking action at the moment due to the covid situation. I really appreciate your time here. I need a lot of support. Thanks a lot.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2020 19:06:46 GMT
Do you think that by changing car insurance I will solve the problem and the risk of being punished by my car insurance (for having driven all those miles)? Obviously it won't change the problem of the rattling noise and devaluation of the car etc.
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Post by LandieMark on May 24, 2020 9:49:05 GMT
You didn't drive the miles, but it may be worth changing as the insurance company may not believe you.
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2020 10:45:05 GMT
proving your absence and diagnosing the problem will be very much the order of the day. Especially if the folk used know your cars history and can state it was fine when they last saw it. When that happens is dependent on when the lockdown is eased. Good luck with it.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on May 24, 2020 11:47:47 GMT
If you’re only driving circa 3000 miles a year the likelihood that an additional 10k will have significantly reduced the cars value is small, particularly on a car of that age.
The ability to drive a third party’s on your own insurance is not guaranteed on all policies and even if it is it’s for emergencies only, not for regular use. Your friend may not have been covered at all.
At the end of the day it sounds as if this a friend who has let you down badly, you may get him to stand up and pay for repairs but I doubt you’ll be able to force him to. I would consider him no longer a friend and take it as one of life’s lessons.
The insurance company are not a problem but change providers if you’re worried.
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Post by ChrisM on May 24, 2020 13:04:20 GMT
I can't imagine it will affect your insurance as it wasn't you who was driving and the risk was on your friend's insurance. I've queried this mileage issue with my broker before and they have said it is for indication only, you never know when circumstances may change but then you should alert them if there is an alteration.... and of course "indication" is used to help price the policy
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