Bucklet bonnet: won't open

"bruce snipped-for-privacy@my-deja.com" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Oops.

You're going to have to get physical. The slam panel and/or bonnet is/are clearly bent enough that the main catch isn't releasing.

Get whatever's left of the grille out of the way, so you can see the catch, then try to unbend it into a position where it'll release.

If you're going to want to take it anywhere for assessment or work, you might be best to leave it closed, because it's unlikely you'll be able to close it again ! Just a thought.

Yes. Its firmly closed at the moment. The headlights work OK, just the front glass/plastic is shattered. Do I need to replace the whole unit? Plan is to get headlight + bumper from a scrappie, as I have 3rd party only insurance. Mike

"bruce snipped-for-privacy@my-deja.com" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Probably.

What about the bonnet and slam?

If you were fully comp, and planning on claiming, you'd find that it's almost certainly a write-off anyway.

Sorry, I meant to say bonnet. A bit of insulation tape will fix the bumper. Do I have to report a prang like this to my insurers, as I am not claiming? The Direct Line website is pretty vague. Mike

It's best to. I've never found it affected an insurance premium, but at least they've been told and can't turn around on your next claim.

First thing I'd try is to get someone else to pull the release lever while you attempt to pull the bonnet up by hand. This will work if it's only just bent enough to prevent it springing up, but not enough to jam it completely.

It seems pretty likely that the person you ran in to will be claiming however! Even if there was no apparent damage to their vehicle at the time, they should tell their insurance, who will query it with yours.

If you fail to report it, you would likely be in breach of your policy conditions. You may then be liable for any subsequent claim from the person you hit.

Get on the phone! Now!

Chris

"bruce snipped-for-privacy@my-deja.com" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

What prang?

Adrian gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Sorry, I was forgetting about the person you hit. If they're going to claim, it's going to be off your insurance, so - yes - you will need to tell 'em.

If they're not claiming, it didn't happen.

Incidentally, do you think it is worth scouring around loads of scrap dealers, trying to get the exact same color of bonnet (metallic green). Or should I go for the easier option -- a two-tone car. Mike

Another option: a brand new unpainted bonnet is 90 quid. How much would it cost to this resprayed metallic green in a back street paint shop?

Thanks Mike

When my dad had his 1993 Audi 80 front end caved in by a mad vicar, insurance wrote it off and gave him £700 + the car back. Local breakers charged me £100 for bonnet, grill, lights, bumper & radiator and local paint shop £200 cash for spraying the red panels & bumper back to metallic green . Think we also had to pay for a vosa check as well.

"Redwood" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Depends on how the write-off is classified. If it's Cat D, then no Vehicle Identity Check needed. If it's Cat C, it will.

It was definitly the class that needed the identity check. Heres a couple of pics of the before & after my repairs (before the paint job was done). Personaly I prefered the 2 tone colour but that's dads for ya.

a lot more than going to any scrapper that has a few micras in, they always seem to have a metalic green un along side a few red ones,

Nice work - and you got it done pretty fast as well, by the date stamps.

Ian