Member Since: 06 Nov 2007
Location: Deepest Darkest Berkshire
Posts: 696
The lightness of the damage is amazing considering the state of the other car.
this is quite topical since 5th Gear (UK Motoring TV program) did an article on what would happen to the back seat passengers in a typical 7 seater mini-MPV was hit from behind by a small truck at 40pmh. The results were truely horrific for those in the very back.
My wifes comment was that she'd think twice about putting our kids in the back seats. My thought was that a D3 would have fared much better and this confirms it.Also Gone : MY14 D4 SDV6 HSE : Barolo Black + Almond
Sadly Gone : MY08 D3 TDV6 HSE : Stornoway + Alpaca + Privacy + BAS Remap
8th Jan 2009 2:53 pm
norto
Member Since: 10 Apr 2006
Location: batemans bay
Posts: 1605
Ryan
Mabye you should get another quote
and see what hey say.
Tell them what you are concerned about first
so they can pay extra attention to itPete
8th Jan 2009 9:17 pm
Neil Pettersen
Member Since: 23 Nov 2007
Location: Cutting the grass
Posts: 1254
Ryan,
On another thread we've been discussing the D3 tow hitch etc.
Did the hitch come off OK on yours after this shunt or was it jammed ?
There was someone on the Aussie thread last year who reversed into concrete and
twisted the hitch/chassis bar ,but he didn't report back on how the Dealer shifted it.
12th Jan 2009 11:18 am
Neil Pettersen
Member Since: 23 Nov 2007
Location: Cutting the grass
Posts: 1254
London Lad wrote:
....My friend buys insurance write offs for peanuts and has a yard full of cars, you have to hunt round to find the damage on a lot of them......
It's interesting that you mention this ....... back in '84 a mate of mine in Oldham had his
Metro MG ( don't laugh , they were all the go with newly qualified pharmacists and dentists
in my crowd ) side scraped at slow speed. Even though the vehicle was only 11 months old
they wrote it off. He had 3 assessments of its repairability, but the insurance company refused
to repair and gave him a payout cheque ( no new for old in those days !! )which left him 500 Quid
short of a Metro 1 litre City base model !!!!!!!!!!
His sister was a solicitor and her practice partners couldn't get anything better out of the insurer
even though they tried their best ( for free )
He was right ed off about it for years.
Why do you think this goes on London Lad ...... any ideas ?
Neil.
12th Jan 2009 11:31 am
London Lad
Member Since: 27 May 2008
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 505
I can understand their being an element of customer service and good will when the car is borderline. I also suspect that insurance companies repair in line with manufacturers procedures so costs maybe higher than they actually need to be.
I can also understand 'stolen recovered' cars ending up in yards like my friends.
They certainly don't get much for the written off car judging by the prices my friend is paying.
As to your friends MG and most of the cars in my friends yard, I really have no idea.
A good example: He has a lot of Rover saloons (the horrible little version) with very light panel damage. He says they get written off because there are no body panels available for modern Rovers now. But what's wrong with a good body shop repairing the car ?
As far as I can see this practice provides the likes of my friend with a good business but must put up insurance premium costs for everyone else..
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.
.
You should never argue with idiots because they will just drag you down to their level....then beat you with experience !
12th Jan 2009 11:52 am
rbjt
Member Since: 17 Sep 2007
Location: South Australia
Posts: 17
Thanks for your thoughts everyone, greatly appreciated!
I checked with the repairer and they had no problems removing the tow hitch. The lock was damaged but they could still use the key after which it slipped out with little effort. I guess I was lucky.
I had the car checked by another local repair company. They agreed with the first diagnosis which made me a little more comfortable going ahead with the insurer's 'preferred' repairer.
They have now taken delivery of a large box of new parts and plan to get started fixing it up this week. I'll certainly be having a good look underneath (and check the spare wheel operation etc.) before taking delivery but if all goes well that should be within 2-3 weeks.
I'll let you know how it goes and post some photos of the finished job including close-ups of anything 'suspicious' I find!
Ryan.
14th Jan 2009 12:29 pm
Neil Pettersen
Member Since: 23 Nov 2007
Location: Cutting the grass
Posts: 1254
The chassis must be as tough as old boots
14th Jan 2009 12:51 pm
10forcash
Member Since: 09 Jun 2005
Location: Ubique
Posts: 16534
The chassis is made from high-strength steel and hydroformed, with (what appears to be) an in-line impact there's no reason to suspect any deflection of the main chassis components. What I would check is the chassis-to-body mounts, all ten of them, any cracks and they need changing - ideally all of them
14th Jan 2009 3:25 pm
rbjt
Member Since: 17 Sep 2007
Location: South Australia
Posts: 17
Thanks for the tip 10forcash. Do you happen to have a drawing that shows the mounting locations?
15th Jan 2009 8:55 am
rbjt
Member Since: 17 Sep 2007
Location: South Australia
Posts: 17
I have finally been able to collect my car from the repairer! They are still waiting for a new piece of plastic trim for above the rear bumper as the one they received was damaged in the box.
I am yet to have a close look at the repairs however I noticed one thing that seems a bit strange. Does anyone know what the solid cast steel looking blocks under each corner of the rear bumper are for? I quickly poked my head underneath and noticed these are free to pivot back and forth. I thought they were fixed solid when I took the car in but don't know if that was just because the bumper had been pushed back hard into them.
They look like they might be used to reduce vibrations/resonance through the chassis but am hoping someone might be able to confirm?
I will have a better look at the repairs tomorrow and post some pics of the finished job.
Thanks for your help,
Ryan.
4th Feb 2009 11:39 am
SN
Member Since: 03 Jan 2006
Location: Romiley
Posts: 13710
rbjt wrote:
They look like they might be used to reduce vibrations/resonance through the chassis but am hoping someone might be able to confirm?
exactly right Steve N | 21MY Defender | 08MY Discovery 3 (history) | 06MY Discovery 3 (ancient history)
4th Feb 2009 11:45 am
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4th Feb 2009 11:48 am
caverD3
Member Since: 03 Jul 2006
Location: Oberon, NSW
Posts: 6922
Yup dynamic weights. They give the car a smooth ride and reduce noise.
Normally swing about freely so the bumper would have stopped them working.“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely gamesâ€
Ernest Hemmingway
D4 3.0 Active Diff, Adaptive Lights, High Beam Assist, Surround Cameras, Privacy Glass.
D3 2.7:Adaptive Headlights,Electronic Rear Diff,ARB Bar,Blaupunkt Speakers,JVC Powered Subwoofer,Removable Snorkel,Mitch Hitch,Pioneer After Market Head Unit,Steering Wheel Control Adaptor,Remote Adjustable Supension Rod System, Taxside Dual Battery System.
4th Feb 2009 11:48 am
norto
Member Since: 10 Apr 2006
Location: batemans bay
Posts: 1605
I thought they were to do with the DSC Pete
4th Feb 2009 11:59 am
DiscoStu
Member Since: 09 Apr 2006
Location: London
Posts: 11412
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ed off about it for years.
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