Courtesy car from insurance company

[superal]

I had a pickup reverse into me causing minor damage to the back door and back wrap around valance . The Thai gentleman had basic government insurance . My insurance rep arrived and took all the details . I took the car to the local main Mitsubishi garage for assessment . They want the car for 1 week . I asked about a courtesy car but was told they do not have one , i.e. both the garage and ins ; co;  .  I called the insurance head office in Bangkok and put the same question to them and they confirmed no courtesy car . I said I would have to hire a car for a week and would they foot the bill ? They were unsure and will call me back next Monday . 

I would like to know if anyone has had a similar experience and secondly are their insurance companies in Thailand that offer a courtesy car as per standard policy ? 

Just to exacerbate the situation , 2 weeks ago I ran over a traffic cone at night on an unlit road . I noticed the next day that the wrap around front plastic bumper where it joins the front wing had become misaligned by 10 mm . I pushed it back in to within 4 or 5 mm .  Thinking that a clip had failed I went to the Mitsubishi garage where they said a complete renewal of the front bumper which I think is incredible and a money making ploy and I have told my ins co . I have a friend who has the same problem on his 1 year old Mazda but is not concerned about it . Now this cost although met by the ins co will impact on my next years premium or disqualify my no claims bonus ?     

  Any advice or comment would be welcome   

[stevenl]

It would depend on your coverage.

 

In general it is not covered here in Thailand, but there are a few exceptions where a courtesy car is covered for a limited time.

 

And yes, claims made will impact next years premium, the one with the reversing pickup though should not. But you can always switch ????

[jackdd]

Afaik a courtesy car is not common in Thailand. So it's most likely not included in your insurance coverage and if you rent a car you would most likely have to sue the person who caused the accident for the cost of it.

But it sounds like your car is still in a good enough condition to drive it, so there is no real reason for the garage to keep your car for a week. I know that they like to do this in Thailand, but they could as well just assess the damage, order the parts, you take the car back home, and when the parts have arrived you take it to the garage again to get them installed.

[superal]

3 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Afaik a courtesy car is not common in Thailand. So it's most likely not included in your insurance coverage and if you rent a car you would most likely have to sue the person who caused the accident for the cost of it.

But it sounds like your car is still in a good enough condition to drive it, so there is no real reason for the garage to keep your car for a week. I know that they like to do this in Thailand, but they could as well just assess the damage, order the parts, you take the car back home, and when the parts have arrived you take it to the garage again to get them installed.

I think you are spot on with your comments . However I have been told that courtesy cars are made available with the more costlier brands such as Honda . My ladies new Mitsubishi car came with 3 years free insurance which I guess was a budget deal on class 1 insurance . I have friends whose cars were kept by the repair shop for 6 months for extensive repairs and would have been a right off in most western countries , just to save 20-30 thousand baht for the insurance company . One friend secured a replacement car with the cost being met by the guilty party in the accident who were fairly well off but in my case what happens if the guilty party refuses to pay or does not have the funds ? 

Condition of the car ?  is good with the minor damage being 2 small dents both about 50 mm round and 4 mm deep , not sure if a panel replacement or a filler job . I am going to cancel the previous claim when I hit a traffic cone which caused a misalignment of panels ( will sort it myself and protect the ncb ) . 

One thing for sure is when I come to take up new insurance I will take a close look at the policy . Guess you get what you pay for .                 Thanks for your input