New Car & Car Insurance

[BlimeyCharlie]

Hi, can anyone clear this up for me. Last week i bought a new Mits Triton and part of the deal was free insurance and free extras, leather interior etc.

Yesterday on my way back from Sakaeo there was an almighty crack on the windscreen, on the passanger side. I believe it to have been youths with cattapults as there were no other vehicles in front and i was only doing 40kph as i'd just pulled from a junction.

Anyway the dealers said it will be covered under the insurance and told me to take it in this morning. They have since phoned to say it's been repair but i will have to pay as the insurance company did not approve. Is this the case as im used to being full comp in the uk.

I don't mind paying for it but it annoys me that they've repaired it first without my say so.

[jdinasia]

was there a chip out of the windshield? or just a crack?

[BlimeyCharlie]

was there a chip out of the windshield? or just a crack?

There are 2 nasty chunks about the size of a fist. The crack as also since travelled half way up the screen. Either way it definately needed replacing.

[teej]

I think you're getting fleeced. 1st class should cover everything, and seriously everything, even items within the cabin of the car under my policy. Even the worst 1st class insurance company should cover windscreen damage.

Did you talk to your insurance agent? That is the first thing you need to do. If you leave it to the dealer you're just asking for it as surely the insurance company has paid the dealer and the dealer is charging you so they are getting paid from both sides. C'mon now....

My Bangkok Insurance 1st class covers every single part on my car (including aftermarket parts on the car at the time of policy agreement). This includes 20" wheels, tires, aftermarket car stereo including all speakers and amplifiers, front spoiler, etc.... and everything inside the car as well. Yours should at least include a windscreen.

Just my 2 cents.

[jdinasia]

The reason I asked about chips is that insurance typically won't cover stress fractures on new windshields (no chips just a crack from being installed wrong) as that is the duty of the dealer/manufacturer.

Not the case for you ... but I didn't know

[BlimeyCharlie]

The reason I asked about chips is that insurance typically won't cover stress fractures on new windshields (no chips just a crack from being installed wrong) as that is the duty of the dealer/manufacturer.

Not the case for you ... but I didn't know

Thanks for that, it's quite frustrating as i would be arguing this with the dealer. As it stands i'm reliant on my girlfriend which to be fair is only relaying back what they said. Comically they said if the damage was caused by another car the insurance would pay. My point was which they find hard to understand is that this type of damage is hard to prove and must me covered under the insurance. After all who can tell where the stone was kicked up from.

We have just paid 1500 bht anyway.

[BlimeyCharlie]

The reason I asked about chips is that insurance typically won't cover stress fractures on new windshields (no chips just a crack from being installed wrong) as that is the duty of the dealer/manufacturer.

Not the case for you ... but I didn't know

Thanks for that, it's quite frustrating as i would be arguing this with the dealer. As it stands i'm reliant on my girlfriend which to be fair is only relaying back what they said. Comically they said if the damage was caused by another car the insurance would pay. My point was which they find hard to understand is that this type of damage is hard to prove and must me covered under the insurance. After all who can tell where the stone was kicked up from.

We have just paid 1500 bht anyway.

After persuading my girlfriend to ring the insurance company, as alarm bells rang when i asked them to show me the policy which the said would take 2 weeks to arrive, it turned out they hadn't even rang the insurance, they just lied and made out they would not pay up. The insurance company however were infuriated, rang the delears and demanded they return the money to us, and that they will inform the head office of thier dealings. I'm just concerened how long it will take to get the red number plates changed, they said 4 weeks minimum.

Im really dissapointed as prior to this i was going to post a thread on how good thier service has been. The dealer is in Bangbon Rama 9 about 300 yrds up from an issuzu garage. Avoid.

Edited August 23, 2006 by BlimeyCharlie

[nikster]

After persuading my girlfriend to ring the insurance company, as alarm bells rang when i asked them to show me the policy which the said would take 2 weeks to arrive, it turned out they hadn't even rang the insurance, they just lied and made out they would not pay up. The insurance company however were infuriated, rang the delears and demanded they return the money to us, and that they will inform the head office of thier dealings. I'm just concerened how long it will take to get the red number plates changed, they said 4 weeks minimum.

Im really dissapointed as prior to this i was going to post a thread on how good thier service has been. The dealer is in Bangbon Rama 9 about 300 yrds up from an issuzu garage. Avoid.

Thanks so much for sharing this information. I, too, have 1st class insurance and I know what to do now in case something happens.

This is totally ridiculous of the dealer, really. For 1500 baht?? Unbelievable!

I don't speak Thai but I found that in most situations, things are more easily resolved if I talk to the people I need to talk to, and don't go through the Thai wife. The latter can sometimes not be avoided - when the other party really doesn't speak any english - but if they speak any english at all, I usually get much further and much quicker to where I want to be as the smiling, non-thai-speaking and quite possibly stupid farang. The reason is for one thing that the litany of excuses gets cut way short for lack of language skills and for another thing they tend to be friendlier to foreigners, some kreng jai thing, or maybe that's just my nice smile...?!

For example, I can go to the ticket counter in the cinema and return my tickets. Thai wife tells me there's a large sign on the counter that says no refunds. But I am stupid farang, I don't know that, and even though not unfriendly I don't seem to want to leave at all without the refund... they don't want to be inconvenienced too much so they give me the refund and let me go...