Large dent advice

[VR46-G@Z]

That's a fair point klm, why no letter? Renault could just claim they sent it and that would be case closed I'd expect... but if one wasn't sent it's very bad customer service!! This has made me think I'm off outside to double check mine in a bit........ Would not want this happening after just forking out for a new gearbox and clutch...!

 

[Gally]

What he if he did get it and just never arsed to get it fixed? Like hundreds of others.

 

[Al_G]

Personally I'd just accept its a right off, collect the insurance payout, pass go and move on.

 

[klm182]

That's a fair point klm, why no letter? Renault could just claim they sent it and that would be case closed I'd expect... but if one wasn't sent it's very bad customer service!! This has made me think I'm off outside to double check mine in a bit........ Would not want this happening after just forking out for a new gearbox and clutch...!

Renault will have to provide evidence to the court,that the letter was delivered..all recorded deliveries are recorded..that is were you may have them.... also states on the letter,the catch has to be checked in the mot.(also states, the responsibly to make sure the catch is ok is the owners job)so if it passed an mot..means the catch was fine,so its a design fail isnt it?.. the case lies on the letter.... if he didn't receive one.. if the owner doesn't no about the fault. how can he check it.. the car had mots since 2008, has not mentioned there is a fault. did the mot center didn't do their job and checked it, as Renault states they should do?.. you have a claim against the mot station,they passed a car that wasn't safe.didnt they? ... you have proof from the mots from 2008 that the catch was ok(look at past mots on line) we all know mots dont check bonnet catches..do they? so you use what Renault have stated in the letter against them..i would settle out of court for a new clio sport ,after i checked the bonnet catch 1st.. ha
i will take on his case for a fee.. ha ha..
Renault could settle out of court, they wouldnt have to admit liability and get 1000s of claims against them.. costing them millions..

 

[klm182]

What he if he did get it and just never arsed to get it fixed? Like hundreds of others.

he states he never received a letter..they was all recorded delivery..i have mine here and checked it..

 

[MRBILLYUK]

Renault will have to provide evidence to the court,that the letter was delivered..all recorded deliveries are recorded..that is were you may have them.... also states on the letter,the catch has to be checked in the mot.(also states, the responsibly to make sure the catch is ok is the owners job)so if it passed an mot..means the catch was fine,so its a design fail isnt it?.. the case lies on the letter.... if he didn't receive one.. if the owner doesn't no about the fault. how can he check it.. the car had mots since 2008, has not mentioned there is a fault. did the mot center didn't do their job and checked it, as Renault states they should do?.. you have a claim against the mot station,they passed a car that wasn't safe.didnt they? ... you have proof from the mots from 2008 that the catch was ok(look at past mots on line) we all know mots dont check bonnet catches..do they? so you use what Renault have stated in the letter against them..i would settle out of court for a new clio sport ,after i checked the bonnet catch 1st.. ha
i will take on his case for a fee.. ha ha..
Renault could settle out of court, they wouldnt have to admit liability and get 1000s of claims against them.. costing them millions..

The first port of call is to Phone Renault , they'll have it on their records if the bonnet catch was ever changed. I far as I'm aware , it was only replaced with the same bonnet catch , it wasn't an updated design. Also the OP can check if there is a blue sticker on the slam panel like in the picture below . After the catch was replaced Renault stuck this sticker on the slam panel to show it had been changed. Obviously that's not a foolproof method as it might have dropped off over time . I took mine off straight away and stuck it to the back of my recall letter and put it in my service history folder.
Maybe the previous owner received the letter , and as @gally said , couldn't be arsed to get it fixed ? I ignored my first letter which was sent out circa 2008/09. I only got mine changed when i received a 2nd letter back in 2013. With the recall letter , there was also a tear off section for " change of details " to be sent directly to Renault. I'm guessing that was Renaults way of trying to track down cars that needed to have the catch replaced. I wonder how people who never had their bonnet catch replaced actually sent that back to Renault?
Hand on heart , I can honestly say I've never seen an MOT station check my bonnet catch and I've used about 4 different MOT places over the years and have always stayed and watched. I've only ever seen them lift the bonnet and check the engine bay , washer fluid bottle etc.......
Alot of these Clios have had multiple owners over the years , and I'll bet the majority of them never even think of maintaining the bonnet catch.
It'll be interesting to hear back from the OP if he does phone Renault .

 

[minfk]

Hi Everyone,

Home from work and lots of advice. I have protected bonus on my insurance and as a fairly oldie its only £160 so that shouldn't be a problem. I can say I never received any letter, I did think perhaps I had thrown one away by accident but as it was recorded I would have noticed.

I do not recall seeing that blue sticker at any time but like you say, it could have dropped off over time. I will certainly be contacting Renault to see what they have to say about risking my life and will report back.

I seem to have many options and it is going to be a hard decision. The car has some sentimental value, I bought it when I was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 as a gift to myself and it kept me happy in a bad time and I am attached to it, which is why I have had it for so long and it would be a shame to see it written off over a few dents. I think £3000 is a bit steep and if there are options to keep it I will explore them all and get some quotes from local guys. Unfortunately I live in the depths of Cornwall and there isn't much choice when have a search on google. If anyone is in Cornwall and knows anyone good then let me know.

 

[MRBILLYUK]

As you can see . A can has of worms has been opened in your abscence CS style :wink:
If it was me , I'd be ringing Renault asap . That way you'll have a definitive answer and then you can take it from there. I hope you get the old girl back on the road , especially with it having sentimental value :smile: Good luck mate :up:

 

[VR46-G@Z]

Best of luck getting it sorted, although a few of us have ranted in our previous posts I hope reading it will have been some use! Too many people let insurers write these sort of cars off, it looks worse than it is I think... A new bonnet and windscreen will see the car usable, the roof can be tackled as and when...

 

[Daniel]

There is so much s**t 'advice' floating around this thread.

OP, just do what suits you. If you're not savvy on cars/repairs just take your money and move on.

 

[ilovewilly]

The bonnet on my old one flipped up before the recall. The bonnet and screen were replaced and the roof just bashed back 'good enough'. I fact, I never noticed it when I bought the car until I was washing it once.

 

[Mr Plums]

There is so much s**t 'advice' floating around this thread.

OP, just do what suits you. If you're not savvy on cars/repairs just take your money and move on.

What would your advice be?

 

[klm182]

Hi Everyone,

Home from work and lots of advice. I have protected bonus on my insurance and as a fairly oldie its only £160 so that shouldn't be a problem. I can say I never received any letter, I did think perhaps I had thrown one away by accident but as it was recorded I would have noticed.

I do not recall seeing that blue sticker at any time but like you say, it could have dropped off over time. I will certainly be contacting Renault to see what they have to say about risking my life and will report back.

I seem to have many options and it is going to be a hard decision. The car has some sentimental value, I bought it when I was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 as a gift to myself and it kept me happy in a bad time and I am attached to it, which is why I have had it for so long and it would be a shame to see it written off over a few dents. I think £3000 is a bit steep and if there are options to keep it I will explore them all and get some quotes from local guys. Unfortunately I live in the depths of Cornwall and there isn't much choice when have a search on google. If anyone is in Cornwall and knows anyone good then let me know.

hope you get it all sorted....i am like a dog with a bone.. ha..when my steering rack went,Renault said they never seen one, fail in that way, so i contacted head office,they payed for 25% of a new rack and 25% of the labour..so sometimes complaining does work.. say you have owned alot of Renaults in your life,you bought it from a Renault dealership,it only has 50000 miles on it..its your pride and joy..tell them why you bought the car in the 1st place. well worth a try..if not, the CS bosses on here might be able to give you the names of traders on here, round your area,to get quotes from..after you become a member that is ha

 

[Daniel]

What would your advice be?

Try and claim off Renault.

If that fails (I'm 99% sure it will) then claim on insurance and get another car.

 

[Mr Plums]

I wouldn't want to claim on my insurance for the sake of a few hundred quid after excess payments etc.

I would get it all fixed to a good standard for less than £500 which won't effect my insurance and I can still sell the car as straight and get a good price rather than a cat c/d.

 

[Daniel]

I wouldn't want to claim on my insurance for the sake of a few hundred quid after excess payments etc.

I would get it all fixed to a good standard for less than £500 which won't effect my insurance and I can still sell the car as straight and get a good price rather than a cat c/d.

Each to their own.

 

[klm182]

Try and claim off Renault.

If that fails (I'm 99% sure it will) then claim on insurance and get another car.

Try and claim off Renault.

If that fails (I'm 99% sure it will) then claim on insurance and get another car.

I wouldn't want to claim on my insurance for the sake of a few hundred quid after excess payments etc.

I would get it all fixed to a good standard for less than £500 which won't effect my insurance and I can still sell the car as straight and get a good price rather than a cat c/d.

its a shame the car is ok other wise.. we will all be in the same situation, if we have a crash..wont take much to right a car off..i hit a kerb in a new bmw..in the snow.. wheel damage and abit of bumper cracked. the insurers repair place, replaced the steering rack, all the suspension, all the drivers side front steering joints/track rods ,new wheel/trye /new front bumper...bill was £1000s ..i questioned them..they said it all was bent,all needed replacing..i had to pay £75.. i said all bent?.only hit the kerb side on, at 15 mph..i told the insurance about all this, they didnt care,said what needed fixing got fixed..

 

[VR46-G@Z]

Daniel your advice is s**t as the OP has already mentioned the sentimental value of the car........ in fact the 2 pieces of s**t advice have come from the 2 people who slated everyone else's advice..............

 

[Daniel]

Daniel your advice is s**t as the OP has already mentioned the sentimental value of the car........ in fact the 2 pieces of s**t advice have come from the 2 people who slated everyone else's advice..............

Noted.

Next time we get a car in work with a caved in roof, I'll hit you up for your PDR guys number.

That's if he's not too busy turning water into wine or parting the sea.

 

[klm182]

Daniel your advice is s**t as the OP has already mentioned the sentimental value of the car........ in fact the 2 pieces of s**t advice have come from the 2 people who slated everyone else's advice..............

rossi still not got over the one who called him this afternoon..ha ..i think i will buy a mini cooper s.. join a site with a better class of people.. ha less common people.. ha

 

[VR46-G@Z]

I haven't got a problem with anyone, I just don't agree with false statements..... @ilovewilly has already backed up what I said from the start...... yet I got plenty of stick from people who haven't really got a valid reason for their statements....... To me it's puzzling and makes hard work of things when you're trying to help someone!!!

 

[Daniel]

There are no false statements. Only opinions.

Stop getting all stroppy ffs.

 

[VR46-G@Z]

Sorry it's time of the month Daniel....:rage::tongueclosed:

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

Claim off Renault... Folk can't get the f*****s to sort cars when they're under warranty never mind getting them to pay for a written off car lol.

 

[cs_dave]

I wouldnt go threw insurance if i could help it. This happened to my 1.2 years ago bought a new bonnet and ad the roof sorted didnt smash window tho.

Its a 100% write off via insurance could claim and buy bk as a cat d?

 

[GrahamS]

When I first started working in total loss I wrote off every single one of these bonnet catches I ever saw if it'd hit the roof. After time they showed up less and less frequently.

 

[VR46-G@Z]

Noted.

Next time we get a car in work with a caved in roof, I'll hit you up for your PDR guys number.

That's if he's not too busy turning water into wine or parting the sea.

Once that crown gets worked on and the tension taken out of it it'll look a million times better, the leading edge of the roof would be tricky as Gally said. Maybe it is in fact worse in real life than pics suggest, but we are talking about sheet metal here Daniel not building a Space Rocket..... but then again you've probably built a Space Rocket and parted the Red Sea and flown closer to the Sun than Icarus... while I'm here sniffing glue with no clue...

 

[Daniel]

Wtf are you bleating on about?

 

[Daz.]

Depends on what sentimental means to you £££ wise.
If it genuinely means the world to you then ignore this thread buy new everything, throw it at a bodyshop with your credit card and pin number.

If sentimental means less £££ than you thought it did then simply write it off and move on.

 

[imprezaworks]

Sentimental or not, i dont think i would want it back tbh

 

[minfk]

Hi Everyone,
Thought I would update if anyone is interested. The insurance engineer phoned to say it would be a write off and asked afew questions about the car and how much I thought it was worth. i said it had full history, purchased from Renault, had done 51 000 miles and had its belts done last year.

I told him I had looked on auto trader and for around £3000 I am getting a car with 70 000 or more miles and most have no mention of the belts being done, which isn't cheap. There were a couple with around 65 000 miles for just under £4000 so I thought mine was worth £4000 or more.

He did argue alittle that a car with 51 000 isn't worth much more than a car with 70 000 but I disagreed and said there was nothing for sale with the mileage mine has with the 65 000 mile car being the closest.

He then said if it is worth that much it is better for them to repair it and I said great. So, it is now being repaired which is what I wanted. I have protected bonus, my excess isn't much and being 40 my car insurance is pretty reasonable so for me it is the best outcome.

Thankyou all for your advice and help and remember to check those bonnet catches, like I will be. On the subject of the bonnet catch and excuse my lack of after market knowledge, but can you get extra catches fitted? I am sure I have seen what look like latches on either side of the bonnet of some cars. I am guessing these are some kind of latch but not sure what they are called or if they work? Appreciate any advice as I don't want a repeat of this incident.

 

[Mr Plums]

Hi Everyone,
Thought I would update if anyone is interested. The insurance engineer phoned to say it would be a write off and asked afew questions about the car and how much I thought it was worth. i said it had full history, purchased from Renault, had done 51 000 miles and had its belts done last year.

I told him I had looked on auto trader and for around £3000 I am getting a car with 70 000 or more miles and most have no mention of the belts being done, which isn't cheap. There were a couple with around 65 000 miles for just under £4000 so I thought mine was worth £4000 or more.

He did argue alittle that a car with 51 000 isn't worth much more than a car with 70 000 but I disagreed and said there was nothing for sale with the mileage mine has with the 65 000 mile car being the closest.

He then said if it is worth that much it is better for them to repair it and I said great. So, it is now being repaired which is what I wanted. I have protected bonus, my excess isn't much and being 40 my car insurance is pretty reasonable so for me it is the best outcome.

Thankyou all for your advice and help and remember to check those bonnet catches, like I will be. On the subject of the bonnet catch and excuse my lack of after market knowledge, but can you get extra catches fitted? I am sure I have seen what look like latches on either side of the bonnet of some cars. I am guessing these are some kind of latch but not sure what they are called or if they work? Appreciate any advice as I don't want a repeat of this incident.

Search aerocatch.

 

[VR46-G@Z]

Good for you standing up and saying how it is, insurance write off too many cars and seriously undervalue them...! Book prices make me laugh, and how can maintenance, condition and mileage not make much difference in value..? Insurance is a rip off, but well done..:up: