Brake problem

ianalice1, Dec 11, 8:58am
Hi guys.
Going upto my sisters funeral, at Rewene, we got rear ended at traffic lights in some small place that I can't remember.
Anyways we gets out and dont seem to bad.
Bumper looked a bit sick, but thats all.
We get name, address Rego, etc and went on our way.
A short while later I thinks we should ring and tell insurance, we have full cover.
They take details down and to cut a long story short we told to goto a panel beater at Papamoa East.
He has a good look and says bumper total, NWR, exhaust mount broken and a few thinks underneath.
I told him and insurance that I had the handbrake on when we got hit and rear brakes make a noise when I pull handbrake on.
I also told both that I always gets brakes check, twice a year, to be safe and last was was September.
Panel beater tells me he'll put it in claim.
I gets a phone call today, from assessor who says he doesn't think accident cause this problem.
I tell him again they was working good before and only checked a few months back.
So he tells me to goto servicing place and get them check.
If they think was caused by accident, to email him with cost of repair and they'll cover them.
Do you think they being heavy handed, or not?
Thanks

intrade, Dec 11, 9:00am
insurance will always try and pay the absolut miniumum and do anything to not having to pay. why do you think i dont even have any insurance.

aj.2., Dec 11, 10:30am
OP , you are at traffic lights and put your handbrake on ? .
Now while you may do that , its not the Normal practice , so if any thing wrong with brakes Insurance won't want a bar of it , as they would see it as an Unlikely story.
No not calling you a lair , just that its not the Norm these days to do it .

tjholding, Dec 11, 7:29pm
OP: The assessors are trained to confirm what damage is from accidents and what is unrelated. Given the nature of the accident, the damage to your brakes in unlikely (in a typical accident mind you). All they're asking it to take your car to the servicing center to confirm and if they say it is, they'll pay. Definitely not heavy handed.

Look at it this way: If you have 1000 accidents in a year which cost an extra $2000.00 to fix for unrelated brake damage, that is $2,000,000.00 more the insurance company needs to collect in premiums just to cover those extra claims. Over 100,000 customers, thats an extra $20 EACH just to cover the brakes.

tjholding, Dec 11, 7:32pm
In other words you have no idea because you've never experienced it.

Is the insurance industry perfect? No. I'll be the first to admit that. But as someone in the industry (who handles claims on a day to day basis) - we don't actually want to decline or minimize claims. My life would be a lot easier if all I did was pay everything that came in. And the premiums would then have to jump to cover that (have a look at my comment above - then extrapolate if we covered all the things that are excluded). And BTW that figure of $2m is conservative - it doesn't reflect the higher cost to cover things like commissions, inflation, reinsurance etc.

Of course you are entitled to your view - just don't go whining to the media if your car gets damaged and you can't fix it, or your house burns down and you lose everything.

tamarillo, Dec 11, 9:25pm
No.
Unfortunately there is a lot of fraud, exaggerated claims, etc so they have to take a hard line. Imagine what are premiums would be if they didn't.
At least they're not dismissing you.

pandai, Dec 11, 9:34pm
Can you describe the noise?

tigra, Dec 11, 9:35pm
How come you cannot remember the name of the place you got hit? You took the name details of the other driver but you didnt note the place it happened

ianalice1, Dec 11, 10:05pm
Re putting brake on and as I said I get them checked every 6 months, I normally sit with foot on foot brake, but if sitting for long time pull the handbrake on.
Re noise I guess clicking/clunking type.
Foot brake are fine, just hand break.
Thanks all for comments, it's just that he sound a bit stroppy and panelbeater said he was anyways.

rpvr, Dec 12, 7:07pm
Been driving for many years? They used to teach putting the hand brake on when stopped for more than a few seconds at traffic lights, especially when most cars were manual, particularly when in a situation where you could roll back into the car behind when you went to move off.

marte, Jun 23, 2:33am
That's what I was taught by my driving instructor too.
Oh, and handbrake starts.

Someone I know was in a car stopped at a railway crossing, and the car in front of them rolled onto the railway line and got hit by the train.
Later they found a soft drink can under the brake pedal.

But, with the handbrake on, possibly getting hit from behind would adjust the adjusters on too far, wearing out the brake pads.

What's the symptoms anyway OP?