Hi All,

I thought I'd better give everyone a heads up on some problems I've been having to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else...

Summary - Avoid Highway Insurance Ltd at all Costs!

For those of you who are interested...here's why...

I've been insured with Highway insurance via Chris Knott (As recommended by FCCUK) for the last few years with no issues whatsoever, so much so that I convinced my girlfriend to insure her MGF with them too.

Unfortunately she had a bump back at the start of June and that's where the problems started...Highway appointed a company called Motofix to carry out the repairs.

- It took a week for them to estimate the repairs and another week to get it in to the bodyshop - despite paying extra for a 'guaranteed courtesy car' you don't get one until the car's actually with the bodyshop.

- After having the car for 4 weeks we were told it was ready to collect. They had failed to repair loads of really obvious faults (smashed wheel / dented wing etc) and had repaired the front bumper badly.

- Highway refused to pay for the wing, saying that it was in a bad state of repair before the accident (it wasn't, I washed and polished the car the week before and there was no sign of damage) and so even though it was dented in the accident it wouldnt be replaced.

- On request they replaced the smashed wheel but refused the check the suspension or the rest of the car, until I argued. They then replaced a few suspension parts (Control arm) and said their independent inspector had fully assessed the car and is was considered fixed.

- We had to pay another bodyshop £500 to fix the wing, who have now called to say they suspect serious suspension and or chassis damage as the rear wheel (that took the impact) is facing the wrong direction and it's not just a case of adjustment. The boot lid has also managed to become misaligned, suggesting something is twisted.

- we have proof that the wheels were aligned prior to the accident (print out of last tyre change) and proof that they're mis-aligned now (geometry machine print out) but Highway have washed their hands of it and are refusing to do anything further.

So £350 excess and £500 additional repairs later we're left with a car that's not safe to drive - makes you wonder if it's worth bothering with insurance...

FCCUK does not recommend any insurers. We have compiled for the benefit of Coupé owners a list of insurance companies that are coupé-friendly (ie. will insure and may be competitive). Individuals may of course personally recommend insurers on here.

Anyway...

Insurers are there to make a profit and are not going to hand out money if they think they can get away with it.

Sounds like the insurers are relying upon the garage that did the works and their independent inspector, rather than falling in line with you. I don't think they can be blamed for that - but even if they could, unless they are on here and therefore in a position to defend themselves, we need to be particularly circumspect.

You are just going to have to jump through the hoops, and that will allow them to provide a fuller explanation. Hope you managed to get it sorted out.

Insurance Ombudsman is your obvious next step

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/

my insurance is underwritten by Highway and i had issues with them aswell.

someone reversed into my car while it was parked and admitted fault, i got a hire car after a few days and had it for weeks before my car was collected to goto the bodyshop.

when it came to my car being ready they wanted me to go and collect it, i refused as it had a blown turbo and couldnt be driven, it took alot of arguing to get them to pay for it to be brought back to my house and then wanted me to pay for the hire car as it went over they agreed time!

not helping the situation someone else reversed into the hire car i had at the time aswell so enterprise were trying to get £200 from me for the excess!

my car has all sorts of run's in the paint and scratches on the rear arch that wernt there before

in short, no i dont think insurance is worth paying for.

Pretty sure mine is Highway but through Noel Dazley.

I also had a bad time making a claim.

Hi Emjay, I take your point...and no they're not on here to defend themselves but I still thought it best to give everyone a heads up - I dont want anyone to be in the same situation, although it seems a few of you have already had the experience!

Thanks for the link Nigel, that's definitely got to be the next step, but I'm expecting a long painful process...

Ally

I think mine maybe the same

My coupe was insured with Highway through Greenlight....

I have been insureed with Highway in the past and claimed through them and had no problem what so ever!

If anything, I would recommend them and say that the claim was easy, stress free and all worked out for me.

For all the money we spend on it for years and years, don't claim a thing, then when you finally need help, you get bent over, lose no claims discounts and your insurers up your premium.....why?....you are paying them for a service, and 95% of the time none of us use it! bloody con if you ask me..... ...... and breath...... for example, say you pay £600 for one years insurance..... don't claim in that year..... what have you actually paid for... something that might happen?... fair enough, but if nothing does happen, you should receive, for example, 50% of that years premium back.... why not ?

...because that's what keeps the premium £600. And not £60,000.

Maybe Rich is on to something though; rebates for not claiming; you might say that's what lower premiums and NCB is for but as a 25 year old with 5 years NCB, no accidents and no points I still pay more than my 25 y/o girlfriend with 6 points and the (above) accident. Really really not fair!

MGF group 11 to 16
Fiat Coupe 20VT group 19

It would hardly be fair if you did....

I do not think you can blame the insurance company for the shoddy workmanship of the repairs.

Does the Insurance Company give you the choice of repairers as is the case with a number of companies here?

We all know that there are some great body shops and there are also a lot of "cowboys" out there. Just be wary of the repairer and, unfortunately, the job is often only as good as the staff employed at the time your vehicle is in there.

Hyperlink - I meant on a like for like, obviously it's gonna be cheaper on an old Rover :-p

They didn't offer a choice of repairers and insisted that it go to Motofix as their 'approved repairer'. Not knowing any bodyshops I went with their request...hindsight is a wonderful thing.

On a positive note, the bodyshop we used to fit and spray the new wing (i.e. finish the job!) was Holbrooks Accident Repair in Coventry and I can't fault the fit or finish.

At least I get to have a fun bank holiday weekend - will be out car shopping for a replacement!

Update for anyone who's interested...

Had the car on an alignment rig and it shows the camber angle is 3 degrees off on the repaired corner - this suspension isn't adjustable for camber so something's bent!

Is that the rear wheel?

qbe + ND = The biggest cowboys i have ever had the dis pleausre to deal with...

Ombudsman ongoing...

I lmfao when they got sussed posting under psuedos and recommending themselves!!!

Idiots...

Have you managed to get anywhere with that cjh?

My nightmare was with ND + QBE.

Your legal right.

Most drivers are not aware that they have the legal right to insist on their vehicle being repaired at a bodyshop of their own choice.

Cost reduction is the mantra of all major UK motor insurers.

It means they aim to keep the cost of repairing your car to a minimum.

Can you give a bit more detail on this please?

I'll back this up!

Many years ago I was insured through Flux, with Highway.

My pristine 205 1.9 GTi was hit up the rear by a black cab, it just drove into the back of it at 40 ish, in a 30mph zone while it was parked outside my house one night.

So, no fault on my part etc, the police confirmed I was parked correctly etc.

He hit my car with enough force to lift the front end high enough so that when my car lunged forward it hit the car in front (an allegro!) on TOP of it's boot!

Anyway, it took 3 weeks for them to write my GTi off, and a further 2 weeks to confirm a no fault claim, while all this was happening, the extra cover I'd paid for to give me a car while mine was off the road etc was null and void as they suspected it was non repairable, but hadn't confirmed!

I had to get Taxi's to work as I was off a bus route, it cost me hundreds over the weeks, they said they would refund me, which they did, after about 4 months of letters and phone calls.

I got paid out in the end.

They gave me somewhere between average and top book price for a pristine, low milage 1.9 pug, I was refused the option to buy it back as well.

4 months later, I saw my old car, on the same plates etc driving through Plymouth town centre, looking radiant!

I wasn't happy, I lost money, I'd only had it for 2 months, paid top whack because it was a superb example, just had it serviced the day before etc. I got £500 less than I paid for it and after telling me I couldn't buy it back saw it on the road a few months later.

Needless to say, I won't go near them again.

G