Hi all,

I currently run a 2014 Vogue SE and I'm considering changing for the new MY18 sometime in the Autumn. Unfortunately it has been keyed on nearly every panel resulting in a £4.5k repair bill. I caught the loon on CCTV doing it back in June and he has since been given a police caution. Problem is the chances of seeing the full cost of repair are slim.

So, my question is, do i get it repaired at my own expense or let the dealer sort it come trade in? Presumably he'll get trade rates for the work so I shouldn't loose out to badly on the PX?

Thoughts welcome!

For £4.5k think I'd be claiming on the insurance. You can pass the culprits details to them and they will (or won't) pusue him for the money.

If you've got protected NCD then it shouldn't in theory affect your NCD. Maybe talk to your broker?

Thanks for the reply.

The problem with claiming on my insurance is that the car is parked on the street outside my house. If I claim I assume the premium will go bananas as the car will still be parked on the street. My premium is all ready £1700! My broker is good so perhaps worth a call to them.

As far as I understand it - thing aren't that granular - the premiums are affected by the overall risk across a broader area - at least the postcode minus the last 2 letters - maybe even just the first half of the postcode - so yours will be just one of many claims.

However, you will have made a claim and therefore will be considered a higher risk for the next 5 years - but highly unlikely your premiums will go up by 1k per year, so worth a claim IMHO.

Maybe try a quote engine and declare a claim and see what your premium would be ?

I think the best advice I can give you is to go into your local LR Dealership and ask them? At least you'll know if it's something that you should repair yourself and how much it'll affect trade in. And they may put you in touch with whoever they use themselves. The problem with painting it again is you paint scratcher is still out there.

May be worth checking with your MD that the paintwork would be upto their standard? You may pay to have the damage painted then get penalised at PX time because it needs re doing to their standard???

Been there, seen that!!!

^ Ouch !

As usual with your posts - I would never have even thought of that

I agree with a number of previous comments recommending you talk to your broker and the dealer. Good point from Alistair about getting online quotes by declaring a claim and the repair cost. At least that gives you a starting point for the discussion with your broker.

Regarding the dealer.....if they think you are seriously looking to get a new MY18 then you would hopefully be able to have a sensible conversation with them about p/x value with or without the paintwork repairs.

Finally, if it were mine, i'd be claiming on my insurance as i couldn't stomach the cost just because some jealous f r decides to do some damage "for a laugh".

Cant believe he only got a f ing caution too. What sort of message does that send....jeez.....

Oh no, now i'm off on one...........sorry........  2017 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography
2012 4.4 TDV8 Westminster - Gone, but not forgotten

I suspect the dealership will be able to get a cheaper deal than you will for the repainting. They just have more cars than you do! If you're thinking of trading it in, I wouldn't bother. If you keep it, then get it fixed. Selling privately, I'm not sure.

Of course, if you can claim it on the insurance, or the who did it, then definitely get it repaired.

AFAIK the revised 18 will not arrive until next year. So, if you take the car to dealer now for a quote for paint they will either be non committal or give you the worst case scenario. By the time the 18 version is available your car will be 4 years old so a dealer might throw it out to trade, unless it's low mileage. In which case they will not be that bothered, and just give you a trade price, in not A1 condition . If they do retail it the margins are so large that if the car looks nicely presented, even with scratches, and with full service history, the cost of paint you have been quoted will be less precisely calculated.
So, if it bothers you get it done, if not when you get the final p/ex price nearer the time get the car gleaming. For £40 it's worth much more.

Poocherama this would be a non-fault claim. In theory (yes I know insurance is a black art) this would not affect your premium. And there is usually no excess to pay. Ask them. And - there is also no official claim on your policy until you do just that - make a claim. That is not triggered by a chat. Meaning you can ring them and discuss what's happened and that does not constitute 'making a claim'. So there is no harm IMO in speaking to your insurer about the ins and outs of what happened.

Your insurance company, depending on your policy (at £1700pa I'd have hoped so though), can go after the loon as you have CCTV evidence , the police report and his details. They will sue him for the cost and it's not something you should have to worry about. That's what you pay £1700pa for. They have the legal might, the investigative resources and the knowhow to pursue that guy. Even if he disappears, that is their risk anyway. That's what you have insurance for after all.

If you are hesitant to call them then read through your policy and look for vandalism cover. Also check the non-fault wording. If it's comp. both should be included.

Am going through a similar thing myself. Mine parked on the street too. But the basic principle is you were not driving so obvs. can't be any fault on your part. And you have CCTV. And you have the guy. You're in a good position to claim and have no effect on your policy.

Good luck. Cheers, Greg
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2011 Vogue SE 4.4 with lots of toys in Stornaway

Hmm, I wonder whether absence of fault means there would be no effect on future premiums, surely that would be true of theft claims too, and it does not seem to be? I would expect discussion with the insurer or a broker to put the incident on the insurer's record and therefore it would be something to take into account when pricing next year's cover. There are presumably not that many vandals that could meet a claim for £4,500, so I expect the insurers generally won't bother, as it would be good money after bad. By way of illustration a friend who has had shop windows smashed found it wasn't worth getting payback orders after conviction, as one tended to recover nothing or almost nothing, there was extra hassle and there was no practical method of enforcement anyway. Too much of that sort of thing can lead to not being able to get insurance at all, never mind higher cost...

That said a cost of £4,500 is what you have insurance for, and as matters stand every time you use the car you must be annoyed at the scratches.

I'd speak to the dealer you plan to buy then next car from and see what they say. The aluminium painting is a specialist business, and when the 405 came out LR introduced additional requirements for paintshops, which not all dealers could meet, so some have contracted it out. As Craig has said, a non - LR approved job would potentially invalidate the corrosion and paintwork warranties, and a careful dealer might measure paint thickness to see whether repairs have been undertaken before taking a car that would be sold as "approved used". Only Range Rovers since 1988

Thank's for the replies and advice chaps.

It's a tricky situation. The person who vandalised the car lives on my street and certainly has the ability to pay for the repairs. Problem is I've only caught him the once, so officially that's all I can pursue him for, the one instance of vandalism for which he's been cautioned (cost £1,100). He's done it on 16 other separate occasions over the past 2 years. He's 61 and has young kids. My neighbour has the same car and it's also a mess. Can't prove all the separate occasions though! Glad I at least got him the once, £2k on cctv well spent!

I think I'll chat to both my insurance broker and the LR dealer, its got to go in for an airbag re-set in a few weeks anyway. Ultimately I think I'll hang on for the time being and leave it for the dealer to sort when I trade in for new one. As someone mentioned, what's 4.5k to me should be much less for them to have repaired.

Have you considered taking him to court. The small claims limit is now £10,000. At least you could go for the amount you can prove. John
2008 Stornoway Grey 3.6 Tdv8 Vogue
2005 TD6 Java Black Vogue - Written off!!
GAP iiD BT
2003 Discovery TD5 Auto, Nanocom Evolution - gone to a new home!
MasseyFerguson 152 - No electronics!! - Sold

I have indeed, I've sent him a couple of letters and am awaiting a reply.