Insurance Claim Advice following Westfield Fire !

[Pantherman]

I have not had the best of luck in the last few weeks , compounded by my Westfield catching fire today !

I dropped my car off for MOT a few weeks ago and was unable to pick it up until today due to being unwell. I was sat in the car warming the engine blipping the throttle when it must have spat back through the carbs and ignited, fortunately I managed to get a large Fire extinguisher and managed to eventually get the fire out but not before it had damaged the bonnet , clam wing and burnt through the wiring under the bonnet , hoses etc. etc.

 

I have my insurance with Adrian Flux and I have contacted them to see what my options are, they have transferred me through to the underwriters, Highway who advised that they can get the car collected on Monday by a locally approved body shop.

 

I explained that the Westfield is a Kit car and that would probably need a Westfield experienced repairer ,however it seems that don't have anyone listed locally !

 

I know that there are others on here that have suffered fires in their cars and wondered if anybody can advise how to move this forward, I don't see the point in it going to a body shop that repairs Mondeos etc only for them to say it needs a specialist repairer.

 

The lessons I have learnt are :

 

Have a large Fire extinguisher in your car .

 

If you have Clam wings and bonnet Dzus type catches you cannot undo the catches at the front behind the Clam wings when there are flames whipping round your arms !!  

 

I am sure there will be other lessons I will learn from  this incident, at the moment I am thoroughly p*ssed off and fell just like giving up.

 

Dejected Dave !

 

 

[bigals]

Sorry you have had such poor luck. When I had my accident I insisted that the car was returned to Westfield as I could not see anypoint in it going to a general repair shop, it took a little bit of persistence to get through to the right person at the insurance company but once I did they were OK and understood why, and picked it up on a lowloader. So keep at the insurance company as I think you have a right to use who you want for the repairs and if you explain that it will probably end up being sent back to Westfield anyway that might help, main thing is your OK, cars can always be fixed, Alan

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

No Way.

 

Thats terrible.

 

At least you are OK and the car can be repaired.

[Thrustyjust]

Sorry to here about the fire, but you are alive and well and cars can be replaced, however much , in the moment of panic , you put it out and at least is out now. From where I had an incident with my car and the insurance company sent out an assessor, may have been with Flux at the time as well. He turned up, saw the car and immediately said it needs to go to Westfields. He was the local guy, who looks at the usual mundane cars around us. So dont panic yet, not all is lost.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman)]

Ditto what the others have said Dave, than God you're ok, everything else is repairable!

Still gutted for you though.

You have the absolute right to decide who repairs your car, if you want Westfield to do it, that's your choice and don't be dissuaded.

[DanDud]

 

 

You have the absolute right to decide who repairs your car, if you want Westfield to do it, that's your choice and don't be dissuaded. 

 

 

What Dave said. They will try to get you to get the car repaired by their Approved repairer by quoting chapter and verse, don't be put off by threats, get it done where you want it done.

[Murraymint]

Dave…not good news but at least your safe…the motor will mend with some work I'm sure…

[Lyonspride]

This garage, did they try to adjust the carbs to get it through emissions test?

 

If I hook mine up to my gas analyser and adjust the carbs to get through the MOT (weaken the idle mixture and back the idle speed down to around 800/900 rpm, it'll hesitate and spit back like nobodies business.

 

You see, the MOT manual is quite clear, for any kit car built before 1998, a visual check is all that's needed.

[IanD]

Hi Dave. Long time since we last spoke.

 

What terrible luck. Glad your ok though.

You’re not having much luck with Westfield ownership are you.

Can’t give you any advice sorry but one good thing with Westfields are they are almost always reparable and this sounds like it will be too.

 

Cheers

Ian

[Pantherman]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

I am beginning to think that Westfield ownership isn't for me, I will see what tomorrow brings with further discussions with the insurance underwriter.

Ian you are right I seem to be jinxed with Westfields, fortunately it wasn't your old engine that caught fire hope you are keeping well.

Dave

[brh70]

if you contact westfield i believe they will advise you and your insurance company that they are the only approved repairer of Westfields. Get it done by the experts

[matthew902]

I had a claim with Adrian Flux spoke to the underwriter, they wanted me to go with there repairer so spoke to them and they found out it was fibreglass and said we can not do that at which point the underwriter asked me if I knew anyone that could do it and I found someone and they carried the work out.

Hope this helps, it is soul distroying when your pride and joy is damaged but as others have said everything can be repaireed.

Matty