What does your insurance cover?

When you are with a 'reasonable' insurer, no mods, not your fault how much running around do you have to do yourself.....??

Accident fortunately not far from work, MD came out and emptied the contents of the vehicle (otherwise it's off to the tilt-tray operators yard).
Spoke with insurer, still shaken from the accident, no offer of hire car (took 35minutes to get through to speak with a person).
Wait to speak to VicRoads (they organise the tilt-trays in VIC)
Tilt tray collects vehicle and I'm left to find a way home, our MD came to the rescue again.

Use the Defender (Club Permit) to get to work the next day, 40 minutes on hold to speak to insurer. Hire car organised, colleague picked me up the following morning and took me to the hire company.

Call from body shop 5 days later(bugger, they are repairing rather than replacing), hopefully assessed by the end of the week and they'll know how long to repair.
No communication from insurer so contact them and after a 15minute wait, and some negotiation, extend the hire car period.

I guess I'll be chasing the insurer again once I know how long the repair will take.


Glad I'm not with a cheap insurer !

Colin


Should car insurance be compulsory ?

Don't have to get a roadworthy to renew rego in Qld, which might be why there are so many one-eyed cars, so that might be why they are doing random mobile emissions tests instead.

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Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Don't have to get a roadworthy to renew rego in Qld, which might be why there are so many one-eyed cars, so that might be why they are doing random mobile emissions tests instead.

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Don't have to go to Qld to see one eyed cars! They vary enormously between brands in their frequency of blowing lights. The old citroen I had, I drove for fifteen years, I think, and it still had the original bulbs - my son's Hyundai I30 is guaranteed to blow a headlight bulb at leas st once every couple of months. In the thirty years or so I have been driving the 110, I doubt I have bought as many as five headlight bulbs.

I suspect that part of the issue is the automatic headlights, that are switched on and off far more frequently than in the past.

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Originally Posted by JDNSW

Don't have to go to Qld to see one eyed cars! They vary enormously between brands in their frequency of blowing lights. The old citroen I had, I drove for fifteen years, I think, and it still had the original bulbs - my son's Hyundai I30 is guaranteed to blow a headlight bulb at leas st once every couple of months. In the thirty years or so I have been driving the 110, I doubt I have bought as many as five headlight bulbs.

I suspect that part of the issue is the automatic headlights, that are switched on and off far more frequently than in the past.

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The boys seem to always have blown tail light bulbs in the work utes,it is a frequent PITA.
Yet the vans seem fine,maybe a bulb every few years.
No issues with headlights.

Tyres,don’t go there,flats are also common,we are gradually changing over to higher load rated tyres,so hopefully that will sort them.Tyre trouble is also another PITA.

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Originally Posted by JDNSW

Don't have to go to Qld to see one eyed cars! They vary enormously between brands in their frequency of blowing lights. The old citroen I had, I drove for fifteen years, I think, and it still had the original bulbs - my son's Hyundai I30 is guaranteed to blow a headlight bulb at leas st once every couple of months. In the thirty years or so I have been driving the 110, I doubt I have bought as many as five headlight bulbs.

I suspect that part of the issue is the automatic headlights, that are switched on and off far more frequently than in the past.

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John, I suspect your Godess had 35w bulbs. Modern cars are using 55/60w that are often upgraded to 100w +++, or more.
I'd suggest the higher wattage, ergo heat, is the cause of earlier globe failure. My observations, and I have taken notice since DM's last false claim on the subject, is that NSW cars have as many defective lights as Queensland and Victoria.

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Originally Posted by V8Ian

John, I suspect your Godess had 35w bulbs. Modern cars are using 55/60w that are often upgraded to 100w +++, or more.
I'd suggest the higher wattage, ergo heat, is the cause of earlier globe failure. My observations, and I have taken notice since DM's last false claim on the subject, is that NSW cars have as many defective lights as Queensland and Victoria.

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The ID I am pretty certain had 45W bulbs, but I suspect you are right about heat being an issue. And also styling is a factor in reduced cooling of the lights in many cases. The I30 though, current models apparently do not suffer from the frequent bulb failures - and they are the same bulb. I am suspicious that the voltage regulation may be a factor.

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Originally Posted by JDNSW

I am suspicious that the voltage regulation may be a factor.

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Incandescent bulbs have a really narrow operating window for maximum life. Variations on voltage, cooling, vibration and even supply impedance all contribute significantly to things moving away from the optimal parameters. A vehicle isn't exactly the most friendly environment for any of those. It becomes even more fragile when you move to the high temperature halogens.

My observation on defective lights is it seems about the same everywhere regardless of whether you live in a State with yearly checks, or WA where you can drive a vehicle that's more rust than car. I pulled up behind a Commodore the other day. No brake lights at all in the rear clusters, about 2 leds left working in the high-mount and a barely visible and rapidly flashing right rear indicator with no operating side marker or front indicator. Not unusual here, but I spotted enough when I was over East also.

The only major study done on the effectiveness of yearly checks found they made no difference long term.

There was an initial impact where people scrapped cars they were worried might not pass or cost too much to pass. There was no follow up on these vehicles to know if was real or imaginary that car would not pass

System of yearly checks is beloved by garages as is way to sell other work to people when they are in the mood to buy. Also by the be seen to be doing something brigade of pressure groups and their enablers

comparisons between states with and without annual checks show no measurable difference is accidents or deaths.

Part of this is because there are actually very few accidents where vehicle defects are a contributing factor, and nearly all where it is a contributing factor are faults that are likely to develop in a lot less than a year, with tyre wear and pressure leading. Lights would be there too, except these rarely seem to be a factor.

Another part is that the checks are simply not very effective.