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Rental car accident - pay excess?


Feelliixx
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(edited)

Hi all,

Would like to seek everyone's advice as i'm so lost on what to do now. The story goes as follows,

I rented a WRX from my friend for 2 days. It was a verbal rental agreement basis, no black and white. On the first day after supper, while we were about to head home, my friend requested to drive the car back. I rejected him repeatedly however he persisted. So on the account of friendship and trusting he would be careful, i allowed him to drive back. I warned him several times NEVER EVER to corner the car because the tires are semi worn out. However on the way back the worst case scenario happened; he lost control of the car during a corner and crashed it up a kerb into the bushes. Damage is pretty severe with the four wheels (Including axle, brake calipers, rims) heavily damaged. The front , back bumper and the boot were totally gone. However i believe the car chassis is still pretty much intact. We were quoted 20+ k for the repair.

The worst case is the owner only has 3rd party insurance which was true as i checked up with AXA. (I think its illegal to have 3rd party insurance for a Rex on loan)

I'm so lost now because my friend claims responsibility but is unable to pay up, and his dad can't help him too.

I'm like the middleman and I really dunno what to do. For the sake of friendship, i lent him in the end despite rejecting him repeating because i trusted he would take responsibility and drive carefully. And now I'm so afraid the owner would lose his cool and find ways to settle with me. My friend tells me to await the owner to sue him and thus able to settle in court beacuse he really doesn't have the cash.

But now the problem is that the owner would come looking for me. I'm so worried.

 

Is there any way the owner could sue me or my friend? Is it possible?

Edited by Feelliixx
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my wife, always ask me to lend my car to her sis, bro who just pass their lisence to drive. i always reject her. they only student, their parent quite poor, what if they crash my car, who going to pay for me? myself [sweatdrop]

 

next time before u lend ur car to anyone, most important thing is he got $ to pay or not if anything hapen, and will he pay or not even he got $? [laugh]

 

owner sue also no use lah, make both of u bankrupt, he gain nothing, and still need to pay lawyer...

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I doubt the owner of that REX will sue you lah. He may not have the money to do so....need to have lots of $$$ to do it. Even if he has the money, he will also check if you have the ability to pay before he will proceed to do it, otherwise it will be money down the drain.

 

Furthermore, he will already have to deal with the finance co. since his car is still on loan and he bought a 3rd party insurance instead of comprehensive. So he will be busy trying to come to a settlement with the co.

 

If the verbal rental agreement is like those used by most established rental co...then you don't have to worry so much about the damage cost...cos you only need to pay the excess (around $500-$5000) and the rest of it will be covered under insurance. But in this case, I don't think it apply...so you don't have to pay anything. The guy who rented you the car made a calculated risk and I'm sure he has prepared for this.

 

Having said that, I also think it was not very nice of you to lend the car to your friend...cos you have to responsibility to make the rented car is in good hand. But at least your friend turned out to be a good one...one who is willing to bare the consequences. [thumbsup]

 

Your friendship with this Rex friend will be on the chopping board. [shakehead][shakehead]

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....And now I'm so afraid the owner would lose his cool and find ways to settle with me. My friend tells me to await the owner to sue him and thus able to settle in court beacuse he really doesn't have the cash.

But now the problem is that the owner would come looking for me. I'm so worried.....

Just ask the friend who crash the car to meet the Rex friend. Tell them to settle among themselves since the one who crash the car is taking full responsibility of the whole accident.
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totally agreed with what you said! Basically excess should be btwn 500 to 3000 i guess...Nvm abt being quoted 20+k for the repairs cos ultimately the TS will be paying for the excess only...i advise him to get the driver out to settle amicably with the owner. As in pay him by installments.

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Bro, my advice to you is do not panic...I understd u are stuck in btwn this scenario. Come to the truth with your owner friend. Bring the driver to see the owner and apologise and have a gd talk at how to settle the excess for the insurance claim. Basically excess should not be more than 4k based on my experience. Im not too sure abt 3rd party, but i came across a 24 y.o girl driving her dad's car, with merely 2 yrs experience kena $4K excess cos she totalled lost his Sonata.

Excess: $500

Other driver: $500

Young/Inexperienced Driver: $3000 (anybody below 26)

 

Stay calm and 3 of you shuld work things out soon...

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Turbocharged

How come 3rd party?? No need talk about excess. 3rd party anything the insurance won't pay a single cent to your friend.

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third party is pay only when u bang onto people...

 

cannot claim for own car...thats comprehensive...

 

e 20k repairs muz pay by yourself.. its not covered...

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The way I see it, you can't "cut the corner" and tell your joyrider kum-lan friend to settle with the WRX owner.

 

The WRX owner settle with you the repair, you go after your joyrider friend for the money. You are definitely implicated because you were entrusted with the car and you let someone else drive it without the owner's prior knowledge.

 

I feel that you should settle the repair bill with owner first. It was your decision to pass the keys to the joyrider, so it is your responsibility to go after him for the payment subsequently.

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u bang onto people. 3rd party pay for the damage of the car u bang onto. your own damage cannot claim. if if your ride totalled its your own pasar...[bigcry]

 

normally if im not wrong 3rd party fire and theft is for COE cars only....

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It is actually only for cars that are no longer under finance.

 

It is a condition imposed by the financing companies, because otherwise if the car is totalled while still under a big fat loan, they risk losing the whole loan sum if the car owner cannot pay up. They don't even have a car to re-possess.

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....And now I'm so afraid the owner would lose his cool and find ways to settle with me. My friend tells me to await the owner to sue him and thus able to settle in court beacuse he really doesn't have the cash.

But now the problem is that the owner would come looking for me. I'm so worried.....

Just ask the friend who crash the car to meet the Rex friend. Tell them to settle among themselves since the one who crash the car is taking full responsibility of the whole accident.

Disagree with you. How would you feel if you are the owner of the car ? You want to settle this issue with a stranger ?

 

TS should be responsible of the crash since he borrowed the car from him.

 

I think the owner, TS and the victim should meet up to settle everything. Good luck.

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yupz. think u gotta settle with e owner first. cuz he entrusted the car to u mahz..

 

den u claim from your friend.

 

treat it as a lesson learnt for your friend...

 

normally i dont dare to too drive fast or do funny stunts if im driving my friend's car.. firstly i dont know the car well yet secondly its a heavy responsible should anything happen even the owner is just beside u..

its gonna be a very troublesome process

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My friend tells me to await the owner to sue him and thus able to settle in court beacuse he really doesn't have the cash.

 

by saying this he also not very responsible wor...

 

good luck in settling this issue [;)]

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