Sooty might be a goner :(

[pologti18t]

Anything where panels are bent these days is over $2,500 with labour @ $100-ish an hour as a rule of thumb

or... you could also do what any normal person would do and get one of those things called a 'quote' before you file your Police report..

Remember to put your brain into first before firing off replies

How soon after an accident do you need to lodge a police report (try 24hrs)... Perhaps you had better go research when you need to involve the police at an accident scene and when a police report actually needs to be completed.

The following rules apply in NSW....

Duties of a driver involved in a crash

(1) A driver involved in a crash must comply with this rule.
Maximum penalty: 20 penalty units.

Note 1. Crash is defined in the Dictionary.

Note 2. The law of this jurisdiction also requires a driver involved in a crash to stop and give assistance to anyone who is injured.

(2) The driver must stop at the scene of the crash and give the driver’s required particulars, within the required time and, if practicable, at the scene of the crash, to:

(a) any other driver (or that driver’s representative) involved in the crash, and

(b) any other person involved in the crash who is injured, or the person’s representative, and

(c) the owner of any property (including any vehicle) damaged in the crash (or the owner’s representative), unless, in the case of damage to a vehicle, the particulars are given to the driver of the vehicle (or the driver’s representative).

(3) The driver must also give the driver’s required particulars, within the required time, to a police officer if:

(a) anyone is killed or injured in the crash, or

(b) the driver does not, for any reason, give the driver’s required particulars to each person mentioned in subrule (2), or

(c) the required particulars for any other driver involved in the crash are not given to the driver, or

(d) a vehicle involved in the crash is towed or carried away by another vehicle (except if another law of this jurisdiction provides that the crash is not required to be reported), or

(e) the police officer asks for any of the required particulars.

Note 1. Police officer is defined in the Dictionary.

Note 2. Subrule (3) (e) is not uniform with the corresponding paragraph in rule 287 of the Australian Road Rules</I>. However, the corresponding paragraph in the Australian Road Rules</I> allows the required particulars to be given if another law of this jurisdiction requires a particular crash to be reported to a police officer. Different rules may apply in other Australian jurisdictions.

(4) For this rule:
required particulars, for a driver involved in a crash, means:

(a) the driver’s name and address, and

(b) the name and address of the owner of the driver’s vehicle, and

(c) the vehicle’s registration number (if any), and

(d) any other information necessary to identify the vehicle,

and, for subrule (3), includes an explanation of the circumstances of the crash.</SPAN>

Note 1. Driver’s vehicle is defined in the Dictionary.

Note 2. This definition is not uniform with the corresponding definition in rule 287 of the Australian Road Rules</I>. However, the corresponding definition in the Australian Road Rules</I> allows the additional information to be provided to a police officer for the purposes of subrule (3) if another law of this jurisdiction requires the information to be given. Different definitions may apply in other Australian jurisdictions.

required time, for a driver involved in a crash, means as soon as possible but, except in exceptional circumstances, within 24 hours after the crash.

[gtimk5]

Its definately a requirement to swap full details between drivers at the scene.
Each time I have been in minor accidents I have always contacted the police and put in a report so as to not get into the dramas that Josh is in.
Names and phone numbers is not enough.

[GoLfMan]

Its definately a requirement to swap full details between drivers at the scene.
Each time I have been in minor accidents I have always contacted the police and put in a report so as to not get into the dramas that Josh is in.
Names and phone numbers is not enough.

I most certainly will next time.

However, my car is now being repaired and is due back on the 21/10

It seems the insurance company has forgotten about the excess (they havent held up my repairs in order to claim it off me), I definitely wont be reminding them if they indeed have forgotten it

[gtimk5]

Down here we have to pay the excess before receiving the repaired car. We pay directly to the repairers. No pay? no getta da car!!
And double check the repairs before driving away. No good inspecting it once home. If you find something wrong then you mightnt have a leg to stand on.
Being in business I have managed to return cars with faults but have copped a lot of grief when doing so.

[GoLfMan]

Down here we have to pay the excess before receiving the repaired car. We pay directly to the repairers. No pay? no getta da car!!
And double check the repairs before driving away. No good inspecting it once home. If you find something wrong then you mightnt have a leg to stand on.
Being in business I have managed to return cars with faults but have copped a lot of grief when doing so.

Sure will be doing all of those things, will also go in and check up from time to time on it during repairs because the process of panel beating interests me greatly!

[DeanB]

Glad to hear it is being repaired. The whole excess thing seems to vary, I had to pay mine in advance - NRMA - before they would approve the repairs to begin. But I know when my sister had an accident a few months back her insurance (not sure who it is) had her pay the excess before she could pick the car up, as they had the car for 2 months, she only paid the week before it was due for pick-up.

[KWICKS]

I had to pay smash repairer the excess at time of collect even though fault had not been determined, and then chase the insurance company for 6 months to determine fault and secondly get my $400 excess back from them when I was found not to be at fault.

[Whubbsie]

from my experince you have to pay when you pick it up I had to for mine (CGU) in the past my sister and mum (RACV) have had too also my old man on his truck (AAMI)

[Gav23]

Each time I have been in minor accidents I have always contacted the police and put in a report so as to not get into the dramas that Josh is in.
Names and phone numbers is not enough.

Doing the above saved my bacon earlier this year. A tram ran a red and cleaned me up pretty good. The tram driver "verbally" admitted to running the red. Only gave me his surname, Yarra Trams driver ID number, the ph number for Yarra Trams and I got the tram plates. He said "Yarra Trams will sort it out for you". He then left the scene. I immediately reported it to Police. They took a statement, and even took photos of the damage to my vehicle, in case I had to go to court over the incident.

My insurance (RACV) told me I'd have to pay the excess unless I got the full name, phone number and address of the tram driver from Yarra Trams, and that Yarra Trams admitted fault. Yarra Trams would not give me the drivers details and told me the tram driver wrote in his log that I ran the red, not him. It was not looking good...

I then went back to the Police and they contacted Yarra Trams and made them pass the details onto RACV, and I ended up not having to pay the excess.