CV Joint Problem after Car Got Towed for Insurance Repairs

Iluvfreebies on 31/05/2021 - 12:42
Last edited 31/05/2021 - 13:00 by 1 other user

I made a claim with Woolies insurance for malicious damage to my sideview mirror. They organized towing to the body repair shop. A week later I got a call from the insurance company and they told me the repair cost is less then my excess, so I should just get it repaired at the body shop and was asked to withdrew my claim.

When I got the car back from the repairer, I found that when I make a full right turn my car makes a loud clicking sound possibility a CV joint issue. I did not have this issue before and only started after I got the car from repairer. My suspicion is this issue might have originated during towing as only the front two wheels were strapped while being towed. Example

What should I do in this situation? Is the insurance still responsible for this even after the claim was withdrawn?

Automotive Car Insurance Insurance

Comments

  • nubzy on 31/05/2021 - 12:48
    +17

    Why on earth would you make a claim for side mirror damage in the first place, and why would your vehicle be towed? Also don't let any panel beater get hold of your car and keep it in storage until work has been explained to you and authorised. Nearly every car that comes out of a panel beaters will have additional damages/issues if you look hard enough for them, and insurance companies know this. You will need to talk to the insurance company about this issue and see what they say. But only if you are sure it was not already present.

    • ATTS on 01/06/2021 - 14:33
      +1

      just curious, what are the additional damages/issues that occur from taking car to panel beaters?

  • iNeed2Pee on 31/05/2021 - 12:52
    +30

    Wait, what?

    You got your car towed for side mirror damage? Surely you are taking the piss.

    • FocusRider on 31/05/2021 - 13:38
      +6

      Username checks out

    • SF3 on 31/05/2021 - 13:42
      +6

      Sign of the times…

      Soon, for a paper cut, people will call an ambulance to goto the ER/ED.

      • HelpMeiCantSee on 01/06/2021 - 08:09

        That’s exactly what people do mate. For stubbed toes too!

    • Hithere on 31/05/2021 - 14:22
      +28

      Surely you are taking the piss

      I had the side view mirrors removed from my car last week.

      Haven't looked back since.

      • SF3 on 31/05/2021 - 15:02

        Bonus, you improved fuel consumption.

        If this was Gran Turismo, weight reduction and improved aerodynamics.

        • iNeed2Pee on 31/05/2021 - 17:00

          We talking High Speed Ring or Trial Mountain?

          • SF3 on 01/06/2021 - 19:16

            @iNeed2Pee: Aero for high speed.

            More down force for trial mountain.

            Weight reduction is good always.

  • BOGOF on 31/05/2021 - 12:53
    +8

    For safety reasons all modern cars now have a collapsible strut connecting each wing mirror to the respective cv joint.
    In addition to replacing the wing mirror, you will also need to replace the front axle

    • ChrisLevo on 31/05/2021 - 13:26
      +2

      The indicator fluid will leak if the strut is allowed to collapse while the car is elevated, like being lifted up for a tow.

      • BOGOF on 31/05/2021 - 13:27
        +3

        Good point! And as we all know indicator fluid is highly corrosive, highly likely we are looking at a write-off here.

        • pegaxs on 31/05/2021 - 13:51
          +4

          Just hope that it didn't get into the muffler bearings.

          I've heard of cases of the mirror strut to CV connecting pin breaking, hitting the blinker fluid reservoir and it splashing onto the muffler bearing causing failure… Now that would require towing…

  • DashCam AKA Rolts on 31/05/2021 - 12:55
    +7

    I would have thought that towing, as you have shown, would have zero impact on CV joints.
    "Correlation is not causation".

    • pegaxs on 31/05/2021 - 13:54
      +2

      I get this shit on a daily basis…

      "Ever since you replaced my headlight globe, the rear diff has made this grinding sound…"

      • slow on 31/05/2021 - 14:34
        +9

        Or the IT equivalent "you replaced my printer toner cartridge last week and my email just stopped working. It is your fault and you need to fix it for free"

  • Drakesy on 31/05/2021 - 12:55
    +3

    Lose your no claim bonus for a wing mirror which would cost lest than the excess to replace?

    Some people…

    Could've just driven/taken a photo and emailed it to the repair shop.

    • Xistn on 31/05/2021 - 13:02

      my side mirror was $2.5k to replace :(

      • John Kimble on 31/05/2021 - 13:07

        Why?

        • Xistn on 31/05/2021 - 13:10
          +8

          Euro trash

        • djones145 on 31/05/2021 - 14:25

          might have the sensor or cars in the blind spot or if its a honda, the camera for lane watch

          that's the problem with new aged cars, too many sensors in panels, bummer bars etc, so what previously was a simple and cheap fix, now is more expensive

      • OpayuOnam on 01/06/2021 - 18:02

        So you have a excess of more than $2500? Wow

        • Xistn on 02/06/2021 - 08:11

          Common sense would be to get price of replacement (retail) then seek insurance route, or you like OP too straight to Insurance?

          • OpayuOnam on 02/06/2021 - 08:39

            @Xistn: Firstly I have a excess of below $800 for all my cars. I was just surprised to see someone putting such a high excess.
            Secondly I would not be doing repaired through insurance up to $1000 value as that's just pushing my premium, generally any shopping centre scratches and that I'm not at fault will be settled with the other party by cash ($350 per panel) unless they insist on going through their insurance. If I'm at fault then the other party will be provided with the option of reasonable cost paid in cash or directed to my insurance, whichever they prefer as I would not want to inconvenience them any further.

            As for a damaged mirror, if it's a common enough car it's a trip to wreckers as age does nothing to a wing mirror. If it's rare or expensive like OPs case, I'd hesitantly put it on my insurance (but I've got a $800 excess for this very reason).

            I certainly would not be towing a car for a broken mirror, just some tape and drive it to a beater shop for quotes.

  • pegaxs on 31/05/2021 - 13:46
    +4

    LoL @ getting a car towed for a broken side mirror.

    Strapping the front wheels down on a flatbed would not cause damage to the CV's. But nice try on trying to get your car repaired at the tow companies expense.

    Pretty sure most tow truck companies have a "all care taken, no responsibility" clause in any contract to move a vehicle…

    • SF3 on 31/05/2021 - 13:50

      You mean this could be a ScAm?…

      • pegaxs on 31/05/2021 - 13:53

        If it wasn't the towie they were going to hit up for new CV's, it was going to be the panel beater…

        • SF3 on 31/05/2021 - 14:02

          Sounds plausible, go in with a minor repair, come out with, they stuffed up other parts of the car. Sly.

  • JimmyF on 31/05/2021 - 13:57
    +2

    My suspicion is this issue might have originated during towing as only the front two wheels were strapped while being towed.

    WHY!? Was your car not driveable!?

    • pegaxs on 31/05/2021 - 13:59
      +12

      Nah… CV's were shot…

  • Cheeper on 31/05/2021 - 14:14
    +3

    Regardless of lodging an insurance claim for a low cost item you will need to prove that the tow operator was negligent.
    You have no proof, only an assumption. It could have just been time for the cv joint to give out or maybe someone at the panel repair place nudged a gutter with it? Again.. no proof. The repair cost will be on you.

  • bazingaa on 31/05/2021 - 14:21
    +2

    OMG! you could have get a new mirror from wreckers and it is just plug and play (more likely bolt and plug)

  • Pluto88 on 31/05/2021 - 14:53

    what kind of car is it?

  • MS Paint on 31/05/2021 - 14:56
    +5

    Troll post for sure.

    No one is this silly.

    • SF3 on 31/05/2021 - 15:01

      No one is this silly.

      It is ranked up there.

    • Bid Sniper on 31/05/2021 - 17:25
      +2

      Has not the Great Toilet Paper famine of 2020 proven the average IQ being a fraction these day?

  • Davo1111 on 31/05/2021 - 15:02
    +2

    Fake

  • [Deactivated] on 31/05/2021 - 20:08

    There is no way the towing caused this issue. Even if they towed it via the rear wheels (up) you may get internal transmission issues but C.Vs only go bad through use.
    I think you had this problem before dropping it off and while moving it around the workshop they needed to do more full lock turns than you do, which has made the issue more noticable but not the fault of the bodyshop.

  • kiitos on 01/06/2021 - 07:24

    Maybe he thought it would be illegal to drive since one of the mirrors wasn't usable?

  • HeWhoKnows on 01/06/2021 - 08:14

    " loud clicking sound possibility a CV joint issue."

    Such a problem takes a long time to develop OP
    You probably didn't notice the clicking before
    For this to happen the rubber boot becomes damaged or ripped over time as the rubber starts to perish.
    Then the grease starts to slowly leak out.
    Eventually when all the grease is gone, the CV joint becomes dry and hence starts to wear.
    It becomes loose over time from the wear and eventually the clicking noise develops.
    This clicking gets worse over time.
    This process could take many months.
    So its highly unlikely the tow truck caused this problem

    Dont embarrass yourself by associating the CV problem with the tow.
    You have already clearly showed your ignorance or cars and insurance by claiming a damaged mirror on insurance

    How far has the car travelled?
    How old is the car?

  • HeWhoKnows on 01/06/2021 - 08:18

    Making any claim will pump up your premium next year!

    But too late now OP. Your insurance history has a black mark now!

    What a foolish thing to do for a side mirror which OP could have possibly fixed themselves

    And how responsible of Woollies insurance to tell OP its better they fix it themselves

    • MS Paint on 01/06/2021 - 09:17

      So who foots the towing bill I wonder?

      Legit question.

  • OzHunterNSW on 01/06/2021 - 13:49
    -1

    They possibly hooked under and upon the joint… they don't care…. contact your insurer

  • Turbz on 01/06/2021 - 23:08
    +1

    Why would anyone but the owner foot the bill? If the car was towed on a flat bed towtruck, there will be no damage to a cv, if it was towed on a cradle again there would be no damage to a cv at the end of the day it's an item that has wear and tare, let's not even begin the convo about getting a tow for the mirror… What the eff is this world coming to. Just wow.

    • HeWhoKnows on 02/06/2021 - 18:37

      Did you read my post not far above.
      Same reply as yours in essence but goes into more detail (explanation)

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