Santam Insurance

Dear Reader

I trust that you are well.

I am insured with Nedbank/ Santam. I have 4 of my vehicles insured which also includes home contents over a number of years so you can just imagine how much my premiums are:

So the Nissan Xtrail was damaged by rodents more than a year ago whilst being repaired by a mechanic. The insurance was excellent in authorising the repairs for the claim however the insurance companies service providers are a different story.

The insurance service providers are a bunch of ***XX. i.e. the panel beater and assessor. Below is a sequence of events that unfolded you can decide for yourself if these Insurance Service Providers are treating me fairly: 1. The vehicle was sent in for repairs in August 2023. 2. The vehicle was released back to me in July 2024. 3. When I picked up the vehicle the vehicle still had warning lights on the dashboard. But I was assured that the vehicle would be safe to drive by both panel beater and the assessor. 4. I drove the vehicle home and the next day tried to move the car. The car did not have any clutch. The clutch pipe that was repaired came loose from its fitting and I had to fit this cable back myself. I then took the vehicle to Nissan Centurion for a service and to clear the Deasol Particulate Filter (DPF) and Catalytic Converter (CAT) blockage as the assessor and panel beater advised me that this was a maintenance issue and not as a result of the damages. 5. Nissan South Africa came back to me with a quote of R23,000 to clean the CAT and DPF, however, I did not have the R23,000 to do the cleaning. 6. The cleaning needed to be performed as the vehicle is currently in limp mode and both the assessor and Panel Beater advised that there is an engine knock that was caused by the blockage of the DPF Filter and the CAT. 7. I then opted to do a DPF and CAT delete which is much more cost effective and would permanently resolve this problem. The vehicle was taken to a reputable exhaust company in Edenvale, Johannesburg to do the delete and software for the delete. 8. The delete has been completed, however, the guy in Edenvale has advised that there were two (2) problems that he picked up on the vehicle: a. There was tampering of the software on the Nisaan Xtrail – Probably when the Panel Beater Auto Electrician did the wiring harness repair (the software on the vehicle was for a Nisaan Xtrail 2009 model and this is a 2015 model), b. The Crank Sensor that was replaced by Panel Beater was not done with genuine Nissan Parts/ is faulty causing the engine knock. I asked the assessor about this crank sensor and he advised that they did not repair/ replace the crank sensor until I showed him an email that he shared with me in the past that reflected that the crank sensor was replaced by Panel Beater. He then stated that this was tested by Nissan and was found to be in a working condition. a. I then looked at his email which noted that Nissan Centurion advised that the wiring was not repaired to the satisfaction of Nissan. “Also found engine harness damaged by rat activity & wire repairs not done correctly”. I then questioned this and the assessor rep**** that Nissan centurion tested this vehicle and there were no faults identified on the wiring. 9. So I phoned the assessor and wrote multiple emails to him to advise about the situation at hand. Knowing that the vehicle was not operational for day to day driving since it was released to me. During my phone call the assessor advised that he will only communicate with me on email and my phone call to him was not allowed. 10. I requested that the vehicle be lifted by the insurance company and sent to Panel Beater Centurion to rectify their problems. 11. The assessor has blatantly told me that he is advising the insurance company that this claim is closed and the vehicle has been satisfactorily repaired to his satisfaction and no further funds would be paid on this claim. 12. I asked the assessor, if this vehicle is driven in its current condition this may blow the engine and will the insurance company pay for the damages. 13. The assessor stated that no this is now my problem and that if I want to drive the vehicle this will not be covered by the insurance. So I told him to put this into writing and send it to me. 14. I asked him about the engine knock and he advised that this knock was there when he assessed the vehicle. I told him that this is one of the reasons that I requested the repair. He advised that no further costs will be incurred by the insurance company on this vehicle and I will need to see how I fix this engine knock. 15. I asked him about the warrantee on the repairs. He advised that there is no warrantee on electrical parts so if I want a warrantee I need to check with Panel Beater Centurion to see if they can give me a warrantee on the repairs. 16. The Assessor further advised that the Vehicle is in disrepair due to the clutch that was replaced on the vehicle prior to the vehicle going to the Panel Beater for repairs. This conclusion is being undertaken without a proper assessment. 17. There is currently no way forward on this problem. Can anyone please advise me on the next steps as I am dumbstruck by the manner that I am being treated by this Nedbank/ Santam contractors.