House break. For opponents of those who caused accidents, Gerhard Elmers’ vehicle expert office (Cuxhavener Strasse 128a, 21149 Hamburg) has been an important point of contact after a traffic accident for more than 15 years. Ultimately, you want to ensure that the damage is assessed fairly and impartially. “The expert opinion is usually paid for by the insurance company that caused the accident,” says Gerhard Elmers. The 61-year-old has been a motor vehicle expert and trained motor vehicle master for over 30 years.
In his business on Cuxhavener Straße, daughter Susan Elmers has the overview. And oil seems to be in her veins too: the 30-year-old is a trained automotive engineering master and a state-approved car saleswoman. She has been supporting the company since 2015 as a motor vehicle expert and in the area of company organization and the secretariat.
The expert office has recently also been operating a GTÜ test center at the company’s headquarters in Neu Wulmstorf (Lessingstrasse 71, 21629 Neu Wulmstorf). Main and exhaust gas inspections are possible there without registration (Mondays 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.; Wednesdays 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and Fridays 2:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays by arrangement).
The experience of the expert office, which incidentally creates expert reports for pretty much everything that rolls, is also valued by insurers and car repair shops. It is not only the good and reliable cooperation with the police that ensures that an expert report is usually ready after 48 hours. In the course of the work of the expert’s office, it became clear that victims of accidents often do not know their rights. Therefore, here is an overview, the content of which is also available in the form of a brochure:
1. Your right: repairs in a workshop you can trust
You can have your vehicle repaired in a workshop of your choice. Your specialist workshop guarantees you a technically perfect repair and thus the road safety of your vehicle. Insurance companies have no right to prescribe a different workshop.
2. Your right: Damage assessment by an independent expert
In principle, you are free to hire an expert of your choice to preserve evidence and to determine the extent of damage, amount of damage, depreciation, residual value, replacement value and expected repair time. The injuring party has to cover the costs of the expert opinion. If, however, only so-called minor damage is recognizable from the outset (amount of damage not higher than approx. 500 to 770 EUR – depending on the jurisdiction), a repair calculation from your specialist workshop is usually sufficient as proof of damage, since the costs for an expert opinion in the case of minor damage are generally not from This report can also be the basis of your settlement with the insurer of the injuring party if, for example, you do not want to have your vehicle repaired and want to buy another vehicle with the money paid out by the insurance company.
3. Your right: Use of a rental car or compensation for loss of use
For the duration of the damage-related vehicle breakdown, you can generally claim a rental car (with the exception of very little driving demand). Due to the sometimes considerable price differences, it can sometimes be useful to compare prices, as the rental car costs are not always fully covered by the insurance company when renting at excessive prices.
4. Your right: Claims settlement by a lawyer you trust
You can hire a lawyer you trust to enforce your claims. In principle, the cost of this must be borne by the injuring party ‘s insurance.
5. Your rights in the event of a total loss
If the repair costs exceed the replacement value, you can still have your vehicle repaired in your specialist workshop if the expected repair costs according to Expert opinion does not exceed the replacement value of your vehicle by more than 30% and you want to continue using the vehicle. If you do not have your vehicle repaired in the event of a total loss, you are entitled to a replacement value minus the residual value of your vehicle. In this case, the VAT typically included in the replacement value will also be deducted. In the event of a claim, VAT will only be reimbursed to the extent that it was actually incurred. The amount of the specific VAT deduction depends, among other things, on the age and type of the vehicle involved in the accident. You will find statements on this in the expert report. You can sell your vehicle at the residual value (e.g. to your specialist workshop) that your expert has determined in his report. To be on the safe side, we recommend a correctly dated written sales contract for the accident vehicle with your specialist workshop. Residual value offers from the insurer only need to be considered if the specific offer from the insurance company is available before the vehicle was sold and this offer is reasonable.
6. Your right: declaration of acceptance of repair costs and assignment of security
To make payment processing easier, you can use the forms “Repair cost transfer declaration” and / or “Security assignment” provided by the workshop you trust, since the insurance company can usually pay the repair costs directly to the specialist workshop if these declarations are presented. In this way, you can often avoid having to pay in advance for the repair costs.
7. Your rights as a victim in the event of a self-inflicted accident (comprehensive damage claim)
If you make use of your comprehensive insurance in the event of a fully or partially self-inflicted accident, your rights, which in some cases may differ significantly from your rights in the event of liability claims, arise from your insurance contract. In particular, your insurer’s right to issue instructions must be observed here; You should therefore contact your insurance company immediately.
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