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When you have accident damage repaired, do choose the repairer yourself or do you allow your insurer to have their say as to the repairer?
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I've been told which bodyshop has been nominated to look at my hailstone damage. I didn't get a say in the matter.
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>> When you have accident damage repaired, do choose the repairer yourself or do you allow
>> your insurer to have their say as to the repairer?
>>
Depends on your contract. For example, you may get "additional" benefits if you let the Insurer choose the repairer:
Co-op: "a courtesy car to keep you on the road while yours is being repaired using a Co-operative Insurance appointed repairer
The AA: "You may use your own garage only after you have submitted an estimate to your insurer and they have authorised the repairs. Should you wish to use your own garage the repairs are not guaranteed and a courtesy car will not be provided."
In short, read your Policy.
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When I had someone reverse into my front bumper last year, Tesco said they would use their approved repairer in Cheltnam - nearly 50 miles away from me. I said I wasn't letting some scruff drive thrash my car all that way and back for a minor repair.
"Oh, in that case we'll take it there on a flatbed" they replied.
I said "I'd sooner use someone local to me that I know their quality of work is very good."
"That's fine, but please be aware that we cannot give a 3 yr guarantee on any work carried out if you don't use one of our approved repairers"
"Ok" I replied, "I'll go ahead and get an estimate from them to forward onto you"
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When my car was damaged the other parties insurer, Direct Line, asked if I knew anywhere I wanted to take it or if not they would choose one. They had no problems with me picking a main dealer body shop.
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I just let the insurance company deal with it all when I had my none fault accident. Was pretty painless, they picked up the car and dropped it off with a new bumper.
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>> I just let the insurance company deal with it all when I had my none
>> fault accident. Was pretty painless, they picked up the car and dropped it off with
>> a new bumper.
>>
Replacing a bumper is a doddle for most repairers. But if you ever have to have any panels repaired/replaced, a close inspection of the welded joints will tell you how good the repairer is. Nowadays a lot of bodywork damage is repaired by replacing panels, re-skinning doors etc, because it's cheaper.
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>> When I had someone reverse into my front bumper last year,
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Of course, with third party claims you are entitled to take your car to a garage of your choice ( say an authorised franchised dealer for repairs) if you wish.
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>> Of course, with third party claims you are entitled to take your car to a
>> garage of your choice ( say an authorised franchised dealer for repairs) if you wish.
When I had an accident that was my fault, I still took it to a place of my choosing and not the insurers choice.
The only time I agreed to use the insurers recommended repairers, they went and wrote off the car because of the 3 yr guarantee they have to give their work. Had I took it to my usual place, chances are it would have been repaired because the costs would have been cheaper.
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Our old A3 was, how can I put it, somewhat accident prone. Or at least, its driver was... It was in the body shop most years...
On each occasion the insurer (ours or the third parties, depending on fault...) tried to insist it went to their nominated repairer; each time I said fine, as long as they'll guarantee it won't affect the Audi warranty (12 years on corrosion/3 years paintwork). The car ended up at a main dealer body shop every time...
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You as owner of the car, have the right to have the vehicle repaired wherever you wish.
End of....
Except.... insurance company's will tell you you can't - its in their interest as many have backhanders organised.
With most company's, a simple insistence will win the day, showing them that you know your rights, is normally enough.
BUT... there are a few company's, that will charge you for the honour of taking your car somewhere other than their choice... (often not manufacturer approved....)
When you have a corrosion warranty (up to 30years with Mercs!) having a repair done away from a manufacturer approved bodyshop, will cause issues should you need to claim under that warranty.
Any warranty that the insurance give you, is unlikely to be as good as the manufactures own one....
You pays ya money, and takes ya choice.
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I always go to the Manufacture Approved bodyshop. I have seen way too many posts on Mercedes and VW forums that when they get a patch of bubbling paint and take it in for 12 year warranty repair, they often claim the wing or whatever is not original and/or has been repainted. As this obviously voids the warranty I would rather keep, it's a no-brainer. The dealer always gives a courtesy car and warranty anyway.
I have also had two terrible experiences with insurance approved bodyshops, one of which included independent assessors reports and small claims court summons for the insurer. When I have complained to the repairer, they blame the insurance company for forcing them to do cheapo repairs.
Last edited by: sooty tailpipes on Wed 4 Jul 12 at 21:11
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After a particularly poor experience with Norwich Union and one of their approved repairers, I now never use an insurance company's repairer.
I have used a main dealer bodyshop and a manufacturer approved bodyshop - never had any problem getting a courtesy car, and no problem with the car's warranty.
A few years ago a colleague had an insurance approved repairer deliver her car back to her at the office. The first floor of the office went over the car park entrance. Her car was delivered on a lorry with two tiers - a single car on the flatbed (hers), and two cars above. The driver hit part of the building's structure, and a piece of steel angle, smashed the windscreen and cut a deep V into the roof panel of the front-most car on the upper tier of the lorry. Shame as the car was being delivered back to its owner after being repaired!! Apart from the damage to the newly repaired car, they had to pay for the building damage as well.
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One of my reasons for wanting to choose the repairer myself is that I want my car to be repaired somewhere which I know to be good. I reckon that I can always tell if a car has had accident damage repair at a so-so repairer ~ for a start I open the doors, boot lid and bonnet and inspect the welded joints. Original joints are invariably much neater than repaired joints and don't have any torch-welding.
My other reason is that I want to have the repair carried out reasonably close to where I live so that if there is any hold-up I can visit the premises and actually see what stage the repair is at. Many years ago I had a badly-damaged car repaired a long way from home. The repairer kept fobbing me off with excuses and in the end it took eleven weeks. Had it been closer to home I could have gone there and verified (or challenged) what they were saying.
A friend let their insurer arrange the repair. The car was taken away and returned on a trailer and my friend never did know where it had been repaired!
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Have you crashed your car Snail?
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>> Have you crashed your car Snail?
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Nope. I started the thread after I realised how many drivers were trusting enough (or were insufficiently interested) to leave it to their insurers to choose the repairer.
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If the manufacturers corrosion warranty still applied, I would insist that the car be repaired by a manufacturer's approved (dealer) bodyshop. It would be all too easy for a manufacturer to wriggle out of a future claim by citing a non -original panel or some other easy excuse. If it's done "officially", there is no wriggle room in respect of that repair and any future issues.
Otherwise, I would be happy to use an independent bodyshop recommended by word of mouth. When my father had a prang in his Sierra in the early 90's, he opted to use a well established local independent rather than the dealer simply because they were known for producing first class work. They didn't let him down. In that case though, the car was well out of any manufacturer warranty.
Cheers
DP
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Accident damage repair - Dave_
