Sometimes life can be sh!t

[stealthwolf]

So less than four months after some fecker smacks into my car, one of the girls at work scrapes it whilst trying to swing into an adjacent spot. Marks to front and rear driver's side door at level of bump strips and below. Rear door is pushed in where it meets front door. Was upset but not as much as she was.

Anyway, she has admitted liability and directline have been in touch re: bodyshops. Obviously they would like me to go their approved one (which by the looks of things shows that directline owns it). I'm gonna go inspect their work tomorrow but imagine it'll be more like a paint factory with less focus on quality and more on speed and cost.


So................how can I make sure the car goes to a good bodyshop? Directline are happy for me to choose a bodyshop but if there's a discrepancy in estimate cost, they'll need to send out someone to assess the damage.

I showed it to a couple of bodyshops in the city centre and one estimates £700 - will fill in the crease, paint and blend the whole lot. The other wants £1700 but will replace the rear door skin and it looks like will paint everything on that side of the car up to the roof/bonnet/boot. Obviously huge discrepancy in cost due to the amount of work that can be done.

What do I do?

[Andy]

if it was me I would demand it be a new door skin..why should you just make do to make the insurance company happy

[GTI-Pirelli]

I'd be surprised if the insurance company's body shop doesn't replace the door skin anyway.

I had someone glance of the rear quarter in my last car caused a chunk of paint the size of a tenis ball to flake off and popped it off the clips behind the wheel. I thought they would rub down the bumper, paint it then refit. Apparently a new bumper had to be fitted!

[vRSAlex]

Terrible luck Jaz.

Did she manage to hit the 'pattern' wing?  If not then give it a kick so it looks like she did!

Shame you are not closer as the body shop I use is excellent.

[Eddie-NL]

It is your right to decide where the car goes for repair

so don't cave in to the insurance company

[cuprajake]

Take it some where your happy with. Some one you may have used.

I'm sick of the insurance dictating who you can and can't use.

The old bull sh*t of it'll take longer to authorize, can't gaurente repairs, multiple estimes etc is balls.

We're independent but also over spill for Hastings ins.

We work at 30 per hour no discounts.

The Hastings contract we have to work at 25 per hour 30% discount.

You may luck out and get a good repair. But you didn't do too well on your last u remebrr.

Today I had a call off aviva, before Xmas we quoted on a merc, two new door, New quarter and wheel. Repair was 3500. Aviva forced him to use their approved by doubling his 700 xs if he choose us. The result was a car full of filler. And a bill for over 4000. Aviva are now looking into the approved garage.

Wish you all the luck in the worlld bud. Ins companies don't give a toss.

[edd666999]

Go to a bodyshop of your choosing, I did. Let them send someone out.


Oh and you are entitled to a like for like curtesy car too. Don't take a 1.1 micra.

[xjay1337]

When my friends VXR got crashed into they gave him a Mini Cooper S convertible, and then when it got crashed into again, they gave him a 2.0 TDI NEW shape A3 Sline.

[cuprajake]

With this being 3rd party if he deals direct with her ins or a claims team he'll get like for like. If he goes through bhis own ins they only have to give him a grade a car. Ie brand new.

And when its us as a body shop ehobhave to give that car free to the ins why do you think there always small little cars.

You pay the ins for courtesy car privilege on your policy and they make the repairing garage supply it foc

[Human Joist]

I tried this I the past. The problem you may face is the insurance company get reduced hourly rates and total discount for putting the work through their own garage. FOR EXAMPLE let's say you took your car direct to the body shop they would charge you £800 for a repair. Through the ins company in the same shop doing the same repair they may only charge the ins company £520. So when you say you want to go elsewhere they will only give you £520 for an £800 repair. So you end up out of pocket.

We had it the start of last year. We ended up going through the ins garage. The job was crap so I went and got the body shop manager to look at it and pointed out all the mistakes and then visited the car when it was fixed to inspect it before I signed off on it and it was all sorted.

[edd666999]

Ring an accident repair company. They sort everything for you, but insurance company's hate them because it costs them more.

[stealthwolf]

I tried this I the past. The problem you may face is the insurance company get reduced hourly rates and total discount for putting the work through their own garage. FOR EXAMPLE let's say you took your car direct to the body shop they would charge you £800 for a repair. Through the ins company in the same shop doing the same repair they may only charge the ins company £520. So when you say you want to go elsewhere they will only give you £520 for an £800 repair. So you end up out of pocket.

We had it the start of last year. We ended up going through the ins garage. The job was crap so I went and got the body shop manager to look at it and pointed out all the mistakes and then visited the car when it was fixed to inspect it before I signed off on it and it was all sorted.

This is what I'm worried about. I don't want body filler on the car. Would prefer a new door skin, which will drive up cost. At the moment, I said I'd have a look at their bodyshop's work but TBH googling it doesn't fill me with confidence. Might just tell them to discuss with the VW approved one in Digbeth which is where I've been before and the colour match was spot on.

The courtesy car is gonna come through enterprise rent-a-car and will be similar sized model to the Golf.

[Nodz]

Probably be a 1.6D Astra or a 2.0D insignia SRI..

When my other halfs 1.6 fiesta titanium got done her like for like was meant to be the Astra but they didn't have any so got the insignia and it was a nice car. Only downside to enterprise is even tho you are covered by your insurance the excess per scratch/dent/accident you have is £600 or you take out the optional £12 a day waiver. I was quite annoyed when I found that out as its a premium courtesy car we paid for  on the policy and then get told there's big excesses or daily charge waivers to pay

[cuprajake]

You can claim the waiver back.

It's very rare an engineer will not agree costs unless the pee is being taken. We had an aviva guy who wanted 10% discount and £25 per hour. He left at £30 an hour no discount.

It's just a scare tactic they use to push you to their guys.

[rich83]

How much is a new door skin? For the sake of the labour involved with pissing about with filler, I bet theres not much in is price wise.