Is the Car a Write Off ?

[MrDanno]

What on earth are you talking about!

What I'm talking about is the way insurance approved repairers are no more than a bunch of cowboys. Cars leaving with bent chassis, Parts not attached properly etc.

I have just finished the restoration of a '73 Vauxhall Firenza bodyshell and I believe the quality of the 'finished job (including paintwork)' is infact better than when new!

That is because your either doing it for yourself or for a paying customer who appreciates perfection takes time and is willing to pay. Insurance companies don't give a monkey's about a customers car, All that concerns them is getting the customers car back to them for as cheap as possible.

As for insurance claims I would expect body repairs to be better than ever ... ...or else they are truly contradicting what they say, claim & preach etc.! - and thus libel for legal prosecution!!!

They don't care, Most people are not car enthusiast and even the ones who know the repair is bad give up after a couple of attempts of trying to get the insurance company to do a proper repair.

Very few people are like me and take them to court and make them pay for a proper repair.

I'll actually expand on this and quote you a typical example, A car repaired by an insurance approved repairer failed it's MOT 3 months later as being dangerous due to the way they had (or should I say had not ) welded structural parts of the bodywork on.

[WRX._.GTi]

^
I must admit I truly must be ‘ignorant’ to this – I genuinely thought when it comes to ‘body repair’ I am quite simply a ‘nobody’!

Whilst I feel and can prove I do a good job I honestly thought ‘insurance approved’ was where the ‘very best’ are employed – periodically have surprise inspections by insurance companies etc, to see work is to highest quality/manufacturers standards and so on!

Or am I now to understand ‘Insurance Approved’ means … … “We can do it the cheapest” !!!

[WRX._.GTi]

Mr Danno

Very few people are like me and take them to court and make them pay for a proper repair.

Would you mind sharing this (if you have not already done so), as this sounds very, very interesting !

[Santa]

^
I must admit I truly must be ‘ignorant’ to this – I genuinely thought when it comes to ‘body repair’ I am quite simply a ‘nobody’!

Whilst I feel and can prove I do a good job I honestly thought ‘insurance approved’ was where the ‘very best’ are employed – periodically have surprise inspections by insurance companies etc, to see work is to highest quality/manufacturers standards and so on!

Or am I now to understand ‘Insurance Approved’ means … … “We can do it the cheapest” !!!

Insurance companies have contracts with repairers. How those contracts are let and vetted is anyones guess but they are certainly no guarantee of a high quality repair. The main advantage to you as a customer is that the 'approved' repairer can usually get the insurer to give the go-ahead straight away, while your local guy may have to wait several days.

One thing many people don't seem to be aware of, is that most of these repairers are quite likely to put your car on a trailer and send it elsewhere for the repair. So you may think that Mr MainDealer is doing the work, but they have subbed it out to Mr UnderTheArches in a town 50 miles away. It is not unknown for the Mr UnderTheArches to re-sub it and then for the car to be lost altogether.

[WRX._.GTi]

Santa;
One thing many people don't seem to be aware of, is that most of these repairers are quite likely to put your car on a trailer and send it elsewhere for the repair. So you may think that Mr MainDealer is doing the work, but they have subbed it out to Mr UnderTheArches in a town 50 miles away. It is not unknown for the Mr UnderTheArches to re-sub it and then for the car to be lost altogether.

What!!!
'Subbing out work' happens in all forms of trade (not just the 'motor-world') however I've never actually heard of a vehicle becoming lost! - surely 'theft' comes to mind and thus the insurance company will be paying out more money!

[Santa]

I only heard about "losing" these cars through my sister who handled liqidations. The point about subbing was that when you take your car to the shiny well equipped premises of the Main Dealer, you don't expect the repair to be carried out in some back street workshop.

[Loony]

^
I must admit I truly must be ‘ignorant’ to this – I genuinely thought when it comes to ‘body repair’ I am quite simply a ‘nobody’!

Whilst I feel and can prove I do a good job I honestly thought ‘insurance approved’ was where the ‘very best’ are employed – periodically have surprise inspections by insurance companies etc, to see work is to highest quality/manufacturers standards and so on!

Or am I now to understand ‘Insurance Approved’ means … … “We can do it the cheapest” !!!

I use to be in the trade and i use to work for an insurance approved garage.

Recently i went with a friend to pick his car up from an insurance approved garage and my opening line to the manager was "i take it, its not finished and you just wanted to show us how bad it looks at the moment"
I then went on to point various paint finish faults and body issues and he seemed embarrassed by the quality of work done.

[Killie77]

Any news op?

Hi
Received word from the Garage today theybarevgoing to go ahead with repairing thr Car
Have not said as yet which Category thevrepairvwill fall under. Will update when we learn more
Thanks
Ian

[Loony]

Hi
Received word from the Garage today theybarevgoing to go ahead with repairing thr Car
Have not said as yet which Category thevrepairvwill fall under. Will update when we learn more
Thanks
Ian

Hi Killie77

If the insurance company are repairing it then it will not have a category marker.It only gets them if it was written off.
Sounds like the damage was not to bad then in terms of boot floor.

[Killie77]

Hi
They are going to replace rear bumper and boot lid, repair rear wing and fix the boot floor I think by putting it on the Jig
Will see how the repairs turn out in the end.
Ian