urgent insurance repair question

[billb]

as some may know someone at work hit my car last week. His company car issurers have rang up and said they will fix the car etc and use one of their own authorised repairers. However this prob wont be a lotus dealer. I have an elise s2 and its a small chip or too out of the rear wheel arch. Am I ok to go with these guys or should I say no way i want it done by lotus - if so will the say sorry no????? help please I dont want the repair to devalue my car???

[nigelbasson]

When I had to get my car repaired my insurance company said I could let it go to one of their "authorised" dealers which causes a lot less hassle for you, quicker, etc. BUT they did say I was open to get a quote from another garage if I prefered and then let them know that quote. As long as the quotes are hugely different you should be able to stipulate where you get the work done.

Plus I guess you are in a stronger position cause you are the claimant on someone elses insurance.

Hopefully others in the insurance world will confirm but this has been my experience.

[cockers]

Insist on a Lotus-approved repairer, deffo. Tell the insurers that the bodywork is GRP and needs specialist attention.

[M-Five]

The only things you may not get are a courtesy car (or Ka usually) and a quick response.

I waited 6 weeks for my insurers to send an engineer out to do an independent assessment of the repairs after taking it to BMW and getting their report. The engineer didn't even inspect the actual damage (as he would have needed a jack or ramps) and left within 30 minutes only to keep me waiting 3 weeks for his poxy report which said to go ahead anyway.

I could have got it done in two weeks with a courtesy car if I had taken it to an authorised repair centre (i.e. cheapest bid wins contract).