Car body repairs advice needed

[Tvrossing]

Hello,

I need some advice! My silver metallic VW T-cross was sadly hit in the rear door on the drivers side by another car. The guy who caused it is happy to settle outside of insurance however wants me to find a quote for around £300.

It has caused a dent on the line work and a 5mm chip out of my paintwork.

I have been told by several garages that for a proper repair job both front and rear door panels require re spraying for the best result. The SMART repair people however have quoted me £370. I am worried how low this is as bodyshops have quoted me £600-£1500!

Has anyone had experience of this kind of damage and can suggest the best route of correcting it I should take? I have only had it 2 months! Nightmare

[Roboticarm]

In my experience a smart repair is never as good as a bodyshop.
Dent removal / PDR is fine but the issue is when smart repair people try to paint,my car has clear had a smart repair before I got it, minor on the front bumper, colour match is wrong, there are particles in the paint etc
You can never get the same result on a driveway as you can in a spray booth.
It's nice you want to help the other party out, but to me, if they don't want to go via insurance they should pay the bill for a proper fix not tell you the budget

[mmm-five]

Tell your insurer, and claim that way...that's what they're there for.

If you go back to the guy who caused it with a £1000+ quote he'll probably stop replying.

[Terzo123]

Smart repairs can be okay, especially if your not intending to keep the car long, but if your car is a keeper, then I'd be wanting a proper repair.

If your feeling charitable, get a couple for quotes from proper body shops, and see what matey boy who hit you says.

But you'd probably be best just contacting your insurance company and let them chase up the 3rd party as a non fault claim.

[Tvrossing]

Thank you for replying.

It’s my new long term family car- I am heartbroken as I was so proud to buy it for myself!

I have got 3 quotes for bodyshops and he’s saying he has had a quote for £300. But I really do care about the quality of the job!

I have his name and contact details as we work in the same company however, I don’t have his insurance details. Worried he won’t want to give them to me! Plus it happened around 2 weeks ago now.

[_Hoppers]

The other chap cannot dictate the budget for the repair nor where you take it. I'd be seeking a VW approved repairer so the corrosion warranty still remains in place.

[philrs03]

Tvrossing said:

Thank you for replying.

It’s my new long term family car- I am heartbroken as I was so proud to buy it for myself!

I have got 3 quotes for bodyshops and he’s saying he has had a quote for £300. But I really do care about the quality of the job!

I have his name and contact details as we work in the same company however, I don’t have his insurance details. Worried he won’t want to give them to me! Plus it happened around 2 weeks ago now.

You don’t need his insurance details. His VRN is the only thing you need. As above, take the £300 to offset the inevitable cost increase to your premium that the legalised racket that is car insurance inflicts on you, then let them deal with the hassle. If you know of a good body shop that does insurance work, you can specify them to the insurance company. Matching metallic silver is tricky so you want it done right!

[Dingu]

philrs03 said:

Tvrossing said:

Thank you for replying.

It’s my new long term family car- I am heartbroken as I was so proud to buy it for myself!

I have got 3 quotes for bodyshops and he’s saying he has had a quote for £300. But I really do care about the quality of the job!

I have his name and contact details as we work in the same company however, I don’t have his insurance details. Worried he won’t want to give them to me! Plus it happened around 2 weeks ago now.

You don’t need his insurance details. His VRN is the only thing you need. As above, take the £300 to offset the inevitable cost increase to your premium that the legalised racket that is car insurance inflicts on you, then let them deal with the hassle. If you know of a good body shop that does insurance work, you can specify them to the insurance company. Matching metallic silver is tricky so you want it done right!

Christ that’s some poor advice.

[ThingsBehindTheSun]

mmm-five said:

Tell your insurer, and claim that way...that's what they're there for.

If you go back to the guy who caused it with a £1000+ quote he'll probably stop replying.

Totally this, anyone who wants you to get it done "for cash" seems to have this belief that it can be fixed for a few hundred pounds. When you go to the effort of getting a quote and telling them how much it actually is they will imply you are ripping them off and start to make it as awkward as possible in the hope you just give up.

In my experience you either go through the insurance from the start or just forget about it.

[Matt_T]

My advice is do not accept a smart repair. My mum damaged the rear wing of her Golf and had a smart repair on the drive. When we came to sell the car most dealers refused to take it or offered a crazy low valuation. They all spotted the smart repair a mile off!

You are entitled to have the car repaired to a standard whereby the value of it is not affected (ie a dealer won't notice the repair). The third party has a choice of paying the £1500 or claiming in insurance. Don't let them dictate £300 for a Smart repair if it's not what you want.

The only scenario where I would accept £300 cash is if it is an old shed that you plan to scrap in a few years and having some cash is preferable. For any half-decent car, go through insurance and repair properly.

Edited by Matt_T on Monday 10th February 14:12

[philrs03]

Dingu said:

philrs03 said:

Tvrossing said:

Thank you for replying.

It’s my new long term family car- I am heartbroken as I was so proud to buy it for myself!

I have got 3 quotes for bodyshops and he’s saying he has had a quote for £300. But I really do care about the quality of the job!

I have his name and contact details as we work in the same company however, I don’t have his insurance details. Worried he won’t want to give them to me! Plus it happened around 2 weeks ago now.

You don’t need his insurance details. His VRN is the only thing you need. As above, take the £300 to offset the inevitable cost increase to your premium that the legalised racket that is car insurance inflicts on you, then let them deal with the hassle. If you know of a good body shop that does insurance work, you can specify them to the insurance company. Matching metallic silver is tricky so you want it done right!

Christ that’s some poor advice.

Slightly tongue in cheek regarding taking the cash, however the rest of the advice is correct. Insurers have access to databases which allow them to identify a driver (via several means), so that’s correct. Your premiums will likely increase on renewal, that’s likely correct. And once you’ve told your insurer, providing you’ve given them the details of a garage on the authorised repairer list, take it to your desired place of repair… also correct. Unless I’m missing something?

[Matt_T]

Also, don't get hung up on your insurance increasing after a no-fault claim. Assuming you have a good history and some NCD it will likely have no impact on your insurance.

[Tvrossing]

Thank you for your reply

Just wondering if I get his insurance details if it is best going direct to their insurance to have it sorted.

[VeeReihenmotor6]

You're good to consider the option of out of insurance repairs, get 3 quotes from bodyshops you'd be happy to use and bodyshops that are going to do a repair you'll be happy with long term.

The guilty parties budget isn't a restriction you need to work with though.

I guess this will end up with insurance once the quotes are in hand for a proper repair. This sort of repair where blending into doors and quarter panels could easily be £1-2k with panel work.

The other person is out of touch if he thinks you can get a long lasting repair that looks decent for £300. Also it is not for him/her to stipulate the type of repair required either. Tell them to jog on would be my advice and report to your insurers.

Edited by VeeReihenmotor6 on Monday 10th February 16:58