Damage Advice (again)

[thewelsho]

Hi Peeps!

I posted a week or so ago about some chick hitting the rear of my car view pics here

Anyhoo, I got myself 4 quotes all of which are horror-comic reading for the girlie in question, the quotes are as follows:

Chips Away: £356

AC Taylor Coachworks: £483

JB Coachworks: £586

Mitchell Inglis: £540

Here's the point: The girl is clearly going to opt for the cheaper quote, but before I let her see all quotes, I was wondering if anyone could vouch for Chips Away as they seem a bit on the cheap side in comaprison to other repairers

Thanks, as always!

JW

[StewartyBoy]

Chips away arent the best mate. I used to work at Audi, they have their own spray shop in Hillngton. The sales department used to bring in chips away because it was cheap and nasty, so thy didnt have to pay a bit more for a decent job.

Sometimes they even had to come back, due to it being such a bad job because it was air drying, and not forced heat drying. I had my Impreza resprayed at JB Coachworks, it was expensive but the job looked like it had just came from the factory, I wouldnt trust anyone else.

Remember, its YOUR car mate. Why should you have a 2nd rate job because the girl that HIT YOU, decided she didnt want to stump up the cash for a good job. If thats the case, go through the insurance...

When getting quotes for damage, pick 3 companies your HAPPY with doing the job, and then approach the 3rd party with prices. All GOOD jobs should be priced around the same ballpark figure.

Edited February 7, 2009 by StewartyBoy

[david_taylor]

Chips away arent the best mate. I used to work at Audi, they have their own spray shop in Hillngton. The sales department used to bring in chips away because it was cheap and nasty, so thy didnt have to pay a bit more for a decent job.

Sometimes they even had to come back, due to it being such a bad job because it was air drying, and not forced heat drying. I had my Impreza resprayed at JB Coachworks, it was expensive but the job looked like it had just came from the factory, I wouldnt trust anyone else.

Remember, its YOUR car mate. Why should you have a 2nd rate job because the girl that HIT YOU, decided she didnt want to stump up the cash for a good job. If thats the case, go through the insurance...

When getting quotes for damage, pick 3 companies your HAPPY with doing the job, and then approach the 3rd party with prices. All GOOD jobs should be priced around the same ballpark figure.

Have to disagree. I have used them twice and they done top notch jobs on both occasions.

First time was on my impreza and had a nasty dent right down to the metal. They quoted me £100 notes and the job was fantastic. Also done all the stone chips on the bonnet for nothing.

Secon time was on my mates TT I was selling for him since he moved to Thailand. Feckin council truck clipped it and put a nasty 1 foot scratch and dent over the front wing going onto the door. They popped out the dent and then sprayed the whole door and wing at my house. If you know TTs the doors are huge. Again a great job and you would never know that there had ever been any damage.

Just because they are the cheapest does not mean they are the worst.

Dave

[Joe1989]

Just on this note mate, She SHOULDNT have a choice, You take it where you want to, Ovbouslly i trust you wouldnt rip the piss, But Show here the quote around the same price as the one you choose! We'll if i did the damge thats the way i would look at it, I WISH the crash i had the woman would have accepted this offer lol.

Edited February 7, 2009 by Joe1989

[Spaceman]

aye don`t give her a choice its where you want it or phone her insurance just be nice about telling her straight as for chips away id say no seen lots of there so called good spray repairs utter pish and usually tellable if thats even a word lol grieg

chips away ****t my front bumper on my first impreza a brand new 2005 wrx 300 that was only to sort some stone chips out they rubbed it down and painted it gukt the laquir up and that whole patch they did faded after 2 weeks and weren`t intrested in fixing.

[Spaceman]

Oh aye and a top job is george steele in Falkirk very very good done my corsa when some t**t pulled into the side of it dented along my door and folded a bit on the door welds and down the rear 3/4 it was in vauxhall Ultra Blue a dark pearlesent blue and he done it spot on even to the trained eye very good and even better priced he works on his own and is the man to go see if you wanna go see him tell me whan and ill meet you and show you where hes right next to the TA center in Laurieston

[Joe1989]

Oh had if she driven away from the bump too, That classes as leaving an scean of a accident, So she could be done with that if you went to the police, But i know you and i doubt you'd do that lol.

[martin_allen]

Issue with ChipsAway is that they are only as good as your local rep. Also, they really are geared up to chips rather than major work. I'd be more inclined to got to a regular spray shop rather than have it done on the drive.

5t.

[thewelsho]

Issue with ChipsAway is that they are only as good as your local rep. Also, they really are geared up to chips rather than major work. I'd be more inclined to got to a regular spray shop rather than have it done on the drive.

5t.

Aye. I have sent her with a text with the three quotes minus the Chips Away one and told her that she might actaully want to go down the insurance route after all. Not heard back from her yet. If she wants to pursue insurance, I'm going to use ACS, that way, I'll get a courtesy car as well and i dont have to mess about with my excess.

[StewartyBoy]

I think under the cirumstances, if it were me then it would be an insurance job. Like said above, chips away may be good for some people and crap for other, depends who the rep is. Go to a trusted bodyshop who you know ill make a good job *sneeze cough JB cough sneeze*

[st3ph3n]

John, try Car Medic in Bothwell (http://www.freeindex.co.uk/profile(car-medic)_6702.htm). It's run by some neighbours of mine and they do good work.

[Spaceman]

Are they the same idea as chips away stephen or are they a proper bodyshop?

[mystery machine]

Welsho - don't take your car to any place you're not 100% happy with. You don't have to give the third party a list of options only for them to select the cheapest. Give her the price for the place you've had the most recommendations for and if she doesn't like that then put it through your insurance, claiming against her - it's not too late to do that. You have a witness so you're in a strong position here.

Just my 2p, as someone who's been in a similar position a few times.

Edited February 7, 2009 by Mystery Machine

[StrikE]

It IS your car m8 and SHE is the numptey that pranged it, i wouldnt give her a choice tbh i would take it where i was happy, regardless of [her] cost

[thewelsho]

It IS your car m8 and SHE is the numptey that pranged it, i wouldnt give her a choice tbh i would take it where i was happy, regardless of [her] cost

I know that, but I wanna give the girl a break. She's a student so probably skint. I sent her a text this morning and so far no reply. I'm going to try and track her down at the college. If I can't do that, its another text and if there is no response then the tactics wiill change. If she doesn't comply, then its Accident Claims Scotland, that way I dont have to go through my insurance company and then wait around to get my excess back.

[mystery machine]

You seem quite reluctant to go through your insurance... do you have a high excess? (if you don't mind me asking).

[thewelsho]

You seem quite reluctant to go through your insurance... do you have a high excess? (if you don't mind me asking).

Don't mind at all mate. I think my excess is £500. One time my wife was hit by a motorcyclist who ran a red light. She put her car in, paid the excess and got it sorted. The case went on and on and was never resolved, even though the police pursued the guy for dangerous driving. He never showed up at court on the day. Even with that information, the insurance company wanted to resolve in HIS favour - go figure! No way I want a repeat of that. So if I can get the repair done with cash then I can avoid all these possible pitfalls. £600 is way too much dosh to be outta pocket when its not my fault.

[pmacFTO]

But it would go thru her insurance and so be nothing to do with your excess?

[mystery machine]

But it would go thru her insurance and so be nothing to do with your excess?

It depends on how you work it...

When you're fully comp - regardless of who's at fault - you can usually have your car booked into a garage for repair very quickly after the accident (usually within a week, in my experience). Upon collecting the car, you usually have to pay the garage your the excess and the insurance company picks up the remainder of the bill. Then, once your insurance company and the third party insurance company have agreed that the third party was at fault, you get your excess back (and NCB too, if applicable). This can be days, weeks or months after the claim was made, depending on how complicated the case is. In Welsho's case it seems pretty clear-cut and IIRC he has a witness, so I wouldn't expect that it would take too long to sort things out in his favour. When I've been in the same position I've just stuck the excess onto a credit card until I was reimbursed, so that I didn't have to take the hit.

I think it's also possible to make the claim entirely through the third party's insurance (never done it myself). In that case, you don't have to pay any excess, but you might have to wait until the claim is settled before having your motor repaired - and that could mean months of driving about in a dinged motor!

[mystery machine]

Don't mind at all mate. I think my excess is £500. One time my wife was hit by a motorcyclist who ran a red light. She put her car in, paid the excess and got it sorted. The case went on and on and was never resolved, even though the police pursued the guy for dangerous driving. He never showed up at court on the day. Even with that information, the insurance company wanted to resolve in HIS favour - go figure! No way I want a repeat of that. So if I can get the repair done with cash then I can avoid all these possible pitfalls. £600 is way too much dosh to be outta pocket when its not my fault.

Aye, I know what you mean - losing your excess is always a possibility. It's all relative, but for me that's quite a high excess (I'm £100) - so I can understand you not wanting to lose it!

Having said that, this case seems pretty clear-cut, don't you reckon? I'd be awfae surprised if the insurance company couldn't settle things in your favour. I mean, if you reckon that you have a better chance of settling things through Accident Claims Scotland than your insurance company do as 'motor claims experts' - then what does that say about your insurance company? You're paying them very handsomely to represent you in these very such circumstances, after all.

I just don't like to see a guy suffering hassle or anguish over a bump that wasn't his fault in the first place

Anyway - best of luck sorting everything out whichever you play it, mate

P.S. I think I might be right in saying that most insurers will warranty a repair for longer than most garages will (if used independently).

[Joe1989]

I know that, but I wanna give the girl a break. She's a student so probably skint. I sent her a text this morning and so far no reply. I'm going to try and track her down at the college. If I can't do that, its another text and if there is no response then the tactics wiill change. If she doesn't comply, then its Accident Claims Scotland, that way I dont have to go through my insurance company and then wait around to get my excess back.

lol you really are a softie!

[oz *sti*]

Welsho- IMHO mate, from working in car insurance on the claims side of things (work for Esure), I would advise you to go through your insurance (that's just what I would do though).

First of all do you know any details about the person who hit you, like name, address.... if not that's not to major thing. Fingers crossed you have her Reg if you do then your insurance company will be able to check on MID (Motor Insurance Database) and that would pull up the name of who she is insured with along with her policy number and there contact number.

Now from what you have told in your very first post with the pic's, you said there is "video footage of her parking next to me and later checking the damage" any CCTV etc.. is like gold dust to a insurance company. With that sort of evidence and because you car was stationary at the time there is now way your insurance company should be looking to put this down as a Partly Responsible claim.

Depending who are insured with they may even offer to pass the claim onto another company to deal with the whole claim, the reason the company I work for do this is because we know we will get our money back from the other party, As a result the other company are happy to take it on and because it would be classed as a non fault claim they would waive you excess right away and they would also provide you with a hire car (not to be confused with a courtesy car), which would be a car the same size as your doors, engine etc.. etc, and not a little ford KA or such like.

If you go through your insurance and they don’t waive your excess, then as long as your insurance makes a full recovery from the other insurance company then you would get your excess that credit back to you. As this would be classed as a non fault claim it should not be rated upon at all at your next renewal.

Or on the other hand mate you could contact her insurance company direct, stating you’re the third party who their client has hit and you would like them to deal with the claim, therefore your insurance company would not have to get involved at all. Also contacting her insurance company would let you find out if she has notified her company.... I know myself included if we have a bump or what not we don’t always tell the insurance company but we are meant to and this would be logged as a notification claim only, where the customer is only notifying the company but not claiming for the bump.

If you don’t know who she is insured with and you know her Reg and want to find out more send me a PM..........

Sorry for going on and on... whatever happens hope the car gets sorts for you mate.

Alan.

Edited February 8, 2009 by Oz *STI*

[thewelsho]

In Welsho's case it seems pretty clear-cut and IIRC he has a witness...

I don't have a witness. In the case I described earlier, my wife had witnesses and even the police sided with her and still she lost all her NCB and excess. If I go down the insurance route and get stung, it would be bye bye Impreza. I'm NOT taking that risk. ACS, as far as I know, will pursue the insurers of the guilty party without ever invloving my insurace. What I have in my favour is Her parking her car next to mine on CCTV, her examining the damage to my car on CCTV AFTER she was told about it by the car park attendant and I have a text message from her with her name and address and admittance of liability. STILL I do not trust the odds!

[thewelsho]

Sorry for going on and on... whatever happens hope the car gets sorts for you mate.

Alan.

Not at all mate, thanks for the advice. I'm going to give her until Wednesday to respond and I will also try to track her down at the college as I know the department where she is attending her course. She told me this in the text message along with her name and address. I mean, it is a clear-cut case in my favour - still don't trust the odds!

JW

[oz *sti*]

Welsho; Do you have Motor Legal protection on your insurance policy per chance? If so and you go through your insurance then your motor legal protection can be used to re-claim any uninsured losses i.e. your excess.

But in this case it is as clear as night and day this would go down as a non fault claim for you, main factors on your side; your car was stationary (unattended?) and you have CCTV footage, and you have the third parties details.

The only one thing I would say about using ACS or your own solicitor, is that if you’re not happy about what they are doing or the length of time it is taking and then call your insurance company to try and help out, they will not help at all they will just log the claim from the date you call them and then start the claim fresh they will not get involved with anything else you taken upon yourself to do on your own behalf.

Alan.