Insurance Bodyshop Repairs: Choosing Where Your Car Is Repaired

The routes an insurance repair can take

Broadly, there are two ways an insurance repair gets organised. In the first, the insurer directs the car to a repairer from its own network, often arranged for you during the claim call. In the second, you choose a bodyshop yourself, get an estimate, and the insurer's assessor agrees the work with that repairer.

Some policies describe this in the small print, and some insurers will simply ask which you prefer. Whether you can pick your own repairer, and whether anything changes if you do, depends on your policy and your insurer. That is a question for them, ideally answered in writing, before you commit to anything.

• Insurer-arranged repair through a network repairer
• Your own choice of bodyshop, with the insurer agreeing the work
• A cash settlement, where the insurer pays you and you arrange the repair
• A write-off decision, where the repair costs too much against the car's value

Questions to put to your insurer first

Before agreeing to any repairer, a few plain questions can save a lot of confusion later. It helps to write down the answers and the name of the person who gave them.

If you are told a network repairer will collect the car, ask whether you are free to use a different bodyshop instead and what, if anything, would be different. Ask what your excess is, how it is paid, and whether your cover includes a courtesy car while yours is off the road.

• Can I choose my own bodyshop, and does that affect my claim?
• What is my excess and when do I pay it?
• Is a replacement car included, and for how long?
• Who deals with the repairer, you or me?
• What happens if more damage is found once the car is stripped?

What a good estimate should show

Whichever route you take, the bodyshop should look at the car and put together an estimate that the insurer's assessor can review. A proper estimate lists the panel repairs and replacements, the paint work, and any hidden damage that is likely to appear once the bumper or wing is off.

Accident damage is rarely only what you can see. A crumpled wing can hide a bent mounting, and a cracked bumper cover can sit over a damaged crash bar or sensor bracket. If the impact was hard enough to affect the structure, the repair may involve welding and structural work, and that needs careful measuring rather than guesswork.

At Banks of the Tyne in Hebburn we handle accident and insurance repairs in the coachworks, and we will talk you through what we find and what it means for the repair. What can be repaired and what needs replacing is decided on inspection, so we never promise an outcome before the car has been looked at.

Quality, paint matching and the finish

The repair itself should leave the car looking and driving as it did before. Panel gaps should be even, the paint should match the surrounding panels in daylight as well as under the workshop lights, and anything that was disturbed during the repair, such as lights, trim and sensors, should work properly.

Paint matching matters more than most people expect. Cars fade slightly with age, so a good refinisher blends new paint into the neighbouring panel rather than stopping at an obvious edge. Ask to see the car in natural light at handover and check it before you sign anything.

• Check panel gaps and alignment from a few steps back
• View the paint outdoors, not just under workshop lights
• Test windows, mirrors, lights and parking sensors
• Ask what was repaired and what was replaced

Cars, vans and commercial vehicles

The same questions apply if the damaged vehicle earns you a living. For a van or a commercial vehicle, downtime is a real cost to the business, so ask early about how the repair will be scheduled and whether a replacement vehicle is covered by your policy.

Commercial and van bodywork often involves different panels, load-area damage and larger paint areas. Make sure the bodyshop you speak to is happy to take on that type of vehicle before you arrange recovery to it.

Keeping the paperwork straight

Keep your claim reference, the estimate, any photographs you took at the scene and every email about the repair. If extra damage is found part-way through, the bodyshop will normally need the insurer's agreement before carrying on, so expect a short pause while that is arranged.

If something about the finished repair is not right, tell the bodyshop straight away and in writing, and let your insurer know too. Most issues are easiest to put right when they are raised promptly.

Frequently asked questions