Insurance companies, main dealer or recommended repairer?
- Thread starter SilverSaloon
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I know you've since mentioned other bodyshops but there's a link on ewarc's front page that says it's your legal right to have the car repaired anywhere.SilverSaloon said:
There are 3rd party accident management companies that will sort all this out for you, and they'll probably hire you a 7 series etc, but if there's any problem getting payment from the 3rd party then they'll look to you. And your insurance company will not be happy about, and may not pay, their charges.
Obviously I can't see the damage, but I've always tried to avoid replacing panels if possible - if they take the door apart to replace its skin then it's never going to be quite as good as it was out of the factory.
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SilverSaloon
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Rory said:
the damage is hardly much at all, small crease on the door, but i want it fixed and dont want the door to be filled as its bound to cause problems in the future....
thats why i want a new door if possible.
It is standard practise to get 2 quotations from two different bodyshops.
Because the third party has admitted liabilty then getting BMW approved/accedited bodyshop would not be an issue if your firm.
I would request for a new door skin and no filler (and if ask the bodyhop nicely they will not argue as they will be making more money out of this... and at the same time I would have a word with the bodyshop Manger to submit a report requesting for the entire side of the car to be resprayed for a good blend match as partial respray of a just the door (no matter how good the bodyshop is) will show regradless to "blemishing" the rear quarter panel and front door... (especially on a silver car)
Good luck...
Because the third party has admitted liabilty then getting BMW approved/accedited bodyshop would not be an issue if your firm.
I would request for a new door skin and no filler (and if ask the bodyhop nicely they will not argue as they will be making more money out of this... and at the same time I would have a word with the bodyshop Manger to submit a report requesting for the entire side of the car to be resprayed for a good blend match as partial respray of a just the door (no matter how good the bodyshop is) will show regradless to "blemishing" the rear quarter panel and front door... (especially on a silver car)
Good luck...
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glojo
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
Flash said:
Not wishing to be a kill joy here, but I would be VERY surprised if your insurance policy does not warn you to never admit liability.
It is always best to comply with the requirements of a policy and never admit any liability. You are not speaking on behalf of the insurance company and it is they, that you want to involve unless the person admitting liability is willing to pay for ALL your expenses?
I accept it is their fault and this is not being disputed, but they should merely admit to not seeing you and might apologise for the incident. Sorry I did not realise the traffic light was red, is different from saying, 'Sorry the incident was completely my fault.'
I wonder???
If you pull out of a side road and collide with an oncoming car, whose fault is it?
If this oncoming car was being driven by a drunk, disqualified driver that was speeding, is it right and proper that he receives thousands of pounds in compensation for so called whiplash injuries, gets his rusty car reinstated to a nice gleaming pristine vehicle?
I think sorry I never saw you would suffice.
John
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SilverSaloon said:
My Wifes last car had a 3rd party repair courtest of Admiral and Nationwide.
I can only guess that Admiral pay peanuts because the job was very poor and caused the only rust on the car due to not sealing an opened seam.
never again!!!
Barryh
Active Member
we had damage to the SLK,took it to a Vauxhall Garage in Lenzie.This was because the guys at MB Glasgow find their body shop crap and some of the guys and the manager at Lenzie were ex MB.Great Job.Car has been to MB bodyshop twice for warranty and despite a good job ,their manner is so bad ,they do not deserve yo be authourised MB repairers.Hence any other work for me has to be a non franchise repairer,Mobilolife or not.I would rather a good repair and courtesy.
Good luck in finding a GOOD repairer.
Good luck in finding a GOOD repairer.
glojo
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
Barryh said:
You have clearly had a terrible experience and there is absolutely no way in this world that I would accept a second rate job.
You have made a conscious decision to opt out of the mobilio scheme and it is possible that you do not intend keeping the car, but in years to come here's hoping the 211 does not have the same problems as the 1990's Mercedes range!!
John
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As others have said I think you're within you're rights to ask for the bodyshop of your choice - I think the "two quotes" thing is to make sure that quotes are competitive, and you're mate doesn't charge over the odds and slip you some cash back.
If you use a bodyshop approved by your insurer you may find that they may do things to an acceptable standard but will minimise costs in order to keep the contract - remember the insurer is the bodyshops customer rather than you, and they'll be sending lots of cars there every month.
If you use a body shop you choose then you will be the customer, and they'll be more interested in keeping you happy than keeping the insurance company happy.
I think that's what it pretty much boils down to.
If I had the choice given recent MB issues, and that both of ours are in-warranty then I'd probably go to an MB dealer. However I know that just about the best job anywhere would be a small local down the road who restore Aston Martins and other exotic metal. They're expensive, but they're blooming good!! They repaired a ding on my Nova about 11 years ago, it was in the car park flanked by (if memory serves right) a DB5, Dino, Mondial or 328, Lagonda, DB7, and a couple of 70s/80s Astons in the car park!!
If you use a bodyshop approved by your insurer you may find that they may do things to an acceptable standard but will minimise costs in order to keep the contract - remember the insurer is the bodyshops customer rather than you, and they'll be sending lots of cars there every month.
If you use a body shop you choose then you will be the customer, and they'll be more interested in keeping you happy than keeping the insurance company happy.
I think that's what it pretty much boils down to.
If I had the choice given recent MB issues, and that both of ours are in-warranty then I'd probably go to an MB dealer. However I know that just about the best job anywhere would be a small local down the road who restore Aston Martins and other exotic metal. They're expensive, but they're blooming good!! They repaired a ding on my Nova about 11 years ago, it was in the car park flanked by (if memory serves right) a DB5, Dino, Mondial or 328, Lagonda, DB7, and a couple of 70s/80s Astons in the car park!!
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These kind of people are great at knocking out dents, paintwork etc - but they often don't have the equipment (or experience) to work with the latest manufactuing techniques used now. And they're unlikely to be able to do the electrical/electronic repairs that something ,like the OP's 7 Series might need. In fact, applying heat in the wrong place can destroy electronic modules which are 'hidden' all of the place in high-end cars now.Bobby Dazzler said:
My experience follows. I would now just check that my insurer and manufacturer (currently MB) have the same approved bodyshop, as it is far less hassle and the work should never be an issue. Otherwise I would do as others have suggested and get the dealer to negotiate with your insurer, but keep an eye on everything as your insurer may react like mine did if the work is poor.
My story:
I had a nasty collision (icy road, car slid sideways into ditch) in my Saab 5 years ago, when it was still under warranty. I opted for the Saab recommended bodyshop, was OK'd by my insurer (Admiral) but warned that any courtesy car would be at the bodyshop's discretion - you only get one guaranteed if you use the insurer's approved places. Got a basic Ford Ka.
The bodyshop were frankly appalling, took 18 weeks to do the job (quoted 10 weeks), and made such a mess of it that I initially refused to accept it, but was forced to as the bodyshop wanted to charge me a fortune to keep the courtesy car. Admiral weren't interested at all - they refused to get involved as I hadn't used their bodyshop, even though they paid for the work.
Saab eventually took the car (after a few complaint letters to the bodyshop chain were ignored) for assessment by their senior engineers. When they saw the work they dumped the bodyshops entire (national) chain, which prompted a phone call from the bodyshop chain owner who was frankly abusive to me and refused to co-operate with Saab's investigation unless I agreed to return the car for them to assess!
Needless to say I told him where to go, with the full agreement of Saab's regional aftersales manager.
Saab then had ALL the work re-done at their expense, giving me another 9-3 as a courtesy car, and completed the lot in 9 days.
If it wasn't for Saab's excellent service and generosity I would have ended up chasing these pr***s through the courts, while living with a car that I felt uncomfortable driving.
My story:
I had a nasty collision (icy road, car slid sideways into ditch) in my Saab 5 years ago, when it was still under warranty. I opted for the Saab recommended bodyshop, was OK'd by my insurer (Admiral) but warned that any courtesy car would be at the bodyshop's discretion - you only get one guaranteed if you use the insurer's approved places. Got a basic Ford Ka.
The bodyshop were frankly appalling, took 18 weeks to do the job (quoted 10 weeks), and made such a mess of it that I initially refused to accept it, but was forced to as the bodyshop wanted to charge me a fortune to keep the courtesy car. Admiral weren't interested at all - they refused to get involved as I hadn't used their bodyshop, even though they paid for the work.
Saab eventually took the car (after a few complaint letters to the bodyshop chain were ignored) for assessment by their senior engineers. When they saw the work they dumped the bodyshops entire (national) chain, which prompted a phone call from the bodyshop chain owner who was frankly abusive to me and refused to co-operate with Saab's investigation unless I agreed to return the car for them to assess!
Needless to say I told him where to go, with the full agreement of Saab's regional aftersales manager.
Saab then had ALL the work re-done at their expense, giving me another 9-3 as a courtesy car, and completed the lot in 9 days.
If it wasn't for Saab's excellent service and generosity I would have ended up chasing these pr***s through the courts, while living with a car that I felt uncomfortable driving.
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After doing all that for you, Saab must be quite miffed that you went on to buy a Merc!Cilonen said:
OP
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SilverSaloon
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Update; i phoned my insurer (admiral) and told them that i wanted to take it to BMW, period.
They said OK but i still needed 2 quotes from 2 dealers; i said both closest BMW dealers take it to the same BMW approved bodyshop; so they said, ok they will have to inspect the damage after the estimate has been recieved.
anyway, so i go to the BMW approved bodyshop, estimater said it is repairable and wanted to bash the dent out and fill the rest. i said i wanted a new door. he said he would estimate for a new door at customers request.... now its down to whether my insurer will kick up a stink over wanting a new door or if they will just "ok" it. i think they will probably say that i must get the door repaired.... i'll argue for a bit and then accept it as i doubt there is much i can do over this. bodyshop assures me the dent will be a perfect unnoticable repair.
so i am waiting to hear back from the insurer as to whether they approve the estimate or not.
side note; i dont get a courtesy car if i dont use their recoomended repairer, but as its the 3rd party fault and their insurers will pay me back my excess eventually, can i just hire a car from Avis/Enterprise etc for the time they have the car in the bodyshop? if so should i go all out and get a Beemer hire-car or should i get something cheaper.... ie will they argue it if i get a 3 or 5 series or something?
They said OK but i still needed 2 quotes from 2 dealers; i said both closest BMW dealers take it to the same BMW approved bodyshop; so they said, ok they will have to inspect the damage after the estimate has been recieved.
anyway, so i go to the BMW approved bodyshop, estimater said it is repairable and wanted to bash the dent out and fill the rest. i said i wanted a new door. he said he would estimate for a new door at customers request.... now its down to whether my insurer will kick up a stink over wanting a new door or if they will just "ok" it. i think they will probably say that i must get the door repaired.... i'll argue for a bit and then accept it as i doubt there is much i can do over this. bodyshop assures me the dent will be a perfect unnoticable repair.
so i am waiting to hear back from the insurer as to whether they approve the estimate or not.
side note; i dont get a courtesy car if i dont use their recoomended repairer, but as its the 3rd party fault and their insurers will pay me back my excess eventually, can i just hire a car from Avis/Enterprise etc for the time they have the car in the bodyshop? if so should i go all out and get a Beemer hire-car or should i get something cheaper.... ie will they argue it if i get a 3 or 5 series or something?
glojo
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
SilverSaloon said:
Reading between the lines here the insurers have done the right thing and allowed you to get it repaired at the place of your choice, namely the approved BMW repairer.
If this is the place that other members recommend and they say it doesn't need a new panel then hopefully everything is okee dokee.
Personally I hate the thought of pulling a dent out and then filling the remaining ripples with filler. Before the accident your car never had any filler, so why have any after it?
Good luck,
John
SilverSaloon said:
Your bodyshop/estimator sounds like a "Mr Jobsworth"... If the repair does not fully blend in with rest of the paint then afterwards you can put in a claim for the whole entire side to be resprayed (I know people who have done this and won by challenging the Insurance Co...)
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SilverSaloon
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glojo said:
yup me too - thats my point in wanting a brand new door. We'll see what the insurance co says anyway....
anyway, whatever they do to fix it, if it isnt 100% perfect then it will not be accepted as its not a cheap car and i wont accept a slightly different coloured-door etc. estimater said it wouldnt be noticable after its fixed, so all i can do is hope that he is right and if he isnt deal with it afterwards.
any advice on the hire car issue?
glojo
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
SilverSaloon said:
Is this body shop the one recommended by jgevers? (I hold this person in very high regard)
Hopefully the body shop will do a first rate job, but I would be interested in other folks input regarding the baking of freshly applied paint. I am a stickler for insisting that newly applied paint is baked, quite a few repair shops simply do not do this anymore. The repair looks first class for 12 months or so but the sun can play havoc with it. Paint will discolour and in my experience this discolouration is different if the paint on some panels is baked (factory applied) and then merely sprayed on other panels? Have new paints overcome this problem? Are the new water based paints more resilient?
Regarding the courtesy car, this is a minefield, hopefully the repair shop has a few cars and will not take your car in, until a courtesy vehicle becomes available.
Other members might say go and get a car of similar size to your own!! Look into this with yours eyes wide open and I merely say tread with caution.
Your situation is certainly throwing up the differing standards of service, both from insurance companys and the main dealer.
I would have liked your BMW dealer to have taken a far more active role in this incident. This to me is what attracts brand loyalty. I am definitely NOT picking on your dealer, there have been horrendous stories told on this forum about our own dealerships.
I'm in a bit of pain at present so I might be rambling on a bit.
Good luck with getting this resolved and good luck in getting a decent courtesy car.
OP
OP
SilverSaloon
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glojo said:
no, the approved bmw bodyshop is www.ewarc.co.uk
i would go elsewhere but i need to know that all the work is "BMW approved" for it to not effect any paint warranty later on..... also i am hoping that a BMW approved workshop will have the tech details availbale to uninstall and reinstall the door properly (i have airbags, soft closing doors, electric blinds on the windows etc) so i dont want a guy who has never worked on a 7 series before "winging" it.....
i assume the bmw workshop warranties work for a certain number of years - so should be ok if it does fade etc in time..... hopefully it wont!!
when my insurance company rings me saying what to do next, i will ask them about the hire car - i imagine it should be ok, i will probaby just hire a mondeo or something similar - might not bother at all if there isnt a car hire place near to the repairer otherwise i wont be able to colelct it etc without a car, causing more hassle than its worth (i can always just get the train to work when its in the bodyshop). the main prob for me is getting to the repairer again to pick the car up if its a weekday... so a hire car would sort that out if i can dump it near the repairer.
the repairer says they wont give me a courtesy car as they are Norwich Union reccomended repairer so all their cars go to those customers.....
