Thanks guys. I've appointed my own MB approved bodyshop, who isn't insurance company approved, so totally independent, and assured me that they will strip it all down to ensure the car will be all stripped down to inspect all the boot panel, chassis and all the behind the scene damages will be repaired to MB standard, so feel a lot better now. The garage is coming in to do the estimate tomorrow, and should be booked in soon for repair. But because of Christmas period rush, the garage reckons it will be not before Christmas that I'll get the car back. Not sure if I can have the hire car for that long? Time to negotiate with the insurance company again!
prprandall51
MB Enthusiast
When my E-class estate was rear-ended it was repaired via the local MB dealer. What a disaster.
It went back three times - the first time because the paint was a different colour (even the delivery driver from the bodyshop agreed that the colour match was terrible); the second time because the boot auto-shut was no longer working properly after the second visit and the third time because, a couple of weeks later, I noticed that the bumper sounded "hollow" - on investigation it transpired that the bodyshop had omitted to re-fit the energy absorbing mouldings when they did the repair, so the bumper was a hollow void inside, which would have been catastrophic if I was rear-ended again in the future.
The loan cars (supplied by the MB dealer, after the initial repair) got increasingly luxurious, though. If it had had to have gone back a fourth time I reckon I could have squeezed an SLS out of them!
It went back three times - the first time because the paint was a different colour (even the delivery driver from the bodyshop agreed that the colour match was terrible); the second time because the boot auto-shut was no longer working properly after the second visit and the third time because, a couple of weeks later, I noticed that the bumper sounded "hollow" - on investigation it transpired that the bodyshop had omitted to re-fit the energy absorbing mouldings when they did the repair, so the bumper was a hollow void inside, which would have been catastrophic if I was rear-ended again in the future.
The loan cars (supplied by the MB dealer, after the initial repair) got increasingly luxurious, though. If it had had to have gone back a fourth time I reckon I could have squeezed an SLS out of them!
Some years ago I was hit on the Wandsworth roundabout by an idiot who didn't understand what lane he needed to be in when going straight (a clue, it's not the one furthest to the right). It was an almandine 2.5-16 & there was light damage to the OS from the driver's door back.
In my naivety I insisted on using the local MB dealer's bodyshop, the first (& last) time I used an MB approved body shop. I took the car to the local dealer where a bloke in that dealership's uniform photographed the car, wrote some notes & came back to me a few days later with the quote.
I & the insurance co OK'ed it & the car went in for repair. Bodyshop wasn't at dealer's premises but a couple of miles away. Got the call, "car done, come & get it" so I troop along & was pretty much gobsmacked on arrival to see my car parked side on in the car park with the wing the original colour & the 2 doors & rear flank a very different shade of pink. I spotted this from about 75 yards away as I turned into their car park, it was that glaring. Rear bumper was misalligned by about an inch, some of the bodykit was glued on rather than using the clips MB designed for the job.
Asked the bodyshop if that was it & they said yes, that was as good as they could get it. I drove the car straight to the dealer & got the d. principal out to have a look.
Not that bad, should be pleased ins co had even bothered to fix an old 190 at all (he didn't know what a 2.5-16 was) & it was really nothing to do with him at all as the bodyshop was a separate business. I pointed out I'd I'd called his dealership for an estimate, had the estimate done at his dealership by an employee (who was there in the background while we had this discussion) in his dealership regalia. He repeated it was a separate business. I said if this isn't resolved today I was going legal & he was going with me.
Got a call that afty to bring the car back & they fixed it properly this time. Gave them back their Fiesta & never paid them for a parking ticket I collected.
In my naivety I insisted on using the local MB dealer's bodyshop, the first (& last) time I used an MB approved body shop. I took the car to the local dealer where a bloke in that dealership's uniform photographed the car, wrote some notes & came back to me a few days later with the quote.
I & the insurance co OK'ed it & the car went in for repair. Bodyshop wasn't at dealer's premises but a couple of miles away. Got the call, "car done, come & get it" so I troop along & was pretty much gobsmacked on arrival to see my car parked side on in the car park with the wing the original colour & the 2 doors & rear flank a very different shade of pink. I spotted this from about 75 yards away as I turned into their car park, it was that glaring. Rear bumper was misalligned by about an inch, some of the bodykit was glued on rather than using the clips MB designed for the job.
Asked the bodyshop if that was it & they said yes, that was as good as they could get it. I drove the car straight to the dealer & got the d. principal out to have a look.
Not that bad, should be pleased ins co had even bothered to fix an old 190 at all (he didn't know what a 2.5-16 was) & it was really nothing to do with him at all as the bodyshop was a separate business. I pointed out I'd I'd called his dealership for an estimate, had the estimate done at his dealership by an employee (who was there in the background while we had this discussion) in his dealership regalia. He repeated it was a separate business. I said if this isn't resolved today I was going legal & he was going with me.
Got a call that afty to bring the car back & they fixed it properly this time. Gave them back their Fiesta & never paid them for a parking ticket I collected.
Kris-H
Active Member
This is the thing, people automatically assume that if they take the car to an MB dealer that they or their bodyshop dept will be doing the repairs, when quite often they just outsource the work to the closest chain bodyshop or back street garage.
One of the reasons Insurance approved body shops are cheaper is due to the volume of work they get from an insurer which is often a guaranteed minimum number of jobs per week. If they get too many complaints about the quality of the work then they get dropped by the insurer, which given the volume of work from the insurer they do get is one hell of an incentive to make sure they do a good job.
Some insurers will "mystery shop" the body shops as much as once a quarter to ensure the standard is maintained.
But yes there are times when both insurer approved and MB approved body shops do mess up as neither are infallible.
One of the reasons Insurance approved body shops are cheaper is due to the volume of work they get from an insurer which is often a guaranteed minimum number of jobs per week. If they get too many complaints about the quality of the work then they get dropped by the insurer, which given the volume of work from the insurer they do get is one hell of an incentive to make sure they do a good job.
Some insurers will "mystery shop" the body shops as much as once a quarter to ensure the standard is maintained.
But yes there are times when both insurer approved and MB approved body shops do mess up as neither are infallible.
