Advice re: repair

[mcmaddy]

If you want your vw paint warranty to remain intact then you need to take it to an approved vw repairer especially if your car is under manufacturer warranty still. Ignore your insurance company and tell them your car is under warranty still and you don't want any shoddy repairs. You can take it where you want but you may not get a courtesy car as has previously been said.

[monkeyhanger]

Had a lengthy conversation with the manager of the Boldon car clinic when picking up my GTD after repairs. They're approved repairers for very few insurers, despite doing a cracking job on mine and having an excellent reputation. He said the main reason for that is that to gain insurer approval, most insurance companies want them contracted to a blanket price for repairs, and that was commonly in the region of £1300, and they couldn't refuse a job.

Smart repair to a door with a small dent? £1300 please Mr Aviva.

Car been hit by a bus, with a £3k bill for parts alone? I wish you were giving me more than £1300 for this Mrs Sheilas Wheels.

With blanket bills like that there will be winners and losers, but mainly losers - who's going to blow their excess (and NCD if it isn't protected) on a £400 repair to allow the body shop to score for £900? No wonder corners are commonly cut with insurance company approved repairers.

[p3asa]

You have to claim off your own insurance first, and then your insurance company will try and recover their outlay from the other party if they have admitted liability.

Not always the case. I had a works landrover reverse right up the side of my Mk6 while I was at my work. I didn't want my insurance company informed as I knew my policy would increase even although it was absolutely no fault of my own. So I just dealt with their insurance company throughout and it was totally painless.  Nobody questioned why my insurance company wasn't involved even although I did give the other party my insurance companies name.

[mcmaddy]

You're supposed to inform your insurance company of any accident but that's just so they hike your premium up. I wonder how many people actually do tell them after even the smallest thing.