Crash damage repair

[davyhawk87]

Hi folks,

I got rear ended this morning whilst sitting in traffic. Back end is a bit of a mess - badly dented in around the licence plate, boot won't quite close properly. Impacted caused me to shunt into the car in front so the plastic grill is cracked and some of the panels there are misaligned. No one was injured though, which is the main thing.

My insurer has recommended a local 'approved' garage (small independent garage) I should go to to get the repairs done. Having never experienced this kind of thing before, I'm just wondering if there is any merit in actually going to VW to get the work done instead..? Just because I expect they would be able to get hold of spare parts quicker, and hopefully know their way around a Scirocco better than a small independent garage. I've had some interactions with my nearest VW dealer (Alan Day West Hampstead) and they seem pretty professional, done very minor jobs for free, always given good customer service etc.

Only issue is I have to formally submit a quote from any other garage I wish to use, which would slow the process a bit, and I imagine they will charge more for the work which my insurer would find an excuse to turn down. I've wanted to get some more body work (alloy refurbish) done for a while now so this is a good opportunity to get it done - my local VW have quoted a price that's actually cheaper than anything else I've found locally.

Any input much appreciated.

Cheers,

D

[trix]

Sorry to year that, as long as you're ok. Your main thing is going to be ensuring the bodywork/paint guarantee remains valid which I believe means a vw approved garage must do the work, you might need to have a few words with your insurer

[maisbitt]

If the liability for the claim rests with the third party then you can definitely dictate where you want your repair done. I have had 2 VW repairs following non-fault incidents similar to yours. In the first instance my MK5 Golf GT Sport 170TDI got clattered by a bus and I insisted on it being repaired by the VW approved bodyshop of my supplying dealership - Benfield, Newcastle upon Tyne. In Hindsight I would have been better handing my car over to a group of barbary apes equipped with a bag of hammers and a couple of cans of spray paint. They ruined the car, compromised the rust-proofing, took an age to do whatever work they did on it, left it filthy inside, left it in an unsafe condition (brake fault) and stole/lost a number of things from my car. Their liability for the work was limited to a 1 year warranty. After the year liability reverts back to VW for the remainder of the 3 year paintwork warranty and the 12 year anti-perforation warranty.

Nov 2011 saw my current Roc hit from behind at about 25mph whilst parked. The other party suggested a repair centre which was Arnold Clark in Shiremoor (part of a Ford group of Arnold Clark dealerships). I asked about warranty and they guarantee all work carried out for 5 years, even though it was not a VW approved centre. I knew this repair centre has a cracking reputation. They repaired the car as good as new (new back bumper, rear quarter panel, wheel, tyre and suspension) and in about 2 weeks, and paint repaired all my bonnet/front bumper stone chips for free too.

The moral of my story is that "VW approved" is not an assurance of quality. Ask yourself how long you are going to be keeping the car. If the repairer is offering to warranty the work for longer than you'll be owning it for then what's to lose? Make sure the reputation of the proposed repair centre is good. Whilst going back to Benfield for repeated remedial work there were many other disgruntled customers - I was not a one-off.

Most insurer approved places have a good reputation. The insurer has to back up the warranties on work carried out so they're going to make sure they choose places that get it right first time.

On the repairs the main things to look out for is that they refit any removed trim properly and get a good colour match on repairs (some metallic shades are hard to blend in - inspect new paintwork in overcast conditions as well as blazing sunlight). Getting the newly painted stuff tested for paint thickness so it is comparable with the original finish is good too.

[robinalex]

My last car before my current Roc was a brand new Merc C220Cdi Sport Edition. I got hit by an uninsured dangerous driver when the car was only 3 months old and done less than 2000 miles causing £12k worth of damage including ripping both the rear wheels off. I insisted with my insurance company that it went to the local Merc dealer for repairs as I thought I stood the best chance of a decent job and they agreed. Car was never the same again after I got it back, had loads of problems with sensors and suspension parts needing replacing, laquer coming off paintwork and uneven wear to rear tyres, then excessive corrosion on rear arches that had been repaired. Merc always denied it was nothing to do with them but I am sure it was because they had done a poor job. Just because someone is a main dealer it does not always mean they are going to do the best job. From my experience everyone is just out to cut as many corners as possible to increase their profits.

[maisbitt]

@robinalex: My Golf was 2 weeks old and had 405 miles on the clock when it was clattered! I'm sure most of these approved centres attached to an established dealership are the first port of call for many people when they get into an accident, rather than rely on needing a good reputation for workmanship.

[sarit84]

@davyhawk87
Someone hit my car a while back. I found a really good garage called Acton Coachworks in Park Royal, North West London. My insurance company accepted the garages quote and let them carry out the work. Ask them for a quote and their quality of work is really good.

[davyhawk87]

Many thanks for the advice and insights everyone. Sounds like the moral of the story is to go with good reputation over 'approved' or 'manufacturer recommended' - same with most things I guess!

sarit84 - I'll be sure to check them out. I've seen the name come up before elsewhere, that had a positive review too.

Cheers,

D

[carmanvw]

You've possibly got the job done at this stage, but I posted last September after also being rear ended, but only required the rear bumper to be replaced.
What I learned was- the main vw dealer actually forwards you to an independent but approved body shop. The body shop promises the sun moon and stars before you leave your car in. But once its in, they just want you to sign the form stating you are happy with the repair and accept it as full settlement for the accident.
In my case, I was not happy with the job done, which required 3 gos to get the colour near the original. I think in the future also, I'd be inclined to put a straight line thru anything on the form u don't fully agree with.
I agree with one of the posters- it's up to you where you get the job done if the other company is paying for it- but if you then rear ended the car in front, that may change things.
Hope the car turns out ok.

[salsajoe]

Worth mentioning that you are going to get an independant inspection of the work when completed. Works wonders!!

[Yellow_A4]

There are a number of independent Repairers that are VAG Approved and also Approved by most insurance companies. You also have the right to choose where you get your vehicle repaired as to keep the vehicle warranted.

I don't know where your based, but if in the Midlands area, Forward Motors in Malvern are a VAG repairer and will undertake the insurance work for you. http://www.forwardmotors.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ask for Andy!