Car Insurance Information
Getting Your Car Repaired
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Getting Your Car Repaired
If you have a comprehensive policy: Ask your insurance
company for advice. Take your car to a competent repairer
and tell your insurance company immediately. If your insurance
company recommends a garage then take your car there if
possible. This may avoid the need to get a separate estimate
and could speed up the repair considerably.
Many insurers' recommended repairers will be able to
provide you with a courtesy car whilst your vehicle is
being repaired.
Unless your insurer has special arrangements, send a
repairer's estimate to them. They will check it and if
it is agreed they will authorise repairs subject to your
completing a satisfactory claim form.
When you collect the car after repairs you will have
to pay the first part of the claim if you have an excess
on your policy. You pay this money direct to the garage,
whether or not you were to blame for the accident. Your
insurers may also ask you to pay a part of the cost of
repairs if your car is put into a better condition than
before the accident.
If you are registered for VAT, pay any VAT due to the
garage and claim it back from Customs and Excise. If you
are not VAT registered your insurer will pay it.
The cost of repairs is your responsibility until your
insurers have agreed to pay. For your peace of mind, you
may want to obtain confirmation from your insurer that
they accept liability and will pay the cost of repair.
If you have chosen third party fire and theft cover,
your policy will not cover accidental damage to your car.
You therefore have to pay the repair bill yourself or
claim from the other driver if he or she was legally liable
for the damage.
Write to the other driver saying that you intend to claim
from him/her. Say that you hold him/her responsible and
ask him/her to tell their insurers.
Write direct to their insurers, if you have details,
quoting the other driver's policy or certificate number.
Send a repairer's estimate as soon as possible - their
insurers may well ask you for additional estimates. Tell
your own insurers that you are claiming against the third
party.
The other driver should tell their own insurer of the
accident. They will only be able to deal with your claim
if the other driver asks them to. They can only act on
the instructions of their own policyholder.
On receipt of your letter the third party may settle
your claim themselves or may pass the matter to their
insurers. If they consider their policyholder entirely
to blame they will pay your claim provided they have full
information. If they consider that you were entirely or
partly to blame they may refuse your claim or suggest
a compromise.
The third party may refuse to co-operate at all in which
case you should seek advice from your insurance company,
insurance adviser, motoring organisation or solicitor.
You may, at the end of the day, have to take legal action
against the other driver; your policy may have a legal
expenses section which will cover your costs.
Recommended Repairers
Many insurance companies have lists of approved repairers.
When you tell your insurance company about the accident
ask them for the name and address of the nearest recommended
repairer. You are not obliged to use a repairer recommended
by your insurance company although this will speed up
handling of your claim and you may not need to obtain
a repairer's estimate at all. Many insurers have arrangements
with their recommended repairers whereby you may be able
to use a courtesy or hire car free of charge whilst repairs
are carried out.
Similarly, many insurers have arrangements with specialist
windscreen replacement companies. Keep a note of these
in the glove box of your car.
