My insurance said if I take my car to the garage where I want it to go they will only pay so much and I will?

garry c

your dealing with the most corrupt people when you deal with insurance c/o

ALLEN B

If it goes to their garage they guarantee the work, this is quite usual for insurance companies

la428282

Insurance is only required to pay reasonable repair cost. Your body shop must either have extremely high labor rates (which is not reasonable) or claimed something is damaged that the insurance does not feel is.

Insurance SHOULD attempt to work with the shop to solve these issues HOWEVER- if they cannot come to an agreement your insurance is not required to go off their estimate.

Usually the insurance companies body shops offer a guarantee on their repairs- which you would probably want for your new car. why dont you consider saving the hassle and going through them?

tom

i think its a bloody cheek telling you what garage to take your car to, most people have a favorate garage , one that they have bin taking there car to for a long time and gives good service im sure your garage will give a garantee, if it was me i would realy complain , could it be that the estimate from your garage is a very highprice ? if so get a few more estimates from main dealers they should be more expensive than your own small garage .

Bardic

Actually, your dealer probably doesn't have a bodyshop of their own, they will farm it out to one and it may well be the one the insurers want to use!
Normally the places chosen by the insurers are approved, in that the quality of their work is checked, as are their prices, and the whole process is much smoother at a fraught time.
I suppose as the insurance are paying the piper, they can call the tune.

WelshLad

They have a list of their approved garages.

namrepus

Dont stick with that car insurance company, it seems like they are robbing you. Im not saying that all insurance are all like these, so im suggesting you to look for another car insurance company that will surely help you but not to rob you. Search it on the net and look for that car insurance company, you can use this site as a bridge of your needs http://www.nightbirdssolutions.com i hope it will help you.

Oracle

If you're not using an approved-repairer of the insurer, normal procedure is to submit two estimates for repairs. The insurer will normally authorise the lower of the two. You would also be responsible for sorting out the insurance on any courtesy car provided as this is normally only covered under the standard terms of the policy where an approved repairer is used.

The purpose of the approved repairer network is to (a) offer the client a streamlined service without the need for obtaining estimates and sorting our courtesy car insurance and (b) to protect the insurer from inflated prices quoted by garages for "insurance jobs".

The scheme works very well generally but, if the car is new, and failure to use a main dealer for the repairs would invalidate any warranty, I think you have a case for asking your insurers or the engineer to reconsider.

Ultimately, as the customer you do have the choice as to who repairs your vehicle. The choice you need to make is: "do I use an insurance-approved repairer or not?". If not, submit your estimate along with an explanation as to why you want to use a particular repairer. In your situation, I wouldn't expect you to face too much resistance from your insurers.

Good luck!

Best answer

Usually thier garages are going to be quality assured by your insurance carrier. They get a discount from them so they can keep you with the lowest rate and keep the chances of fruad down.

fisherwoman

If you have accepted the settlement, the insurance company chooses who does the work, unless you find one cheaper, not more expensive. The engineer/adjuster, works for the insurance company, not you, he is there to be sure the company isn't being taken, and will come back with the lowest pay out possible.

The original Peter G

If you are claiming on the comprehensive part of your policy the insurers can specify who does the repair. You of course can have it inspected by your choice of engineer before accepting the repaired vehicle, and can refuse to accept the repair if you believe it to be of poor quality. If the car was damaged by a third party you are effectively claiming from him and you can select your repairer. Generally for a new vehicle the local dealer or their recommendation should be acceptable to all. If you've got AA/RAC they may be able to help

Greg

Your insurance company will have a set contract to take your car to specific garages for all accident repairs in your area.

You may know someone that is more capable and cheaper this is of no interest to your insurance company.

welcome news

Your insurance contract is a contract of indemnity - meaning the insurance company will put you in the same position after the accident as before - subject to the excess. You also have a duty to minimise your losses so if the insurance company can get the vehicle fixed by a reputable garage at lower cost then this is the value of indemnity. Most decent insurance companies deal with garages that will guarantee their work for a reasonable period. My only concern would be if you were in breach of a manufacturer's warranty by not having the vehicle repaired through the manufactirers dealership.

Approved garages may also provide courtesy cars whilst your car is being repaired - this is not guaranteed with other garages. Of course if you are with a direct company you may not have this policy benefit - they do have to cut corners on benefits to reduce premiums you know,

starwings20

The work is actually guaranteed no matter where you go, as long as it is a legal and licensed shop, all these shops will have a warranty and they have to do the work properly.
Insurance companies tell you that it is guaranteed if you go to their approved shops, but the reality is they guarantee it even if you choose your own shop (unless otherwise stated in your policy). They just want people to go to their approved shops, which means they don't have to pay as much.
I would be very cautious as well, California has found many vehicles that have been repaired, but not to the standards that they should. They say that 42 percent of body shops are fradulent, billing for work that they do not actually do. They even offer free inspections to people who have had body work, to check for proper work and safety. So I would be very picky about who did the work. Ask if they use oe parts.
But the insurance company is only going to pay so much for your car to be fixed, that's just the way it works. They put a certain value on it and that is all they will do. So you are free to go anywhere you want, but you will have to cover the excess.
I am sure there is some sort of appeal process or something you can do to try to get them to cover all of it, but it's probably not worth the time and effort.

I don't know what the laws are where you are, so I would look into that. (Also about the work being guaranteed, I don't know about where you are, but here the insurance company has to guarantee the work on your car, no matter where you go)
This may or may not apply to you, where you live but I'll post it anyway. http://www.hammerautobody.com/ripoffs.html

rob m

if your car is brand new ....take it to the dealer of that brand.... if your insurance will not pay all of that bill, inform them that you may need to get an attourney and perhaps change insurance companies

josey

you have to take it to one of the insurance company's garages I'm afraid....don't mind what the engineer said...he doesn't care one way or another....let them take it....it will be less hassle for you..

Kitt

Insurance repairs are like the Mafia. The garage and insurance work hand in hand. some are fair some are not. make sure every thing the insurance assessor says is written down. They are just assessors not true engineers, The garage makes a lot more from an insurance repair. than a private one, they justify it by the wait for the payment.
ask for the help line for the insurance company. and take it as far as you can, as a dissatisfied customer, Perhaps they are playing on you not knowing what is wrong, get information about what is happening and what is wrong, and get informed to sound confident on that phone.

Sane

It's a catch 22 for you! The insurance company can and will choose the garage you can get the car serviced at and they will guarantee the work. The catch is they will not use genuine parts most of the time but will require the shop to use either remanufactired parts or aftermarket parts which are cheaper in quality and fit. I used to deliver genuine Honda parts for a dealer and many many times I delivered to one of those shops who finally told the insurance co they could not complete the job because the cheap knock off parts just would not fit. I saw fenders up to 1 inch too short, warped lamp housings, and many bolt holes that would, not line up. You can choose your own shop, but as they say, you pay the difference. If the car is rather new, I'd bite the bullet and get the genuine parts, if not just be as pickey as all get go when you pick it up to make sure the parts fit and finish are perfect otherwise make them do it over again. That is your right.

ccgriffin1972

Change insurers they should allow you to use the mechanic of your choice, not the one they want.

Sounds like a scam to me, I bet someone at the insurance is related to the shop owner.

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