Insurance Repair Advice

[KoNG]

Similar situation I have with accident Repair Centre Sidcup approved repair garage for Admiral. Just a couple of pictures their "quality" work.
The car has been rejected twice. After accident only Headlight has been changed otherwise they tried to patch everything. Very badly as you can see. Damaged wheel arch plastic hasn't been changed at all. Alloy wheel refurbishment is disgusting. Front grill heavily overspray with paint. Another headlight damaged with some solvent so plastic is fade out
I would appreciate any advice?

 

[zeffania]

Had the same with my old EP3, think it went back 10 times and god knows how much of that year I didn't drive it. The approved garage eventually closed not long after and not surprised. Someone hit me, I lost out big time. It should come back as good as new, if not what are these clowns being paid for? Hope you get the right outcome

 

[ryzzey]

It’s reached the stage where I wish the car had been written off, now I know it’s been awfully repaired I don’t ‘love’ the car like I used to. Really is a shame and I wish I knew about Seat endurance before going through the accident management company! Lots of lessons learnt!

 

[Copra68]

It’s reached the stage where I wish the car had been written off, now I know it’s been awfully repaired I don’t ‘love’ the car like I used to. Really is a shame and I wish I knew about Seat endurance before going through the accident management company! Lots of lessons learnt!

Seat ensuranse is an accident management company. Only difference is they put in a seat bodyshop who are just as bad.

 

[ryzzey]

Seat ensuranse is an accident management company. Only difference is they put in a seat bodyshop who are just as bad.

Although they use Seat approved repairers, which might have prevented my mess. All as bad as each other though, just a PITA being involved in an accident at all!

 

[KoNG]

Just some advice for all of you suffering from quality issue after the repair

Was the incident your fault or someone else's? as this affects your entitlement and courses of action available.

Advise the insurer that you are "Rejecting goods and services under the 2015 Consumer act". Use these "exact" words.

Request from the insurer a "FULL ENGINEERS COPY" of their "AUDATEX ENGINEERS REPORT". If they send one that says "SUMMARY" at the top then it is not the correct one.

Take your car to a repairer of your choice, if possible the OE Manufacturer approved bodyshop, advise them of the situation, and ask if they could provide a "PRO FORMA" invoice for the cost of rectification, and comment on the repair

Then go back to your insurer and provide them with this.

Advise that you wish for them to authorise the rectification work at this garage. ( this way you are resolving the issue your self at not cost to you).

The second way forward is to start legal action, You would need the above information i have advised for you to request from the insurer, and you would then need to have the vehicle inspected.

You would then need to issue proceedings against the insurer via claims online, or through the small claims court. Alternatively, see a solicitor see if they will do this for you.

This can be a lengthy and expensive process.

Third way is, do the above, and submit the report to the insurer then complain to the financial ombudsman service.

 

[ryzzey]

So, just an update on this!

After getting my car back filthy inside, unfinished, covered in marks, damage to steering wheel, loose trim, marks in the paint, poor sealant etc etc. The car went back to the original repairer 8 times in total and is now almost back to normal.

I’ve now refused to let them touch my car ever again and there are still things I am not happy with, I got a quote elsewhere and was quoted well over £2500 to rectify their poor work, which the insurance company refused to cover.

The insurance company offered me £2000 cash in lieu of payment which I have accepted as I don’t think the rectification work will actually make the car worth £2000 more. So finally a result and I can carry on enjoying my car!

 

[jamietsylvester]

Just got my Leon back from my insurance-approved body shop Alton Car in Doncaster after I hit some debris in the motorway a month back. Well, it's a joke.

First time I went to collect the car, the front bumper wasn't fitted correctly (gaps all over the place), the wheel arch liner was hanging off, one headlamp washer cover was pushed around an inch into the bumper, and most of all, they'd somehow managed to paint the new bumper in a totally different shade of grey to the rest of the car. All I got was the old "plastic paints differently to metal blah blah".

Complained to my insurance company and Alton Cars agreed to take the car back. A few faults sorted, but the wheel arch liner was still hanging off (they sorted it when I pointed it out), and instead of re-painting the bumper in the correct colour, they appear to have just 'blended' the front wings in so it kind matches, but not brilliantly.

Not fully happy with the work, but really cannot be arsed to complain again, just to be fobbed off!

 

[Titchy]

Just got my Leon back from my insurance-approved body shop Alton Car in Doncaster after I hit some debris in the motorway a month back. Well, it's a joke.

First time I went to collect the car, the front bumper wasn't fitted correctly (gaps all over the place), the wheel arch liner was hanging off, one headlamp washer cover was pushed around an inch into the bumper, and most of all, they'd somehow managed to paint the new bumper in a totally different shade of grey to the rest of the car. All I got was the old "plastic paints differently to metal blah blah".

Complained to my insurance company and Alton Cars agreed to take the car back. A few faults sorted, but the wheel arch liner was still hanging off (they sorted it when I pointed it out), and instead of re-painting the bumper in the correct colour, they appear to have just 'blended' the front wings in so it kind matches, but not brilliantly.

Not fully happy with the work, but really cannot be arsed to complain again, just to be fobbed off!

Don’t let em get away with it.... Lazy bastards. You are allowed to give them once chance to rectify there mistakes, after that you are in your right to get an engineer to come out asses the issues and send it to your own garage of choice


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[SRGTD]

Just got my Leon back from my insurance-approved body shop Alton Car in Doncaster after I hit some debris in the motorway a month back. Well, it's a joke.

First time I went to collect the car, the front bumper wasn't fitted correctly (gaps all over the place), the wheel arch liner was hanging off, one headlamp washer cover was pushed around an inch into the bumper, and most of all, they'd somehow managed to paint the new bumper in a totally different shade of grey to the rest of the car. All I got was the old "plastic paints differently to metal blah blah".

Complained to my insurance company and Alton Cars agreed to take the car back. A few faults sorted, but the wheel arch liner was still hanging off (they sorted it when I pointed it out), and instead of re-painting the bumper in the correct colour, they appear to have just 'blended' the front wings in so it kind matches, but not brilliantly.

Not fully happy with the work, but really cannot be arsed to complain again, just to be fobbed off!

Hindsight’s a wonderful thing, but you don’t have to use the insurer-approved repairer. The insurer will have screwed their approved repairers down on what they will pay them for repairs, as its in their best interests to keep claim costs as low as possible. That does increase the risk that the repairer might cut corners and rush the job, with the possibility that the outcome is a below-par repair.

There may be something in your insurance policy small print that imposes certain ‘penalties’ if you opt to use a repairer of your choice - like an increased excess, or no courtesy car being provided. However, given the choice between shoddy repair by insurer approved repairer or a high quality, factory standard repair by a repairer of my choice and having to pay a higher excess / not have a courtesy car, I know which I’d choose.

 

[Titchy]

Hindsight’s a wonderful thing, but you don’t have to use the insurer-approved repairer. The insurer will have screwed their approved repairers down on what they will pay them for repairs, as its in their best interests to keep claim costs as low as possible. That does increase the risk that the repairer might cut corners and rush the job, with the possibility that the outcome is a below-par repair.

There may be something in your insurance policy small print that imposes certain ‘penalties’ if you opt to use a repairer of your choice - like an increased excess, or no courtesy car being provided. However, given the choice between shoddy repair by insurer approved repairer or a high quality, factory standard repair by a repairer of my choice and having to pay a higher excess / not have a courtesy car, I know which I’d choose.

This /\ wish I had done this with my accident last year. However I refused the car so many times the insurance paid me out in the end.

Something I was told by someone in the game is to take your car to the dealership first and tell them to sort a repair shop. That way when it comes back shoddy you can complain to SEAT.


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[ryzzey]

Just got my Leon back from my insurance-approved body shop Alton Car in Doncaster after I hit some debris in the motorway a month back. Well, it's a joke.

First time I went to collect the car, the front bumper wasn't fitted correctly (gaps all over the place), the wheel arch liner was hanging off, one headlamp washer cover was pushed around an inch into the bumper, and most of all, they'd somehow managed to paint the new bumper in a totally different shade of grey to the rest of the car. All I got was the old "plastic paints differently to metal blah blah".

Complained to my insurance company and Alton Cars agreed to take the car back. A few faults sorted, but the wheel arch liner was still hanging off (they sorted it when I pointed it out), and instead of re-painting the bumper in the correct colour, they appear to have just 'blended' the front wings in so it kind matches, but not brilliantly.

Not fully happy with the work, but really cannot be arsed to complain again, just to be fobbed off!

Yes definitely do not let them get away with it, I’ve spent a year contacting my insurance company almost on a weekly basis. Car had a lot of rectification work but I’m now past the point of caring about it anymore so being paid off is the best solution.

Safe to say if I ever need to go through an insurance repair process again I am 100% choosing a garage of my choice, and certainly a Seat approved repairer!

Good luck with it, don’t give up! At the end of the day the insurers job is to put your car back in the same state it was before the accident, so until this is the case their job isn’t finished.

 

[jamietsylvester]

Yes definitely do not let them get away with it, I’ve spent a year contacting my insurance company almost on a weekly basis. Car had a lot of rectification work but I’m now past the point of caring about it anymore so being paid off is the best solution.

Safe to say if I ever need to go through an insurance repair process again I am 100% choosing a garage of my choice, and certainly a Seat approved repairer!

Good luck with it, don’t give up! At the end of the day the insurers job is to put your car back in the same state it was before the accident, so until this is the case their job isn’t finished.

I posted a 'review' of the body shop on their Google business page, and got a phone call from their customer service team within 5 minutes! My insurer is going to send out an 'approved technician' to inspect their work, and see whether it's deemed acceptable. I'm guessing that because it still looks like a car they will say that it is, but hey, it's a little bit of hope to cling on to...

 

[ryzzey]

I posted a 'review' of the body shop on their Google business page, and got a phone call from their customer service team within 5 minutes! My insurer is going to send out an 'approved technician' to inspect their work, and see whether it's deemed acceptable. I'm guessing that because it still looks like a car they will say that it is, but hey, it's a little bit of hope to cling on to...

That’s good news, at least they’re trying to sort it. The technician I had looked at the repair very carefully and knew what signs to look out for. He estimated around £2000 to rectify the work but as I refused to let Apollo near my car again they’re now giving me the cash to get it done at a garage of my choice. Which I may or may not do!

 

[Copra68]

Obviously of no use now but I always insist on using a garage of my choice and take the car to a local family owned award winning place, the insurance will say they won't guarantee the work but the bodyshop guarantee it for 10 years anyway. I do this after being the victim of these high volume insurance crash repair cowboys.

 

[zeffania]

Got to love a bad review online. Well done and fingers crossed they see sense.

Totally unrelated, but a moan on Twitter recently meant I got my money back from a useless solicitor.

Stick to your guns and make sure they do a good job

 

[jamietsylvester]

That’s good news, at least they’re trying to sort it. The technician I had looked at the repair very carefully and knew what signs to look out for. He estimated around £2000 to rectify the work but as I refused to let Apollo near my car again they’re now giving me the cash to get it done at a garage of my choice. Which I may or may not do!

Spotted some more stuff wrong with the car whilst washing it yesterday - looks like they've taped something to the rear bumper and spoiler when it's been in the body shop, as when they've taken it off its taken off the lacquer with it! Nice, especially as they should've been nowhere near the back of the car as the work they were doing was round the front!!

 

[Brimfull]

Spotted some more stuff wrong with the car whilst washing it yesterday - looks like they've taped something to the rear bumper and spoiler when it's been in the body shop, as when they've taken it off its taken off the lacquer with it! Nice, especially as they should've been nowhere near the back of the car as the work they were doing was round the front!!

I bet this is what they state if you try to complain

"We have not touched the rear of the car as we were working on the front"



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[jamietsylvester]

That’s good news, at least they’re trying to sort it. The technician I had looked at the repair very carefully and knew what signs to look out for. He estimated around £2000 to rectify the work but as I refused to let Apollo near my car again they’re now giving me the cash to get it done at a garage of my choice. Which I may or may not do!

A bit of an update on this. The insurance assessor and the director of the company who 'repaired' the car came to inspect it today, and both agreed the car is wrong, and not up to standard. So, it's hopefully going back in next week for a paint specialist to oversee the repairs, and only when the company director is happy will I get the car back. This is starting to look a whole lot more positive...

 

[Titchy]

A bit of an update on this. The insurance assessor and the director of the company who 'repaired' the car came to inspect it today, and both agreed the car is wrong, and not up to standard. So, it's hopefully going back in next week for a paint specialist to oversee the repairs, and only when the company director is happy will I get the car back. This is starting to look a whole lot more positive...

Had this promised to me before, it came back in a worse condition even after the CEO over saw it. Just take it to another garage. It’s your car, your rights just push back on them to take it else where.


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