Always check your car insurance small print

If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, you need to get it repaired as soon as possible. Your vehicle insurance will have a list of approved or recommended repairers. The insurers will suggest you use these repairers for any work required. The car insurance small print will explain the implications of not using an approved repairer. The insurance company will offer for you to have any repairs undertaken by their suggested repairer. This is because they get better deals with these garages and therefore keep their own costs down. This may present an issue if you want to use your own choice of repairer.

Read your car insurance small print

You are entitled to your own choice of repairer, we touch on this little-known fact on our Advice page for Non-Fault Car Accidents. However, your insurer may not include a courtesy car if you do. They also sometimes impose an additional excess fee and the repairs may not be guaranteed by your insurer. You might still want to use your own choice of repairer because you trust them to do a good job or they are more local to you than the suggested repairer.

Last month we were in the middle of exactly this situation when the owner of this Land Rover Discovery wanted us at Car Magic to carry out repairs and was subject to an extra £200 policy excess from his insurers Esure. Esure state in their Motor Insurance Policy Booklet that “If the repairs to your car are not completed by one of our recommended repairers, your claim will be subject to an additional £200 excess and all other recommended repairer benefits will not be available” so whilst it’s not exactly hidden from view, it’s not something that is widely known by most motor insurance policyholders and worth us pointing out!

This Land Rover Discovery needed quite a bit of work to the nearside which was being claimed through insurance. We had to fit two new doors as well as a new sill and central post. We can handle all types of body repairs from small scuffs to structural work. All work is carried out at our workshop in Buckinghamshire. The team welded the new parts into place before fitting the two new nearside doors. Then it was time for the all-important wash, wax and polish.

After collecting his Land Rover the customer left this feedback on our website Reviews page:

“Many thanks to Martin and Stuart for not only doing a great job on a pretty hefty repair to our Disco, but also ensuring all the challenges of dealing with our insurers were handled efficiently too.”