Choosing a Garage to Repair Your Vehicle After an Accident
If you have been involved in an auto accident, the chances are that you have so many things to think about. Some of the important issues that you must handle include sorting out the insurance paperwork, potentially acquiring a courtesy vehicle, and handling your medical bills in case you were injured.
With all these issues in mind, the last thing you want is to start worrying about where to get your vehicle repaired. Sometimes, insurance companies insist that you must use the approved garages from their list.
This, according to accident repair centre, can make things more difficult for you if you want to use your local accident repair specialist.
It is recommended to check the small print and determine whether or not you can choose another garage. Here are some of the things you should think about when choosing a repair centre for your car after an accident.
Courtesy cars
Most insurance companies are still likely to provide a courtesy car even if you opt not to use one of their approved vehicle repairers. Courtesy cars tend to inflate the overall cost of a claim so insurers try to avoid providing one unless absolutely necessary, but by providing just cause for needing one, most insurers will comply.
Guarantees
Generally, following a claim where a vehicle repair was completed by a garage the company can offer a guarantee for the repairs, often for three or more years. In case you decide to use a garage of your insurers, you may not benefit from such guarantees from the garage in the event that the repairs are unsatisfactory and have to return to the insurer to make a claim.
Extra expenses
In some cases, some insurers might charge an extra excess if you opt to get your car repaired in a garage that has not been approved by the insurance company. It is, therefore, important that you check the details of your policy paperwork to learn more about the additional excess for opting to work with a garage of your choosing. These details can help you make the right choice.
The equivalent cost of repairs
An issue associated with using the vehicle repairer of your choice is that the insurance company might not pay out the full cost of the vehicle repairs if they are not agreed in advance.
Sometimes, the insurer might argue that they could have arranged the vehicle repairs at a more affordable price through one of their approved garages.
In this case, the insurance company might only agree to pay out what they would have paid out to get the vehicle repaired by their approved garage if not agreed in advance.
It is, therefore, wise to first get an accurate quote from your preferred vehicle repairer before you get the work done. Send this quote to your insurer and determine whether or not they are ready to bear the full cost.
If you decide to choose your own repairer, the first thing you should do is to learn the details of your policy to know the conditions and additional excesses. Keep in mind that you are highly unlikely to be offered a courtesy car by the insurance company if you choose to get your vehicle repaired by one of their approved garages. If you choose to work with another vehicle repairer, choose one who can offer you another car if you need to move around.
