MK5 Golf GTI
General => Random Chat => Topic started by: stealthwolf on January 31, 2014, 07:07:56 pm
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So less than four months after some fecker smacks into my car, one of the girls at work scrapes it whilst trying to swing into an adjacent spot. Marks to front and rear driver's side door at level of bump strips and below. Rear door is pushed in where it meets front door. Was upset but not as much as she was.
Anyway, she has admitted liability and directline have been in touch re: bodyshops. Obviously they would like me to go their approved one (which by the looks of things shows that directline owns it). I'm gonna go inspect their work tomorrow but imagine it'll be more like a paint factory with less focus on quality and more on speed and cost.
So................how can I make sure the car goes to a good bodyshop? Directline are happy for me to choose a bodyshop but if there's a discrepancy in estimate cost, they'll need to send out someone to assess the damage.
I showed it to a couple of bodyshops in the city centre and one estimates £700 - will fill in the crease, paint and blend the whole lot. The other wants £1700 but will replace the rear door skin and it looks like will paint everything on that side of the car up to the roof/bonnet/boot. Obviously huge discrepancy in cost due to the amount of work that can be done.
What do I do?
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if it was me I would demand it be a new door skin..why should you just make do to make the insurance company happy
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I'd be surprised if the insurance company's body shop doesn't replace the door skin anyway.
I had someone glance of the rear quarter in my last car caused a chunk of paint the size of a tenis ball to flake off and popped it off the clips behind the wheel. I thought they would rub down the bumper, paint it then refit. Apparently a new bumper had to be fitted!
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Terrible luck Jaz.
Did she manage to hit the 'pattern' wing? If not then give it a kick so it looks like she did!
Shame you are not closer as the body shop I use is excellent.
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It is your right to decide where the car goes for repair
so don't cave in to the insurance company
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Take it some where your happy with. Some one you may have used.
I'm sick of the insurance dictating who you can and can't use.
The old bull sh*t of it'll take longer to authorize, can't gaurente repairs, multiple estimes etc is balls.
We're independent but also over spill for Hastings ins.
We work at 30 per hour no discounts.
The Hastings contract we have to work at 25 per hour 30% discount.
You may luck out and get a good repair. But you didn't do too well on your last u remebrr.
Today I had a call off aviva, before Xmas we quoted on a merc, two new door, New quarter and wheel. Repair was 3500. Aviva forced him to use their approved by doubling his 700 xs if he choose us. The result was a car full of filler. And a bill for over 4000. Aviva are now looking into the approved garage.
Wish you all the luck in the worlld bud. Ins companies don't give a toss.
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Go to a bodyshop of your choosing, I did. Let them send someone out.
Oh and you are entitled to a like for like curtesy car too. Don't take a 1.1 micra.
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When my friends VXR got crashed into they gave him a Mini Cooper S convertible, and then when it got crashed into again, they gave him a 2.0 TDI NEW shape A3 Sline.
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With this being 3rd party if he deals direct with her ins or a claims team he'll get like for like. If he goes through bhis own ins they only have to give him a grade a car. Ie brand new.
And when its us as a body shop ehobhave to give that car free to the ins why do you think there always small little cars.
You pay the ins for courtesy car privilege on your policy and they make the repairing garage supply it foc
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I tried this I the past. The problem you may face is the insurance company get reduced hourly rates and total discount for putting the work through their own garage. FOR EXAMPLE let's say you took your car direct to the body shop they would charge you £800 for a repair. Through the ins company in the same shop doing the same repair they may only charge the ins company £520. So when you say you want to go elsewhere they will only give you £520 for an £800 repair. So you end up out of pocket.
We had it the start of last year. We ended up going through the ins garage. The job was crap so I went and got the body shop manager to look at it and pointed out all the mistakes and then visited the car when it was fixed to inspect it before I signed off on it and it was all sorted.
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Ring an accident repair company. They sort everything for you, but insurance company's hate them because it costs them more.
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I tried this I the past. The problem you may face is the insurance company get reduced hourly rates and total discount for putting the work through their own garage. FOR EXAMPLE let's say you took your car direct to the body shop they would charge you £800 for a repair. Through the ins company in the same shop doing the same repair they may only charge the ins company £520. So when you say you want to go elsewhere they will only give you £520 for an £800 repair. So you end up out of pocket.
We had it the start of last year. We ended up going through the ins garage. The job was crap so I went and got the body shop manager to look at it and pointed out all the mistakes and then visited the car when it was fixed to inspect it before I signed off on it and it was all sorted.
This is what I'm worried about. I don't want body filler on the car. Would prefer a new door skin, which will drive up cost. At the moment, I said I'd have a look at their bodyshop's work but TBH googling it doesn't fill me with confidence. Might just tell them to discuss with the VW approved one in Digbeth which is where I've been before and the colour match was spot on.
The courtesy car is gonna come through enterprise rent-a-car and will be similar sized model to the Golf.
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Probably be a 1.6D Astra or a 2.0D insignia SRI..
When my other halfs 1.6 fiesta titanium got done her like for like was meant to be the Astra but they didn't have any so got the insignia and it was a nice car. Only downside to enterprise is even tho you are covered by your insurance the excess per scratch/dent/accident you have is £600 or you take out the optional £12 a day waiver. I was quite annoyed when I found that out as its a premium courtesy car we paid for on the policy and then get told there's big excesses or daily charge waivers to pay
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You can claim the waiver back.
It's very rare an engineer will not agree costs unless the pee is being taken. We had an aviva guy who wanted 10% discount and £25 per hour. He left at £30 an hour no discount.
It's just a scare tactic they use to push you to their guys.
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How much is a new door skin? For the sake of the labour involved with pissing about with filler, I bet theres not much in is price wise.
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They've lumped it altogether under parts - new skin + new door strips front and rear + sound pad + car care kit + foil + adhesive all for circa £300+VAT.
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Update: took it to directline's repair centre (UK assist) to see what they would do since it seemed odd one company would repair the damage and another would just replace the door skin.
Estimator reckons it doesn't need a new skin and that the dent can be easily pulled and the area of damage spot repaired/repainted without having to involve the front wing/rear pillar. He said he was one of the guys who would have been called out to assess the damage had I decided to go with my own bodyshop. He tells me he wouldn't authorise a new door skin.
Sooooooo............what it looks like it boils down to is I can go to any bodyshop and get the damage repaired but nothing needs to be replaced. I think at the moment I just need to wait for his letter in the post and take it from there.
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thats balls mate,
hes making you feel pressured into the repair.
do you have pics
if it was someone like us, all images go online via audatext.. no involment from the reccomended repairer...
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So can I refuse a repair? What would happen if I refused and the assessor didn't think it warranted a replacement doorskin?
The dent/crease in the door is just below the doorstrip on the rear passenger side. Maybe about six inches long?
The area affected is the rear door front 9 inches and maybe 3-6 inches of the front door. Will get up pics in the morning if I can.
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I know its along way from you jaz.. but have you thought about just taking it up to jake? At least it will be sorted correctly :happy2:
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Considered it. Jake where you based?
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We're greater Manchester bud.
Not sure how far you are
It can totally depend upon the repairing body shop and the engineer who looks at it.
From my point of view if you were at fault then per gaps they may look to repair rather than replace. But when your the third party we would replace as the car wants full of filler. In the first place.
In your case we always use our accident management firm collision solutions. It stops all the running round you've done. And also stops the bull crap from the ins.
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Central Birmingham. Bit of a trek to Manchester. Don't mind popping up but would struggle to get back home/pick up the car.
This is the place I wanna use: http://www.citycentrecarcare.co.uk
When I scraped a door on a pillar when reversing into my garage, these gyys did a top notch job. Paint match was spot on. Obviously more costly.
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as Jake mentions it should have a door skin and would be cheaper in the long run than having to pull and bodge the door...Stand your ground with them and demand it needs doing properly with no filletr as your the innocent party..
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Are you going through your insurance or dealing direct with theirs?
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Dealing direct with theirs. Told my own insurance for notification purposes only.
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Sorry to read this Stealth.
Don't take any sh*t. :fighting:
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Thanks Ian. Just wanna get this sorted with minimum of hassle and I want it done right!
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car would of been done by now....if you'd of used some one like us lol
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and you'd of had a free courtesy car...
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As said above, I've been offered a "free" hire car by the third party's insurers and have been in touch. Told them what was going on (ie wanted to sort out my own bodyshop etc) and they said just contact them when required.
I'm in no massive rush to get this done - would rather get it done right, than wrong and fast.
Right, best go get pics.
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(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdaz.co%2Fmedia%2Fv55%2Fstealthwolf%2Fpingu1_zps8a4482b6.png&hash=2ef6e0d157e388a42a5c1249f7318a669fb3f72b)
(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdaz.co%2Fmedia%2Fv55%2Fstealthwolf%2Fpingu2_zps50a7e6fa.png&hash=cf0e59bf8934336fca480441571f8765caff9a4a)
(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdaz.co%2Fmedia%2Fv55%2Fstealthwolf%2Fpingu4_zps8c36db56.png&hash=f0bc71f9cd3a9d9ef54b1530b7d689e8593edbb4)
(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdaz.co%2Fmedia%2Fv55%2Fstealthwolf%2Fpingu3_zps4dca31dd.png&hash=608c374e9fb72629fb76582662b628c7889d3e9d)
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So am at the bodyshop having dropped the car off. Waiting for ERAC to meet me here. They said 1300. It's now 1330. :popcornsoda:
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Arrived yet? Ha
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Annoyed. Rang at 0830 to ensure they would be there for 1300. They said to ring 10 mins before getting there so they would head out. Rang at 1245 and got to bodyshop for bang on 1300. Nothing heard/seen. Rang at 1330 to ask what was happening - obviously a cock up somewhere. The girl who answered was the one who ended up picking me up at 1345.
They were gonna give me a Vauxhall Meriva. I managed to get myself a Yaris instead, which I much preferred.
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63 plate yaris in red. Lovin' hit. Pulls much better than the Chevrolet Spark I had last time, generally feels better and has more features. Lovin' the MFSW and the reversing camera. Could do with stiffening the steering a little since any bumps in the road cause the wheel to wobble whereas the ED30 just steam rolls ahead.
Oh and best of all - no brake squeal! :pomppomp:
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Written authority for new door skin :pomppomp:
Front wing will be done at the same time.
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Sounds ideal Stealth. :happy2:
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Been watching your plight with interest Jas. great result. Just shows that you can get what you want if you stick to your guns. :happy2:
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great result Jas :happy2:
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Thanks. It's been a complete PITA but nice that's worked out. There are times when I think my car is just jinxed but at the same time I couldn't bear to part with it. Even for a golf r.
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Thanks. It's been a complete PITA but nice that's worked out. There are times when I think my car is just jinxed but at the same time I couldn't bear to part with it. Even for a golf r.
Means you won't want to swap with mine then! :sad1:
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I was very close to ordering a mk7 golf r. But it won't fit in the garage and it doesn't look special the way a Gti does.
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Finally picked it up. Looks good so far and a much better colour match than the last repair, though it will be easier to check when it's a clear sunny day.
I need to fall in love with the car all over again. That yaris was quite good and made me contemplate selling the ED30!
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Finally picked it up. Looks good so far and a much better colour match than the last repair, though it will be easier to check when it's a clear sunny day.
I need to fall in love with the car all over again. That yaris was quite good and made me contemplate selling the ED30!
Cant tell if being serious.....
Good job its back!
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Glad you've got it back and it's all sorted. I was without my gti for a month at the beginning of the year and had the same thoughts of selling up but they soon vanish :happy2:
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I would quite like a car i dont care about to burn about in