Recommemdations good bodyshop Nr Windsor/Reading to mend A Class

Submariner1

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Need to fix this hit and run bash
E1FFCC0A-B86C-4842-930A-ED5B0053FCBC.jpeg 8094083C-D6D9-44DB-8FFB-7796CC8D3C7A.jpeg

Not sure whether to
1. mend the rear quarter panel and the bumper scratch and blend into the rear door (which is undamaged)
Or
2. Write the car off ... as the insurance company want to, and just mend and paint the rear (metal) quarter panel.

Anyway looking for recommendations of someone, who can straighten this panel and deliver Mercedes level paintwork, and who is reasonable. Please :)

Its been established by Mercedes their is no structural damage. Just cosmetic.

BTW ..... usual insurance write off scam.
Atm more interested in finding a bodyshop who can fix it.


If you are interested see below.
Effing cheek .. despite telling them I did not want it written off, their engineer apparently looked at it and then decided it should be written off! Beyond economic repair. If I wanted to take it anywhere else, I would have to pay for their engineer to come out again!

Well thats a dam lie, I was there with the MB assessor all the time ... and the car never went back for an Underwriters engineers report! Opps they thought it was in the garage! :):)

They tried to phone me at 8.05am ... I missed the call, and by 10.00pm when I rang them back ... they had written it off. “Well its too late now, we tried to call you”,

They then tried to lie to me .. that “any car that has a repair bill greater than 60% of its value must according to the DVLA rules be written off!, thats the law! “

Hmmm not too impressed with this underwriter.
Pretty shocked at the amount of lies they have tried to con me with !

They are in the process of being retained to understand Submariners Law!

1. They had no right to right it off .. as I hadnt even claimed.
2. The write off value is too low .. they are Now reconsidering that .....
3. The definition of fraud, can be to create a false instrument to gain a pecuniary financial advantage.
Hmmm telling me it was the law to write it off , and force me to accept a low value ... pretty much fits the bill!
4. They are reversing the write off! Quote the DVLA “the catergorisation is nothing to do with the DVLA! “
- Its just to do with the Insurance companies scams!
 

AMGeed

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I can't help you with any recommendations, but a decent bodyshop will deal with that easily.

Ridiculous to originally write off a car for that amount of damage.
 
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Submariner1

Submariner1

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I can't help you with any recommendations, but a decent bodyshop will deal with that easily.

Ridiculous to originally write off a car for that amount of damage.

Thats what I thought. The wing is dented in about 1.5”. Nothing structural near it. And a scratch on the rear bumper corner, and a paint scratch on the wing mirror.

Their scam is quite transparent. (If you have 1/2 a brain).
Ergo:-
Pick a low value and then say, they only repair to 60% of that low value.
Then knock off your excess and then knock off £113 scrapage value if you want the car!

Rather than repair it (which one assumes, as you have comprehensive cover, is what is covered).

That saves them 40% of the cars value plus £113.
E.g if the car is worth £2,000 ... then they pick a value of £1,600.
Then they say the max they will repair to is 60% i.e £1,200

So if your repair quote is £1,300. This fails! even though less the £250 excess, they are only paying £1,050 ( and forget the VAT reclaim they will make :) ) .... er thats less than 60% of the value. No matter!!!

So they offer you £1,050, less the scappage value if you keep the car of £113. Net payout is £937!
A reasonable man would think, I am insuring a £2,000 car , ooops had an accident so they will pay £1,300 less £250 excess i.e £1,050 and not have a Cat N Car i.e. worth more.

But no they see a saving here of £111!
And put you through a world of hassle!

Where did they get this 60% formula, well they made it up! When you challenge them they say its UK Law! Enforced by the DVLA (thats a a blatant fraudulent lie , I checked with the DVLA).

Nice one for them! Simples! One million cars times £111. :(:(

Then charge you more next year as it is classified as CAT N and of course decimate your 10 year NCB.

Not having a winge ... just letting others know how they play it!
 
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Submariner1

Submariner1

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Latest in the insurance saga!

MB insurance casually informed me that as they have written off the car! Against my specific request.
And as a consequence, the car is uninsured until we get a New MOT!!

Er I only found this out as I chased his overdue return call from Monday!

When I spoke to the claims department on Monday ... they said IF it was written off that we would only have 3rd Party insurance until we got a new MOT. I told them to stop the write off process and expected insurance to carry on as normal until it was determined whether I would repair it or not.

These people are lethal!

Hmmmm if the wife was caught driving uninsured, she would get a criminal record and would instantly loose her well paid job!!

I wouldnt trust these people as far as I could throw them!
 

d215yq

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But as you should be able to repair that for less than 937 then you win as well so not a problem?

BTW It's not a criminal offence to drive without insurance
 

JBell

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Insurance companies use "Glasses Guide" to value cars.

It is a well known fact that you don't have to accept the valuation they put on the car nor do you have to accept a financial offer if they do write it off BUT it is up to you to prove that replacing the car like for like will cost £xxxx NOT their valuation.

As for NCB most policies have it protected (mine does).

In this process you should have got quotes before involving the insurance company as it is clearly borderline on write off depending on how the repair is done.

I would think it should cost around £500 to do if just straightening the panel and painting. The light should be around £35 off E-Bay

Now if you compare that to MB prices of £100 for the light, new panel, paint and labour you are topping £1k so 50% of your valuation of the car or 62% of their value of the car
 
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Submariner1

Submariner1

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Insurance companies use "Glasses Guide" to value cars.

It is a well known fact that you don't have to accept the valuation they put on the car nor do you have to accept a financial offer if they do write it off BUT it is up to you to prove that replacing the car like for like will cost £xxxx NOT their valuation.

As for NCB most policies have it protected (mine does).

In this process you should have got quotes before involving the insurance company as it is clearly borderline on write off depending on how the repair is done.

I would think it should cost around £500 to do if just straightening the panel and painting. The light should be around £35 off E-Bay

Now if you compare that to MB prices of £100 for the light, new panel, paint and labour you are topping £1k so 50% of your valuation of the car or 62% of their value of the car
 
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Submariner1

Submariner1

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Why should I have held off informing the insurance company? Actually you are supposed to inform them of sny incident asap, even if not making a claim.

You dont need multiple quotes ... just one reasonable one.

I also specifically told them what I was doing and why, namely going toma Mercedes body shop just to be sure there was no structural damage.
And during 2 conversations I said “I do not want the car written off”

Today I got a letter from LV contradicting, what I was told, namely that the moment they wrote off the car the insurance was terminated! They even admitted they couldnt get hold of me, so just went ahead and did it anyway.

Mercedes insurance have sorted it all out, and have raised an internal complaint, and confirmed we are insured.
And will force them to reverse the write off, until we have worked out sensibly what the best course of action is.
 
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Submariner1

Submariner1

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But as you should be able to repair that for less than 937 then you win as well so not a problem?

BTW It's not a criminal offence to drive without insurance

Not if its a CAT N

Are you sure its not a criminal offence to drive uninsured? ****** well should be!
 

d215yq

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Not if its a CAT N

Are you sure its not a criminal offence to drive uninsured? ****** well should be!

Not sure what a cat N is but just buy it off them and repair it for 500 quid and don't see how it makes a difference.

It's not a criminal offence and nor should it be (not least for reasons like the case in this thread where people do it unintentionally).
 

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