General Insurance Renewal Observation

[GettinBetter]

Just looking through the details in my new policy and spotted.....

*If you use a non approved repairer to fix your car you will need to pay an additional excess of £200 on top of any compulsory and voluntary excesses that apply

Is this the start of "your not going to be allowed to fix your own car in the future", or has it been that way for a while, and I've been missing it?

 

[spidermania]

Yes and no, the new car manufactures will void your warranty if they find out you've gone to a private garage or another dealership. (it happen to me)
Of course you don't know that because it's buried in the 'fine print' as they say.
And those so called private extended warranties are nothing but a gimmick and expensive.

 

[vexorg]

I seriously doubt any insurance company would allow a diy bodge repair, and pay out for it.

 

[GettinBetter]

...new car manufactures will void your warranty if they find out you've gone to a private garage or another dealership....

I have actually refused to get involved in a warranty dispute after the client attempted his diagnosed repair himself and fix it with the help of a friend.

He had navigated up a shallow channel on the south coast, blocked the inline water filter, carried on motoring until the engine overheated and died. He tried to fix it, I won't go into details but he bought parts, and fitted them. After being unable to fix it he came to me blabbing on about warranty. As he related the story, my line of questioning uncovered his meddling, I refused to get involved or honour the warranty.

A few months later he rang about something else, and I asked if he had sorted it, he replied no. So I offered to have a look at it (out of curiosity) free of charge. He had a relative bring it to my workshop, and the first thing I checked was the inline filter which was full of mud and gravel, which also means they totally ignored the temp gauge.

I had asked if he had checked this and he repeatedly said he had.

So no, you can't/shouldn't get involved with a clients vehicle if it's still under warranty, any decent engineering institution would know that, and stay clear.

 

[spidermania]

Quite reasonable on your part as there will always be idiots who try to game the system. But make no mistake why some of the manufactures have gone this route. It's all about that 'bottom line' called money. Saves them money and brings money into the dealerships representing their vehicles. You will always fair better in a private garage because they generally have better diagnostic skills as oppose to the dealership mechanics who are nothing but parts changers. The bottom line is, whether it's the insurance company's or the car manufactures the consumer is getting screwed over.

 

[Piccolo Nero e Bella]

Just looking through the details in my new policy and spotted.....

Is this the start of "your not going to be allowed to fix your own car in the future", or has it been that way for a while, and I've been missing it?

It's been a provision in insurance policies for years - they do a deal with certain repairers to get the cheapest repair in exchange for shoving the work to them. Downside for the customer is that the repairer is looking after the insurer, not them. You never know what shortcuts may have been taken to keep the costs down.

 

[bugsymike]

It's been a provision in insurance policies for years - they do a deal with certain repairers to get the cheapest repair in exchange for shoving the work to them. Downside for the customer is that the repairer is looking after the insurer not them. You never know what shortcuts may have been taken to keep the costs down.

Had to have a wifes LandRover Defender repaired after a supermarket artic lorry driver realising he was in the wrong lane decided to reverse back , shoving wife and Land back up the road with her leaning on the horn.
End result their insurers used their approved bodyshop who replaced the front bumper with a tissue paper thickness one, the new wings had all the bolts pulled half way through the holes with no washers and out of line and changing from dip to main beam , one went up and the other went down, what a bunch of *holes!

 

[Dan at Adrian Flux]

Hi.
I think you will find that this is quite a common conditional in motor insurance policies.
Regards,
Dan.

 

[chris3234]

Just looking through the details in my new policy and spotted.....

Is this the start of "your not going to be allowed to fix your own car in the future", or has it been that way for a while, and I've been missing it?

Been like it years
Common to charge extra for using our own body shop for repairs then there "approved" ones

Basically lowest bidder for the work

 

[GettinBetter]

Thanks for the replies peeps. Seems I've been missing it.

 

[Piccolo Nero e Bella]

Had to have a wifes LandRover Defender repaired after a supermarket artic lorry driver realising he was in the wrong lane decided to reverse back , shoving wife and Land back up the road with her leaning on the horn.
End result their insurers used their approved bodyshop who replaced the front bumper with a tissue paper thickness one, the new wings had all the bolts pulled half way through the holes with no washers and out of line and changing from dip to main beam , one went up and the other went down, what a bunch of *holes!

Exactly. There's no incentive to use expensive genuine parts as they'll want to minimize their costs to get the most profit out of the tight insurance payment. I'd prefer to pay the extra and know the car's in the hands of a reputable repairer.

 

[bugsymike]

Exactly. There's no incentive to use expensive genuine parts as they'll want to minimize their costs to get the most profit out of the tight insurance payment. I'd prefer to pay the extra and know the car's in the hands of a reputable repairer.

In my experience the Insurance Companies screw the body shop to a low fixed repair labour charge per panel, which means the only way the job is viable is to cut costs to the minimum and so give the customer a poor repair.
Also they dictate the source and price for materials.