Frequently Asked Questions

One where someone else was responsible for the damage to your vehicle. Being hit from behind is the clearest example, but it also covers being struck while parked, a driver pulling out of a junction into your path, a lane change into the side of you, or damage caused by an uninsured or untraced driver.

You do not need the other driver to have admitted anything at the scene. Fault is established as the claim progresses.

Usually, yes. Where the claim is pursued against the other driver’s insurer, you are entitled to have your vehicle repaired by a garage of your choosing. The person who caused the damage, and their insurer, do not get to decide who repairs your vehicle.

It works differently if you claim through your own policy. Most motor policies allow your insurer to direct the repair to an approved repairer, and some apply a higher excess or restrict certain benefits if you go elsewhere. Our Your Right to Choose page explains this properly.

Not necessarily, particularly if the work has not started. Give us a call before you assume the decision is made.

What does make it harder is agreeing to let someone collect the vehicle. Once it is in another compound, getting it back is awkward. If you have not decided yet, you are entitled to say exactly that.

Yes. Report the incident to your insurer regardless of whose fault it was, because most policies require it and failing to do so can cause problems later. Reporting an accident is not the same as agreeing where the repair happens.

That depends on your policy and on how the claim is settled, so we cannot give you a universal answer and neither can anybody else who has not read your policy. Your insurer or broker can tell you exactly where you stand. It is a fair question to ask them before you commit to a route.

You may still have options. Tell us what happened and we will talk you through it. If the police attended, have the incident reference number to hand if you can.

Where you are entitled to a replacement vehicle, we will arrange one for the period your own vehicle is off the road, matched as closely as we can to what you normally drive.

Tell us at the first call what you actually need it for. Child seats, a dog, a towbar, tools and racking all affect what will genuinely work for you, and it is much easier to arrange the right vehicle at the start than to swap it later.

No, and the difference matters.

A courtesy car is a vehicle we may be able to provide while we carry out insurance or private repair work. Availability is limited and it will not necessarily be the same type of vehicle as yours.

A like-for-like replacement vehicle relates to a non-fault claim and is intended to match the vehicle you have been deprived of.

They come from different places and work in different ways, so it is worth being clear which one is being discussed. Our Courtesy Vehicles and Like for Like Replacement Vehicles pages set out each in more detail.

It depends on the damage and on parts availability. A scuffed bumper and a damaged wing is a different job from structural repair to a vehicle that has been hit hard.

We will give you a realistic completion date once we have stripped and inspected the vehicle, which is the first point at which anyone can tell you honestly. If something changes, you will hear it from us at the time.

Yes. We colour-match to your vehicle’s original finish rather than to the nearest available shade, and we blend into adjacent panels where that is what the finish requires. Metallics and pearlescents vary between batches and with age, which is exactly why matching to the vehicle in front of us matters.

Whichever is right for the vehicle. If a panel can be properly repaired, that is usually better for the car than replacing it. If it cannot, we will tell you. What we will not do is replace something unnecessarily, or repair something that should have been replaced.

We repair cars, vans and commercial vehicles of most makes, to manufacturer repair methods using approved paint systems. If there is something specific about your vehicle, ring and ask.

Yes. Our repairs and paintwork are guaranteed for as long as you own the vehicle, and parts are covered by the manufacturer’s own parts warranty. Full terms are on our Our Guarantee page.

Our workshop is in Lingfield, Surrey, and we work with customers across Surrey, Sussex and Kent.

Yes. We can collect from your home, your work or wherever the vehicle has ended up, and deliver it back when it is finished. If the vehicle is not drivable we will arrange recovery.

Your registration and a postcode. That is genuinely all we need to begin. You do not need your claim number, your policy documents or the other driver’s details at that first stage.

Our online claim form and our WhatsApp line are open 24 hours a day, including evenings and weekends.

If you get in touch during opening hours we will call you back within two working hours. If you contact us overnight or at the weekend, we will call you by 9am on the next working day.

Yes. We take on private work, including dents, scuffs, kerbed alloys, paintwork and cosmetic repairs, whether or not there is a claim involved. Our Other Services page covers the rest of what we do.

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