We realise that the aftermath of any car accident can be very confusing, especially if it has never happened before. We have therefore compiled a list of typical questions that we are often asked, with some typical answers!
Repairable Vehicles
1. When can I bring my car in for an estimate?
During our normal working hours, which are:
0800-1630 Monday-Thursday
0800-1530 Friday
It does help if you bring your vehicle in during daylight hours and preferably when it isn’t raining heavily, though we do appreciate this is not always possible.
2. Do I need an appointment to get an estimate?
No
3. Do you make a charge for doing an estimate?
If the vehicle is Fully Comprehensively Insured, we will not charge for preparing an estimate. However, before doing the estimate, we may ask for proof of the Insurance Cover. We reserve the right to charge for estimates if the vehicle is only covered for “Third Party/Fire and Theft” or if you are trying to claim off somebody another parties Insurance Company. Our standard charge for preparing an estimate is £40 (inclusive of VAT).
4. Will my vehicle be stored securely?
Yes, all the vehicles are stored securely inside our building. If your vehicle is deemed a Total Loss by your Insurance Company, we will probably store it in a secure compound until it is removed by a Salvage Agent.
5. Can I leave things in my vehicle?
You can, but it does help if you take things out, particularly if you are likely to need them.
6. Will the work be guaranteed?
Yes, any panelwork is guaranteed for 3 years and the paintwork is guaranteed for 6 years. You may find that your Insurance Company guarantees our work for even longer.
7. Will my vehicle get cleaned?
Yes, we will do a Mini Valet on your vehicle. You can find further details of our Valet services in the Valet section of the website.
8. Can you do some additional Private work whilst my car is in for repairs?
Of course. If you point out the additional area of damage to the estimator, he will prepare a separate estimate for you.
9. Can you repair my vehicle, even though you are not Approved for my Insurance Company?
We can repair any vehicle, regardless of which Insurer is involved. If it is your vehicle, you are entitled to decide who repairs it, despite what you may be told by your Insurance Company or local Dealer. They will put pressure you to use their preferred Repairer, who may not even be local to you. We can still provide a courtesy car and we will still provide guarantees for the work we do!
10. How long will the repairs take?
Clearly this will be specific to your own vehicle and the extent of the damage. Some cars can be repaired within one day, some may take a number of weeks. When you leave your vehicle with us, we will give you a realistic estimate of the time repairs are likely to take.
11. How will I know when my car is ready?
We will contact you by telephone and confirm a time for completion.
12. Can I have some of the left–over paint to touch-up my car?
This used to be a common question, and, in the days when we used solvent based paints, we would almost always give the customer a small touch-up bottle with some left-over paint inside. Nowadays we use water based paints which simply do not work as touch-up kits. Water based paints not only have a shorter shelf-life, but they also need to be covered by a clear lacquer, otherwise the colour will simply wash away, the next time it rains!
13. Can you Service my car whilst it is in for repairs?
Yes, we can. Please use the following link for further details: service work.
14. Do you do MOT’s?
Sorry, but no we don’t. However, if your vehicle is due its MOT at the same time as it is in for repairs, please let us know. For a small fee of £25 (inclusive of VAT), we will be pleased to take the vehicle to our preferred MOT station for you.
Non Repairable Vehicles
1. Why is my car not repairable?
If a car is considered to be “not repairable” or has been declared a “total loss”, it generally means the cost of repairing the vehicle exceeds to value of the vehicle. It is deemed to be uneconomical to carry out the repairs. The decision to declare any vehicle “uneconomical to repair,” lies with the Insurance Company dealing with the claim.
2. If my car is a total loss, will I be able to keep it?
You may be able to retain the salvage providing you tell the Insurance Company and this is taken into account when a settlement figure is agreed.
3. If my car is declared a total loss, what can I remove from it?
You can take all your personal possessions from the vehicle and your tax disc, from which you may be able to obtain a refund from the DVLA for the unused portion.
However, we will not allow any fixed parts to be removed from your vehicle unless you are able to replace the parts with the original equipment and we have received an authority in writing from your Insurance Company.
4. If my car is a total loss, what do I do with the spare key, log book, MOT certificate and Service records etc?
Please refer to your Insurance Company for the answer to this one. You will probably be asked to return these items to them. Please do not bring them to us, because we do not need them. You will be able to remove the tax disc from the vehicle and seek a refund from the DVLA for the unused portion.
5. If my car is a total loss, what will happen to it?
Once the Insurance Engineer has contacted you, confirmed the vehicle is a total loss and agreed a settlement figure, he will probably confirm the decision to us and pass the details of the vehicle onto the nominated Salvage Agent. The Salvage Agent will generally collect the car within one week of the decision being made.
6. My car is a Total Loss, but I have agreed to retain the salvage. What happens next?
If you have agreed to retain the salvage, we will need confirmation in writing from the Insurance Engineer, though we will not be able to release the vehicle if there are any outstanding recovery and storage costs. If you need the vehicle delivering back to you on a Recovery Vehicle, we recommend the cost for doing this is agreed with the Insurance Company first.
7. What will happen to my personal possessions if I don’t get chance to collect them?
We will always endeavour to remove any personal belongings including the tax disc before the vehicle is taken by the Salvage Agent We generally put all the items in a black bin bag and keep them in a cabinet until you are able to collect them from us. We will not be held responsible for missing anything.
Courtesy Cars
1. Will I be given a Courtesy Car when my car is being repaired?
If you are making an Insurance claim and your Policy entitles you to a courtesy car, then we will provide one of our cars, providing your vehicle is repairable and the work has been authorised. If the vehicle is not repairable, we cannot provide one of our courtesy cars, however, you may find that your Policy includes the use of a hire car for a fixed period, which we will be pleased to arrange.
2. What sort of Courtesy Car will I get?
You will be issued with a small 3 or 5 door hatchback vehicle. Please refer to our section on Courtesy cars for further details.
3. Will there be fuel in the courtesy car?
Yes, our policy is to maintain a minimum fuel level of a quarter of a tank.
4. Will there be a limit on the mileage on the courtesy car?
We do need to restrict the mileage on the courtesy cars to an average of 50 miles per day. All our cars are leased for twelve months and are generally limited to an annual mileage of 10,000 miles. If we exceed this limit, we have to pay up to 10p per mile to the lease company. Consequently we reserve the right to pass the above excess charge onto the customer if we consider the mileage has been exceeded. Our advice is to discuss this matter with us before agreeing to the Terms & Conditions.
5. Do I have to arrange the Insurance for the courtesy car?
No. We will arrange this, but please remember that we need our car to be covered on your Policy. In most cases, we will simply issue a Cover Note for the courtesy car when it is issued.
If you are paying privately for your repairs, you are Insured by a company for whom we are not Approved, or you are a “Third Party” customer and have agreed to use our facilities, we will need to take a copy of your own Insurance Policy and make sure our vehicle is covered on your own Policy.
6. What is a Third Party Customer?
The term “Third Party” is used to describe a customer who was the innocent party in an accident involving another vehicle and is making their claim directly from the other persons Insurance Company.
Payments
1. What is the Excess?
The Excess is the money you are liable for, having made an Insurance Claim. If the vehicle is repairable, the Excess is payable to Gillibrands, but if the vehicle is declared a total loss, your Insurance Company will deduct the Excess amount from the settlement figure.
2. When do I have to pay my Excess?
The Excess must be paid in full, prior to collection of the repaired vehicle.
3. Why do I have to pay the VAT as well as my excess?
This generally applies to Company owned vehicles only. If you have been asked to pay the Excess and the VAT on the repairs, it means the car is registered by the Insurer as being owned by a Company and that the Company that is VAT Registered. Because Insurance Companies cannot reclaim the VAT on our repair invoices, they insist the VAT element is invoiced to the client instead. Assuming the client is indeed VAT Registered, they should be able to reclaim the VAT.
4. What is a contribution?
A Contribution is seldom used these days. It may occur if, for example, the repairs involve fitting a brand new tyre to a vehicle. If the Insurance Engineer considers that the damaged tyre was already worn and was almost ready for replacing, he may decide to seek a Contribution from the customer towards the cost of the new tyre.
5. Do you accept cheques?
We do, but we prefer card or cash payments. Any personal cheques must be supported by a bank guarantee card.
6. Can I pay by credit card?
Yes, we have credit card facilities and accept all major credit or debit cards with the exception of American Express.
