IS220D going for repairs - what to expect

[Cpt_747]

My 220D has been hit yesterday and the other party accepted their fault.

There are deep cuts and dents on the driver & driver side passenger doors.

It is going for repairs in few days time and I have been told that the car would be kept there for up to 2 weeks.

I am just wondering what to expect - are they going to replace the doors or just repair them and then repaint them?

and even if they repaint/ replace the doors, would they repaint the entire car or just the doors?

Sorry for asking silly questions but I have never been involved in any collision before so don't know how this stuff works.

here are some of the photos of the damage.

[rayaans]

Depends on who you let do the work.

If you go through a Lexus dealer by paying the excess of around £250, they'll replace the doors and damaged bits and paint the doors along with blending in to the front fender, rear fender and pretty much that whole side. They'd have that done in about a week.

If you go through your insurers choice of garage, chances are you can expect a poor repair and they'll be popping those dents out instead of getting a new door, smoothening it (or trying their best to) and painting just that section.

[graham8370]

If it's their fault, then demand that it goes to Lexus for repair. You don't have to go through their insurance company's repairers, insist it goes to Lexus. I'm guessing either Hedge End, or if not too far for you, Guildford. Lexus don't actually do the repairs themselves. They will be a Lexus approved repairer and the chances are that they will be approved by the 3rd party insurers also.

Not sure where a £250 excess comes into it. If it's their fault and have admitted liability then it shouldn't cost you a penny.

Probably over a weeks work but insist on a loan car, again, no cost to you.

[ahmedali44]

If it's not ur fault then u will get ur excess back, they used to replace door skins as it's cheaper than a new door,but then depends on garage, is it possible u can get money for total repair bill and get it repaired urself from lexus.keeping it for 2 weeks a bit too much.from pictures it got kinks u can never get them spot on if u repair doors,Im guessing they will replace full or skins as it's too much labour involved in repairing but it's insurance job, don't think gonna spend time taking kinks out.

[rayaans]

3 hours ago, graham8370 said:

If it's their fault, then demand that it goes to Lexus for repair. You don't have to go through their insurance company's repairers, insist it goes to Lexus. I'm guessing either Hedge End, or if not too far for you, Guildford. Lexus don't actually do the repairs themselves. They will be a Lexus approved repairer and the chances are that they will be approved by the 3rd party insurers also.

Not sure where a £250 excess comes into it. If it's their fault and have admitted liability then it shouldn't cost you a penny.

Probably over a weeks work but insist on a loan car, again, no cost to you.

Yes it does go to Lexus approved repairers. Its usually a bodyshop in their company so for Hedge End, itll be a Snows Group bodyshop whereas with Guildford it would be Inchcape bodyshop. However Lexus approved repairers have probably done the cars before and know what to do in terms of taking doors off etc by heart rather than relying on diagrams etc. Turns out that most Lexus approved repairers aren't approved by the insurers (I wonder why???!) and most likely its because Lexus approved repairers prefer just putting new parts on instead of fixing dents.

You're right about the £250 excess, the other party will have to pay for it (got confused because I paid the £250 for the IS but my wife pranged it herself so it was our fault anyway)

You will be able to get a loan car but be aware that this will push up the quote by £100 a day atleast. If the other insurance company looks at the figures and thinks, "nah its not worth it", they'll write off the car as Cat D

[ahmedali44]

Did they tell u total repair bill and value of car, if repair is more then half of value of car they do write it off,but will give u choice buy car off them and get it repaired urself by using second hand parts 

[Linas.P]

12 hours ago, rayaans said:

you can expect a poor repair and they'll be popping those dents out instead of getting a new door

That is still reasonable, as long as they "pop" them straight. The worse you can expect is to get thick layer of filler painted over top. I would especially cautious about that ding in rear fender - it is quite hart to straighten it as it goes over style line. It is likely that they won't straighten it properly and just fill it. I would not expect third party garage to replace the door either unless there is hole in the door.

I would second - if it is not your fault push for Lexus repair. I would accept it even with excess, but it shouldn't be.

[rayaans]

31 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

That is still reasonable, as long as they "pop" them straight. The worse you can expect is to get thick layer of filler painted over top. I would especially cautious about that ding in rear fender - it is quite hart to straighten it as it goes over style line. It is likely that they won't straighten it properly and just fill it. I would not expect third party garage to replace the door either unless there is hole in the door.

I would second - if it is not your fault push for Lexus repair. I would accept it even with excess, but it shouldn't be.

Agreed its acceptable but the guys who do this work usually work on little Citroen's and Fiesta's, not to mention the time constraints theyll have. They'll do work which would be acceptable for the majority of people but it'd drive me crazy

[Linas.P]

My point was - I wouldn't like it done to my car, but that is the service I would expect for such repair (or rather avoid). 

I would advise to speak with the person who presumably will work on your car even over the phone. If he state that they will "drop some mud and sand it"  - challenge insurance. This is not acceptable and it is not quite "as it was" before the accident.

Then they can either increase the quote and ask the service to do proper job or find another place. Insurance decision is not like "final" it is your thing to reach agreement with them which suits you. Generally, as it is not your fault you can expect the repair to the condition as it was before accident and not out of your pocket. That is the reason car is insured at the first place.

The place you least want to be - is to accept this raw deal, have your car inappropriately repaired and two years later have them failed e.g. cracked filler or even rust.