VW Golf - Insurance Repairs

ballooba

Sister recently had a tip.

Another car drove into the front left wing of her 2001 VW Golf.

The other party wqas completely at fault and asked her insurance company to sort it.

A rental car was dropped at her place of work and her car was collected from the street outside our house.

She was told that a certain well known Dublin garage were taking care of the repairs. They had the car for a week.

She got it back on friday and I had a look at the repairs this evening (Monday).

The exterior panels appear to have be replaced as they were mangled.

The interior appears to have been glued or welded back together. The below are links to these photos:
http://spraoi.ie/damage/FrontLeftWingFrontBottom.JPG (403k)
http://spraoi.ie/damage/FrontLeftWingInsideBack.JPG (275k)
http://spraoi.ie/damage/FrontLeftWingInsideFront(ShowingRustSpot).JPG (330k)
http://spraoi.ie/damage/FrontLeftWingInsideMiddle.JPG (353k)
http://spraoi.ie/damage/FrontLeftWingInsideRearDetail.JPG (286k)

Should she accept this or should it have been replaced.


Also the garage appear to have damaged the rear wheel arch and not mentioned it.
http://spraoi.ie/damage/RearLeftWheelArch.JPG (430k)
http://spraoi.ie/damage/RearLeftWheelArchBack.JPG (604k)
http://spraoi.ie/damage/RearLeftWheelArchFront.JPG (399k)

Has she any come back on this?

http://spraoi.ie/damage/StrokeDetail.JPG (287k)
Any idea what this gunk is?

Tommy Vercetti

I'd take it to an independent garage or crash repair specialist for a second opinion. Even if they did it on the cheap, you can be sure the insurance company will be billed for a major repair.

FT77

Tommy Vercetti wrote:

I'd take it to an independent garage or crash repair specialist for a second opinion. Even if they did it on the cheap, you can be sure the insurance company will be billed for a major repair.

yeah get on to the AA - you can get one of them to check it out for ya...

It does look like a bad job - but i'm no expert !

Gmodified

looks like art to me real sloppy job, how is the paintwork finish on the wing?

peterk19

Its not a bad job mate if you are paying to get it fixed yourself but not for an insurance job everything should have been replaced cause all they do is give a cheque out at the end of the day and no doubt the company in question charged for the job as if all the parts were replaced id say go back looks crap and will reduce the resale value of the car.
Pete

Interceptor

Its pretty typical of the sort of work done by the majority of bodyshops - quick and nasty. If you aren;t happy, notify the insurance company and have the assessor who looked at the car (they always send one) take another look. The wing hasn;t been properly sealed with mastic and will result in problems in years to come. Ultimately the job isn't too bad but it looks like a no-frills rush job.

The 'gunk' is panel sealing mastic put on during assembly. It acts as rust prevention and noise/sound deadening.

'ceptr

ballooba

interceptor wrote:

The 'gunk' is panel sealing mastic put on during assembly. It acts as rust prevention and noise/sound deadening.

'ceptr

So this should only be where panels meet? Also there should not be gaps in it?

I had another look at it this evening. The panel in the enging bay has visible damage and chipped paint on it. Should it not have been replaced?

[edit]
btw, I know she should just get it ckecked but she is like a tortoise getting anything done. I'll give her the number for the Insurance companies 24 hour claim complaint line. If she doesn't ring it then I'll just have to do it for her. For god's sake they even come to yor workplace and do the stuff!!! :rolleyes: [/edit]

Interceptor

Oh it should just be where the panels meet but gets sloshed around sometimes - I wouldn't worry about it. I would worry if there are gaps - either squeeze some mastic/silicone into it and paint it or bring it back to the repair shop. The panel where the wing was replaced is very difficult to replace and easier to straighten as it doesn't affect the external cosmetics - the chipped paint is unacceptable and should be brought back for rework.

'ceptr

Cryos

balloba,

We run a crash repair operation here in wicklow, your job by many standards is a good one. However for future referance if you have a prang in the future and the insurance company tells you to bring it to their approved garage you have everyright to say no that you want it done at a garage of your choice.

We have encountered insurance companys that have told customers to goto garage X, but remember it is your own right to choose where YOUR car goes. In these situations an insurance accessor is sent out to look at the car and will agree figures with the indipendant garage.

However if any form of rusting shal occur get streight on the phone and tell them that you are extreamly dis-satisfied with the job. Its not uncommon for this to happen because in 90% of cases insurance companys will want the job done as cheap as possible and if garage X wont do it at that price then they most certainly will have someone who will do it cheaper.

The reason why there is Sealer there is because it is where the joints of the vallance and the strut join eachother (they should be spot welded together).

ballooba

Blitz,

Should they not have replaced those panels anyway? I'm working on the assumption that that part is a panel and not part of the chassis.

Should they not have to put the car back in the same condition it was in prior to the tip?

I presumed that there was welding under the mastik and that was why it was there. That repair is going to be instantly visible to any future prospective buyer.

The bottom of that part has paint flaking off it.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Her car is under guarantee from our local garage in Meath, not that this means anything but we know that they would do a decent job and not on the cheap. Could she ask that it now be sent to them or is she stuck with the insurance companies garage now?

BrianD3

I've only had a quick look at the pics and am no expert on body repairs. However if it were my car I would expect it to be put back *exactly* as it was before seeing as it's an insurance job. No if or buts. The car should be virtually indistinguishable from a new one. The chassis rails, slam panel and inner/outer wings should be perfect. If it is uneconomic to do this and the car cannot be put back the way it was without excessive cost, then it should be written off.

A substandard job is completely unacceptable. As others have said, the car will be far more vulnerable to rust now. The manufacturer's rust warranty will be invalid after a job like that. When your sister tries to sell the car, potential buyers will run a mile. I wouldn't buy a used car with a repair like that.

Get onto the insurance company pronto and get them to send their assessor out to examine the car. Also contact your own insurance company. Have you done this already or did you "deal" directly with the third party's insurance company. I'm not sure of the procedure in the case of a claim but I always thought that you contacted your own insurer first who then organised everything with the 3rd party's insurer on your behalf??

BrianD3

Cryos

The problem is with insurance jobs, most people do not quiery what is acctualy going to be repaired.

I presume since it was the Passenger side wing that the following side had to be replaced :

Wing, front panel, headlamp, wheel liner bumper moulding and bonnet maybe ?

Like it has already been said before, it is easyer to repair a vallance, it is not that hard to replace either given if you have the right equipment. Your Manu warrenty is not effected unless the repair to the car is of a substandard nature and or non genuine volkswagen / vag group parts are used.

What you could do in this situation is get 3 indipendant opinions from indipendant crash repair specialists, ring the insurance company and tell them that the job is concidered sub standard, mention that if you wanted to sell the car that it would effect the apprasial of the car and deter people from buying the car, and you ask they have the job redone.

Generaly as a rule you can get away with repairing the likes of frong chassie legs, because normaly a battery box or wireing luam or abs unit sits over it and you cant view it, but with more obvious parts it should generaly use OEM panels.

If you contrast the Sealing on the Drivers side with the passenger side does it look even remotely the same. You could always give out that they sould seriously rethink their approved repairer's contract.

There is alot of carless jobs out their on cars, this doesnt have to be another one.