Received a Quote for minor repair

[Maks]

Hello Everyone,

So someone hit my car while parked at a supermaket and drove off :(

The damage itself is (visibly) minor and I thought I would get it repaired out of my pocket because as per the online reading I did, I was expecting it to be not more £250

Its a leased car from Audi, I contacted them and they referred me to their 'recommended' garage.

Today received the quote of 1550 pounds!

I have never had to deal with such a situation before so I have no clue. Does this sound reasonable to you? or am I being ripped off?

Any comments from someone with experience would be much welcome, at least to put my mind at ease!

It sounds way too expensive to me so I am thinking of claiming it from insurance, but I don't know if that is a good idea either. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

 

[Magnet]

Hello Alex, 

Thanks for being in touch with the forum, and sorry to hear of your (not too uncommon) issue. 
The Audi ‘recommended’ garage quote seems unacceptably high to me - excessively? - and must include the supply, fit and spray of a new wing. 
I would seriously question this need, and if it were mine, I would hawk this around a couple of local body shops and obtain estimates there. You could also try a couple of ‘smart repair’ specialists and see what becomes most attractive to you. 
Claiming on insurance would be my last resort, since I would anticipate a local repair is likely to cost little more than an average excess - we would hope. 
Of course, if you claim off your insurance, then bang goes your NCB, and even if this is protected, your next premium will be hiked - as it will be, even if you just notify your insurers you have been involved in this accident - even if you decide not to claim. 
All of this boils down to not informing your insurers, and simply getting quotes to get it done yourself. Very unfortunate, but…..

Car is on lease? - I’m probably out of touch, but a little surprised that a 5 year old car is still under lease. 
Hope some of the above is of some help.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 
p.s. For recommendations on good value Bodyshops in your area - call in at a couple of smaller volume used car sites and ask for recommendations there. These boys usually know where good jobs are done at reasonable prices. 

[Steve Q]

I agree with Gareth. This quote is far too high. To put it into perspective in 2017 my a6 had two front aftermarket wings fitted and sprayed for around £650. The wings were replaced due to corrosion. 

[ekimj10]

A crazy quote for such damage, as the damage goes over two surfaces I would expect to pay £280.00 max and that is coming to your home to do.

Even the Chips Away guys wouldn't be far off that amount and they are far from being the cheapest.

Did the quote not include a breakdown of costs? if it didn't then it doesn't sound like a new wing is involved. Best of luck but find a good smart repair guy.

[Magnet]

Thanks Mike,

Shame Alex, the original poster hasn’t been back to the forum to see the asked-for advice, since 2 hrs. after he joined - probably a very busy period. 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Maks]

Hello Everyone,

Thanks very much for your responses.

@Gareth Your assumption is correct. They said the wing needs to be replaced and hence the high cost as the new wing has to be painted as well. I asked around other garages for quotes including two which are 'Audi Approved'. One was £1020 who also said wing will be replaced. The next one said it doesn't need to be replaced and quoted £740. Two of the 'not Audi approved' quoted £210 and £190 and both have good reviews online (assuming they are all genuine).

One of my friends knows who runs a garage and he was the last one I contacted last night. Looked at the car and said he can fix it for no more than £200. My insurance excess is £330 pounds so the repair cost is even less than excess like you anticipated.

So more than being upset about the car, right now I am more angry about the £1550 quote. That company does have a fancy garage with smiling women sitting at the reception so maybe thats why their prices are so high!

The car is 'Approved Used' from Audi on PCP, this is what I meant when I said lease, not a brand new one. I still have a year left and I am in two minds if I should return it at the end or keep it, but will cross that bridge when I get to it.

I have informed my insurance people. Not a claim of course but an email to say FYI. I just googled 'what I should do when someone hits my car in the parking and drives off' and it said I should inform the insurance, which I did. Whether thats good or bad, we will see at my next renewal 😞

@ekimj10 They did include a breakdown of the cost yes. They had things like 'DOOR TRIM REMOVED - £25' and 'DOOR TRIM ADJUSTED - £35'. No idea what that meant. There was even 'COVID19 - £25'

I will post pictures once the repair is done, that will be somewhere in January.

Thanks again for taking time to respond, this has been verfy helpful (for my mind)

 

 

[Magnet]

Hello Alex,

Thanks for the update.

Cutting to the chase:- Your have two quotes from non Audi approved bodyshops for £210 and £190 - both have good reviews.
It could be me but why would you want to entrust the repair to ‘a mate who knows someone’ for ‘no more than £200’ with an option of losing a friendship if you are not happy with the work!? 
These things are best kept independent to my mind. 

Notifying your insurers:- too late now, you obviously cannot do a U turn on this. The stock question for premiums is ‘have you been involved in an accident?’. So your insurers know the answer. 
Re. the Audi approved repair shop. If you consider Audi charge north of £110/ hr + VAT for labour, and then add on the average panel spray cost of c £350 + the cost of the wing, then the quote becomes at least ‘understandable’. 
My long time ago school economics taught me that if something like this is so exaggerated, why aren’t we all rushing out and borrowing millions and setting up our owner golden egg producing profit making facilities? 
There’s always two sides to the coin Alex, and if nothing go else, seeking advice has resulted in a phenomenal saving - well done you for seeking it. 
Kind regards,

Gareth.