Accident repair – for bodywork as good as new

We pride ourselves in the quality of our car body repairs. When you send your car to us for its accident repair, whether that is a dent, scratch or new panel, you can be assured that we use only high-quality materials.

Based in Wellington, Somerset, we are an independent body shop, but have been ‘insurance approved’ for accident repair work. Our first-rate facilities are designed to deliver the best results and our state-of-the-art paint spraying booth provides a perfect dust-free environment for paint.

Our work is precise and thorough. We do not use ‘short cuts’ such as masking areas or spraying over existing paintwork. Bumpers and handles are removed. Dents are worked out manually. Paint is stripped back and the area is cleaned before it is prepped, primed and resprayed. When the car is returned to you, it has been restored to manufacturer standard, although some of our customers say it’s even better than new.

Over 160,000 people each year have an accident on the road. Thankfully a large proportion of these are minor bumps and scrapes.

At Precision Paint, we understand how stressful this time is for our clients. We know that whilst you’re reeling from the shock of the damage to your car and the impact on your day-to-day life, it’s easy to let the car insurance companies take control. They will send you down their preferred route, using their repair centres, often presenting this as the only option.

Unfortunately, the insurance companies’ priority is the cost effectiveness of the repair rather than what is best for you or your car. This isn’t to say the quality of work for all their repair centres will be substandard, but knowing your rights as a consumer can help you feel like you are back in control. It is your car after all.

If you would like to use Precision Paint for your accident repair, you can be assured that all of our estimates are ‘insurance approved’ and completed on the Audatex system used by all insurance companies.

When you speak with your insurance company to notify them of the accident, you will need to tell them you would like to choose your own accident repair garage and you will need to ask for the claims reference number. Once we have this number, we can log our estimate through the Audatex system. Your insurance company will then access our quote for approval.

In order to provide an accurate estimate, we will need to arrange to view your vehicle at our workshop in Wellington. We may be able to provide an estimate from photographs. In this event we will talk you through the exact shots that we need to make an assessment.

To book your car in please call:

01823 666 289

1. Protected No Claims Bonus / Discount (NCD)
   If you have opted to protect your no claims discount, making the first claim in your current insurance period won’t impact the number of years on your NCD. In fact, for many big brand insurers, you can make up to two claims in 3 consecutive years of insurance, so do check your paperwork. 
   
   However, both Compare the Market and MoneySupermarket, who have extensive experience with the Motor Insurance world, note that whilst your No Claims Discount may not be affected, your premium with that provider may rise the following year. If that happens, you may get a better deal if you shop around at renewal. 
   
2. Know your excess limits
   Something we see often (and also acknowledged by MoneySupermarket) is that if the damage to your car is minor and your excess levels are high, you may want to consider paying for the damage out of your own pocket. If the contribution to the repair cost from the insurance company will be minimal or zero then paying directly will save you losing any of your NCD. For example, the excess on some insurance policies can be as much as £500 and a bumper repair and respray only costs around £350+VAT. In this instance you would be paying the full amount anyway. But even if your excess total is £400, your insurance company will only be paying the extra £20 and will log a claim against your record. Paying from your pocket will save you losing your NCD.
   Although you may have to ‘notify’ your insurance company. 
   
3. Check the small print
   For your own protection, please do double check with your insurance company that they will not penalise you for choosing your own garage by adjusting your excess level. The majority of insurance companies do honour the excess levels. But we have seen some insurers write into their policy document contracts that if you don’t use their repair centre, the excess level is set at a much higher level, one even set it at £800! So, it’s always best to read the insurance companies small print or ask your insurer’s claim handler.