I'm paying for accident repairs without insurance involvement - how do I check the garage isn't overcharging? | Ask Honest John

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I'm paying for accident repairs without insurance involvement - how do I check the garage isn't overcharging?

I hit a car when trying to reverse out of a confined space. I offered to pay for the damage without going through my insurance company as I envisaged the repair would only be £100 - £200 max. But the third party's Volkswagen approved garage has quoted £550 plus VAT. Had I gone through my insurance company, they would have checked that the quote was fair. As I wanted to pay for the repair out of my own money, how do I check that the quote is fair?

Asked on 8 August 2017 by Toasted Sue

Answered by Honest John

Ask to see a full copy of the estimate provided. They will use a system called "Audatex" to create the estimate, make sure you get the full engineer's version. You then really need to have an assessing engineer review it. This usually costs £100 - £150.

Tags: insurance accident claims repairs accident damage consumer advice repair costs

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