Vehicle Repair Process
Having a motoring accident can be a distressing and frustrating time for all involved. Here at Tate Accident Repair Centre we put our experience and expertise to use to ensure your vehicle is returned to you, in its pre-accident condition, with the minimum of inconvenience, distress and delay in a professional and courteous manner.
What happens next?
Stage 1
One of our trained reception staff will check in your vehicle, and will note all your concerns regarding damage to your vehicle.
Stage 2
Once your vehicle has been checked in, or delivered to our premises, the reception team will pass on all your information to one of our qualified estimators. They will then compile a comprehensive computerised estimate. This will then be sent electronically, along with digital images taken showing damaged and non damaged areas of your vehicle, direct to your insurance company. On receipt of the estimate the insurance company will agree the repair process and authorise us to proceed with the repairs. This will normally be within 48 hours. Some insurance companies will not allow repairers to commence work without written authority, so this may cause a short delay between your vehicle arriving on site and the work commencing. Other insurers will allow repairs under a certain value to commence immediately. Should the estimated cost of repairs be close to the current market value of your vehicle we will have to wait to hear from your insurance company to assess the vehicle before authorising repairs or deeming it a total loss.
Stage 3
Once we have received authority, or the repair costs fall within our self authority limits, the vehicle will be scheduled into the workshops for repair.
Stage 4
Our in house parts department will liaise with its local suppliers and organise delivery of all parts required for the repair to your vehicle, as agreed with your insurer. Parts typically take 2 – 3 days to arrive but there is the possibility of some parts being on factory back order with the manufacturer and this then could take much longer. If your parts are on factory back order then we will notify you immediately.
Stage 5
Repairs will commence. One of our fully trained technicians will undertake the task of removing all the damaged parts of your vehicle along with repairing any parts needed to undertake the repair. They will notify our engineers of any further damage they find whilst dismantling the vehicle, and at this stage any additional hidden damaged parts will be ordered. Your vehicle will then be repaired using the latest equipment and materials, to restore it as close to factory condition as possible. It will then be processed through to our paint department where it will be refinished in one of our low bake ovens using your vehicles approved coatings. After the painting process, your vehicle will be returned to have parts re fitted and undergo any mechanical operations it may require.
Stage 6
Upon completion of repairs the vehicle will be washed, leathered and the interior vacuumed and then it will proceed through a final quality control check where it will go through our thorough checks carried out by our fully trained in-house inspector.
Stage 7
Once all of the above stages have been satisfactorily completed a member of the reception team will contact you to arrange the return of your completed vehicle.
Stage 8
Upon return we will ask you to sign a collection note to confirm you have received the vehicle back into your care. We will collect any payment for insurance excess, betterment or Vat, if applicable, at this time. We regret vehicles cannot be released without payment. Cash, cheques made payable to Tate Accident Repair Centre and major credit cards are accepted.
Our reception team will try to keep you informed of your vehicles progress through the eight stages of repair, by telephone or text messaging. For shorter repairs we would normally contact you at the beginning of, once during, and after the repair process. For longer repairs we would contact you once a week. Please advise us of your updating requirements. Because of the nature of your repair we are unable to give a precise date for completion.
Additional points to note:-
• Please remove all valuables from your vehicle because we take no responsibility if they go missing
• Have to hand your radio code because we may need to disconnect the battery as part of the repair
• Know where your alloy wheel locking nut key is as we may to remove a wheel as part of the repair
• Let us know if we can quote for anything else which needs doing to your car such as MOT, service, valeting, body & paint work and tyres.
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