Dear all,

Ive been a member here since last Nov, when I got a spanky new vRS TDi CR DSG.

In the pre xmas snows, I managed to slide into the back of a 106, and ended up damaging my front passenger side wing :(

The car was recovered to Manchester for me, and its been with the garage (the one that the insurance company uses, as it came with a Fabia for me to drive, otherwise id have had to rent one)

So, the question is, the damage wasnt disasterous, but what should I be looking out for now?

Im NOT a mechanic, dont know anything about cars and fixing them really im sorry to say.

I just want to make sure that the car is "as new" again, before signing for it and making a mistake.

The bodyshop was not one that the local skoda garages use. should I be overly concerned on poorer quality in this case?

There would be paintwork needing doing, so how close of a match should I expect (Race blue finish) ?

Ive been driving 9 years and this is my first accident and I look here for advice as its the only car forum im registered on.

Many thanks all, and happy new year.

Edited 5 January, 201016 yr by LaceSensor

Just give it a good look over. If it doesn't look like new then complain. You should not be able to see any paint lines, runs etc, the match should be perfect. Check the amount of flake in the paint is consistent with the rest of the car.

if the bodyshop is insurance approved then they should be of a high standard, the colour should be perfect, and if there is anything your not happy with then take it back, your the customer at the end of the day.

Thanks for the advice so far.

Ive heard stories of people signing receipt of a vehicle, then afterwards looking it over, only to notice issues. Then because they signed some form, its basically saying "im happy" and they have no comeback.

I guess I will just stick to my guns and give it a proper once over. Im likely over-worrying myself, but its my first really nice car and I intend to keep it as long as possible (provided my insurance now doesnt double :( )

I'm no expert, but this is roughly what I've picked up in my experience...

As said, look for runs and colour mis-match, although to be honest they'd have to be awful to give you back a car in that state. Even the worst bodyshops can normally colour match OK.

Don't forget to look to make sure that the gaps between panels (e.g. where the bonnet meets the wing) meet up properly and evenly, and match the opposite side.

More importantly, check that the finish of their work matches the rest of the car. Most cars come new with paint that is of a certain texture, e.g. the Mk1 Focus RS had very orange peel paint from new (lots of little dimples you can see up close). Ones that have been painted often stand out because the bodyshops have done a better job than Ford did, but it means the finish doesn't match and will look odd up close. Anyway, check that the finish/texture of the paint is the same.

If you're really picky (like me), then check in any gaps/door shuts you can and look for bits they have badly masked - you will see a very obvious 'edge'.

Check for little bumps/peaks, which, if not drips, tend to be trapped silicone. Bad bodyshops prepare the car with products that contain silicone, if there are still traces on the car when it's painted, it will cause little bumps when it dries.

Also touch the paintwork. It should feel consistently smooth. Any rough areas round the edges of where they have painted are overspray, where minute droplets of paint have landed outside the intended area. This can normally be removed though with detailing clay.

As previously said, you really shouldn't be able to tell if done properly, but 90% of stuff isn't to that standard.

Having said that, it will NEVER be completely perfect - it's what you're willing to be happy with. I'm quite lucky in that I know several very good body shops that I know do work I'm happy with... but when my mum had a bump a few years back in her MG, it came back awful from an insurance approved shop!

Edited 5 January, 201016 yr by naxtek

Don't forget orange peel effect, too. Signs of poor prep work!

i can't add to the good advice posted above about what to look for except to say: be prepared to take your time checking, and collect your car at a time when you don't have to check in the rain or if it's starting to go dark (I made this mistake once and I missed things).

Your signature saying your happy with the job doesn't I think limit your rights if you subsequently notice something imperfect that could only be attributed to the repair but which you didn't notice at the time, but obviously don't leave it too long. I realised my repair was inadequate a couple of days later after I'd had chance to refamiliarise myself with how the car was meant to look and feel. In your case if a panel's been replaced or repaired it might be worth checking adjacent doors still shut perfectly.

if you do reject I'd let the insurers know too, especially if you had signed that the work was satisfactory before you'd noticed.

as aready stated and check for any other damaged to the car before you sign. I had a pug 206 that went into be repaired (after dealer drop something on the bonnet) had to go back 4 times to repair other damaged whilst there, I even saw one greese monkey reverse into it when I went to pick it up!

Also check the radio speakers have not been blown as I've had that done in the past by a garage, so basically just check everything, though I'm sure I've just had the worse cases!!

Thanks everyone, excellent advice.

sounds like a cop out, but I might see if my now retired father can pop up to check it with me.

They are meant to deliver it back to me and collect the courtesy car; I dont want them rushing off though.

Maybe i could sign and say "not had time to properly inspect" like when you sign for a parcel without checking the contents ?

Thanks everyone, excellent advice.

sounds like a cop out, but I might see if my now retired father can pop up to check it with me.

They are meant to deliver it back to me and collect the courtesy car; I dont want them rushing off though.

Maybe i could sign and say "not had time to properly inspect" like when you sign for a parcel without checking the contents ?

Getting your dad or another third party to check too is a good idea as they won't be as "involved" as you either in willng it to be perfect or anxious that it isn't.

Remember that you are the customer and entitled to good service for the money. you can't sign away your rights so this is not your only chance if you're not happy afterwards. I've returned a car post signature before so it can be done!

In any case, the job will probably be a good one!

As others have said , don't feel rushed into accepting it and take your time to check it out properly.

Look at panel gaps on both sides of the car for comparison.

Look very carefully for overspray - touch helps , and don't forget to check under the bonnet.

If possible look at the paintwork under a couple of different lighting conditions - inside their workshop under fluorescent lights and outside in daylight - this can show up colour issues that aren't always apparent , and a good bright torch can help too.

As others have said , don't feel rushed into accepting it and take your time to check it out properly.

Look at panel gaps on both sides of the car for comparison.

Look very carefully for overspray - touch helps , and don't forget to check under the bonnet.

If possible look at the paintwork under a couple of different lighting conditions - inside their workshop under fluorescent lights and outside in daylight - this can show up colour issues that aren't always apparent , and a good bright torch can help too.

ANother check is to make sure all the fastenings that hold the wing on and its inner liner are all there. Have a quick look at the side that wasn't damaged and check the repaired side is the same. I've seen more than a couple of dodgy repairs that have had screws and other types of clips/fasteners missing. It begs the question that if they've missed a couple of screws what else have they forgotten to do. Any under body paintwork should also be good, again a comparison with the good side should highlight any problems.

Check the bumper fit as well as these are notorius for being a pig to fit the second time round.

Good look and accept nothing less than perfect. Make sure you record any faults with the delivery driver and get him to agree with any faults you find. Use the format most hire cars do, i.e. a picture of the car where they mark the faults on the car.

Good look and let us know how you get on.

Hi

Got the car back today. Its ****ing it down. Only issue i spotted was one of the grey plastic inserts between the fog lights (guess its like an air vent, sorry im not technical) was not flush. This was rectified. Everything else seems spot on.

If not, the company seems 100% and ill be checking in a few lighting and weather conditions over the weekend.

Thanks for all the advice.

so nice to have my car back. That fabia was ok at best (well, for its class it was good, but compared to a vRS...nah)

One small point to remember if you are ever in this unfortunate position again is that you are under no obligation to accept the garage that the insurance company recommends. Last year my wife had her MX-5 'rear ended' and we insisted that the repairs were done by the body shop that our local Mazda dealer used because they would be familiar with the car model plus they had a good reputation.

The garage the insurers wanted to use was about 20 miles away which was not convenient.

Regards

David

One small point to remember if you are ever in this unfortunate position again is that you are under no obligation to accept the garage that the insurance company recommends. Last year my wife had her MX-5 'rear ended' and we insisted that the repairs were done by the body shop that our local Mazda dealer used because they would be familiar with the car model plus they had a good reputation.

The garage the insurers wanted to use was about 20 miles away which was not convenient.

Regards

David

Yeah its cool I knew that going into it. What swayed me was the insurers garage offered courtesy car for the duration of the repair, which in the end was getting on for a month all told.

The car looks good to me now, just that minor error with the plastic part.

The garage is well regarded I think generally, and although perhaps a Skoda specialist would be preferable, most of the damage to my car was cosmetic and simple to replace / repair.

Id definitely think twice if it was more serious or electrics / engine parts were being changed.

cheers!

Edited 15 January, 201016 yr by LaceSensor

So, the question is, the damage wasnt disasterous, but what should I be looking out for now?

Years ago I had a new car wing resprayed because the underseal had oversprayed the outer edge of the wing. The respray was fine but over time that wing colour faded at a different rate to the rest of the car. Yours may not, but it is the tell-tale for s/h car buyers that the car's been involved in an accident.

Years ago I had a new car wing resprayed because the underseal had oversprayed the outer edge of the wing. The respray was fine but over time that wing colour faded at a different rate to the rest of the car. Yours may not, but it is the tell-tale for s/h car buyers that the car's been involved in an accident.

Hi

The car is a PCP deal so will get given back to the garage, so im not so worried about that. I have a guaranteed fixed residual value after 3 years, or can just return the car for no penalty once its half paid back (around 18mths - 2 years).

Thanks for the advice though.

Got ours back today with a huge gap between the bonnet and the RH Xenon.

Body shop is having back next week to sort.