Insurance & Accident Repair Support

Coventry Body Shop inspects accident-damaged cars, prepares repair information and carries out bodywork and paint repairs at our workshop in Wyken, Coventry. To start, call or WhatsApp +44 7903 105777, or send photographs with the Send enquiry button at the bottom right of this page (on a phone, in the bar at the bottom of the screen). We can help whether you are using your own insurance, approaching the other driver's insurer or paying privately.

Practical support with the repair

Our role is to explain the repair route and repair the car's bodywork. We can provide photographs of the damage and a quote, and we can deal with the insurer about the repair if you want us to. This helps you prepare clear repair information for the insurer or accident support route you choose. The insurer may still request its own inspection or further information.

Coventry Body Shop is an independent body repair workshop. Insurance decisions, legal advice and claims management sit outside our service: we do not decide fault or act as your insurer, solicitor or claims management company. We have repaired cars for customers claiming on their insurance, but we are not on an insurer's approved repairer panel.

Who pays for accident repairs?

Responsibility for an accident and the way you fund the repair are separate questions. A driver who did not cause the collision may still use their own comprehensive policy. Before booking work, establish which route you are using, what the insurer will fund and what you may need to pay yourself.

Claiming through your own policy

Comprehensive insurance generally covers accidental damage to your own car, subject to the policy terms. Third party only insurance usually does not cover that damage. Check the cover that applies to your accident before assuming your insurer will pay for repairs.

You will usually have a policy excess to pay, and your no claims discount may be affected. Many insurers use repairer networks. Some policies limit the repair costs they will pay or charge an additional excess when you choose a workshop outside that network. Policy benefits may also differ, so ask your insurer about using Coventry Body Shop before committing to a booking.

Claiming from the other driver's insurer

If another driver caused the accident, you can seek the repair costs from their insurer. You can usually choose your repairer, but the costs must be reasonable. The other insurer may want to inspect the car or approve the estimate before agreeing to fund the work.

Acceptance of liability means the insurer accepts responsibility for the accident. It does not, by itself, mean the insurer has agreed the repair cost or the payment arrangements. Establish those details separately before instructing repairs. If your own policy covers the damage, claiming through that policy is another possible route, even where you believe the other driver was responsible.

When liability is disputed

A disagreement about responsibility can delay a funding decision. Photographs, witness information and dashcam footage may help the insurers assess what happened, but a bodywork estimate does not determine fault. Ask your insurer what your cover allows while liability remains unresolved. If you instruct a private repair during that disagreement, do not assume another insurer will later reimburse the full bill.

Paying for the repair yourself

Private payment may be worth considering for smaller repairs. Compare the estimated repair cost with your excess and any possible effect on future premiums. Keeping your no claims discount does not guarantee that your premium will stay the same.

Paying privately may keep a claim for your own repair off your insurer's records, but it does not prevent another party from claiming against your policy. You may also need to notify your insurer about the accident even when you are not asking it to pay. Check your policy's reporting requirements before deciding.

From photographs to an agreed repair

Photographs provide a starting point for discussing visible damage. They cannot establish everything concealed behind trim or panels, so an inspection may be needed to understand the repair properly.

The repair process involves these decisions:

1. Initial information: send photographs and describe what happened, including any problems with the car since the impact. Tell us whether you have already spoken to an insurer or instructed anyone else about the repair.
2. Inspection: a small inspection is free. A deeper inspection, for example where trim or panels need removing to investigate hidden damage, costs from £240 including VAT (£200 plus VAT). We agree the inspection price before starting. That charge is taken off the repair bill if you go ahead with the repair.
3. Quote: we quote for the proposed repair, showing the price, VAT and total. On request we provide an estimated invoice or a quotation. Neither is a VAT invoice: Coventry Body Shop is VAT registered and issues the VAT invoice once the job is done. Whether the insurer agrees to the repair is the insurer's decision.
4. Authority and funding: you instruct us to carry out the work, while the insurer decides what it will fund. We tell you about costs that are not covered before work starts. Your instruction to repair the car does not itself establish an insurer's agreement to pay.
5. Additional damage: if further damage is found during the repair, we agree any extra work with you before doing it. Where insurance funding is involved, any additional funding also needs agreement with the insurer.
6. Bodywork and paint: the repair route may involve repairing or replacing damaged body panels. We carry out the bodywork, paint and accident repair in our workshop. All paintwork is sprayed in our spray booth, with specialist colour mixing using the manufacturer's paint code.
7. Collection: collection is the handover point for your repaired car and the start of our workmanship guarantee. The guarantee lasts for 6 months from the date you collect the car and does not affect your legal rights.

A paid inspection is not automatically free because an insurance claim is involved. If you do not proceed with the repair after an agreed deeper inspection, the inspection charge remains payable, subject to your legal rights. Check with the insurer beforehand if you want it to fund that inspection.

Deposits, bookings and cancellation

We do not take deposits. You can move or cancel a booking free of charge, but if you cancel after a deeper inspection or after work you asked for has started, you pay for the inspection and the work already done. This does not affect your legal rights.

Before authorising work, make sure you understand both the repair estimate and the funding arrangement. An insurer agreeing an amount is different from agreeing how payment will reach the workshop. Do not assume that acceptance of a claim removes your responsibility for an excess, uncovered work or an agreed inspection charge.

If the insurer considers the car a total loss

An insurer may decide that repairing the car would be uneconomical, particularly where the repair cost is greater than the car's value. This is often called a write-off or total loss. The insurer may offer a settlement based on the vehicle's value instead of funding the proposed repair.

For you, this means the claim may move from discussing repairs to discussing a valuation and settlement. A repair estimate does not oblige the insurer to repair the car. Ask the insurer what its decision means for the vehicle, the settlement and any costs already authorised before instructing further work.

Replacement vehicles and independent accident assistance

If you need another car while yours is unavailable, first ask your insurer what your policy includes and what conditions apply. After a non-fault accident, the other driver's insurer may also offer a replacement vehicle. These arrangements should be checked directly with the insurer providing them.

Independent accident assistance or credit hire businesses may arrange a vehicle and seek to recover the cost from the other side. Depending on the arrangement, you may sign a credit agreement and become personally liable for charges that are not recovered. Disputes can concern the daily hire rate, the length of hire or whether a replacement car was needed, even when accident liability has been accepted.

Read the terms before signing and ask what you would owe if the other insurer does not pay. The Financial Ombudsman's guidance on credit hire and credit repair explains the issues that can arise.

How long to allow for the repair

The wait for an available booking and the time your car spends in the workshop are different. Workshop availability affects when the repair can start. For small jobs, allow 1 to 2 days in the workshop. Some small jobs can sometimes be completed the same day, depending on how busy the workshop is.

Accident repairs can take longer because parts may be needed, insurer approval may be outstanding or hidden damage may add work. A short bodywork repair does not necessarily mean the whole claim will be resolved within the same period. When discussing dates, distinguish a possible booking date from the expected repair duration and any outstanding approval.

Safety and responsibilities at the accident scene

Put safety first and call 999 if anyone is hurt. The Highway Code rules on breakdowns and incidents include the duties in rules 286 and 287.

Keep these actions in mind after a collision:

1. Stop: you must stop if the collision causes damage or injury to another person, vehicle, animal or property. If possible, stop somewhere relatively safe.
2. Provide the required details: give your name and address, the vehicle owner's name and address, and the vehicle registration number to anyone with reasonable grounds to request them. If you did not give your name and address at the time, report the collision to the police as soon as reasonably practicable and within 24 hours.
3. Meet the additional injury requirement: if another person is injured and you do not produce your insurance certificate at the scene to a police officer or someone with reasonable grounds to request it, you must report the collision to the police as soon as possible and within 24 hours. You must also produce the certificate for the police within seven days.
4. Preserve evidence safely: only when safe, take photographs, ask witnesses for contact details and preserve dashcam footage. Do not put yourself or others at risk to record the scene.
5. Notify your insurer: follow your policy's accident reporting requirements, including where you intend to pay privately. Agree the claim and payment route before authorising repairs.

Do not drive until you know the car is safe

A car that still moves may have damage beyond its visible bodywork. Do not drive after an accident until you are sure the vehicle is safe. Sending photographs for a bodywork discussion does not establish roadworthiness.

Problems that need attention before driving include:

• Damaged lights: broken or non-working lamps can affect visibility and whether other road users can see your signals.
• Loose bodywork: a detached bumper section, loose trim or dragging part needs assessment before the car is driven.
• Insecure closures: a door, bonnet or boot that will not close securely needs checking. The symptom alone does not identify what has been damaged.
• Pulling or warning lights: pulling to one side, changed steering behaviour or warning lights after an impact require investigation beyond the appearance of the body panels.

Steering, suspension and safety systems need checking by a mechanic or the right specialist. Bodywork repairs alone do not establish that those systems are safe.

What to send with your enquiry

You can contact us while you are still deciding how to fund the repair. The following information helps us understand the damage and where you are in the claim process:

• Vehicle details: include the registration, make and model.
• Damage photographs: send wider views showing the affected area and closer photographs of individual marks or damaged parts, taken only where safe.
• Accident information: give the date, location and a short account of what happened, along with any changes you have noticed in the car.
• Claim progress: include the insurer's name and claim reference if available. Explain whether liability, an inspection or repair funding has been agreed.
• Your preferred route: say whether you intend to use insurance, pay privately or compare the options before deciding.

Send the information and photographs on WhatsApp to +44 7903 105777 or with the Send enquiry button on this page, or call to discuss the next step.

Related bodywork repairs

For damage concentrated in a particular area, see our bumper repair service, panel dent repair and respray or single panel painting. These describe repair types that may form part of accident work; the appropriate scope depends on the damage found.

Our vehicle repair estimator offers a starting point for considering costs. An indicative estimate does not determine liability, confirm insurance cover or replace an inspection where hidden damage needs investigating.