Had an accident, need some advice please.

[jamei305]

Originally Posted by Bloke69

Yes, "Volvo Insurance", but they are really Kinderton.

Yes, could have used the first repairer they sent me to, but as you said there would have been extra £200 excess which defeats the purpose of using the voucher.

That is exactly the purpose of the voucher, to cover the excess you have to pay when you use the Volvo-approved repairer they direct you to, instead of using your insurance company's approved repairer.

[Philip Fisher]

Originally Posted by Clan

All dealers have a fully approved volvo bodyshop to comply with their franchise agreement , they have the tools and methods needed and have been on volvo body repair courses . One has to assume the body shop they mentioned is so approved , ask them ...

This is not true.

Many dealers do not have a Volvo approved bodyshop. They will usually point you towards one but they do not own one.

For example if you are a customer of what was Bristol Street Volvo in Sheffield or Riverside in Doncaster then neither has a Volvo bodyshop. They will point you towards Burrows Toyota in Doncaster which is the Volvo approved bodyshop in the area.

[roundyuk]

Originally Posted by Philip Fisher

This is not true.

Many dealers do not have a Volvo approved bodyshop. They will usually point you towards one but they do not own one.

For example if you are a customer of what was Bristol Street Volvo in Sheffield or Riverside in Doncaster then neither has a Volvo bodyshop. They will point you towards Burrows Toyota in Doncaster which is the Volvo approved bodyshop in the area.

Echo what Philip said, they just have to have access to one. But, TBH Volvo approved doesn't mean squat in terms of "quality" - NCR in Newbury are Volvo approved, but are the biggest cowboy outfit I've ever had the displeasure of using....panels not fitting correctly, hair in paint, you name it.

Big bodyshops tend to conveyor belt them in, quality control is lacking - small bodyshops take care but not always; try to find something in between and even better, some reviews.

[S60Chris]

Someone crashed into my Passat when it was 3 months old.

I let the main dealer that I had bought the car from sort it out, naively thinking they would do the best job. It was with them 5 times having come back to me on each occasion in a far from acceptable condition, and each time they seemed to cause more damage.

Ended up having to threaten to sue them and got them to agree to pay a reputable independent bodyshop directly to sort out their mess.

The independent did a perfect job first time round. It should have gone there to begin with.

[MichaelDH]

@roundyuk - that’s exactly why I was asking for bodyshop recommendations in my original post. My dealer wants to point me to an independent who are allegedly approved for Volvo, Mercedes, Audi, etc. Sounds to me they’re the sort of ‘conveyor belt’ company you describe. And I’m concerned that I’ll be given the run around in the event I need to complain.

None of those who have replied have been able to offer a recommendation for a Volvo approved bodyshop, perhaps none are in my area, but surely somebody must have had a good experience and outcome.

[Wizzpop]

Originally Posted by MichaelDH

None of those who have replied have been able to offer a recommendation for a Volvo approved bodyshop, perhaps none are in my area, but surely somebody must have had a good experience and outcome.

Oh I can definitely recommend a good Volvo approved body shop. It is part of the same business as my dealer. I have had to use them a couple of times,once when another driver demolished the drivers door.
Unforunately they are way out of your area in Fareham Hampshire.

For those in this area they are part of Cambridge Garage in Havant.

[dhr90]

Originally Posted by MichaelDH

@roundyuk - that’s exactly why I was asking for bodyshop recommendations in my original post. My dealer wants to point me to an independent who are allegedly approved for Volvo, Mercedes, Audi, etc. Sounds to me they’re the sort of ‘conveyor belt’ company you describe. And I’m concerned that I’ll be given the run around in the event I need to complain.

None of those who have replied have been able to offer a recommendation for a Volvo approved bodyshop, perhaps none are in my area, but surely somebody must have had a good experience and outcome.

Give the Volvo dealer in Cambridge a call, its a Marshal one. When I bought my used V60 from them last year, they got someone in to touch up a few areas and it looked like new, I was really happy with the work the guy did. Different to what you're needing, but being a big dealership and a big workshop they may be able to help and have more to offer?

[S60Chris]

Originally Posted by dhr90

Give the Volvo dealer in Cambridge a call, its a Marshal one. When I bought my used V60 from them last year, they got someone in to touch up a few areas and it looked like new, I was really happy with the work the guy did. Different to what you're needing, but being a big dealership and a big workshop they may be able to help and have more to offer?

They are my supplying dealer and I know them quite well there.

I used Nationwide Gladwins in Swavesey just off the A14. Not sure how far that is out from Chelmsford.

They did an excellent job as mentioned on my Passat, and also at replacing one of the wheel arch trims and painted it to body colour after someone misjudged driving past us down a narrow lane and took the paint off.