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MG Midget and Sprite General - Can modern body repair shop fix my Sprite?

MOL my 68 Sprite was rear ended yesterday. The other partie's insurer has accepted responsibility and I now have two recommended repairers. I think it needs a new rear panel and the boot floor straigtening.
If accept my own team's repairer I have to claim back my £250 excess and I fear for my NCD even though I don't think it should make a difference.
If I accept the other chaps insurers I guess they will want to keep down costs so I wonder if they will do a thorough job. Theres no excess to pay though and I think my NCD is safer.
I haven't really any experience with either company.
I'm not a body repair kind of guy so there's no question of me doing it myself. The chap who replaced the sills a couple of years ago was in the MGOC Directory, but I don't think he'll be on any insurance list.
Anybody know of a good insurance approved bodyshop in the Blackpool/Preston area?

Mark

M Crossley

If you have an agreed value, I think you will have a right to have it repaired at a specialist. Especially if you claim through your own insurance policy, and they then claim from the 3rd parties. Your NCD should remain intact as this is a no fault claim.

I had a similar sitaution in a motor bike accident. I claimed through my insurer, and did not loose my NCD because it was protected, and because I was not at fault. Eventually the other party picked up the tab.

Did you protect your NCD?

Anyway, get a specialist spridget repairer to at least inspect it, and write a report for insurance purposes.

This way you will get a better repair job, if there is hidden damage.
Lawrence Slater

Over here your NCD wouldn't be effected, nor would you have an excess to pay, as the accident isn't your fault and your insurance company will claim the costs from the other drivers insurance company. I don't know if it's the same in the UK though.
AndrewF

It's the same here.

Don't knock the "modern" ones without checking first - one of the local insurance ones here is an MG specialist who has been racing for years as well - and just does modern insurance jobs on the side!
rachmacb

Generally the insurance company which is picking up the tab dictates the approved repairer, but in this case I think I would go along with what Lawrence says and also, don't be intimidated by your or the third party's insurance company. Again, as Rach says, modern body shops have all the right gear such as jigs etc if the tub is twisted.
With regard to the other guy's repairers doing a good job, you get to examine the finished job and sign a satisfaction note, so if it's not right, give it back to them until it is. It may be wise to have someone who knows a bit about bodywork and paint present when you pick the car up. A freind of mine had a car repaired and hadn't noticed that the paint was slightly off shade. I noticed it and he went back and the bodyshop corrected it, so as I said, don't be afraid to speak up if you think it's not right.
b higginson

Thanks for your help everybody. Of course stuff like this always seems to take ages with lots of running around and phone calls.
My own insurances repairer suggests that they can straighten the existing panel and boot floor. Aparantly they have "electronic equipment" that does it very well, it won't need much filler and its better to keep the existing metal, which is better quality than modern stuff. They base this on pictures taken by their passing delivery driver.
The third party insurer thinks it needs a new rear panel, but that they were having difficulty finding one. I got the feeling that that was an excuse, but to be fair I did have to explain the GAN and HAN numbers to their parts guy.
I've tracked a BMH panel down at Moss's.
I'm not sure who to believe or which way to jump. Any ideas?

Mark
M Crossley

Mark. Has it been decided which company is going to repair the car, yours or theirs? It may be best to straighten the floor and fit a new rear panel, which should involve even less filler. It all depends on how much damage has been done to the surrounding panels. ie where the rear panel joins the shroud (boot panel where the lid fits) and floor.
The steel from which the original body was made had a higher carbon content and was thicker than modern steel, but modern stuff is generally of higher strength and cannot be fitted using gas welding as that would alter the nature of the high strength steel at the welds. I have no idea which type the BMH panels are made from. Given where the damage is, I would think that a new rear panel would be fitted using mig or spot welding. For a body shop worth its salt, it should not be very difficult if there is not much damage to the shroud. I hope this may help you reach a decision and also that you're back on the road soon.

Bernie.
b higginson

That's a real PITA, Mark. Trust YOU'RE OK...
The only time I have had a shunt [touch wood] was when I hit a Zagato bodied Bristol.
Ouch.

David Cox

Mark,

That's why imo, I think you should get a specialist midget restorer to at least give you a written report of exactly what and how, as regards the repair.

I personally would not accept the opinion of an insurer based on "pictures taken by their passing delivery driver.".

"The third party insurer thinks it needs a new rear panel, but that they were having difficulty finding one" ---- It's not your job to do their job, in looking for parts. If they don't know where to look, then don't trust them to do the repair job either.

If the car is still driveable, I would go find someone who knows exactly what is involved and can give you a true picture and report of the damage and the method of repair.

When you come to sell the car, you can be pretty sure that the buyer will be interested in knowing that it was repaired properly, and otherwise might want a big discount.
Lawrence Slater

Mark,
unfortunately we're not in an ideal world but the real one, in my experience in dealing with insurance companies as a Spridget is not now a common car if you don't ease things along they might not go as well as possible

ring the other insirance and explain that your car is an old/classic/not common car that suitable parts are only available from specialist suppliers and the repair work is best carried out by specilaist repairers

you'll be surprised how much a polite and friendly conversation can achieve, many of the workers don't get much of that attitude and will appreciate it - if being friendly doesn't help much then the being polite and efficient will

any verbal conversation always confirm in writing, register post is best

DO NOT asumme that anyone has a full set of correct facts, including you

with regard to your NCD it is dependant on your claim not who does the repair

your excess likewise depends on the claim and whether if you have have legal cover that they can get it back from the other side

even if you keep your NCD your premium may increase next time even if the accident was totally the other person's fault as it is proof that your car is at risk

a repairer may be glad to take the work on as they're not constricted to the insurance timetables for completing work

ETA: always get legal protection with your insurance even if you have to pay extra it's well worth it

and if you have it Mark ring them too and explain see what they can do
Nigel At

make sure thi insurance don't put it on the regester of damaged vehicles aswell!! as this will de value the car.
Mick struggling with the wiring

I thought that was only for write offs.

Do they (insurers) now have a register for regular damaged repairables too?

How much more information are they going to register?
Lawrence Slater

I took mine to a Recognised Spridget Specialist for a repair after a neighbour parked his car inside my driver's door

I wish I had gone with the insurance company's choice

The color is "close"

The window glass is less good than the old one

Because being as soft as I am (as no doubt many of you know) I let the useless workshop guy, supposed to be a mate, get away with a poor condition second hand glass...

Go with your insurer is my advice
Bill 1

IIRC there are several classes of write off, damaged repairable being one of them

Ray
Ray Rowsell

Just a quick comment of Nigel's remark:
"any verbal conversation always confirm in writing, register post is best"
While that's a good idea, I believe most insurance companies now routinely record (and store for some considerable time) all calls. Mate was facing being done for no insurance due to an insurance company coock-up. They then went back several months in their phone records, realised the mistake was theirs and sorted everything with the police for him. The beauty of the digital recording age!

-Craig
C Robertson

Craig is correct but what you must consider is that unless you record the conversation your end then you've not got access to what was said and you might forget, remember or understand differently what was said by either side - you can make mistakes too

a conformation letter is easier to refer to by both sides, unless things have changed the person at the other end of the phone can't pull up the recording of the previous conversation

also it's the telephone bureau/customer service section that has these recording facilities if you're clever enough to get past these sections or get through to the other companies that actually deal with this part of the claim then they don't have theses recording facilities

absolutely no disrespect to the people who work on telephone bureau/customer service becuase normally they're not empowered in any way and there just to pass on messages and get thorough as many customers as quickly as possible so you need to bypass them as as soon as possible

just be polite and freindly and treat the other person well and you can sometimes get further - it's so easy for me as I have such good looks and charm :)
Nigel At

Category A. Vehicle so badly damaged that it must never go back on the road and no parts from it may be salvaged. Vehicle must be destroyed.
Category B. Vehicle must not go back on the road, but parts may be salvaged, the rest of the vehicle destroyed.
Category C. Vehicle may be repaired and put back on the road, but is subject to a Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) and engineer's inspection.
Category D. Vehicle may be repaired and put back on the road, no check required. These are usually vehicles with mutiple panel damage which makes them an uneconomical repair, so they are written off.
Category F. Fire damaged vehicles, many of which are subject to Cat A rules.

Bernie.
b higginson

This thread was discussed between 22/09/2011 and 06/10/2011

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