Any car accident results in a number of problems for the driver, starting with the investigation to determine the guilty party in the conflict and ending with the process of repairing the damaged vehicle. And if the issue of determining the initiator of the accident falls entirely on the shoulders of traffic police inspectors, then restoring the car after an accident is the personal concern of the car owner. Moreover, this also applies to holders of an MTPL policy, since the insurance company can only offer the client a specific service station, and not make a choice for him. We will find out in the article how to properly assess the damage and where it is best to reconstruct the machine.
Basic driver actions after an accident
When involved in a traffic accident, the first thing a driver must do is make sure that no other participants in the accident were seriously injured. Next, before the State Traffic Inspectorate arrives, the motorist should fence off the collision site with special signs, and immobilize the vehicle itself by turning off the engine and applying the parking brake.
Upon the arrival of traffic police inspectors at the scene of the accident, the injured car owners draw up a written explanation, which will be used in the future to establish the culprit. The police may also interview witnesses (if any) and review dashcam footage.
Only after the traffic police officers draw up a report on the traffic accident, the driver will be able to contact the insurance company to receive a compensation payment. How in such a case the assessment of damage and further repair of a car after an accident occurs, we will consider below.
Work examples
The entire front part of the car was badly dented. The body geometry was restored, welded, leveled and painted. Plastic parts were replaced. The total cost of the slipway work is 48,000 rubles. (excluding painting)
Toyota Aurion
The hood of the car was severely damaged, the bumper and headlights were completely broken. The spar was bent. The spar was pulled out, the slipway work was carried out, dents were leveled out and the hood was painted in body color. The front bumper, plastic elements and headlights were replaced.
Toyota Camri
A car after a serious accident. Glass was broken, there were scratches and dents all over the body, and the front part of the car was almost completely destroyed. The geometry is broken, the spar is bent. They leveled out dents and completely repainted the body, replacing doors, front fenders, bumpers, plastic elements, glass, and headlights. Overhaul of the front part of the body (spar alignment, geometry correction, valve work) and engine repair. Restoration of interior trim.
Volkswagen GTI
The car overturned as a result of an accident. The front fenders, roof and sill were replaced. We repaired the bumper, rear fenders, installed a windshield, and completely painted the body. A lot of reinforcing work has been carried out. The total cost is 135,000 rubles.
Toyota Corolla
As a result of the accident, a piece of the bumper came off and the wing was damaged. Parts were replaced and painted in body color. The headlight, PTF, turn signal and fender liner were replaced with new ones. The total cost of the work was 38,000 rubles.
Mazda 3
The fender and hood were leveled and painted. The headlights and front bumper were replaced with new ones. The vehicle's chassis was also repaired. The price of body repair is 42,000 rubles (excluding chassis repairs).
Mercedes-Benz AMG
View other works
Contacting the insurer
Regardless of which policy the motorist owns (MTPL or CASCO), he must notify the insurer about a traffic conflict that has arisen no later than 7 days from the date of the incident. You can do this in two different ways:
- Call the SK hotline;
- Contact the office of a company providing civil liability protection services.
It is important to know! In the first case, you should expect an independent expert to visit the scene of the accident, where all the necessary documents will be drawn up to receive compensation. When choosing the second option, the injured driver will have to collect all the certificates and papers on his own, which reduces his chances of full coverage of material damage from the insurance company.
Collection of documents
Before handing over your car after an accident for restoration by an insurance company, the driver must prepare the following documentation:
- Passport;
- Certificate of ownership of the car (a general power of attorney and deed of gift are also suitable);
- A valid CASCO or OSAGO policy;
- PTS;
- Driver license;
- Application for compensation;
- A traffic police resolution on a traffic accident, indicating the culprit of the accident.
Having received the listed certificates, the insurer can begin assessing the visible damage, for which the law allows him no more than 10 days. If the insurance company deliberately ignores these deadlines or the amount of compensation calculated by it is too small, then the car owner reserves the right to file a lawsuit against the company and conduct their own vehicle diagnostics with the involvement of another independent expert.
Damage assessment
As usual, the procedure for assessing material damage is carried out by a representative of the insurance company. But the legislation of the Russian Federation does not prohibit motorists from carrying out additional inspection of a mutilated vehicle with the involvement of an independent expert from a service station (at their own expense).
The total cost of car repairs after an accident is determined using the following algorithm:
- The appraiser carefully examines the vehicle body and records damage to the internal structure;
- The total cost of parts to be replaced is displayed, and the cost of restoration work is calculated;
- A percentage for wear of parts is subtracted from the resulting value (if the car is not repaired by a dealer).
It is important to know! If the driver agrees with the established amount of compensation, the insurance company can make a cash payment to the client or reconstruct the vehicle at its own expense. In the opposite situation, the citizen reserves the right to challenge the insurer’s decision in court and initiate a re-assessment of the damage.
The cost of body work and painting a car after an accident
One of the most common processes required for those involved in accidents is painting, straightening and puttying. Sometimes it will be necessary to weld body parts or completely replace them. In each case, the set of actions to be performed will be determined individually. The cost of the work also depends on the necessary actions. There are several criteria for preliminary assessment of the cost of restoring the body of your car:
- welding work is often democratic; it will take up about 10-15 percent of the total budget, but will require exclusively professional execution of the processes;
- straightening and preparing the body for processing will also not cost much, taking about another 10 percent of your budget, but this figure may change;
- puttying, cleaning and eliminating minor irregularities will cost another 15% of the budget, cheap services can turn out to be of very poor quality and visible;
- priming and washing body parts to preserve their quality and integrity will take about another 20% of the total cost of the planned restoration process;
- the remaining 40-45% will be spent on painting, including the purchase of all materials necessary for this and payment for the work of a car painter.
All these processes will help tidy up the car body, give it a fresh and beautiful appearance. But we should not forget that in this restoration the main criterion is quality. If you decide to restore the car yourself or with the help of a garage car service, it is better not to hope that the result will be of sufficient quality and without problems. Most likely, such a repair will end unsuccessfully.
Restoring a car after an accident
All actions of insurers are regulated. The insurance company provides three points where you can repair a car after an accident under compulsory motor liability insurance:
- From an official dealer;
- At a bus station offered by the insurer;
- At the service station chosen by the client himself.
How the proposed options differ from each other, and which one is better for the victim to choose, we will consider below.
From an official dealer
Most often, owners whose vehicle has minimal mileage insist on having their car repaired at the dealer. After all, this can guarantee the high quality of the work performed. But insurance companies are reluctant to agree to this method of vehicle restoration, due to three main reasons:
- The price of parts at a dealer is much higher than on the market or in a regular car shop;
- The cost of a damaged car after repair will significantly decrease, even though the reconstruction will be carried out professionally;
- The average duration of a vehicle's stay in a car service is from 1 to 2 weeks, while dealers spend about 30-60 days on this process.
If the client insists on this option, then it is likely that the insurance company will refuse to restore his car at its own expense and will simply give the driver compensation in money.
To the service station in the direction of the insurance company
This method of car reconstruction is considered the most popular among insurance companies, as it allows them to save an impressive portion of compensation funds. The fact is that insurance companies issue referrals exclusively to those service stations with which they have an agreement, receiving in return lower rates for the restoration work themselves.
It is important to know! At the same time, the car owner also remains in the black, since the company’s regulations provide for a guarantee for the repairs performed. This means that if defects are detected, the driver will be able to make subsequent adjustments to the vehicle at the expense of the insurer, which is not offered by official dealers and private service stations.
Own choice of service station
As we mentioned earlier, the car owner himself has the right to choose where to have his car repaired after an accident under compulsory motor liability insurance. But in order to take the car to a service station under an insurance policy, the client needs to obtain consent from the insurance company. Based on this, it follows that the driver will not be able to restore the vehicle at any service station. The reason for a company to refuse a service station may be its banal lack of accreditation.
An additional disadvantage of this option is the removal of responsibility for the timing of repair work with the insurance company. Well, if there is a large difference between the cost of restoring a vehicle by the standards of a private bus station and the estimate drawn up by an insurance representative, the company may even file a lawsuit against the client, forcing him to conduct an independent examination at his own expense.
Our services
We provide all car repair services after an accident - from body work to mechanic repair:
- Body repair and painting. We carry out a full range of measures aimed at the complete restoration of the car body: slipway work, straightening and welding, painting. It is advisable to replace elements with critical damage with other, new or used original parts.
- Diagnostics of vehicle components and assemblies. The procedure is aimed at identifying parts and spare parts that require repair or replacement.
- Any metalwork work. We repair any parts: engines, gearboxes, chassis, mufflers.
Promotion!!! 5% discount on any type of work when making an appointment in advance or when estimating the cost of work from a photo!
- Make an appointment at a car service center for repairs
- Estimate the cost of repairs from photos
* When estimating from a photo, the price is reported without taking into account the discount. Thus, the final cost will be less than 5% of the calculated one.
* Discount cannot be combined with other promotions and offers.
Prices for work
It is very difficult to name the exact cost of repairs after an accident, since severe damage to the body is a rather loose concept. After all, a visual inspection can only determine the cost of body repairs, and to identify the necessary plumbing work, a thorough diagnosis will be required.
| * Click on the type of work to see prices * The minimum and maximum price is indicated depending on the make and model of the car | Minimum price | Maximum price |
| Removing/Installing body parts | ||
| Front wing | from 1000 rub. | up to 3000 rub. |
| Rear fender | from 1000 rub. | up to 2000 rub. |
| Hood | from 500 rub. | from 1500 rub. |
| trunk lid | from 1000 rub. | from 2500 rub. |
| Front bumper | from 1000 rub. | up to 2500 rub. |
| Rear bumper | from 1000 rub. | up to 2000 rub. |
| Front door | from 3000 rub. | up to 4000 rub. |
| Rear door | from 3000 rub. | up to 4000 rub. |
| Complete painting of parts | ||
| * Prices include paint and consumables | ||
| Front wing | from 5000 rub. | up to 7000 rub. |
| Rear fender | from 5000 rub. | up to 7000 rub. |
| Hood | from 7000 rub. | up to 10,000 rub. |
| trunk lid | from 7000 rub. | up to 10,000 rub. |
| Front bumper | from 7000 rub. | up to 10,000 rub. |
| Rear bumper | from 7000 rub. | up to 10,000 rub. |
| Front door | from 6000 rub. | up to 8000 rub. |
| Rear door | from 6000 rub. | up to 8000 rub. |
| Local painting of parts | ||
| * Prices include paint and consumables | ||
| Front wing | from 3000 rub. | up to 4000 rub. |
| Rear fender | from 3000 rub. | up to 5000 rub. |
| Hood | from 3000 rub. | up to 5000 rub. |
| trunk lid | from 3000 rub. | up to 5000 rub. |
| Front bumper | from 3000 | up to 5000 rub. |
| Rear bumper | from 3000 | up to 5000 rub. |
| Front door | from 3000 | up to 5000 rub. |
| Rear door | from 3000 | up to 5000 rub. |
| Full body painting | ||
| * Prices include paint and consumables | ||
| Full car body painting | from 60,000 rub. | up to 95,000 rub. |
| Body repair parts | ||
| Repair for damage up to 30% of the part | from 2000 rub. | up to 3000 rub. |
| Repair for damage from 30% of the part | from 3000 rub. | up to 4000 rub. |
| Slip works | ||
| Checking (diagnostics) body geometry | from 1000 rub. | up to 1500 rub. |
| Restoring body geometry | from 6000 rub. | up to 12,000 rub. |
How is referral for repairs made?
After the victim submits all the necessary documents to the Investigative Committee, company representatives will have to inspect the mutilated vehicle within 5 days. Next, having in hand an estimate for the cost of repairs, an independent expert from the insurance company draws up a written referral to the service station, which is handed over strictly to the client.
Advice! The driver himself can decide to use the received document within 20 days. If a citizen, within the allotted time, does not have time to challenge the mentioned paper, or drive his car to the specified service station, then the possibility of restoring the vehicle under the MTPL policy will be canceled for him. And it will not be possible to resume it in the future even through the courts.
Referral for repairs under OSAGO
Current legislation establishes the availability of the following data in the direction of restoration work:
- Name of service station.
- Cost of restoration work.
- Vehicle characteristics.
- Full name of the car owner.
- The probable amount of additional payment that the car owner must make.
- The procedure for resolving disputes in the event of detection of hidden damage to a vehicle.
The insurance company has 20 days to issue a referral to the policyholder. The document must indicate that the repair is free of charge for the client. After he picks up the restored car, the obligation will be terminated. The machine must not have any operating defects. Therefore, before signing any documents regarding the completion of restoration work, it is necessary to check the operation of the car. If this is not done, then no claims will help.
In what cases is an independent examination needed?
Many drivers believe that an independent assessment after an accident is mandatory in order to avoid possible deception on the part of the insurance company. But in reality, this procedure is absolutely useless for persons who have submitted their vehicle for repairs on the direction of the insurer.
It’s another matter if a motorist decides to restore the car on his own, demanding monetary compensation from the company. Indeed, in this case, the estimated insurance amount will not always coincide with the actual cost of vehicle reconstruction. And in order not to pay extra money, a citizen needs to initiate an additional examination.
A person can contact the insurance company with a new estimate either through a lawsuit or pre-trial by sending a written claim. At the same time, it is better to start with the second option, since an amicable resolution of the conflict will allow the client to save a lot of time. And insurers in such situations prefer to agree to the conditions of the victims without provoking further proceedings.
Repair start dates
According to the internal regulations of insurance companies providing civil liability protection, the period for restoration work under compulsory motor liability insurance cannot exceed 30 days from the date of transfer of the vehicle to the service center employees. Additionally, this provision is regulated by the legislation of the Russian Federation, namely clause 15.2 of the “Law on Automobile Citizenship”. Ignoring it on the part of the insurance company may become the reason for a lawsuit filed on behalf of the client.
Attention! As a punishment, the company responsible for repairing the car under the insurance policy will incur losses in the amount of 1% per day of the total cost of vehicle reconstruction. And this penalty is assigned exclusively to the injured citizen. The only exception in this case can be considered the person’s refusal of the referral issued to him by the employees of the Investigative Committee.
Requirements for service stations
As we previously mentioned, when independently choosing a service station, the client must coordinate his decision with the insurer. In order not to receive a negative response from the insurance company, a citizen should make sure in advance that the service station he has chosen meets the following requirements:
- The service is located within 50 km from the vehicle owner’s residential address;
- Station employees guarantee order fulfillment within a 30-day period;
- Availability of accreditation;
- The service station provides a guarantee for the repairs performed (up to 1 year).
If one of the above criteria for car services is not met, then representatives of the insurance company have the right to refuse to pay the client monetary compensation in order to independently restore the car.
If the car is under warranty
If a person whose movable property is under warranty was injured in a traffic accident, then he will be able to receive compensation payment under compulsory motor liability insurance only after completing the following steps:
- While at the scene of an accident, the car owner must notify the insurance company about what happened and wait for the arrival of an independent expert;
- After completing a traffic police report and conducting a preliminary inspection of the damaged vehicle, the driver is obliged to report to the insurance company and submit an application for damages;
- Within 10 days from the moment of being involved in an accident, the motorist must submit his vehicle for extensive diagnostics in order to calculate the damage received.
It is important to know! As you can see, the procedure for receiving insurance payment for a car that is under warranty is not much different from the process of applying for compensation for a regular vehicle. The only thing that the owner of the mentioned car should pay attention to in this case is the timing of contacting the Investigative Committee.
We found out where you need to have your car repaired under warranty if it was involved in an accident, and during what period it is advisable to submit a claim to the insurance office. In conclusion, it is worth adding that if the internal regulations of OSAGO are not followed, a citizen may be refused compensation for material damage. And then he will have to cover the costs of restoration work exclusively from his own pocket.
What are the deadlines for issuing directions for repairs and how are they calculated?
20 days. This period is the same for both cash payments for damages and compensation for car repairs. The period is regulated by the Federal Law on Compulsory Motor Liability Insurance, paragraph 21 of Article 12.
The 20-day period for issuing a referral for repairs under MTPL begins from the day the full package of documents is submitted to the insurance company. In this case, calendar days are counted, except for non-working holidays - that is, regular weekends are included in the period, but holiday weekends are not included.
And the full package of documents includes:
- application for insurance compensation,
- a completed accident report,
- car owner's passport,
- car registration certificate,
- OSAGO insurance policy,
- resolution and/or protocol or ruling on refusal to initiate administrative proceedings against the culprit of the accident.
Please note that the period for issuing a referral to the service station begins regardless of the date of the inspection or technical examination of the insurance company. If the inspection was organized for you on the 19th after submitting all the documents, then in any case this period is 20 days from the date of submission of the documents, that is, the next day in this example you must be given a referral.
Examples
- You were involved in an accident on January 1, 2021, and contacted the insurance company on January 14. In this case, you must receive a referral for repairs by February 3 inclusive and no later.
- You were involved in an accident on February 1, May 30, 2021, and applied for compensation on February 10. The officially approved days off this year are, for example, February 23 and 24 in honor of Defender of the Fatherland Day, and this year there are 28 days in this month. Then you will receive a referral for repairs until March 4 inclusive. The deadline is calculated simply: first, from February 11, we count 12 days until the 23rd, then from the 25th we need to add the remaining 8 days, as a result we get the 4th of the next month.
- You were involved in an accident on March 1, May 30, 2021, and submitted a statement and documents for compulsory motor liability insurance on March 5. For example, days off are considered days from the 8th to the 13th - 5 days. Also on March 10, the insurer called you and indicated that you forgot to submit a registration certificate from the set of documents. On March 11 you brought STS. In this case, the countdown of the deadline for sending for repairs begins on March 12, but since March 12 and 13 fall on weekends, the 20 days begin on March 14 and thus end on April 3.
What will happen if the deadline is not met?
There is no administrative fine - that is, in favor of the state budget - for the insurance company for missing the deadline for issuing a referral for repairs. But there is civil liability for this - that is, in your favor. And it's called a penalty. It has a clear size and is defined by paragraph 21 of Article 12 of the Federal Law on Compulsory Motor Liability Insurance. The penalty for failure to comply with the deadline for issuing a referral to a car repair service under OSAGO is 1% of the amount of damage (and yes, damage assessment is carried out in any case and with in-kind compensation)
If your referral for repairs was delayed, you have the right to additional compensation for this. For example, if you submitted documents on March 1, 2021, the insurance company calculated the damage for 100,000 rubles, and you were given a referral only on March 30, but for a delay of 9 days you are entitled to 9% of 100 thousand rubles, that is, another 9,000, in addition that the obligation to restore the vehicle remains.
A penalty for late referral is not issued automatically, remember this! You must file a separate claim for payment. It is written in free form, indicating the calculation and a specific requirement to pay the penalty to the specified bank details (or pay it in cash). If you refuse compensation, you have the right to go to court.
