Hey guys,

I had an accident on Friday. Was not at fault. I have 3rd party with RACV and the guy that hit me admitted it was his fault. He is with AAMI. Its the first time i had an accident and don't know what i can or can't do. Ok so here are some of my questions.

I had my car towed to a body panel shop that was recommended by the MACK towing agency.He told me that they do work for RACV and they are really good etc. I cannot confirm this. Since all the shops were closed and i did not know any other place where i could take my car so i took it to the place the truck driver told me (Bernie Mack Motor Body Repairs). I haven't seen the place yet. I didn't not pay for this tow as it was not my fault and it was charged to AAMI.

1. Can i change to another shop if i don't like it and would i have to pay for towing?
2. If i am not satisfied with the final work can i complain and get it redone at no costs.
3. If there was some panels that were not damaged by the accident in question, could i get those panels to be done as well at no cost.
4. My left front tyre got damaged in the accident will they also replace the right one at np cost to maintain even balance.
5. Can i ask for a replacement car. or if i don't need a replacement car can i ask for an allowance so that i can rent a replacement car.


Thanks Guys

most of the time the insurer will have there preferred body shop so you could be out of luck but if it's not up to scratch i'd complain as for other damage non accident related they wont fix it unless you pay them to fix it... the tyre should be replaced under insurance and only some places offer a courtesy vehicle (think that's how you spell it)

Pretty much what Colgate said.

1. Most insurers have a few tame workshops they send their business to. Ultimately it is probably up to your insurer who you get the car fixed with. They'll get three quotes and choose the cheapest. If there's somewhere you want to take your car, make sure they quote the least :)
2. Absolutely if the work is sub-par you can complain about it. The usual laws apply regarding poor workmanship.
3. They won't fix non incident related damage, but you can often negotiate with them to charge you for that separately and get maybe a small discount since they're going to have to have the paint and whatnot anyway.
4. Depends on the laws where you are. Generally it is illegal to have mismatched tyres at the same end of the car. They'll either find an identical 2nd hand tyre with similar tread wear, or replace both.
5. That depends on the insurance companies, or the panel beaters.

Hey guys,

I had an accident on Friday. Was not at fault. I have 3rd party with RACV and the guy that hit me admitted it was his fault. He is with AAMI. Its the first time i had an accident and don't know what i can or can't do. Ok so here are some of my questions.

I had my car towed to a body panel shop that was recommended by the MACK towing agency.He told me that they do work for RACV and they are really good etc. I cannot confirm this. Since all the shops were closed and i did not know any other place where i could take my car so i took it to the place the truck driver told me (Bernie Mack Motor Body Repairs). I haven't seen the place yet. I didn't not pay for this tow as it was not my fault and it was charged to AAMI.

1. Can i change to another shop if i don't like it and would i have to pay for towing?

....YES

2. If i am not satisfied with the final work can i complain and get it redone at no costs.

....YES

3. If there was some panels that were not damaged by the accident in question, could i get those panels to be done as well at no cost.

....NO

4. My left front tyre got damaged in the accident will they also replace the right one at np cost to maintain even balance.

....NO

5. Can i ask for a replacement car. or if i don't need a replacement car can i ask for an allowance so that i can rent a replacement car.

....NO (3rd. party's dont have that option)


Thanks Guys.....

I used Bernie Mack in Murrumbeena a few times, but it was more than 5 years ago. They did an ok job of the actual panel work, but there was always things they missed which drove me nuts.

One time they were supposed to replace a rear door handle assembly on a TR, it had a small groove carved into it from the accident (rear door got hit). When i got the car back they handle wasn't replaced, they told me to book it in in a week and they would do it. So I booked it in, it came back with some touch up paint on the scratch, they didnt bother replacing the handle or even trying to patch the groove in the plastic.

Another time the left electric mirror didnt work, they forgot to plug it in. And they killed the alarm system, had to take it to an auto elec to get it fixed. At least they paid for it.

They repair too many cars, they miss details. I wouldnt go back there myself.