1. Even at your prices, I need to claim on my insurance, can I still use you?
Not a problem. Just ask us for a written quotation for insurance and we'll happily oblige. You send it off to your insurers (who are usually very pleased with our prices) and they'll then liase with us.
Why bother? because even if your insurance company is paying, the size of your claim can affect future premiums, so it's well worth seeking out the best quote. You can find out lots more
on why you should use Scuffbusters as your repairer on our Insurance Claim page.
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2. My Insurer is saying I must user their 'Approved Repairer', is this correct?
No! You have the right to use the Repairer of your choice (which of course will be Scuffbusters, won't it?). Your Insurer may advise you to use their 'Approved Repairer', but the
final choice remains with you, the Policyholder. All Insurers have an obligation governed by the FSA to "Treat customers fairly".
See our Insurance Claim page for more details.
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3. Your quote mentions 'blending', what is it and is it necessary?
This is a complicated area, but in essence if we are repairing a panel and the new paint is going to run right up to the edge of a panel, often we will allow prepare the adjacent panel(s) and 'feather' the
new paint into them. This way the new paint will bled into the old (which can be faded with age or even with newer vehicles can be slightly different due to paint mixing
tolerances) and ensure a perfect repair. This is a standard practice for any quality bodyshop, but can be a reason why other less scrupulous repairers will keep costs down by painting what is
referred to as 'edge to edge'. We have an unbeatable reputation for quality and if we think that blending is necessary, sorry but we won't do the job otherwise.
As we say, this is a complex area and we go into a little more detail on our All about blending page.
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4. Isn't it always better to fit new parts rather than repair damaged old ones?
We firmly believe that if it's possible for us to repair existing parts - whether cracked bumpers or even quite badly damaged panels - then as long as we can achieve a great quality repair that's what
we should do. It keeps your costs down and we think is far more environmentally responsible. Of course sometimes fitting new parts is sometimes unavoidable if we are to get the right result, in which
case we'll always use original manufacturers parts unless otherwise agreed with you. Any unrepairable parts are responsible recycled.
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5. Do you use original manufacturers original parts?
Yes. In our experience, 'pattern' parts often cause difficulties with us achieving a perfect repair so if you have a quotation where parts are listed, these will be
original manufacturers items, which we will supply at their list prices. If you insist on us using pattern or even reclaimed parts we may be able to accommodate you by
discussion, but this is an area fraught with potential problems, so beware.
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6. Can you carry out work at home?
No. We used to operate a mobile service, but with modern materials and methods we can really only guarantee the best results when work is carried out in our fully equipped workshop.
We can also carry out a far wider range of repairs so we rarely have to say 'No, sorry I can't do that'. And it's indoors. And warm. And we are always in when we say we're going to be.
And we provide FREE courtesy cars. That's fair enough isn't it?
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7. How long will my repairs take?
With things like bumper repairs you will usually get your car back the same day. With panel repairs (doors, bonnet, quarter panels etc) we will usually ask to keep the car for 2 or maybe 3 days.
Even the largest multi-panel job is unlikely to take more than 3-4 days. That's a refreshing change isn't it? See our Faster Turnaround page for more.
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8. Can I have a courtesy car whilst we fix mine?
Absolutely. No problem. And for FREE. See our Free Courtesy Car page for more details.
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9. How do I get a quotation and do you charge for them?
Second part first, NO we don't. We know other bodyshops insist you make an appointment and then charge you up to £50.00 for the privilege of getting an 'estimate'.
With us you can use our on-line enquiry form, email or use your cameraphone to send us photos or just drop in any time and we'll be delighted to help.
See our Get a Quote page for more.
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10. Other bodyshops give 'estimates', what's the difference between that and your 'quotations'?
An 'estimate' is just that. A figure that can be revised (invariably upwards) after the repair is started. Our quotations are fixed price which means that's what you'll pay. There may be the very odd
exception where until we dismantle a car we can't tell whether any hidden parts will need replacing or repair but this is very uncommon and we will always be very clear on our quote if this could be the case.
It's very very rare for us to have to put this caveat in our quotes, so invariably you'll have total certainty when you book your job exactly what it's going to cost you.
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11. Will the paint colour match properly?
Our Standox paint mixing system is recognised as being of the very highest quality in the business and is approved by all the major manufacturers, from BMW to Skoda, from Rolls Royce and Lamborghini
to Tata and Kia. We can accurately match literally tens of thousands of world car colours. With difficult or faded colours we use a device that will scan the existing panel of your car and give us
a mixing formula accordingly. From a more down to earth standpoint, we will always 'blend' new paintwork into existing areas where appropriate to further ensure you get that perfect result.
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12. Do you do complete resprays?
Yes... and then again No.... Customers often ask us to carry out full resprays where it isn't necessary. Often a few panel repairs and repaints plus a full machine polish will get your car looking
great again at far less cost than a complete respray. If every panel on the car is damaged then yes, of course we can respray the whole vehicle, but the time involved and the amount of materials
involved (automotive paint is unbelievably expensive) can make the cost prohibitive. Full resprays will tend to start at around the £2000mark!. Often people ask about resprays because
they want their car to be a different colour. If you consider all the body-coloured areas on a car, underbonnet, boots, and sometimes even internal areas you'll understand why we say no.
It's invariably a better idea to sell that car and buy one in a colour you like!
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13. Do you guarantee your work?
Absolutely. We guarantee your 100% satisfaction, and guarantee that repairs will stay looking good for as long as you own the car. We've looked but we can't find ANYONE else that offers
that degree of confidence in their work. See our Quality Guarantee page for more.
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14. If my paint is scratched, does the panel need to be resprayed?
Often light scratching can be totally removed by our experienced technicians by a number of specialist methods, without resorting to repainting. As a guideline if you gently drag a fingernail
across a scratch and your nail 'catches' in the scratch, chances are it will need repairing and repainting. There are a few areas on a car, such as bumpers, where we can carry out 'local' repairs
ie. repairs that don't involved preparing and refinishing the whole panel. In other areas whilst we won't need to put new paint across the whole panel, it will be prepared and receive a total covering
of clear lacquer. If a scratch is near an adjacent panel we may even need to blend the new paintwork across those panels and lacquer those as well. Sometimes removing what may appear fairly
minor scratches can really add up in terms of cost and if we can remove the majority by other methods you may choose to live with them. It's of course totally your choice but rest assured, we will
never quote you for unnecessary extra work, we will always look to provide you with the most cost-effective solution.
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15. Do you undertake rust repairs?
This is one of the few times you'll hear us say No. In our experience rust can only ever be completely eradicated through a huge amount of preparatory work and ideally cutting out the
corroding part and inserting new metalwork. If it's on a wing or other bolt-on panel that can be replaced then fine, we're delighted to help, but we don't get involved in welding or
'just making good so you can sell it'.
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16. Do your prices include VAT?
Any price quoted to you will be +VAT and we'll usually clearly tell you that. Our written quotations will clearly identify the VAT element and give you a final total 'what you pay' price.
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17. How and when do I pay you? You only pay us when the job is completed and you are delighted with the result*. Then our preferred method of payment is by debit card. We'll take your Visa or Mastercard credit card but due to high bank charges there will be a surcharge for that. We do accept cash if necessary.
*The only time we may ask you for some advance payment is if we have to obtain 'special order parts' in order to complete your repair. Such items are often not returnable by us so we hope
you will understand if we ask for payment for such items when we take your booking. This will only be for the parts element of your booking.
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Got another question? Just contact us