Hello, basically i run my own small bodyshop in uk,have been mainly doing custom and private work but i want to grow and get more work, i really want to know how to get insurance work? how do i go about this, where do i start etc, i see on peoples website insurance approved etc, what does this mean? i really want to get into the insurance side of things.

any help would be great.

forum great! keep up the good work


Cheers Neil

to get Ins. work , you just need to bend over , waaay over .... and putup with a bad taste in your mouth.

On the serious side .... Here the customer say's where he'd like his car fixed and Ins. sends me an info sheet (claim # etc.). Customer then comes in and I take 6 pictures and write a sheet , which I then email (pic's and estimate) , to a desk appraiser , who then rewrites it to his liking (lowers labour rates & material costs, etc.) , and he sends it back. Then when the jobs done I suppliment for extras , and he sends me another sheet (final suppliment)

Then I invoice the Ins. Co. and wait for 2 months to get paid

Careful what you wish for

Stone wrote:




is it really that difficult to get paid? waiting 2 months for a check? i always wanted to ask this question too but if i have to wait more then a couple weeks i dont think its worth it at all especially if your only getting underpaid to begin with

MoCoke wrote:

If you're lucky.
My missus used to do bodyshop admin, and from my own experience too, chasing 90 day old accounts isn't out of the ordinary. They'll hang on for as long as they possibly can before paying you. I mean, what are you going to do about it? Go and rip the paint off the car you repaired weeks ago? Refuse to do any more work for that insurance company? Doubtful, as they'll always have others queueing up for their work.

Think long and hard Neil. You'll have to jump through hoops to get approval, and even then it isn't really as lucrative as it used to be. You get screwed down on hours and labour rate, have to give discounts on parts so you don't make a great deal that way, and an insurance company can blow you off without notice if a better deal comes along.

Hi Neil

I also have a small bodyshop in the uk, and getting insurance work without an insurance approval as we call it in the UK is pretty hard, all the big boys have it sown up.

The requirements are very high.

fleet of courtesy cars
recovery truck
specified spot welder
miracle repair system is a requirement of quite a lot of insurance company's as well.
Large work force.
pick up and delivery service ( i.e pick up cars within 4hrs etc)
dedicated estimating system ( usually audatex)
often a specific paint type as well

unfortunately the small bodyshops cannot provide all these services, even though they would do the job just as well , if not better.

Manufacture approval is maybe an easier option, I have no insurance approvals, but I am going through a process at the moment to gain Mitsubishi manufacture approval.

Try some of your local dealers maybe pick up some warranty work, i know Mazda are having big problems with the some of the Mazda models, new rear quarters and sills are being fitted under warranty, pays reasonably well around £38.00 per hour, witch is more than an insurance company will pay you.

Well, here in the US, things might be a bit different... but some things should
remain true. Treat your customers well and establish a good rapport with the
field appraisers (adjusters). They're not all out to low ball every claim.
Show them the same courtesy as you would a customer. It's 99% psychology...