Getting car serviced by independent mechanic - what do you do about insurance?

dacouch

Herzlos wrote: »

Which circumstances are they?

It won't be test driving, or collecting/returning cars, or damage whilst on site.

There are quite a few including

If the vehicle is unsafe / unroadworthy which is fairly common for a mobile mechanic and they have an accident caused by it being unroadworthy the damage to the car is not covered.

A significant amount of mobile mechanics don't take out Service Indemnity and / or Public Liability cover which covers them for mistakes eg not tightening the bolts on the wheels. The wheels then come off causing an accident. Or they don't put the engine back together properly and the engine seizes.

Dropping a spanner and damaging your bodywork is not a comprehensive claim but a liability claim (See above)

Or possibly if it catches fire while they're working on it, especially as it costs a fair amount more for cover for welding which many don't pay for/ select. If you throw in the Insurers require certain things to be in place when welding is being done to reduce the risk of a fire which many don't bother with to save time. If they don't follow the precautions the cover won't pay

Without Service Indemnity the Insurer won't pay.

Mobiles tend to take out a fairly low cover of indemnity for their own/customers cars typically circa £5k. This is the maximum the Insurer will pay for accidental damage, fire or theft etc to the customers vehicle. If your car is written off and is valued at £10k and they have £5k cover the Insurer will only pay £5k.

Each Insurer tends to have a bogey list of types of vehicles they won't cover, this may be pre 1980, fiber glass bodies, american vehicles etc (Generally unusual vehicles)

If they take the vehicle to their home and it's stolen over night, they may well not be liable for the theft leaving it up to your own Insurance to cover.

Their polices generally exclude damage to vehicles at a trade premises. They tend to take out a "Road Risk" policy which is very basically a motor policy that covers them to drive any vehicle (With restrictions). These policies are designed for mobiles or people who trade from home. If they acquire trade premises eg a workshop or share a premises with someone else which ultimately most will aspire to do. The policies specifically exclude damage/fire/theft cover for their own or customers vehicles within a defined radius of these business premises. The typical exclusion radius is 400m but can go upto 1km and applies whilst the vehicle is parked up.

The exclusion can be taken out subject to payment of a fairly hefty premium (If the Insurer actually offers this cover as some don't) as they need to buy cover for vehicles at the business premises.

Many traders are unaware of this exclusion or chose to ignore it when it's brought to their attention.

There are obvious things that the MT policy is not going to cover while the mechanics working on your car on your drive eg a tile from a neighboors roof lands on the car or the car is hit by another car that loses control. These are unlikely to be deemed the mechanics fault so would be the vehicle owners problem.

If they use a low loader or tow vehicle unless they've selected extra cover then the vehicle being transited tends not to be covered eg if they roll the low loader the car on it is not covered

There are a fair few other possibilities.

I used to have the miss fortunate to have to get involved in this market. The Insurers who offer cover tend to be the cheap and not cheerful Insurers and the policies are full of restrictions.

My colleagues used to knock these policies out and then call on me when there were problems to try and sort them out or explain to the client why the problem was not covered etc.

EdGasket

A word of Warning:
One year I took my car, a beloved Fiat Argenta, to a place advertising MoT's (garage 1). I had used them previously for welding and they were basically an OK place to deal with. However when I returned to pick my car up it had been crash damaged at the front; headlight broken and damage to front of bonnet. It turns out the place I dropped the car off takes it somewhere else for MoT, lets say garage 2, and he claims garage 2 damaged it so not his problem. Well I made it quite clear it was his problem as I had left the car in his care. It ended with him sorting out and fitting a new headlight and me filling the bonnet (had been previously filled) to save more hassle. Seems like garage 1 was not properly insured for cars left with them. It was lucky the damage was not severe or the car a newer one.

So now I only ever get my MoT done where they do it on the premises and NOT take it somewhere else. I drive it there and wait for it to be tested.