Every year on German roads, 2.6 million road traffic accidents. Following an accident, as the injured party, you are entitled to reimbursement of the costs of repairing your vehicle. But how do you make a claim, and who actually pays for the repairs after an accident? Here you will find helpful Information on repair costs.
Essential: Ensure accident damage is assessed correctly
To the CertainlyWhen making a claim, it is mandatory It is essential to have the damage properly assessed. The safest course of action for you is to obtain an expert report. In this process, an expert documents and analyses the accident damage and outlines the necessary steps and time required for a full repair. This forms the basis for your claim settlement. At the same time, it provides you with a reliable assessment of the amount of your claim for loss of use. In the article “5 facts about vehicle valuation reports that you should know” you will find a Compilation All the information you need on expert reports for accident damage.
As a user of faire-Regulierung, you have access to trusted, independent assessors. Report your accident damage here. We’ll take care of everything else and ensure the best possible claims settlement for you. certainly.
Important: Who pays for the repair costs following a road traffic accident?
Have you been injured in a road traffic accident? In such circumstances, the person who caused the accident’s liability insurance is liable to pay compensation. You will be compensated as part of the damages awarded.
Did you cause the accident? If so, that’s a matter for your comprehensive insurance or your own pocket.
As you can see, clarifying who is at fault is essential, as this determines which insurance policy will cover the costs in the event of an accident. As a user of the faire-Regulierung portal, you will receive a free initial assessment of liability – sent directly to your mobile phone and prepared by an experienced lawyer from our network – within 24 hours of us receiving your accident report, provided it is suitable for assessment. Best of all: we guarantee that we will not charge you anything for this.
The basic requirement for an insurance company to cover the damage is that the accident was not caused deliberately. Furthermore, the damage must be reported within the specified time limit. The insurance company should be notified of the accident within 14 days. We would be happy to report the claim to your insurance company on your behalf and assess your entitlement to compensation.
Deciding to have the car repaired: Is there a requirement to use a specific garage?
If you are a victim of the accident, the insurance company of the person responsible is the party to whom you should address your claims. Communication with the claims departments of the various insurers is one of the key benefits for users of the ‘faire-Regulierung’ service.
When it comes to choosing a repair garage, don’t let anyone talk you into anything! You are free to choose which garage should carry out the repairs to the accident damage. There is no obligation to use a specific garage in this situation. Even the “warnings” you’ve no doubt heard time and again about the risk of higher costs if you choose your own garage are simply part of the repertoire of insurers who are liable to pay out. The insurance company’s aim is to steer you and your vehicle away from your usual garage and have the damage repaired at a garage that is cheaper for them. Don’t fall for it.
The situation is different in the case of comprehensive insurance claims – that is, damage for which you yourself are at fault. In such cases, there may be a requirement to use a specific garage. Please check the terms and conditions of your insurance policy. If the insurance company stipulates that you must use a specific garage, you must have your vehicle repaired at the garage specified by the insurer. We generally advise against insurance policies with a designated repairer clause. Experience from many thousands of insurance claims shows that the discounts offered under these policies are often not worth the potential loss of cover you risk in the event of a claim.
Please note: Your insurer may reduce your claim for repair costs following an accident
Naturally, the insurance company wants to keep its costs as low as possible and often reduces the amount of your claim. Typical items that are quickly excluded and which your garage regularly has to fight to have reinstated:
- Flat-rate charge for small parts (washers, adhesive, clips, etc.)
- Transport costs (journey from the car dealership to the paint shop and back)
- Test drive following repairs (to check that everything is working properly and to check for wind noise, for example)
As not every material can be assigned to a specific job, the workshop has the option of Small items flat rate to claim. This flat-rate amount applies to consumables such as Lubricants, adhesive tape and cleaning products and may be set at 2 % of the repair costs.
With technology constantly evolving, test drives have become indispensable. Vehicles today are fitted with adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring systems and lane-keeping assist. Simply “doing a lap of the block” is no longer sufficient to check that the vehicle is fully functional after repairs. For your safety, more extensive test drives are essential. Your car dealership regularly faces the challenge of ensuring that the insurance company covers the cost of this necessary work.
Insurance companies frequently and systematically reduce the claims to which you are entitled following an accident. Items relating to repairs, in particular, are often struck off by the insurance company. We – the ‘faire-Regulierung’ team – will assess your claims directly and underpin this with our network of experts. Let us meet your requirements now check.
Deciding against a repair: Does the accident damage need to be repaired?
It is not strictly necessary to have the vehicle involved in the accident repaired. If you decide against having it repaired, you are still entitled to compensation for the repair costs. If you do not have the car repaired and instead have your claim paid out, this is referred to as a “notional settlement”. From our day-to-day experience, we are aware of many objections raised by insurance companies in this regard. Insurers are keen to omit certain items, arguing that these costs were not actually incurred. However, the fundamental principle of a notional settlement is that no distinction is made between costs that were incurred and those that were not. The only thing that matters is what costs would have been incurred had you had the repairs carried out. Don’t let them pull the wool over your eyes here! The very nature of a notional settlement is that the items calculated in the expert report are not actually incurred, but nevertheless form the basis of your claim.
Through the fair-regulation network, you will therefore also have access to experienced specialists to handle your entire pro forma settlement and payment process.
Only if you are the owner of the vehicle can you decide for yourself whether or not to have the car repaired. In the case of leased or financed vehicles, the leasing company or the bank is the owner. In such cases, it is not you – but the owner – who decides how to proceed with the repair.
Your specialist: We safeguard your claims following a road traffic accident
We are a network of Experts covering all aspects of claims settlement. We assess your claims following an accident and secure them on your behalf. With our help, you can avoid financial risks and reduce the hassle involved.
Please let us know about your road traffic accident simply online or by telephone on free Number 0800 30 111 60. One of our experts will get back to you within a few minutes to discuss the next steps with you.
Its big plus: You can use our innovative customer information system (KIS) and have access at any time to all important files, such as reports or reimbursement statements. The data is stored in accordance with data protection regulations and can comfortable can be accessed via your smartphone. If necessary, a dedicated contact person is always available to assist you directly.
