Should I accept an accident repair with "used" parts?
Discussion
I was driving my mk7 Golf down an NSL country lane back at the beginning of October 2024 when a deer ran out from behind a hedge straight into the side of my car! The front wing and front door was damaged, the headlight cracked and the fog light pushed back into the bumper. I had the damage assessed at a reputable local body shop whom I have used before and they estimated the repair at approximately 7,000 pounds. Being a 2016, relatively high mileage car (125k), my insurance company seemed keen to write it off initially and gave me a lowball offer but I argued successfully that other than the damage, the car was in very good condition and very high spec (leather, heated seats, front and rear parking sensors, satnav, pan roof, radar cruise, LED lights, 18” alloys, backup camera, premium audio with the subwoofer etc) and that I wouldn’t be able to replace it with a comparable vehicle for the money that they were offering me ,so after about a month of negotiation, they finally agreed to approve the repair.
The car still runs and drives perfectly and everything still works, I just have a warning light on the dash permanently for the adaptive lights (the front fog on the side that you are turning comes on when you turn and I guess with the light having been pushed back into the bumper, it’s not too happy about that), so I have been driving it every day in its current condition since the beginning of October but I am concerned about moisture getting in and causing electrical issues.
The car was supposed to go in for repair in the middle of December but the body shop phoned me the week before and said that some of the parts (headlight unit/door skin) were on back order and hadn’t come in yet. Every time that I have phoned since, the parts have still been on back order with no ETA. They phoned me yesterday and said that they could get me in sooner ie in the next 2 weeks, if I would accept used parts. They were a bit vague/non-committal about where they would be getting those parts from. I’m a little tired of waiting, so am tempted to go with this option but at the same time, I don’t want to accept a sub-standard repair. Maybe I’m being a bit precious about an 8 year old, 125k car but I’ve owned it for 5 years, finally paid off the loan on it last year, so it’s the first car that I’ve owned outright for about 10 years and it has served me faultlessly, so I feel that it deserves the best standard of repair. Without spending a significant amount more, there isn’t really anything else that I would rather have to replace it with. It’s comfortable, economical (I do about 70 miles per day), quick enough (1.4 TSI), practical and has a very high level of spec, so I would possibly like to hold on to it for another 3 years and pass it onto my daughter when she’s 17.
It’s a 1.4 TSI DSG estate, so perhaps not the ideal first car but it does have the camera/sensors and if I get her a more traditional first car like an Up/Polo, it won’t have anywhere like the features that this one has plus I know that it’s reliable and has been looked after. By that point, I know that if she has a bump in it, it’s a strong car and she will be safe and the value will be at such a point that it doesn’t really matter. I imagine also that being a less obvious first car, the insurance will probably be about the same as the aforementioned Up/Polo too?
Not sure how warranty works on used parts ie if the headlamp unit fails or the door starts going rusty etc. So should I wait (indefinitely) for new parts to come in or give them the go ahead on the repair with used parts?
The car still runs and drives perfectly and everything still works, I just have a warning light on the dash permanently for the adaptive lights (the front fog on the side that you are turning comes on when you turn and I guess with the light having been pushed back into the bumper, it’s not too happy about that), so I have been driving it every day in its current condition since the beginning of October but I am concerned about moisture getting in and causing electrical issues.
The car was supposed to go in for repair in the middle of December but the body shop phoned me the week before and said that some of the parts (headlight unit/door skin) were on back order and hadn’t come in yet. Every time that I have phoned since, the parts have still been on back order with no ETA. They phoned me yesterday and said that they could get me in sooner ie in the next 2 weeks, if I would accept used parts. They were a bit vague/non-committal about where they would be getting those parts from. I’m a little tired of waiting, so am tempted to go with this option but at the same time, I don’t want to accept a sub-standard repair. Maybe I’m being a bit precious about an 8 year old, 125k car but I’ve owned it for 5 years, finally paid off the loan on it last year, so it’s the first car that I’ve owned outright for about 10 years and it has served me faultlessly, so I feel that it deserves the best standard of repair. Without spending a significant amount more, there isn’t really anything else that I would rather have to replace it with. It’s comfortable, economical (I do about 70 miles per day), quick enough (1.4 TSI), practical and has a very high level of spec, so I would possibly like to hold on to it for another 3 years and pass it onto my daughter when she’s 17.
It’s a 1.4 TSI DSG estate, so perhaps not the ideal first car but it does have the camera/sensors and if I get her a more traditional first car like an Up/Polo, it won’t have anywhere like the features that this one has plus I know that it’s reliable and has been looked after. By that point, I know that if she has a bump in it, it’s a strong car and she will be safe and the value will be at such a point that it doesn’t really matter. I imagine also that being a less obvious first car, the insurance will probably be about the same as the aforementioned Up/Polo too?
Not sure how warranty works on used parts ie if the headlamp unit fails or the door starts going rusty etc. So should I wait (indefinitely) for new parts to come in or give them the go ahead on the repair with used parts?
It's not that unusual for Insurance policies to state they may use secondhand parts now. Have a look at your policy to check what you are entitled to regarding any repair, clearly it sounds like they are trying to source new OEM parts so I'd take that as a positve.
Obviously you'd prefer brand new parts, but a secondhand part that has been checked is effectively putting you back in the position you were in before the damage, and that is usually the best position to work towards.
As for the panels, are they looking to use secondhand panels or pattern parts (non OEM but new)? Either way I'd personally prefer OEM parts, pattern panels vary in quality and it can be a bit hit or miss.
Accident repairs do carry a guarantee. Parts are usually 12 months and workmanship varies , I think it was 3 years on bodywork repairs the last time someone stole some of my paintwork...
Obviously you'd prefer brand new parts, but a secondhand part that has been checked is effectively putting you back in the position you were in before the damage, and that is usually the best position to work towards.
As for the panels, are they looking to use secondhand panels or pattern parts (non OEM but new)? Either way I'd personally prefer OEM parts, pattern panels vary in quality and it can be a bit hit or miss.
Accident repairs do carry a guarantee. Parts are usually 12 months and workmanship varies , I think it was 3 years on bodywork repairs the last time someone stole some of my paintwork...
Given the wait, value and age of the car, I would be happy to accept genuine second hand tested parts. I would prefer them to new pattern parts too.
Ideally new parts would be the ideal situation however as the car is getting on a bit perhaps the parts just aren't available anymore from the manufacturer.
Ideally new parts would be the ideal situation however as the car is getting on a bit perhaps the parts just aren't available anymore from the manufacturer.
If they hadn't told you then you could well be none the wiser?
Assuming the parts are A1 condition coming from an approved breaker then I don't see the issue.
There are plenty of cars written off which have loads of salvageable parts on them, think of it as being eco friendly, giving those parts a second life.
FWIW our 145,000 mile Honda FR-V mumtruck needed a new headlight for the MOT. I didn't even contemplate a new one given the massive expense from Honda, bought a good condition used one off eBay for 30 quid, it arrived last week, much better condition than the one it replaces, I will fit it at the weekend.
A painted door you will as a layman struggle to recognise the difference on, provided they blend it in with the side of the car.
Assuming the parts are A1 condition coming from an approved breaker then I don't see the issue.
There are plenty of cars written off which have loads of salvageable parts on them, think of it as being eco friendly, giving those parts a second life.
FWIW our 145,000 mile Honda FR-V mumtruck needed a new headlight for the MOT. I didn't even contemplate a new one given the massive expense from Honda, bought a good condition used one off eBay for 30 quid, it arrived last week, much better condition than the one it replaces, I will fit it at the weekend.
A painted door you will as a layman struggle to recognise the difference on, provided they blend it in with the side of the car.
Alex Z said:
Which parts are they proposing to use second hand ones for, and are they going to offer the same warranty on the repair?
I’d be agreeing given the age of the vehicle unless there’s a strong reason not to.
Just the door and the headlight unit. I just had a chat with the manager and I think we'll look into going down this route. He said that he'll only accept A grade parts, as he doesn't want to have to rework everything. The door will be stripped to bare metal and all my components put back into it. They don't even have a shipping date for the new parts yet. Must be a VW supply chain issue. A friend had a similar issue with his Touareg. It needed a new fuel pump actuator and was undriveable so off the road for several months and in the end he settled for a used one so that he could get it back on the road. It was a good call as that part is still on back order 12 months later!I’d be agreeing given the age of the vehicle unless there’s a strong reason not to.
We had no choice with our Daughter's Clio (65 plate) passenger side front door last year as Renault had no stock and were on back order with no forecast for manufacture in France.
We got fed up waiting (nearly 6 months in the end) for a new part so forced the issue with the insurance company (no fault accident), although reluctant they did agree to use salvage for the repair and we ended up a 2017 (from memory) door in the end.
No problems at all with it and I'd do it again, as someone has said earlier if it's from a similar age/condition car then why not?
The poor parts supply from Renault (and UK customer service) for a less than 10 year old car pretty common part was very disappointing though.
We got fed up waiting (nearly 6 months in the end) for a new part so forced the issue with the insurance company (no fault accident), although reluctant they did agree to use salvage for the repair and we ended up a 2017 (from memory) door in the end.
No problems at all with it and I'd do it again, as someone has said earlier if it's from a similar age/condition car then why not?
The poor parts supply from Renault (and UK customer service) for a less than 10 year old car pretty common part was very disappointing though.
WPA said:
Lots of repairs are using SH parts now, cannot see any issue
Much better to use original parts than pattern and the repair will have a warranty so no issues if any faults arise once repairs are finished
Plus recycling parts is always a better option
Yeah having used OEM VAG parts put on would probably be better than no name chineseum replicas.Much better to use original parts than pattern and the repair will have a warranty so no issues if any faults arise once repairs are finished
Plus recycling parts is always a better option
I’d go with it to get your car fixed and safe again, especially if you trust the body shop, maybe try and price all the bits up on eBay eg the headlight - if it fails in a few months because it was already well used would it be several hundred or only a few quid to replace again? You’d hope golf parts would be sensible money..
Depends on the colour of the car and maybe not as applicable on a white one, but I'd prefer my car to be repaired with parts that are the same colour and age as my car as any fading in the colour is likely to match that of my car as they've been exposed to sunlight for the same length of time.
Yes. A genuine VW and Headlight will be fine as you know they will fit perfectly compared to an insurance approved pattern part.
The only point I would check closely on collection day is the paint match of the doors interior as they are unlikely to find one and the same colour, unless it’s popular.
The only point I would check closely on collection day is the paint match of the doors interior as they are unlikely to find one and the same colour, unless it’s popular.
MitchT said:
Depends on the colour of the car and maybe not as applicable on a white one, but I'd prefer my car to be repaired with parts that are the same colour and age as my car as any fading in the colour is likely to match that of my car as they've been exposed to sunlight for the same length of time.
I would expect them to still paint the outside and blend the paint into the next two panels in that scenario.Forums | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff