Federal Law on compulsory motor insurance; direction for repairs. Car repair under compulsory insurance: the procedure for restoring a damaged car for insurance compensation. Is it possible to choose another service station?

Just two years ago, in the event of an accident on the road, the injured party could contact the insurance company and receive repairs under compulsory motor liability insurance. But from September 1, 2014, amendments to the legislation regulating this type of insurance began to take effect. Now the victim can contact the insurance company and take his car to a workshop, where restoration and replacement of the necessary parts will be carried out free of charge.

After an accident, the question often arises - what is the best thing to do: repair the car at the expense of the insurance company or take the money

Let's decide which type of insurance compensation - money or repairs - is more profitable for the owner of a damaged car.

Material compensation

Most people consider this method to be more reliable, since having received money from the insurer, they have the opportunity to independently choose a service whose quality they have no doubt about.

When you need to choose the right money and not agree to have your car repaired under compulsory motor liability insurance:

1. If the technicians at the service center where your insurance company offers to restore your car, they honestly report that they are not able to perform a high-quality restoration with the money allocated. A very common situation is when the insurer underestimates the amount of the actually required payment.
2. If not a single car service from the list proposed to you meets some criterion - lack of good reviews about the work, distant location from your place of residence, etc.
3. If you understand that you will not be physically able to monitor the progress of the work, and therefore cannot be sure that the car repair under MTPL will be of high quality.

Car repair at the expense of the insurance company

The “repairs instead of money” method has been widely used for a long time, but it cannot be compared with compulsory motor liability insurance, because the amounts of insurance premiums in both cases differ tens of times.

But there are still cases when it would be quite prudent to choose paid repairs:

1. If the damage is not too serious, replacement of parts and components of the car is not required, only body work is required.
2. If the insurance company lists a car repair shop whose quality of work suits you or which is an official dealer of your car brand.

However, in order to receive a referral for repairs under OSAGO, you must follow a complex procedure.

Required documents

We are expecting a package of the following documents and certificates from you:

• papers provided by traffic police officers - a certificate of the incident, as well as a protocol or resolution on the administrative offense committed;
• documents confirming ownership of the vehicle and your identity - passport, PTS, technical passport for the car or power of attorney;
• vehicle inspection results;
• completed accident notification.

Procedure for acceptance and damage assessment

After collecting all the necessary documents, interaction with the insurance company proceeds as follows:

1. You arrive at the company’s office with a package of prepared documents.
2. The vehicle is inspected and any damage is identified.
3. The car insurer carries out calculations and issues a referral for restoration of the car, where the cost of the procedure is indicated. By law, you are required to issue such a document within 20 calendar days, not counting weekends and holidays.
4. At the auto repair shop you can see the list of services the cost of which is reimbursed. Replacement of some components and spare parts will most often be paid separately out of your pocket.

After inspecting the car, the auto insurer calculates the cost of repairs.

How is the amount allocated for repairs calculated?

Each repair case requires separate calculations, but there are established standards that were calculated with the participation of the Russian Union of Auto Insurers.

They provide:

• cost of one standard hour;
• the average market price of specific spare parts.

The appraiser summarizes all identified damage, specifies the time required to restore the car and the list of spare parts, and then sums up all the resulting costs. Of course, this is a purely theoretical situation. In real life, insurers often underestimate the cost of these works to reduce their costs. Therefore, sometimes there are situations when the allocated amount of compensation is not enough for repairs.

This situation may come to light at the service station, where the technicians will inform you of the need to pay additionally the missing amount. Then, instead of reimbursement for repairs, you can choose a cash payment and find a service that will carry out the same work for you cheaper. Another option is to pay extra for spare parts if the amount is small and you are confident in the reliability of the car service.

In any other case, the problem can only be resolved by going to court.

Where can I get my car repaired?

When choosing free repairs as a refund, you do not have the right to choose the auto repair shop. This is done by a representative of the insurer. But the list of such services is quite wide, so it is best if you carry out repairs under MTPL from an authorized dealer. It will be more expensive than at the average repair station, but here you can be sure of the quality of the work performed.

Moreover, when purchasing a new car, the car dealer always warns the client that the warranty issued for the car will only be valid if repairs and replacement of parts are carried out by an official service center.

Repair at a dealer under compulsory motor liability insurance is not a guarantee that the car will be repaired efficiently. But if you have the opportunity to send your car there for repairs, it is better to choose the option with a dealer. If it is more important to save on repairs, then other workshops on the insurer’s list are at your service.

Each specific case of an accident, as a result of which the car has to be repaired, must be considered separately. After all, the choice of material compensation and repair depends on many circumstances. But in both cases, it is necessary to take care of completing the necessary package of documents.

In this article we will answer the question of how to receive repairs under compulsory motor liability insurance or payment under compulsory motor liability insurance. We’ll tell you about the “traps” that insurers have placed on your path and how to get around them. And, also, we will give simple and understandable instructions for contacting an insurance company in 2019.

The head of the Society for the Protection of Motorists, Dmitry Vadimovich Kapustin, comments on these issues.

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Content:

In what cases is repair covered by compulsory motor liability insurance, and in what cases is payment required?

In 2019, when applying for compulsory motor liability insurance to an insurance company, All cars are sent for repairs. Repairs are carried out in those service stations with which the insurer has entered into cooperation agreements.

However, there are cases when, after an accident, it is precisely insurance payments under compulsory motor liability insurance.

These are the cases:

• Complete loss of the vehicle. The so-called “total”. This is a case when it is not practical to repair the car. And it’s easier to buy a new one than to repair an old one. In this case, the insurance company will pay you the amount of damage due to the accident - in money.
• The case when the amount of restoration repairs exceeds maximum payment under compulsory motor liability insurance. Today, the maximum payment under compulsory motor liability insurance is 400 thousand rubles.

  Example: The cost of repairing your car after an accident will be 500 thousand rubles. Which clearly exceeds the maximum payment under compulsory motor liability insurance. In this case, the insurance company will pay you 400 thousand. And you can recover the remaining money in court from the culprit of the accident.

• If in an accident you, as the injured party, suffered moderate or severe harm to your health, then payment for the broken car must also be made in money.
• If the injured driver died, then the payment will be made to his relatives.
• If the injured driver is disabled.

Is the amount of repairs under compulsory motor liability insurance calculated taking into account wear and tear of parts or without?

If previously depreciation was used when calculating damage, now everything is considered WITHOUT WEAR. “Wear” - translated into simple human language, depends on the age of the car.

As it was before: The price of parts for repair, for example, is 100 thousand. The car is 8 years old. In this case, the insurance company paid only 50 thousand (depreciation was 50%)

And now, for 2019: If the price of parts for repair is 100 thousand, then the insurance company will pay 100 thousand, regardless of whether your car is new or “old”.

Those. Now everything is calculated at the prices of new parts. Nothing is “cut.”

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Payment terms for compulsory motor liability insurance. Everything is tough!

If the insurance company must pay, then the payment period for compulsory motor liability insurance is 20 calendar days from the moment you submit the Application for the occurrence of an insured event. For exceeding these deadlines, you can collect a fine from the insurance company in the amount of 1% per day of delay of the amount of damage.

Repair deadlines for compulsory motor vehicle liability insurance. Also “rigid boundaries”.

But the repair timeframes for compulsory motor vehicle liability insurance are slightly different. From the moment the vehicle is presented to the service station at the direction of the insurer, only 30 days(Article 12, paragraph 15.2 of the “Law on Compulsory Motor Liability Insurance”). And not a day more!

And if it’s “impossible”, but you really want it, how can you get it in money?

If the insurance company sends for repairs, but I want money. How to receive payment under OSAGO?

Let's share our secrets. The fact is that insurers are well aware that finding a normal service station is very difficult. And according to the requirements that the Law now imposes on such service stations, spacecraft must be assembled at them, and not vehicles must be repaired. But, as you understand, such SRTs practically do not exist in nature. Insurers have to use regular service stations.

And in some cases, it is more profitable for the insurance company to pay you in money than to send you to such “poor” service stations and then also have to pay for redoing the poor-quality work and be responsible for poor-quality repairs under compulsory motor liability insurance.

Therefore, we recommend that when contacting the insurance company, you write “Application for payment in cash.” Often insurance companies will grant such requests and pay in cash or transfer to your bank card.

Do you need an independent examination after an accident? And when should it be taken?

NEEDED! And, without fail. There is nothing to do without it!

This is what you need it for:

First reason: If you are sent for repairs under compulsory motor liability insurance, then an independent expert assessment of damage after an accident will show which parts can be replaced and which can be repaired. And in this case, the insurance company (together with their service station) will no longer deceive you.

The second reason: If the insurance company decides to pay you money under compulsory motor liability insurance, then an independent examination will show how much the insurance company should pay you.

Believe us, our experience - insurers try to underestimate the payment in 99% of cases. Having an independent expert in hand, you can file a pre-trial claim and receive the full amount. Including costs for damage assessment.

We recommend that you undergo an independent examination before contacting an insurance company. But, if you have already submitted documents for payment, it’s okay. You can still undergo an independent assessment after an accident.

What if the car is under warranty? Will repairs under MTPL be provided by an official dealer or not?

The law on compulsory motor liability insurance says:

If at the time of the accident the car is not yet 2 years old, then the insurance company is obliged to give a referral for repairs under compulsory motor liability insurance - specifically to the dealer. This is your 100% right!

If they tell you that “we do not have an agreement with your dealer,” then demand that you pay for the damage at your dealer’s prices.

Our lawyers will help you get paid at dealer prices.
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“The circus has come to us!” How do the repair shop and the insurance company agree on the amount of repairs?

And now, the most interesting part. As young people say, this is “tough”!

The service station has been secretly placed by the insurance company in a NOT VERY “comfortable” position. If the service station “dances to the tune” of insurers and fulfills their whims, it gets clients. As soon as the service station starts to “kick” and tries to work honestly, the flow of clients is blocked.

And the “whim” of the insurers is that the service station must meet the “meager” amount of repairs that the insurance company “voiced.” Have no illusions. This is true!

Therefore, do not be surprised if a number of damages are missing from the service order. Or they will begin to offer you to supply “incomprehensible analogues” of parts or, even worse, used parts. “On the sly,” instead of replacing a specific part, they can “fit in” its repair.

But that's not all. “Pa-bammmm!” - and then a call comes from the service station....

Call from service station. “Oh, pay us a few tens of thousands extra.” What to do? Details!

The service station requires an additional payment from you for repairs under OSAGO. This situation has become so common that it is already taken for granted by insurers.

What to do in this case?

Under no circumstances agree to demands to “pay extra out of your pocket.” According to the MTPL Law, you must have the repairs done WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL PAYMENT on your part. All expenses must be borne by the insurance company. Dot.

But in practice, SRT says: “If you don’t pay extra, we won’t start repairs.”

This problem is solved as follows.

Submitting a Pre-trial Claim to the insurance company.

All problems between you and the service station are actually problems between you and the INSURANCE company. This is what is written in the MTPL Law.

And you need to deal not with the service station, but with YOUR INSURER!

You need to write a “Pre-trial Claim”, which briefly outlines the essence. “They say so and so, the service station demands additional payment, which is a violation of the Law on Compulsory Motor Liability Insurance.” And that you demand that the insurer intervene in the process and solve this problem.

ATTENTION. You can use this situation to your advantage. You can write in the Pre-trial Claim that the insurer can also pay you the entire amount in money. And you yourself will then make repairs where you see fit.

But you need to write this pre-trial claim correctly. So that some unaccounted for detail does not negate all your efforts.

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in writing a Pre-trial Claim
You can call the Hotline
Society for the Protection of Motorists

The insurance company asks: “Sign that you have no claims for payment.” “Yeah, right now!”

Quite often, after filing such a pre-trial claim under MTPL, the insurer agrees to make a payment under MTPL. AND …. "I'll screw you over."

You are offered, under a plausible pretext, to sign a paper that you agree to receive payment in money.

Here you need to take your time and carefully read what is written in this paper. If there is a line “I agree with the amount of payment. I have no complaints” - then you CANNOT sign such a paper!!! Otherwise, you won't be able to do anything later. And it will no longer be possible to protest a small payment.

Demand that the insurer remove this line. In some cases this line is “removed”. And the document can be signed.

So, what should you do if the insurance company “flatly” refuses to do this?

What to do if the insurance company continues to be “stubborn” and does not pay?

The insurers' calculations are simple. They think they can starve you out. And that sooner or later you will sign an agreement that “you have no complaints. And that they agree with the amount.”

But, fortunately, the law is on our side.

If the insurance company does not pay within 20 days from the moment you contact it, we will help you draw up and submit an official PRE-TRIAL CLAIM for lack of payment.

And after 10 days we will go to court on your behalf.

And according to the court, you will be required to pay not only the entire amount, but also a 50% fine.

For example, the amount of repairs according to an independent examination is 200 thousand. In court, the insurance company will pay 200 + 100 = 300 thousand, plus compensation for the services of a lawyer and an independent assessment.

But where to start right now? The sequence of contacting the insurance company.

You need to start by analyzing the current situation.

Call us at the 24-hour Hotline of the Society for the Protection of Motorists.

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The consequences of insured events always require elimination. Each time they are of a different type and complexity.

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This may be damage to the vehicle or road infrastructure, harm to the health and life of road users (drivers, pedestrians or passengers).

Insurance companies undertake to allocate money to eliminate these consequences, as stated in the MTPL agreement.

It is known that the payment process is a labor-intensive and lengthy process. Many policyholders perceive it as a headache. To simplify the procedure, you can also receive a referral for repairs under OSAGO. This applies to cases where the consequence was damage to the car.

When can I immediately receive a referral for vehicle repair? Where to apply and when? Will this require additional documents? We will answer these and other questions in this article.

As stated in the law for 2019

The latest changes were made back in 2014. From that moment on, we began to have two ways to compensate for damage to a car after an accident: the old one - insurance payment, the new one - sending the vehicle for repairs.

This means that the insurer and the policyholder have the right to choose a convenient way to eliminate the consequences of the insured event.

Referrals for repairs under compulsory motor liability insurance from January 1, 2019 are carried out on the basis of current legislation.

The legislation also regulates the provision that if the victim chooses technical service rather than a monetary payment, then the inspection and repair work will be carried out by a service station not of the victim’s choice, but with which the insurer previously entered into a cooperation agreement.

Also, the law “On Compulsory Motor Liability Insurance” allows the policyholder to first familiarize himself with the list of service stations that have entered into an agreement with the service station.

If you have a choice, then decide on your own which department will further repair your vehicle.

In some cases, insurance companies may make concessions so that the client independently offers his own options for repair services, but at the same time they must satisfy the insurer in terms of financial affordability and quality of service.

Remember that insurance companies will not overpay for the service, and they will not be satisfied with poor work, which can then cause a vehicle breakdown or even an insured event.

Referral for repairs under MTPL to an official dealer is possible only when the insurance organization cooperates with such car dealerships.

This is not uncommon, because large insurance companies have long-term partnerships with many domestic and foreign car dealers.

Is it possible to get a referral for repairs under OSAGO?

Many insurers do not refuse victims in almost all cases, because they benefit from this method of eliminating the consequences of an accident.

This is explained by the fact that the insurance company can impose repairs in a cheap workshop, can install cheap spare parts, but the motorist himself does not control or interfere with the process, because he previously signed an application to use such a service.

This way, the insurance company can save quite a decent amount of money and add it to their profits, and not to the benefit of their client's vehicle.

Often, insurers themselves impose on their clients a referral for repairs instead of monetary compensation, arguing that there is a limit on compulsory motor liability insurance, so that you do not have to independently engage in work to restore your own vehicle.

Situations cannot be ruled out when service station employees, while accepting a vehicle or even during repairs, may discover hidden damage that was not previously discovered by an independent examination. This can be resolved through negotiation.

If the service station confirms intentional damage, the victim may be denied service, the referral will be canceled and repairs will have to be carried out at personal expense.

Sample

Without this document, the service station will not be able to repair the vehicle without payment.

If in your case the insurer allocates funds, then you should provide a referral to confirm that the insurer has paid for the service station services.

According to , such a referral for repair work must necessarily contain the following information:

• about the victim who received a referral from the insurer;
• o to confirm the purposes and circumstances allowing for vehicle repairs to be carried out at a service station;
• about the vehicle itself, on which repair work will be carried out;
• about a service station that is authorized to repair the policyholder’s vehicle and to which the insurance company will pay the cost of work performed to restore it;
• about the timing of repairs;
• about possible additional payment to the victims themselves if the cost of repair work exceeds the limit provided for.

This happens often, because an emergency situation can lead to the breakdown of expensive parts that cannot be repaired, but only need to be replaced with a new analogue, especially for luxury foreign cars.

In this case, the direction is the main document, as is the order for payment under compulsory motor liability insurance. Therefore, it also contains signatures and seals, which certifies its authenticity.

Where to contact

This procedure is formally no different from those cases when you choose to receive monetary compensation.

In both cases, you need to contact the insurer of the person responsible for the accident. The only difference is the document with which the refund request must be submitted.

If you choose repair work, then you submit an application to the insurance company to receive a referral to repair your car.

Required documents

Before contacting the insurance company for damage compensation, we consider cases with a referral for repair work; you should collect a package of the required documentation.

Repairs under a civil liability insurance policy can be carried out only on the basis of an application from the victim, which is submitted to the insurer along with a package of documentation.

Among them are:

1. Copies of the victim's personal documents.
2. Copy of the policyholder.
3. , which is drawn up by an authorized traffic police inspector.
4. Conclusion of an independent examination.

Let us consider in detail the last document from the presented list. An application is drawn up by the victim of an insured event with a request to receive compensation for damage in kind, in other words, to carry out repair work to restore the damaged vehicle.

The document should also indicate the specific service station that will carry out the repairs.

The list of service stations is provided by the insurer because it cooperates with them; it must notify its clients of this condition earlier.

The insurer reviews the received documents within 20 days (as a rule, working days are considered). The period for making a decision is exactly the same as for monetary compensation.

During this time, the insurance company makes a verdict and, if approved, issues a referral for repair work to restore the condition of the vehicle.

Deadlines

The insurer and the partner service station should not delay repairs on time. The Rules discussed earlier regulate this point.

The period for repair work by the technical station is indicated by the workshop employees themselves at the time of acceptance of the vehicle. This mark is made in the direction for repair.

The specified period can be changed, but only with the agreement of all parties to the process, of which everyone is also informed earlier. This procedure is regulated by clause 4.17 of the Rules.

The policyholder needs to be vigilant, because it is necessary to ensure that the procedure is carried out correctly and that all deadlines are met.

If the service station or insurer does not fulfill their obligations, then you can file a corresponding application and request that another repair company be appointed.

In this case, the victim can refuse the proposed repair and organize it himself.

Car repair procedure

Before this comes the stage of expert assessment of losses from the incident. After this, the specialist invites the victim to a conversation and invites him to choose one of the following options for eliminating the consequences of the incident:

1. The victim can withdraw funds (maximum - 400,000 rubles) and independently engage in the process of restoring the car.
2. The policyholder agrees to repairs, which will be carried out by a car service - a partner of the insurer.

If you choose the second method, you should be familiar with the procedure for carrying out repair work, although you will not even take part in their organization.

This involves the following steps:

1. Repair work begins with a preliminary inspection and re-diagnosis of the vehicle.
2. Specialists describe the places that need to be repaired and select parts that require replacement.
3. Purchasing the necessary spare parts, direct car repairs.
4. Handing over the vehicle, re-checking its good condition.
   The Law “On Compulsory Motor Liability Insurance”, namely, does not exclude the right of the victim to challenge the quality of the repair work performed.

If the insurer and the service station decide not only to invest in the auto insurance policy limit, but also to appropriate the remaining amount, then the policyholder can appeal such actions in court with the help of an experienced auto lawyer.

What method to use to eliminate the consequences is up to each victim. You should weigh all the advantages and disadvantages of each method for yourself.

The advantages of repair work at a service station from an insurance company are that the victim does not independently search for a car service center, does not independently search for all the necessary parts to compensate for damage to the vehicle; repairs are carried out in the shortest possible time, because all parties are not interested in delaying this procedure.

On April 28, 2017, changes to the Federal Law “On Compulsory Civil Liability Insurance of Vehicle Owners” came into force. The new version of the law changes the procedure for compensation for damage caused to passenger cars. These changes apply to vehicles owned by citizens and registered in the Russian Federation.

The priority form of compensation for damage will now be restoration repairs at a service station.

How will it work?

The car owner chooses a service station (STS) from among those with which the insurance company has an agreement. You can choose a service station both when purchasing a policy and at the stage of settling a loss. A list of service stations indicating the addresses of their location, a list of brands and years of production of the vehicles being serviced, as well as approximate repair times should be published on the website of the insurance organization and constantly updated.

Important! During restorative repairs, in contrast to monetary payments, wear and tear of parts and assemblies is not taken into account, and the use of used or refurbished components is not allowed (unless otherwise determined by agreement between the insurance company and the victim).

Is it possible to choose another service station?

To repair a damaged car at a service station with which the insurer does not have an agreement, you must obtain the written consent of the insurance organization. In the application for insurance compensation, you must indicate the full name of the selected service station, location address and payment details so that the insurer can pay for the restoration repairs carried out.

What are the conditions for restoration?

The deadline for repairs is no more than 30 working days from the date the victim presented the vehicle to the service station.

Repairs of new cars (not older than two years) must be carried out at the service station of an official dealer providing warranty service.

The minimum warranty period for restoration work on a damaged vehicle is 6 months, and for body work and work related to the use of paint and varnish materials - 12 months.

What to do in case of an accident?

If, as a result of an accident, damage was caused to only two vehicles and all drivers have valid MTPL policies, then an application for insurance compensation must be submitted to your insurer.

Important! In cases of harm to the life or health of participants in an accident, an application for insurance compensation should be submitted to the insurance company of the person responsible for the accident.

Completed notifications about road accidents must be submitted by road accident participants to their insurance companies (or their representatives in the constituent entity of the Russian Federation in which the accident occurred) within five working days after the accident.

The period for consideration of an application for insurance compensation is 20 working days.

For failure to comply with the deadline for issuing a repair order to the victim, a penalty is charged in the amount of 1% of the amount of insurance compensation for each day of delay. For violation of the repair deadlines, the insurer is punished with a penalty in the amount of 0.5% of the amount of insurance compensation.

In what cases is a monetary refund in lieu of repairs possible?

Insurance payment in cash is made in the following cases:

• death of the victim;
• infliction of serious or moderate harm to the health of the victim (if such a form of insurance compensation is selected in the application for insurance compensation);
• the victim is disabled and has a car for medical reasons (if such a form is chosen in the application for insurance compensation);
• total loss of the vehicle;
• the cost of restoration repairs exceeds 400 thousand rubles (50 thousand rubles for cases of registration of an accident according to the European protocol) and the victim does not agree to make an additional payment for repairs at a service station;
• all participants in the accident are found responsible for the damage caused (“mutual”) and the victim does not agree to make an additional payment for repairs at the service station;
• as a result of an accident, damage was caused only to property other than a vehicle;
• the victim refuses repairs at a service station if it does not meet the requirements for organizing restoration repairs;
• the insurance company does not provide the victim with the opportunity to carry out restoration repairs at the service station specified when concluding the MTPL agreement;
• existence of a written agreement between the insurer and the victim.

None of the car owners can guarantee that they will not get into an accident or other unpleasant situation (a tree or snow falling on the car, a collision with an animal, etc.). And when this happens, the first thing that comes to mind is where to find money to repair the car? There is one caveat - compulsory insurance or CASCO provides for the payment of funds necessary for car repairs, but subject to certain conditions. Whether this always works, how much you can get, and how high-quality the repairs will be under compulsory motor liability insurance, we will consider further.

Features of repairs under the MTPL policy

Firstly, the MTPL insurance policy provides for the payment of funds, the maximum amount of which is 400,000 rubles, or free repairs only in the event of an accident not caused by the fault of the owner of the car requesting funds. If the policy owner is at fault, the insurance company does not pay for repairs in 100% of cases. The procedure is also regulated.

Secondly, repairs under compulsory motor liability insurance are carried out at a service station (service station) or at an official dealer with whom the insurance company has concluded an agreement or has a partnership relationship. On the one hand, this is a plus, because... the owner does not need to urgently look for a workshop. But on the other hand, it is unknown how honest the craftsmen work in such a service station, and with what level of professionalism the replacement of damaged elements will be carried out.

Thirdly, repairs are usually carried out without the slightest participation and communication between the workshop workers and the owner. This way, insurers avoid collusion between the mechanic and the owner of the car and financial fraud, when the money paid goes into the owner’s pocket and not for repairs, because To restore the car, a smaller amount is actually required.

Well, fourthly, you should remember that if you get into an accident, subsequent insurance will be higher in cost for any outcome: repairs under compulsory motor liability insurance, at your own expense, or receiving payments from the insurance company.

What to do after an accident

If an accident is registered by a traffic police officer, then after leaving the scene of the accident on your own or being towed by a tow truck, you need to call or come to the insurance company within 14 days so that they can send a special person (an appraiser) who will inspect the car and draw up an approximate estimate for repairs. He documents the results obtained and transmits them to the company. Next, the car owner is offered cash payments for independent repairs or free repairs under compulsory motor liability insurance at a service station from the insurance company, possibly from an official dealer.

Repair cost calculation

• To begin with, the cost of parts at the average price and the cost of work are calculated.
• If the age of the car damaged in the accident is 5 years or less, then the loss of its marketable value is also calculated.
• The expert must calculate the value of the car in its entire condition in order to understand whether it is advisable to repair it in case of large-scale damage, the cost of repair of which is equal to or exceeds the value of the car itself.
• If the car cannot be restored, then the cost of the usable remains is calculated, and an amount is paid to compensate for the price of the damaged elements.

To carry out assessment work, the following documents are required:

• certificate of an accident in form 748, issued by a traffic police officer or a special person from the insurance company;
• certificate of registration of the vehicle or PTS;
• documents confirming previous repairs.

The following are taken into account when calculating the cost of repairs:

• the average market price of all parts that need to be replaced;
• average cost of consumables used in the work;
• average cost of repair work.

In the calculator you need to fill out fields with information regarding spare parts (calculation date, region of purchase, car brand, spare part code) and regarding materials, as well as the cost of restoration work in a specific region.

How to send your car for repairs for free

To use the service for free, you need to contact the insurance company with all the documents confirming your innocence in the accident. There they will give you a direction to a service station or the service of an official dealer, where you will need to bring the car under your own power or on a tow truck if movement is impossible.

If the owner of the vehicle wants to replace or repair parts that were not damaged in the incident or not covered by the contract, then he needs to wait until the free restoration of the car is completed, and then enter into a contract for car repair with the workshop on his own behalf.

But in such a situation, many motorists have encountered situations worse than the accident they experienced:

If the insurance company offers a choice: payment of money or free repairs under compulsory motor liability insurance, it is better to choose the second option, so as not to get an even more broken car and large financial costs for it in the future or in the present due to the requirements of the service station and the negligence of the insurer. There is an important feature here: if the insurance company has only a month to make payments (this is officially stated in the law), then the car repair period is not limited, so the owner can be left without a car for a week or a year.

We chose MTPL repairs, but they won’t give the car back

This situation happens because the insurance company does not pay the repair shop for repairs with the excuse “not enough money.” In this case, you should start looking for a competent lawyer. In most cases, of course, insurance companies win cases, and car owners are left with nothing. But if a person knows that the owner of the workshop is not satisfied with the cooperation with the insurance company and he has a lot of claims, then he can safely file a claim against the defaulter. Moreover, it is the insurance company that needs to be sued, and not the service station. This way you can achieve, if not full compensation for repairs, then definitely a monetary payment. Well, subsequently you will have to look for a new insurance company.

If a person took his car, but some shortcomings appeared during operation, then he can legally file a complaint with the service station that carried out the repairs. If the service station refuses to admit the fact of dishonest work, then the car owner has the right to contact an independent expert company, where they will conduct an examination and document the fact that the service station is at fault for the car breakdown. You can now go to court with this document.