Accident Repair

This section of our website is designed to help you understand how your insurance company works through your claim after an accident and how a decision is made to repair or write off your motorcycle.

The process is broken down into the following areas;

• Your rights.
• Insurance company calculations.
• Some other factors
• Make the wise choice when buying insurance for your bike.
• Approved repairer networks explained.
• At McCallen Motorcycles we can help

Important things to know:

Your rights.

• Remember, you have the right to choose where your bike is repaired.
• Choose a repairer who has the ability and the interest in repairing your bike and not simply selling you another bike. Insurance company calculations.
• Insurance companies are different and the criteria for repairing or writing off a bike can vary from company to company.

The typical criteria will be;

• Your bike will be valued based on its pre-accident condition, its mileage and any extras fitted. The figure is based on an independent guide pricing database. Upward adjustments will be made for low mileage, concurs condition and sensible extras. Downward deductions will be made for high miles, poor condition or extras which markedly detract from the bike.
• If your bike is deemed a total loss by the insurance company they are likely to receive between 30% and 50% of its value from a salvage agent.
• The insurer will subtract the known salvage value from the pre- accident value of your bike, and then compare this with repairer estimate. If the repair estimate exceeds 50% to 70% of the value of your bike then your bike will be written off. If it does not exceed this figure it will be repaired.
• Consideration will also be given to additional costs to the insurer such as a hire bikes and depreciation on 3rd party cases. The cost of these items is also added to the overall claim figure. Again if these costs lead to the 50% to 70% figure being exceeded then the bike will be written off.

Some other factors to be considered.

• Not all insurers use the same figures so if you are keen to keep your bike, it is a wise biker who chooses an insurer that will repair up to a larger percentage of value.
• Not all repairers are the same, so it also makes sense to choose one that can carry out specialist repairs and paint to high standard and who are cost effective.

How to improve the chances of your bike being repaired

• Choose a competent repairer who has the “can do attitude”.
• If repair costs exceed the 50%/70% cut off point be open to having some of the damaged parts repaired with quality after market alternatives. This can significantly reduce costs and make your bike repairable.
• Be willing to accept a high quality component repairs rather than component replacement particularly if the item in question is scratched rather than damaged.
• Remember talk to the repairer and negotiate with the insurer to find the best solution for YOU.

Make the wise choice when buying insurance for your bike.

The cost of your insurance is an important deciding factor but there are some important items you should consider before you part with your hard earned cash. Remember the cheapest insurance policy is not always the worst and the most expensive policy is not always the best. You need to define carefully YOUR insurance needs. Some of the questions for you and your proposed insurer are;

• Do you want comprehensive or T/P/F&T cover?
• Is the insurance company accessible 24/7 or at a time that suit you?
• What is their no claims policy-is it protected and for how long?
• Can you pay by installments and how much extra (if any) does that cost you?
• Is your riding gear covered?
• Can you have multiple bikes and riders on the policy?
• What is your excess payment going to be?
• Is breakdown cover available?
• Do they have a panel of approved repairers
• Will they recover your bike from a foreign country if you have an accident whilst away?

Approved repair networks explained.

Many brokers, insurers and claims management companies have approved repair networks. They do this for two reasons; as a source of sales revenues and to minimize the cost of claims. These networks can be small consisting of 1-2-3 repair very large repair centers or a number of regionally located repairers. As we mentioned earlier in this article, you have a choice as to where your bike is repaired. So before you make the decision make sure you understand the capabilities of the repairer that an insurer or accident management company might recommend to you. Ask the correct questions and if you are not happy then take control and insist on your choice of repairer. Ask yourself the question, do you want your bike to go to the other end of the country to get repaired or would you rather it stayed in the same region as your home?

Large repair facilities may not be a bad thing but in many cases their sheer size and drive to get throughput may mean your bike is not repaired to the same meticulous standard that you would expect. Flexibility is lost and they may not be so focused on getting the best outcome for you the customer.

At McCallen Motorcycles we can help.

If you're involved in any sort of road traffic accident, then contact us.

• We will listen to you, help you and provide you with every possible assistance.
• We can deal with your insurance company saving you time and hassle.
• We can help you get back on the road again quickly, efficiently and above all safely.
• We can make sure that your bike is repaired to manufacturer’s specification and standards.
• We offer impartial advice. We are not here to hard sell you a new bike or to force you to repair a non repairable bike. We are here to treat you as a valued customer who will return again and again.