Make sure you know your car parts

When you have an accident, you’re probably thinking more about how fast you can get your car back than the quality of the parts the motor body repairer will use to repair your vehicle.
You also usually just go to the repair shop your insurer stipulates and doesn’t give too much thought about which parts should be repaired rather than just totally replaced.
The implementation of the draft guidelines by the Competition Commission on July 1 will enable you to have far more control over this kind of decisions.
It also means, however, you need to pay more attention to what parts are being fitted on your vehicle.
“We strongly support the Competition Commission’s new guidelines for the automotive aftermarket sector and the opportunity to open up the motor body repair sector, specifically to allow greater freedom of choice by consumers,” said Richard Green, national director of the South African Motor Body Repairers Association (Sambra).

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Green said the guidelines are very much in the consumer’s favour and clearly dictate that the insured client has the right to choose his/her service provider based on the client’s prior experience.
“After all,” he said, “Is this not the preferred way we all choose who to do business with? This is a very important step in increasing transparency and allowing consumer choice about motor-body repairs of their motor vehicles.”
But there are pitfalls. Here are three key things you need to be aware of:
• If your vehicle is insured and under OEM warranty, choose an OEM-approved motor body repairer (MBR). If a non-approved MBR replaces a part on your vehicle which he/she purchases from an OEM-appointed dealer, the warranty on that vehicle will be suspended until an extensive post-repair check has been done by an OEM-appointed agent. If they find the repairs to be sub-standard they may permanently suspend the warranty in the repaired area.

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• Whether your car is in or out of warranty, demand that any safety-critical parts are replaced with a genuine article. These would include anything related to the suspension and braking systems as well as the steering mechanism. Avoid using unaccredited repairers that may try and use inferior parts. This leaves you exposed and with a vehicle that may be less safe and reduced in value.
• Even after July 1, all responsible insurers will need to ensure your vehicle is sent to an OEM-approved MBR if it is still under warranty.
“Be sure to specify this in any policy document you sign with your broker or insurer and avoid any insurer that does not agree to these terms,” concluded Green.

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