Where will my car be repaired?

23 February 2024

Did you know motor vehicle insurers sometimes tow cars from regional towns to metropolitan centres to repair them.  
And it’s all about profit.

There’s been decades of argy-bargy between body repair businesses and insurers about the costs and repair methods used to return accident damaged vehicles 
to pre-accident condition.  
The rules of engagement have often featured grey areas and various industry codes and work-arounds have sought to create fair competition between small body repair shops and behemoth insurance businesses.  

TACC, under instruction from the Tasmanian Government is involved in writing a mandated Tasmanian Code of Practice to ensure fair commercial practices between body repairers and insurers – practices that focus on quality and therefore better outcomes for the consumer and motor vehicle insurance policy holders.
But it’s just not on to tow a damaged vehicle, sometimes hundreds of kilometres from 
its owner’s home town, stealing work from local repairers who 
can fix it.  

This is bad for regional business, and even worse for local employment and devastating for school leavers seeking apprenticeships. 
If these body shops don’t get the work, they will go broke.  

So, when assessing your insurance policy, check if you have a ‘Choice of Repairer’ option available, and ask your friendly insurer if they intend to freight your car to another town for repairs.