Insurance claims and your rights. A straight guide.

You have more rights than the phone script suggests. Here they are, checked and dated.

A Stow Smash Repairs technician consulting directly with a vehicle owner

Insurance & Claims

Yes, you can choose your own smash repairer in NSW. You can nominate any repairer when you lodge a claim. If your policy includes choice of repairer, the decision is yours and the insurer’s phone script can’t override it. Even without that option, you can put an independent quote in front of the assessor and push back. This page explains how, plainly and simply.

Choice of Repairer, Explained

What does choice of repairer mean on my policy?: It’s a policy feature, sometimes included and sometimes an optional extra, that locks in your right to pick the repairer. With it, you name the workshop and the insurer works with them. Without it, the insurer can steer you toward their network, but steering isn’t the same as forcing.
Can the insurer refuse my chosen repairer?: They can push back, usually on price. What settles it is a detailed quote that stands up line by line. A vague quote loses that argument. Ours itemises every panel, part and hour so there’s nothing soft to attack.
Will my claim take longer with my own repairer?: Not in our experience, and sometimes the opposite. Network volume creates network queues. What actually sets the timeline is parts supply and how fast the assessor approves. We chase both and tell you which one is holding your car.
Why do insurers push their preferred repairers?: Volume pricing. Network shops agree to rates and methods that suit the insurer’s costs. That’s a legitimate business model. It’s just not the same thing as what’s best for your car, and you’re allowed to notice the difference.

What’s True, Whoever Insures You

Whoever insures you, you can always obtain your own quote, submit it, and require the insurer to respond to it. And whoever repairs your car, the insurer’s obligation is a proper repair, not the cheapest one available.

What to Say When You Lodge

“I’d like to lodge a claim. I’m nominating my own repairer, Stow Smash Repairs in Artarmon. Please note that on the claim.”

You don’t need a speech. Three sentences cover it. If the operator steers you toward their network, stay polite and repeat the nomination. You’re allowed to say it twice.

The Claim, Step by Step

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At the scene.

Photograph everything before anything moves. Cars, positions, damage, licences, plates. Get names and details, and don’t admit fault on the spot.

Your car goes where you say, not where the first truck suggests. Write the destination on the towing authority yourself.

Call your insurer or lodge online. Nominate your repairer by name in that first conversation and get it noted on the claim.

The assessor reviews the damage and our quote. Where their number falls short of a proper repair, we argue the gap with photographs and line items.

Approved and booked. We photograph every stage, and you can call the person actually working on your car.

You get the car, the stage photos, and the paperwork. If anything’s not right, it comes back and we fix it. No claim needed to hold us to that.

The Money Questions

Do I pay the excess if the accident wasn’t my fault?: If you’re not at fault and can identify the other driver, most policies waive your excess. But not at fault is your insurer’s call, so give them everything.
Genuine parts or aftermarket in an insurance repair?: Your policy’s PDS decides what the insurer pays for. Anything less than genuine on a safety-critical part is where we push back hardest.
When is a car a write-off in NSW?: When repair cost approaches the car’s insured value, the insurer can declare it a total loss. A repairable write-off can return to the road after a VSCCS inspection. A statutory write-off never can.
The insurer wants to write it off but I want to keep it.: You can often buy the salvage back and repair it, with the VSCCS inspection to follow. Before accepting any total-loss figure, get our repair number.
Will claiming raise my premium?: Often, yes, especially an at-fault claim. For small damage, paying privately can beat the excess plus years of loading. Small Dent, Claim or Pay →
Cash settlement or repair?: A cash settlement ends the insurer’s involvement, and usually their obligation if the damage turns out worse than assessed. Take one with open eyes and a proper quote in hand first.

Common Questions

Can I choose my own repairer in NSW?

Yes. In NSW you can nominate your own repairer. If your policy includes choice of repairer, the decision is yours, not the phone script’s. Even without that option, you can put our quote in front of the assessor and push back.

Do I pay an excess if the accident wasn’t my fault?

If you’re not at fault and can identify the other driver, most policies waive your excess. But not at fault is your insurer’s call, so give them everything. Photos, details, witnesses. We write the damage report that backs you.

Genuine parts vs aftermarket parts. What happens in an insurance repair?

Your policy PDS decides what the insurer pays for. Anything less than genuine on a safety-critical part is where we push back. You can also pay the difference. We price both so it’s your call.

My insurer wants to write my car off but I want to keep it. What are my options?

You can often buy the salvage back. But a repairable write-off must pass a VSCCS inspection before it’s registered again in NSW, and a statutory write-off never drives again. Get our repair number before you accept their total-loss number.

Where to next

01
Ready to put a real number in front of the assessor? Get a Quote →
02
Towed from the scene, straight to our floor. Towing →

Send photos. Get a real quote.

No callback loop, no drive across town. Photograph the damage and we quote from that, or we’ll come to you at home or work.

Photos in, honest number back the same day.

Get a Quote

Find Us

35 Hotham Parade
Artarmon NSW 2064

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Opening Hours

Mon – Fri: 7:00 am – 4:30 pm
Saturday: By appointment only
Sunday: Closed

Phone

(02) 9439 8572