Frequently Asked Questions
- What is an 'Express Bodyshop', and what sort of repairs can you carry out there?
- What geographic area do you cover?
- What repairs can you carry out mobile?
- If I bring my car to your Express Bodyshop for repair, how do I go on to work or back home?
- Will you get the colour right? Do you use the manufacturer's paint?
- My car is a metallic or pearl finish, can you repair it?
- My bumper is damaged, but it is plastic, can you repair it?
- Do you repair motorcycles or vans?
- Will the repair be 'as good as new'?
- Do you repair stone chips?
- Do you guarantee your repairs?
- How do you accept payment?
- How much will my repair cost?
- Do you do insurance work?
- Are there any repairs you do not do?
- Can you recommend a repairer for major crash damage or restoration work?
- When is the car ready to drive?
- How should I look after my repair?
- Is my vehicle insured while in your care? Are you properly insured to work on my business premises?
What is an 'Express Bodyshop', and what sort of repairs do you carry out there?
Our Express Bodyshop does not repair major crash damaged cars. By specialising in everyday damage, we are able to offer repairs on a same-day (or occasionally next-day) basis, and pass on significant savings against high-overhead major crash repair shops. As a rule of thumb, if your car is safe and legal for you to drive to us, we can probably repair the damage it has suffered.
What geographic area do you cover?
Our Express Bodyshop is located in Cambridge city, close to the A14, A10 and M11 major routes. Our mobile service covers Cambridge, Ely, Newmarket and surrounding areas - as a rough guide we can provide service in all CB postcodes (except for Haverhill which has its own ChipsAway branch).
What repairs can you carry out mobile?
Simple scuffs and scrapes can be repaired on a mobile basis. We need a certain amount of space, access to power, and the ability to shelter a repair from bad weather, so not all sites are suitable for mobile repairs. We always comply with HSE guidance on mobile bodywork repairs - as a result vehicles needing larger or complex repairs, or multiple repairs may need to come to our Express Bodyshop. Our technicians can advise you on this when they view the vehicle. It is a very serious breach of COSHH law to carry out larger repairs outside of a spraybooth, and if you use a mobile repairer for this sort of work, you can be prosecuted - the penalty on conviction is an unlimited fine.
If I bring my car to your Express Bodyshop for repair, how do I get to work or back home?
There are lots of ways for you to travel onwards from our premises. We are walking distance from the Cambridge Science Park and Business Park, and from the historic city centre. Two bus routes to town stop immediately outside. We can offer a loan car or loan pedal cycle, or a "ferry you to work/back home" service (subject to availability, and a charge may apply for these services - please ask).
Will you get the colour right? Do you use the manufacturer's paint?
ChipsAway use the world's most respected colour matching systems. We never use stock paint, which is almost never the same batch of paint that was used in painting the vehicle, and is therefore visibly a slightly different colour. We use computer-assisted mixing on-site to create a paint to match the panel we are painting, ensuring the best possible colour matching.
My car is a metallic or pearl finish, can you repair it?
Unlike many other mobile repairers, we can and do provide repairs to metallic, pearl, mica and combination effect finishes.
My bumper is damaged, but it is plastic, can you repair it?
We can repair both painted (colour-coded) plastic bumpers, and textured plastic bumpers and other panels. We can fix most splits and cracks by welding the plastic, avoiding the expense of a new panel, the high materials costs of painting the entire new panel, the labour costs of removal and refitting, and the environmental costs of disposal. Repair, not replacement, saves you money!
Do you repair motorcycles or vans?
Yes we do. Both vans and motorcycles are often liveried with decals or stickers, which may have been damaged when your vehicle paintwork was damaged – these may need to be replaced as part of repairs, but we can advise on or assist with this.
Will the repair be 'as good as new'?
All repairs to bodywork, across the entire industry, are completed by hand. No repair, by any repairer, will be identical to an automotive factory finish, which is machine-sprayed to tolerances beyond human capability. Hence, no repair will ever be strictly 'as good as new'. We aim to provide a good quality, hand-completed aftermarket repair. In normal circumstances, such a repair is unlikely to be detected by a casual examination of the vehicle by an untrained observer unaware of the previous damage location. Full details are given in our Terms of Business. Any repairer promising absolute perfection or a completely undetectable repair is either unaware of the science underlying vehicle repairs, or attempting to deceive or mislead their potential customers.
Do you repair stone chips?
We can provide a professional touch-in of stone chip damage. Particularly with metallic paints, this is a protective repair only, as a stone chip removes substantial material from the finish. If a perfect repair is necessary, the only way to achieve it is stripping the affected bonnet back to bare metal, followed by an edge-to-edge respray. This is usually not an economical repair option for the customer, and touch-ins are the preferred repair method.
Do you guarantee your repairs?
Yes. Full details are given in our Terms of Business. Our customers can benefit from a free guarantee on their repairs that lasts for as long as they own the repaired vehicle, and for an unlimited mileage.
How do you accept payment?
At our Express Bodyshop we accept payment by card only. At their discretion, our mobile repairers may accept payment by cash or cheque (supported by an appropriate guarantee card and signature) - payment cards are always accepted. Credit or AMEX card payments are subject to a processing fee, debit cards are accepted free of charge.
How much will my repair cost?
It is impossible for us to price a repair precisely without seeing the damage, as the work and materials involved in a repair can vary greatly from one piece of damage to the next. If you wish to send us digital photos of your damage via email, try to include one that shows the damage as close-up (while still in focus) as possible, and another that is zoomed far enough out to give us an idea of the scale of the repair. We will be able to provide ballpark figures in these circumstances. We are pleased to offer free, we-come-to-you estimates where we give firm price quotes.
Do you do insurance work?
Yes. You do not have to use the repairers your insurer may try to push you towards, who offer them the biggest kickbacks or lowest-budget repairs. We will need a faxed or emailed works authorisation from your insurer to proceed with work. If you have been asked to collect quotes for repair work by your insurer, we will be pleased to assist, and advise on the claim process. In almost all cases, because of our low-overhead business model and the way insurance premiums work, it costs you less in the long run not to claim on your insurance and to deal with us directly - even if you have a protected no-claims bonus.
Are there any repairs you do not do?
We are able to provide significant cost savings over full-service bodyshops by not having the overheads required by the expensive equipment and facilities needed to repair the very small number of vehicles that have been involved in serious accidents. As a result, we do not carry out repairs where the vehicle has structural or mechanical/electrical damage, or where welding in of replacement metal or full panels is required. We do not supply and fit replacement glass. We do not offer complete resprays or bare-metal restorations. We recommend a specialist be consulted in case of damaged substrate carbon-fibre or GRP (fibreglass) panels. We can assist with all other repairs, including where this is significant denting or panel damage without damage to the structure of the vehicle.
Can you recommend a repairer for major crash damage or restoration work?
We are delighted to recommend the bodyshop at Barr-Tech Specialist Cars, who are our partner major repair provider. They are VBRA members, hold several manufacturer approvals and are genuinely passionate about quality. Please let us know if you would like us to arrange a formal referral or an introduction.
When is the car ready to drive?
The car is ready for ordinary road use and weather exposure immediately after we have completed the repair.
How should I look after my repair?
Full written aftercare instructions are provided with your invoice.
Is my vehicle insured while in your care? Are you properly insured to work on my business premises?
We have a full Motor Trader's insurance policy. All vehicles in our custody or control for the purposes of our business are fully insured (except steam-powered vehicles. We're not sure why they are excepted, but there it is). ChipsAway operators have extensive public liability insurance in addition to their motor vehicle cover.
Call 0800 970 2726 today for your free, no-obligation estimate