Two cars with similar looking damage can leave the bodyshop weeks apart. Here is what actually drives the timescale, so the estimate you are given makes sense.
Assessment and strip-down
Visible damage is only the starting point. Once panels come off, hidden damage to brackets, crash bars, sensors and mountings often appears, and the estimate is updated at that point.
↑ Back to contentsParts availability
Parts supply is the single biggest cause of delay. Common panels are usually next day, while model-specific lighting units, sensors and trim can take weeks if they come from overseas.
- Newer or low volume models often have longer lead times
- Electrical and safety components are frequently the slowest items
- A part that arrives damaged restarts that part of the process
Structural and alignment work
If the impact reached the structure, the vehicle goes on a jig for measured pulling and checking against manufacturer data. That work is deliberately unhurried, because everything after it depends on the geometry being right.
↑ Back to contentsPaint and refinishing cycles
Refinishing is a sequence with fixed drying and curing times: preparation, primer, colour, lacquer, then bake and flat and polish. Blending into adjacent panels for a colour match adds time but is what makes a repair invisible.
↑ Back to contentsRebuild, calibration and quality checks
Driver assistance cameras and radar need recalibration after many repairs. The vehicle is then rebuilt, road tested, valeted and inspected before handover.
↑ Back to contentsFrequently asked questions
The insurance questions drivers ask us most
Straight answers on premiums, excess, write-offs and replacement vehicles, written by our Bristol repair team.
- Non-fault accident: what it means and what to do (UK guide)A plain-English UK guide to non-fault accidents: how liability is decided, your repair and replacement vehicle options, and the mistakes that cost drivers money.
- What to do after a car accident that wasn’t your faultThe exact steps to take at the scene, in the first 24 hours and in the first week after someone else hits your car in the UK.
- Will a non-fault accident affect my insurance? (UK)How a non-fault claim can show on your record, what happens to your premium and what to check with your insurer.
- Do I have to pay my insurance excess?When an excess applies after a non-fault accident, and the practical routes that can avoid paying one up front.
Your next steps
Based on what you have just read, these are the pages most drivers go to next.
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SAR Group is a repair-led accident support and bodyshop business, and your first point of contact after a non-fault accident. We are not an FCA-authorised claims management company: every non-fault case is handled through our authorised and regulated partner network.