Frequently Asked Questions
- If I have an accident in my car, can I leave it to MAPS to sort out the insurance claim?
- Do I have to take my vehicle to be repaired where the insurance company recommends?
- If I hit a curb, Should I have it checked?
- Do I have to take my car back to the dealer for all services or can I choose who I want to do the servicing?
- Paint is peeling/flaking of my car, what should I do?
- My bumper has a textured surface and has a crack and a course scuff. Can it be repaired back to original condition?
- I have got a chip in the paint work, what is the best thing to do?
- I have got some aftermarket parts I would like to fit to my vehicle but would like some advice or would simply like the part painted or a radio wired up. Can you help?
- I have some mechanical damage also to my vehicle can you take care of this?
- What is Paintless Dent Removal (PDR)?
- My question is not here, how can I get an answer?
Yes you certainly can. We take on the hassle to ensure the best outcome for you. Some times undertaking the task of placing a claim can be a lot of hassle and you may miss out on claiming on some unseen damage, say behind a plastic bumper. Also we will ensure the correct OE materials are used to ensure a repair to last the lifetime of the vehicle. In circumstances where it is not possible to use OE materials we use the best products available to us. Our suppliers are highly reputable, such as Wurth UK, Autoglym, DuPont.
Do I have to take my vehicle to be repaired where the insurance company recommends?
The choice on where you have your vehicle repaired is entirely up to you. They can only recommend and not tell you where to take your vehicle.
If I hit a curb, Should I have it checked?
If you’re not confident you know what to look for then yes. First is there any damage to the wheel, if so then the alignment of the wheels will probably be out. It is important to have the wheels realigned soon after or the tyre will wear unevenly. If a vibration is felt through the steering then the curbed wheel will most likely be out of balance and will need attention by a garage, in worst cases a heavily curbed wheel will be buckled and the suspension will be bent. A buckled wheel can be dangerous as a gyroscopic moment will cause the wheel to eventually come off the car when driven. The severity of the damage is all dependent upon the force which the wheel has been hit with.
Do I have to take my car back to the dealer for all services or can I choose who I want to do the servicing?
Having your car serviced is undoubtedly important to the longevity and performance of your car. For new cars the factory warranty is often made invalid when any of the scheduled services are missed. Car dealerships often give customers the impression and some times miss lead customers to believe that the warranty services have to be carried out by the dealer. This how ever is not true as it is against trading competition laws and you are entitled to have your car serviced anywhere without it affecting the warranty providing all the required warranty work at the scheduled service is carried out by that garage.
Paint is peeling/flaking of my car, what should I do?
Paint some times flakes (known as delamination) of a vehicle after a repair; this will be most likely due to a poor key between the paint and panel and is very rarely a manufacture issue hence it is usually the result of a repair in that area. If paint is flaking off and it has had a recent repair in that area then take the vehicle back ASAP to the repairer and ask the repairers to redo their work. If they are a decent bodyshop or SMART repairer they will happily do the work again for free. If they charge for carrying out the work for a second time then its best to go else where and report them to the VBRA. Reputable repairers will warn you first if it is not possible to get paint to adhere properly to a panel but this is extremely rare. Common places for paint to flake off if it happens are of plastic items such as bumpers or grills.
My bumper has a textured surface and has a crack and a course scuff. Can it be repaired back to original condition?
Yes it certainly can be repaired with the textured surface kept. There are paints on the market which allow a textured finish to be applied and are specifically made for this.
I have got a chip in the paint work, what is the best thing to do?
If the panel has a deep paint chip it is always best to at the least touch it up ASAP. This will then help to prevent the panel starting to rust. This is important as rust can spread underneath a panel and become serious after a few years. We offer services which can offer you simply just colour matched paint required if you can not source it from a motor factor or we can repair the chip and paint over it keeping the paint area to a minimum.
I have got some aftermarket parts I would like to fit to my vehicle but would like some advice or would simply like the part painted or a radio wired up. Can you help?
All advice is free along with all estimates and remember; we come to you so you don’t have to make any special trips anywhere or inconvenience yourself. We have done many specialist one off projects ranging from vintage vehicles to submarines and light aircraft!
I have some mechanical damage also to my vehicle can you take care of this?
Yes we certainly can. We undertake mechanical work as and where it’s required within a job, our staff are fully experienced mechanical engineers and are experienced in providing solutions to novel challenges. If we are unable to undertake the work, we will most certainly know some one who can help you out.
What is Paintless Dent Removal (PDR)?
Some dings and dents do not have any paint damage. This gives the automotive repairer the chance to repair the dent and not paint the damaged region. This can be done by either by using products which effectively pull on the surface of the dent but can prove unsuccessful in the dent is close to a reinforced section of the panel (e.g. at the edge of a panel) or the panel has been manufactured out of a thick material. The other method is the use of bars which push the dent out. This is a skilled operation as it requires knowledge as to how to work the panel to remove the stretched material out of the dent. Pushing on the centre of the dent is worst thing anyone can do and makes the task much harder to remove the dent. PDR is a win win solution to removing a dent as it has a lower cost and the original paint work remains in tack. There is more information on our exterior web page to how PDR works, take a look.
My question is not here, how can I get an answer?
Email us with your question and we will respond within 24 hours and post your question here to help others. Its that easy. Email: maps_repair@btinternet.com