Insurance firms are forcing garages to carry out car repairs as cheaply and quickly as possible, according to one vehicle repair shop owner.
Bob McLaren from McLaren Auto Body in Loanhead, near Edinburgh, said the restrictions on time and money being imposed by major insurers are likely to be putting drivers at risk.
The expert – who has been a panel-beater for 17 years – explained many organisations claim some jobs can be done in a day, when a trained technician would deem it to be a 12-day repair, while they are also making garages use second-hand parts rather than new ones.
When garages are offered money “in lieu of repair”, Mr McLaren stated it is often not enough to complete a task safely, adding: “The insurance companies are putting the public in danger. What they are doing is very, very wrong.”
Pressure from insurers to cut costs is having a grave effect on repairs firms nationwide, with the Scotsman reporting that Frank Harvey, head of the National Association of Bodyshops, said there are now 2,500 bodyshops in the UK compared to more than 3,500 two years ago.