Can my car be repaired with second-hand parts?

Whilst it may be tempting to repair a vehicle with second-hand parts to keep costs low, it is more important that the vehicle returns to the road in the way that the manufacturer intended when the vehicle was initially produced.

When taking out an insurance policy, all vehicles are allocated to an insurance group. This allocation is based on the estimated cost to repair the vehicle using new and genuine parts. As such, when making an insurance claim, if your insurer refers you to one of their preferred (approved) repairers, you should double check that they will only be using new and genuine parts.

Unfortunately, many insurers give their preferred repairers the authority to repair vehicles with second-hand or non-genuine parts to keep costs low. You should remember that you don’t have to take your vehicle to one of your insurer’s approved repairers, you can take your vehicle to a repair centre of your choice. When selecting a repairer, you should always check that they repair vehicles with new and genuine parts, and in line with manufacturer repair methods.

Read our blogs ‘Do I have to take my car to one of my insurer’s approved repairers?’ and ‘How do I find a trustworthy and reliable accident repair centre?’ to find out more.

At CARS, we only use new and genuine parts during repairs. When a vehicle is manufactured, it goes through rigorous safety checks and testing to establish its safety rating. As such, only using new and genuine parts, specific to that vehicle’s make a model, will ensure it maintains this safety rating and respond accordingly if involved in any future incidents.

Ultimately, the use of non-original equipment could impair the quality of repair and the safety of the vehicle. The aim of any high-quality vehicle body repair centre should be to reinstate the vehicle to the standard in which it left the factory.