Support Services for Bodyshops and Garages

Parts sourcing for bodyshops

Every other service on this page is secondary to this one. A bodyshop's problems are, in order: the panel that is on back order, the lamp that has gone NLA, the bracket nobody catalogued, and the customer who needs a car while the repair waits. We identify every genuine part on an estimate against the VIN, flag the lines with supply problems before they hold up the job and search UK and international supplier contacts for those parts while the standard order runs. See genuine body panels, back-ordered parts and the parts sourcing hub.

Send us the estimate and the registration. We'll confirm genuine part numbers line by line and tell you which lines need a search.

Manufacturer repair information

Structural repairs need the manufacturer's method: sectioning points, joining techniques, materials and the requirements for the systems attached to the structure. We source manufacturer repair information for the specific vehicle from its registration, VIN, make, model and year, and we can supply the replace-only parts the method specifies in the same enquiry. See manufacturer repair methods.

Courtesy and hire vehicles

When every courtesy car is out and a customer still needs transport, the job either waits or goes elsewhere. We provide courtesy and hire vehicles to garages and bodyshops for exactly that gap. Terms — cover, driver details, documents and delivery — are confirmed with you before a vehicle goes out. See courtesy and hire vehicles.

Specialist vehicle recovery

Non-driveable, low, long, valuable or awkward vehicles need moving with the right equipment and the right care. We arrange specialist recovery for trade customers: accident-damaged vehicles into the bodyshop, prestige and classic vehicles between sites, and vehicles that must not be driven. See specialist vehicle recovery.

Workshop equipment support

Ramps, lifts, alignment equipment, welding and body jigs need servicing, testing and calibration to keep working and to keep the workshop compliant — lifting equipment, for example, needs thorough examination under LOLER. See workshop equipment servicing, testing and calibration under our other services. For wheel alignment and ADAS-related work, see ADAS and wheel alignment.

How bodyshops work with us

1. One contact. Parts, repair information, a courtesy car and recovery for the same job can be raised in one enquiry with one person.
2. From the estimate. For accident repairs we work from the estimate you already have; no re-keying.
3. Straight answers. Availability, price and lead time from the actual source; and a clear 'no' when a part cannot be found, so the file can move.
4. Trade only. We work with the business, not the vehicle owner, so approvals and deliveries run through your team.

Who this is for

• Independent and franchised bodyshops and accident repair centres
• Mechanical and service garages carrying out body and structural repairs
• Prestige, performance and classic vehicle specialists
• Fleet and commercial workshops
• Restoration businesses working on structural repairs

If you need something not listed here, ask — our other services page lists the additional services we currently offer to the trade, and our about page explains how the business works.

Working from the estimate: how a typical job runs

1. The vehicle arrives — by the customer, or by our specialist recovery if it cannot be driven.
2. The estimate is authorised and sent to us with the registration or VIN. We confirm the genuine part number for every line and flag the lines with supply problems.
3. Repair information is requested for any structural section, so the method and its replace-only items are known before the car is stripped. See manufacturer repair methods.
4. Problem lines are searched in the UK and internationally while the standard order runs; you receive availability, price and lead time per line.
5. The customer is kept mobile with a courtesy or hire vehicle if the parts lead time requires it.
6. Parts arrive and the repair proceeds, with graphics, wheels, alignment or ADAS-related work arranged through the same contact where the job needs them.

Communication and file notes

A bodyshop file needs to show what was ordered, what category it was, where it came from and when it was due. Our quotations describe every part by its actual category and its source lead time, and we keep you updated if a date changes in transit. That gives the estimator, the insurer and the customer the same information, and it means the file can answer questions long after the car has gone.

Fleet and commercial workshops

Fleet workshops meet the same problems on a larger scale: a van model with a panel on national back order can take several vehicles off the road at once. We work with fleet and commercial workshops on the same basis as bodyshops — from the estimate, with problem lines searched in parallel and courtesy or hire vehicles where the operator needs them.