Accident & insurance repairs
Accident and insurance repairs in Portsmouth
Collision damage assessed, repaired and refinished at our workshop on Claybank Road, whether it’s going through your insurer or you’re paying privately.
- Quotes from photosStart without bringing the car in
- Insurance or privateWe deal with your insurer’s approvals
- Family-run since 1970Claybank Road, PO3
- Mon–Fri, 8am–5pmClosed weekends
What’s involved
in accident and insurance repairs
Accident damage is often more than you can see.
A bumper can hide a cracked bracket or a pushed-in crash bar, and a creased wing can mean the door gap has moved. So every repair starts with a proper look at the car, and a repair plan you can understand before any work begins.
If the repair is going through your insurer, we work with them on the paperwork and approvals, so you’re not stuck in the middle.
Not sure what it needs? Send a few photos with your registration and we’ll come back to you with a guide price. Some damage only shows once a panel comes off, so we confirm the price once we’ve seen the car.
- Claims
- Insurance or private
- Paint
- Matched and blended
- Quotes
- From your photos
Accident damage
Where’s the damage?
Pick the part of the car that took the knock to see what the repair usually involves. Every car is different, so we confirm the work once we’ve seen yours.
Pick an area
Illustration, not a customer’s car.
Bumper, bonnet and wings
A front impact usually means the bumper, and often the bonnet, wings or headlights as well. We look behind the bumper for cracked brackets and fixings before agreeing the repair, then repair or replace the panels and paint them to match.
Send photos of this damage
Doors, wings and sills
Creased doors and wings are repaired or replaced, and the panel gaps are checked against the rest of the car. New paint is blended into the panels either side so the repair doesn’t stand out.
Send photos of this damage
Bumper, boot and tailgate
Rear bumpers, boot lids and tailgates are repaired where they can be and replaced where they can’t, then painted to match and blended into the rest of the car.
Send photos of this damage01What we repair
Damage we put right after an accident
Tap Quote on the closest match and we’ll set it on your form.
- 01
Bumper damage
Scraped, split or pushed-in bumpers, front or rear.
What’s involved
- Repair & refinishWhere the bumper can be saved.
- ReplacementWhere the damage is beyond repair.
- Fixings & bracketsChecked behind the bumper.
- 02
Wings and doors
Creased wings and doors, and the panel gaps that move with them.
What’s involved
- Repair or replacePanels repaired, or replaced where they can’t be.
- Panel gapsDoors and wings checked against the rest of the car.
- RefinishPainted to match.
- 03
Bonnet and boot lid
Front and rear impacts often crease the bonnet or boot lid as well as the bumper.
What’s involved
- Behind the panelWe look at what sits underneath.
- Repair or replaceExplained before work starts.
- 04
Car park knocks
A reversing touch or a door opened into yours. Often paid for privately rather than claimed.
What’s involved
- Dents & scrapesRepaired and painted to match.
- Guide priceFrom your photos, so you can decide whether to claim.
- 05
Paint after the repair
Repaired and new panels painted to match the rest of the car, then blended so the repair doesn’t show.
What’s involved
- Colour matchMatched to your car.
- BlendingInto the panels around the repair.
- 06
Someone else’s fault
If another driver hit you, speak to your insurer about how the claim will be handled. You can send us photos either way.
What’s involved
- On the formChoose ‘Insurance claim’.
- Your insurerTell us who you’re insured with.
02How it works
From photos to a finished repair
- 1
Send photos
Choose ‘Insurance claim’ or ‘Private repair’ on the form, and tell us what happened.
- 2
We reply
We look at your photos and explain what needs repairing, what needs replacing and why.
- 3
We see the car
Some damage only shows once a bumper or panel comes off, so we confirm the price once we’ve seen it.
- 4
Insurer approval
On a claim, we deal with your insurer on the paperwork and approvals.
- 5
Repair and refinish
Panels are repaired or replaced, then prepared and painted to match.
Paying privately? Step 4 doesn’t apply: once you’re happy with the price, we book your car in.
03Our work
Panel work in our workshop
How your claim works
claiming on your insurance
Your insurer may suggest a repairer from their own list.
Many policies still let you ask for a bodyshop you choose. Policies differ, so check yours or ask your insurer. If you’re unsure, call us and we’ll talk it through.
- Claims
- Insurance or private
- Paperwork
- We deal with your insurer
- Quotes
- From your photos
Where are you with your claim?
Not sure it’s worth claiming? Send us photos for a private guide price first, so you can compare it with your excess.
Get a private guide priceMany policies let you ask for a repairer you choose, but policies differ, so check yours. Give your insurer our details:
E.R.B. Motors, Claybank Road, Portsmouth PO3 5NQ · 023 9266 2244Send a few photos of the damage and your claim reference, so we can get started.
Send photos for a quote04Good to know
Claiming, or paying yourself
You can often choose your repairer
Whether your insurer pays for a repairer you choose depends on your policy and the claim. Check your policy wording or ask your insurer.
Your excess still applies
On a claim you pay the excess on your policy, and your insurer decides what the claim covers.
Small repairs, private price
For a small repair, claiming isn’t always worth it once your excess and no-claims discount are counted. Ask us for a private guide price to compare.
Questions we’re asked
Can I choose my own bodyshop after an accident?
Often you can. Whether your insurer will pay for a repairer you choose depends on your policy and the circumstances of the claim, so check your policy wording or ask your insurer. You can send us photos first so you know what the repair involves.
Will you need to see the car?
Photos are enough to start. With accident damage we’ll usually want to see the car before confirming the price, because some damage only shows once a bumper or panel comes off.
Do you repair cars privately as well as through insurance?
Yes. Many customers pay privately, especially for smaller repairs where claiming isn’t worth it. Choose ‘Private repair’ on the quote form.
Is it worth claiming for a small repair?
Sometimes it isn’t, once you take your excess and any effect on your no-claims discount into account. Send photos and we’ll give you a guide price for a private repair so you can compare.
What do you need from me for an insurance repair?
Photos of the damage and the whole side of the car, your registration, the name of your insurer, and your claim reference if you have one.
Get your accident repair quoted
Add a few photos and tell us whether it’s an insurance claim or a private repair. We’ll take it from there.