One of the most common questions we get at Linwood Coachworks is — how long will my repair take? It’s completely understandable. When your vehicle is off the road, life gets complicated. You need to know whether you’ll be without your car for a day, a week, or longer.
The honest answer is that repair times vary depending on several factors. This guide breaks down what affects repair timescales, what you can typically expect for different types of damage, and how Linwood Coachworks works to get you back on the road as quickly as possible.
What Affects How Long a Repair Takes?
Several factors influence how long an accident repair will take:
- The extent of the damage — minor cosmetic damage takes less time than major structural repairs
- Parts availability — if panels or parts need to be ordered, this adds time
- Insurance authorisation — if the repair is going through insurance, work cannot begin until the insurer authorises the estimate
- Paint drying and curing time — quality paint jobs require proper drying and curing time and cannot be rushed
- Hidden damage — once a vehicle is stripped down, additional damage is sometimes found that wasn’t visible at the estimate stage
- Workshop capacity — a busy bodyshop may have a short wait before your vehicle can be booked in
Typical Repair Timescales
Minor Repairs — 1 to 2 Days
Minor cosmetic damage such as small dents, scratches, scuffs and paint chips can often be repaired quickly. At Linwood Coachworks we offer an express repair service for smaller jobs, meaning you could have your vehicle back the same day or next day in many cases.
Examples of minor repairs:
- Small door dings and car park dents
- Surface scratches and scuffs
- Bumper scuffs
- Paint chips and touch-ups
Medium Repairs — 3 to 5 Days
More significant damage involving panel repairs, partial resprays, or bumper replacement typically takes 3 to 5 working days. This allows time for proper preparation, painting, and curing before the vehicle is handed back.
Examples of medium repairs:
- Panel dents requiring filler or reshaping
- Partial resprays covering one or two panels
- Bumper replacement and paint matching
- Side skirt or sill damage
Major Repairs — 1 to 3 Weeks
Serious accident damage involving structural repairs, chassis alignment, multiple panel replacements, or full resprays will take longer. The timescale depends on the extent of the damage and parts availability, but most major repairs are completed within 1 to 3 weeks.
Examples of major repairs:
- Front or rear end collision damage
- Structural and chassis repairs
- Multiple panel replacements
- Full resprays
- Repairs involving ADAS recalibration
How Does Insurance Affect Repair Time?
If your repair is going through insurance, the authorisation process adds time before work can begin. Once you’ve reported the accident to your insurer, they need to approve the repair estimate before the bodyshop can proceed.
At Linwood Coachworks, we handle the full insurance process on your behalf — preparing the estimate, submitting it to your insurer, and chasing authorisation. This speeds things up considerably compared to leaving you to manage it yourself.
In straightforward cases, insurance authorisation can come through within 24 to 48 hours. For more complex claims or where liability is disputed, it can take longer — but we’ll keep you updated throughout.
What About Parts Availability?
Parts availability is one of the biggest variables in repair timescales — particularly for newer or less common vehicles. If a panel or component needs to be ordered from a manufacturer or specialist supplier, this can add several days to the repair timeline.
We always aim to source parts as quickly as possible and will let you know at the estimate stage if we anticipate any delays due to parts availability.
How to Speed Up Your Repair
There are a few things you can do to help your repair go as smoothly and quickly as possible:
- Report the accident to your insurer promptly — delays in reporting slow down the authorisation process
- Provide full details at the estimate stage — the more information we have upfront, the less chance of delays
- Choose your repairer early — you have the right to choose your own bodyshop, so nominate Linwood Coachworks to your insurer as early as possible
- Respond quickly to any queries — if we or your insurer need additional information, a quick response keeps things moving
We’ll Always Give You a Realistic Timeframe Upfront
At Linwood Coachworks, we believe in being honest with our customers about timescales. We’ll always give you a realistic estimated completion date at the assessment stage — and we’ll keep you updated if anything changes during the repair.
We know how disruptive it is to be without your vehicle. Our team works efficiently to complete every repair to BS 10125 standards as quickly as possible — without ever cutting corners on quality.
Find out more about our accident repair service in Paisley, our dent and scratch repair service, or read our full insurance claim guide.
Call us on 07717 233864, email info@linwoodcoachworks.co.uk, or use our contact page to get a free estimate and an honest timescale for your repair today.