Ask around friends, neighbours, at work for a local bodyshop that they can recommend as having done a good job @ a fair price.

Nip round, tell them cash deal & ask for their best price.

Armed with the figures make up your mind based on facts & not guesses.

Edited by Falkirk Bairn on 19/09/2016 at 18:50

First things first, what sort of bodyshops have you been to, ones with managers receptionists carpets coffee and courtesy cars will be more expensive than a one man and his dog place who will probably do you a cash price, that would be my first move, to find a little place more in tune with the real world most of us live in.

Secondly, and this is only my view, under £1000 i wouldn't entertain making an insurance claim, it may be minor but something you'll be declaring for at least 5 years, which is OK but if you have a real bump in the next couple of years you could find yourself with no NCD at all and an interesting half an hour on the phone listing your claims and your eyes watering at the premiums quoted.

My choice here would be to keep schtum and get the damage fixed cheaply, unless that is you've done damage to other property which may get claimed for.

if it's only a bad scrape--have you tried thinking about how you could do it yourself for £peanuts and time?...even a nice rub down and an application of near match paint could keep things at bay until you either damage it again or decide to get it professionally repaired?

"I recently scraped my car's back passenger door and wing at a supermarket car park -- quite a bad scrape, I'm afraid, as I've been quoted upwards of £800 to get it repaired."

Did you leave a note on the other owner's car with your insurance details?