If your car is badly damaged in a road accident, how can you be sure that it will be repaired with the same materials as were used in its manufacture?

Latest reports suggest that less than a quarter of the estimated 5,500 bodyshops in the UK are equipped and trained to repair the latest generation of cars manufactured with new high strength and boron steels.

With winter just round the bend, and with it an inevitable increase in the number of car accidents exacerbated by wet or icy roads and poor visibility, the importance of maximising the safety of you and your passengers cannot be understated.

Although the adoption of new materials to make vehicles more impact resistant and safer for driver and passengers has to be welcomed, use of the wrong type of weld on these new chassis metals can affect rigidity and safety.

Quality and specification of even the smallest parts used in the manufacture of your car are critical to your safety. For this reason genuine Vauxhall parts used by the vehicle manufacturer’s Approved Bodyshop network for accident repair have been thoroughly tested to meet the manufacturer’s recommended specifications.

Many motorists do not realise that they have the right to choose where their car is repaired. Bodyshops approved by Vauxhall undertake a “Duty of Care” responsibility to ensure that drivers are provided with the highest possible standards of repair work. Put simply, this translates into a commitment to providing the best standards attainable for repairs at every stage of a car’s lifespan.

At Vauxhall, a new set of Approved Bodyshop Standards is being introduced to reflect the changes in vehicle technology and improvements in operating procedures. They will have to be met by every one of 160 Approved Bodyshops in its nationwide network.

From training in the latest repair techniques for high strength steels and bodyshop skills to the use of state of the art welding and painting equipment, working practices and staff health and safety, the standards laid down are stringent.

Every Vauxhall Approved Bodyshop is assessed twice a year by specially qualified inspectors. If standards are not maintained, the manufacturer’s approved status may be rescinded.

Vauxhall’s bodyshop philosophy is to use only genuine replacement parts in all crash repairs. It may be possible for motorists to cut corners by buying cheaper replacement parts for servicing, or not insisting on genuine parts in accident repair, but can these ‘aftermarket’ parts be relied upon to perform to the same standards as the original?

You can find out more about the service available to all Vauxhall drivers by contacting your local Vauxhall Approved Bodyshop.