Why Is My Car Taking So Long to Repair?

What does "normal" actually look like?

Before diving into delays, it helps to have a baseline. Repair timeframes vary widely depending on damage severity, but here's a rough guide:

Notice the gap between repair time and total off-road time. That gap is what this article is about.

Insurance authorisation: the most common cause of delay

If you're claiming on insurance, the repairer cannot begin work until your insurer formally authorises the repair. This means the insurer needs to assess the damage, either in person, via photos, or through a desktop review, and approve both the scope of work and the cost.

That process alone can take several days to well over a week, depending on your insurer's workload and internal processes. Until that authorisation lands, the repairer's hands are tied and your car simply waits.

If there's a dispute between what the repairer believes is needed and what the insurer has approved, a common situation with structural damage or older vehicles, the back and forth negotiation adds further delay before a single panel is touched.

Third party liability disputes

If another driver was at fault, things become more complicated. Liability needs to be established before either insurer will move forward. If the third party disputes fault, or their insurer is slow to respond, your repair can sit on hold while the two parties work it out between themselves, sometimes for weeks.

This is one of the more frustrating causes of delay because your car is ready to be fixed and the damage is clearly not your fault, but the administrative process hasn't been resolved yet.

Parts availability and why it's getting worse

Parts sourcing has become one of the biggest causes of repair delays in Australia, and it's an increasingly common problem.

The rapid growth of Chinese vehicle brands on Australian roads, BYD, GWM, MG, Chery and others, has created a genuine parts availability challenge. Sales volumes have surged in recent years, but local supply chains for genuine replacement parts haven't kept pace. Parts that aren't stocked locally need to be ordered directly from overseas, which can add weeks to a repair timeline.

It's worth noting this isn't a Chinese brand issue exclusively. European prestige vehicles and low-volume models from any region can face similar challenges. But the sheer scale of Chinese vehicle ownership growth in Australia has made long parts waits far more common than they were even two or three years ago. If you're driving a recently imported brand, ask your repairer early about parts availability. It's worth knowing before you commit to a repairer or timeline.

ADAS recalibration: an underappreciated delay factor

Modern vehicles carry sensors behind bumpers, windscreens and door panels that power features like automatic emergency braking and lane keeping. When those panels are removed or replaced, the sensors typically need professional recalibration before the car is safe to drive. If your vehicle is less than ten years old, ask your repairer whether recalibration is required and whether it's included in the estimate.

Hidden damage discovered mid-repair

A car that looks moderately damaged from the outside can reveal significantly more once stripped down. Additional parts, repair methods, and labour are often required that weren't visible or anticipated in the initial assessment.

When this happens, the repairer must prepare a supplementary assessment and submit it to the insurer for additional authorisation before proceeding. This adds another round of the same administrative delays, often just when you thought the job was nearly done.

Other factors that can slow things down

Beyond the main causes above, a repair can also be delayed by:

• Repairer workload. Busy shops may have a queue before they even start work on your car
• Paint colour matching difficulties, particularly with metallic, pearl, or specialty finishes that require multiple test panels
• Delays in getting hire car approval from your insurer, which can reduce the urgency placed on your job
• Disputes over repair methods. Insurers sometimes push for cheaper repair approaches (e.g. repairing a panel rather than replacing it) that the repairer disagrees with, requiring further negotiation
• Labour rate disagreements between the repairer and insurer, which can stall authorisation even when the scope of work is agreed

What can you actually do?

Keep in regular, specific contact with both your repairer and your insurer. Ask exactly what stage the repair is at, what is outstanding, and what the expected date for each remaining step is. Insurers and repairers are required to keep you informed, and specific questions tend to get more useful answers.

If you believe the delay is unreasonable, particularly if your insurer is slow to authorise or respond, you can formally escalate a complaint. The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) handles disputes between consumers and insurers and is a free service.