I was hit, I want my own repairer, and the forum thread is skipping the part that matters

17 October 2026

I was hit, I want my own repairer, and the forum thread is skipping the part that matters

When your car has just been hit, the first practical problem is not the wording in a forum post. It is being without your car while people argue about where it goes, who authorises repairs, and how you get around in the meantime.

If you are in Melbourne or elsewhere in Victoria, and you were not at fault, that is usually the part to focus on first. The policy wording matters, but it does not answer every pathway open to you.

What Budget Direct actually says about choosing your own repairer

The plain answer is that Budget Direct does not describe choice of repairer as standard on every policy. Its public wording says: "You can nominate your preferred repairer as long as your policy includes the “choice of repairer” policy option."

That means choice of repairer sits as an optional extra, and whether you can rely on it depends on whether your own policy includes that option.

There are also conditions around how the car gets there and when work can start.

Budget Direct says: "If the car is unsafe to drive, we will pay the cost to tow the car to your preferred repairer up to a maximum of 100 kilometres."

It also says: "Except for essential repairs of up to $500 to make your car driveable following an accident, all repairs must first be authorised by us."

So if you are looking at your policy and a repairer is ready to start, the safe reading is this:

• your own repairer is only part of the policy if you added that option
• towing to that repairer is addressed if the car is unsafe to drive, up to 100 kilometres
• repairs generally need authorisation first
• the narrow exception is essential repairs of up to $500 to make the car driveable after the accident

If your wording or schedule is unclear, check your own documents carefully and ask Budget Direct to confirm whether the choice of repairer option is actually on your policy.

The part forum threads often blur together

People often mix up two different questions.

The first is, can you use your own repairer under your own policy.

The second is, do you need to claim on your own policy at all.

If you were not at fault, those are not always the same pathway.

Our role in Victoria is to manage a not at fault claim without you claiming on your own policy, recover the repair cost from the at fault driver's insurer, and arrange a replacement vehicle while your car is off the road. In that situation, the argument is not really about asking your own insurer for a policy option you may or may not have bought. It is about pursuing the at fault party's insurer for the loss they caused.

That distinction matters most when the immediate pressure is practical, not theoretical. You need the car repaired, and you may need another vehicle while that happens.

The hire car point matters more than most people realise

Budget Direct's public wording on comprehensive cover says a hire car after a no fault accident is already included, not an optional extra: (Your policy already covers a hire car following theft or accidents that were not your fault).

It also says: "If you have Comprehensive cover and your car is damaged in a no fault accident, we can arrange a hire car for you to use until your car is repaired, or your claim is paid (whichever occurs first)."

That is important for two reasons.

First, the published no fault benefit does not state a fixed number of days. The wording is tied to an event, your car being repaired or the claim being paid, whichever happens first.

Second, if Budget Direct cannot arrange the hire car, it says: "If we accept your car insurance claim for a no fault accident and we can’t arrange a hire car for you, we can reimburse what it would cost you to get around on a day to day basis, up to $75 per day."

So if you are deciding whether to push the repairer issue first, be careful not to lose sight of the transport issue sitting behind it.

What this does not tell you by itself

There are some things drivers usually want answered that depend on the exact claim pathway and paperwork.

For example, if you use your own repairer under your own policy, you should check who is authorising the work, who is standing behind what is done, and how any difference between a repairer quote and an assessment is handled in your own claim. Those points depend on the claim arrangement and the documents that apply to it, so ask the insurer or the party managing the claim to point you to the exact clause or process.

The same is true on timing. The practical length of a repair can depend on assessment, parts, and repairer capacity, so do not assume a short repair just because the car is booked in.

Where we fit in for Victorian not at fault drivers

If somebody else caused the damage, you may not need to frame this as a request to your own insurer to let you use a preferred repairer.

We help Victorian drivers by:

• recovering the repair cost from the at fault driver's insurer
• managing the not at fault claim so you do not claim on your own policy
• arranging a replacement vehicle while your car is off the road

That is often the cleaner route when your real problem is not the wording of an optional extra. It is the disruption of having a damaged car, the risk of being without transport, and the need to get the repair handled properly without running everything through your own policy first.

If you were not at fault, and you are in Melbourne or elsewhere in Victoria, it is worth checking whether that pathway applies before you spend days arguing in circles about a policy option.

Check your eligibility in about two minutes at reclaimforyou.com.au/eligibility