Faulty repair job could have poisoned driver
Paula Parissis is one of the people who contacted the MTA. Her near-new Holden Cruze, insured by AAMI, was towed to an AAMI preferred repairer after it was rear-ended seven months ago.
AAMI is owned by Suncorp, which owns 12 brands including AAMI, GIO, Shannons, Bingle and Just Car Insurance, one of the largest insurers in Australia.
When Ms Parissis went to pick up her car after the four-week repair, she found the boot did not close properly and gave the car back to be fixed.
When the car was again returned to her, she believed the boot still was not closing properly, and sought a second opinion from an independent assessor, Adam Thomas.
Mr Thomas, a qualified panel beater and repairer who used to work for NRMA Insurance, says he was fired after complaining about some of its practices.
He believes the boot problem was the least of Ms Parissis’s worries, saying the seal around the boot has not been fitted correctly.
“They have replaced the back panels and they didn’t put them on in the right position,” he said.
“The vacuum that’s created at the back of [the] car its actually sucking exhaust fumes into the back of [the] car, which is ultimately poisoning you with carbon monoxide.”
Suncorp head of corporate affairs Reuben Aitchison disputes the finding, saying the insurer is “comfortable that the initial repair work had been done to specifications, aside from the paint buffing, which has now been rectified.”