When you take your car in for repairs, you’ll have to take your Fahrzeugschein with you and the mechanics will fill out any bills to the person on the registration (but you can pay it if it’s not you). After an accident, insurance companies will usually either require you to take your car to a dealer or a garage recognised by the handcrafts guild as a master mechanic. Any excess you’ll have to pay will have been decided between you and your insurance salesman, but is likely to be somewhere between €250 and €1,000. If your car’s woes are covered by a warranty, then that work will have to be performed by the dealer.