Be Prepared After An Auto Collision (PART 2)

Here is the second leg of San Antonio’s Miracle Body and Paint’s blog on how to be prepared in an auto collision.

Will the auto body repair shop guarantee the repair work?

Knowing the auto body repair shop’s guarantee policy and its duration is important. Ideally you want to choose an auto body shop that guarantees the work. This will protect you in cases when you have found other problems that were not identified when the shop repaired the car. A guarantee from the auto body shop will make such late discovery easier to handle and deal with. Make sure that the guarantee is in writing on any paperwork that the shop will provide you.

My insurance company is suggesting for me to go to specific auto repair shop. Should I follow them?

Every insurance company has direct repair programs or DRP. This means that they have pre-existing contracts with specific auto body repair shops. Those shops are expected to finish the car repair at a given deadline which most often than not compromises the quality of the repair done in a damaged car. Though working with these shops mean less paperwork for you, you may be giving up quality in the bigger sense. There are a lot of independent auto repair shops that are not under DRP which can deliver fast service without compromising quality of work. You can look around and get other estimates aside from the insurance’s suggested shop.

I am considering keeping the check than have my car repaired. Is this a good choice?

This is in fact a very common question people ask whenever they got involved in a car accident. It may be helpful if you think about it this way: If your car is worth a lot of money in the market today, then having it fixed and working properly will mean you can sell your car on a good price in the near future. If you know your car is not worth that much, then keeping the dent or scratch may not be that such a big deal in the long run.