Six Considerations To Remember When You're Getting An Estimate On Auto Body Repairs
Posted on: 26 February 2020
Getting estimates from body shops is an important step in taking care of accident damages to your vehicle. There are numerous things you should keep in mind when you're getting an estimate to make sure you get the highest quality body work at a good price.
The following are six considerations to remember when you're getting an estimate on auto body repairs.
You don't have to use the body shop your insurance company tells you to.
Your insurance is going to send you to a particular body shop. However, you do not necessarily have to get your body repairs down through that auto body shop.
You have the freedom to shop around on your own and get the repairs done through another body shop if you want.
You can get estimates from multiple body shops.
Auto body repairs can be expensive. The cost can also vary significantly between different body shops. This makes it a good idea for you to shop around and get multiple estimates. Then, you can go with the body shop offering the estimate that you feel provides the most value.
You need to dig a little deeper regarding the extent of the damages.
An adjuster from your insurance company is going to look at your vehicle to examine the extent of the damages. However, the adjuster might only see the damage that's readily visible on the surface.
When you get body shop estimates, you should ask about all the damage that the mechanic has noted. If the body shop finds more repairs than the adjuster made note of, you need to record this and let the insurance company know to take full advantage of your collision coverage.
Price is not the only important consideration.
Don't just go along with whatever body shop gives you the lowest estimate. There are other important factors to consider in addition to price. These include the quality of the body shop's work as well as the speed with which the body shop can get the work done.
You need an estimate on time frame in addition to cost.
Obviously, you're going to want to get your vehicle back out on the roads as soon as possible. This means it's important to also ask for the time frame from the body shop along with the cost estimate. The sooner the body shop can have your vehicle repaired, the better off you will be.
You might have a car rental covered by your insurance company for a given period of time after your accident. You need to have your own vehicle up and running again before this car rental period has passed so that you have a way to get around.
You should ask questions about factors like warranty coverage.
It's important to ask questions and get all the clarification you need at the body shop. One thing in particular you should ask about is warranty coverage. A good body shop will give warranty coverage on the work that they do.
For more information, contact companies such as Westside Fender/Body & Refinishing.
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