Now you have had an accident, maybe you have even already called your
insurance company, but you are really not sure what to do. After all people just
don't have accidents every day and so they really don't know what to do.
Accidents can be a very traumatic experience because you might have a number of
questions, but you just don't know who to ask. You should take care in choosing
a body shop after you have had an accident, because it can make a big
difference. We want to try to answer some of the questions that you may have and
our site is filled with a great deal of information to educate you. You can
always just give us a call and we will be happy to answer any questions you
might have and we would be happy to prepare you a written estimate on the
damages to your vehicle.
First a couple of things you should know.
You are not required to take your car to the shop recommended by your
insurance company. This is probably what you don't want to do, some
repair shops have agreed to contracts or are outright owned by some insurance
companies, and they don't always have your best interest in mind. Some will cut
corners on repairs just to save the insurance company money. You should be
comfortable with the shop of your choice, ask your friends and neighbors for a
recommendation, visit different shops and ask for a tour so you can see where
your vehicle will be repaired.
Call a few shops and ask them questions, such as:
Will you guarantee all your work for as long as I own the vehicle?
Is you company an I-CAR Gold Class Repair Shop?
Are your technicians certified by ASE?
Is your painter certified by your paint company?
Do you have a list of references?
If they can say "yes" to all of these, you know you have found a good shop.
You should also express any concerns you may have about the type of parts being
used, the content of the estimate and the timeliness of the repair. View the
following pages for more information on repairs, the more you are educated about
the process the better the results will be for you to protect the value of the
investment you have made in your vehicle.