Keeping Your Shop Honest

Okay, so the above two things are things to watch out for if you haven't picked an auto collision repair shop. What, you say your vehicle is already at a repair shop that the insurance company referred you to? Don't panic, here are some things that you can do that will help you keep the shop honest:

1. Ask the shop manager to provide you with a copy of all the invoices for parts they had to purchase to fix your car, and then compare the parts list with the cost listed on the insurance company estimate.

2. Ask the shop for a written repair guarantee.

3. Ask the shop if they are a direct repair facility for more than one insurance company (just asking this will make them think twice about cutting a corner at your expense). If they are, ask them for the list.

4. Bluntly ask if they have used new Original Equipment Manufacturer Parts (OEM), used OEM parts, or aftermarket parts.

5. Ask the shop to explain "betterment" to you, just because you are curious. This is just to show them that you are reading up on the repair process.

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Trust or Not Trust Your Auto Body Shop?

If you are cool with trusting a collision repair facility, then fine, go find another article to read. But if you are like me, you want to learn how to avoid having to trust a body shop (the concept could apply to doctors and lawyers, too). Try to avoid using a shop if:

1. You were referred to the shop by an insurance company . . . here's why:

a. The shop has an agreement with the insurance company, and if you are able to get a copy of the agreement between the shop and the insurance company, you are impressive.
b. The insurance company has a vested interest in making sure repairs are as cheap as possible.
c. Questions that would normally be directed to the vehicle owner, like "should we fix this wiring while we're at it?", or "hey, did this happen in the accident?" will be directed to the insurance company and not the customer. The owner is left out of the loop.

2. The shop is dirty or unorganized . . . . I know that sounds obvious, but a lot of people just overlook that aspect because they think repairing vehicle damages is a dirty job. It's not, a good shop will be clean and organized. Dirty and unorganized implies to me that the auto repair shop is used to cutting corners to save money.

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Collision Repair and Things You Should Know

Worried about your car repair? You ought to be. In nearly 15 years as an adjuster I have seen some doozies when it comes to collision repair. As a short example, let me tell you this . . . When I was an adjuster, I caught an auto body shop and a rental car company conspiring to defraud the insurance company. What they did was that the rental company would file a claim for undercarriage damage, and we would inspect the vehicle, find the damages, write the estimate and pay the body shop. What I figured out is that instead of the damages happening like the rental company said (like a renter hit a curb, or hit some debris in the road), it was being caused by the body shop. The shop would have their technician put the car on a lift and then he would get under it with a sledge hammer and damage the oil pan or some other component, then they would give the car back to the rental company and they would file the claim.

We would pay the shop to replace the damaged component, but they would just go in an repair the component and pocket the money for the parts that we paid them. They sometimes made $400.00 or $500.00 on one scam by just faking invoices for parts that they had damaged to begin with, and then repairing the part (or replacing it with one they had lying around) and pocketing the insurance money.

Not all shops are crooks, but body shops, like any other business, are in business to make money. Most people are not experts on collision repair, and body shops know this. Taking your car to a body shop is sort of like going to the doctor or hiring an attorney. You kind of have to trust what the doctor or lawyer says because they are specially trained. It is the same for a body shop, you kind of have to trust what they tell you because they are specially trained.

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Demanding Experience and Expertise

Auto collisions are one of the leading causes of vehicle damage. They are unfortunate incidents that damage outer auto body the most and also cause technical problems in automobiles. However you cannot stop all those unfortunate incidents to be happened, you can actually get your vehicle back in its shape and working condition with the help of some experts automobile collision repair services that are dedicated to help those who are seeking a professional help to take care of their damaged vehicles.

Collision body repair is not an easy task to do as it sounds; it is a complicated process that needs expert hands and a long experience to be done right. Automobiles are complex machines that are made up of various parts with every single part performing its own unique task making a machine fully functional to serve you in its best condition. There is also a big role of the outer body of the machine that has its own importance in making a machine successful on the roads. So, experience and expertise is all that is required to repair a vehicle after an incident of collision.

When it comes to repair a damaged vehicle after a collision, a professional Automobile collision repair service can help you to get your vehicle back in its full working condition. They help you fix auto body damage of all kinds ranging from door dings, fender benders, unibody and frame repair, bumper repairs, paint less dent repairs, hail damage repairs to all paint color matching and custom painting repair services. With the help of their latest tool and technology, they help you a lot to fix your vehicle the way it should be fixed and to your satisfaction. With the expertise to do auto body repair on foreign as well as domestic vehicles, they also offer you expert assistance in claiming insurance for your damages.

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Employ Only the Best!

As roads and highways become more populated with vehicles, the results are more auto accidents. But getting involved in a car accident is virtually the last thing anybody would want or think of. Having one's own vehicle disastrously dented and damaged can leave the person psychologically and financially stressed specially if its required to be run on a daily basis. All the same, it does happen to everyone if not today then tomorrow and when it does the only thing one wants is to be able to get their vehicle repaired to its original condition in a timely manner. For this you would actually need a "car restorer" that is a collision repair specialist who can restore your car as closely as possible to its original condition following an accident. Accidental repair is one of the most difficult, highly-involved types of car repair tasks in the industry, so it is better to choose an experienced professional help that can yield out the best results in repairing your vehicle.

With the rapid advancement in technology, the auto collision repair specialist job has evolved from being purely mechanical to including electronic technology. Because vehicles today hold complex computer and electronic systems, mechanics have to have a broader base of knowledge about internal systems than in the past. This can be achieved with the aid of computer diagnostic tools with the help of which a collision repair specialist can accurately pin point the problem areas of the vehicle and implement best methods and techniques to restore the vehicle to a condition that is as good as new. He has to know what to look for when it comes to damaged internal systems.

Over all this he must be able to determine how to best restore a body's external structure which includes paint and auto body repair. A collision repair service employs a variety of experts who work together to restore a car's exterior using a broad range of state-of-the-art techniques and parts. They will completely transform the damage making it look like nothing ever happened at all. Hopefully, you will find the right and the best collision repair shop in your area that will not just repair and restore your vehicle back to itself but will also make the entire process easy for you so go along and make the most for your bucks.

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Choosing the Right Repair Shop

Your Car - Your Choice
In New York, it is the vehicle owner that decides where they want their vehicle repaired. Don't let anybody tell you that you have to go to a certain auto repair shop - it just isn't true.

Get a Personal Referral
Do you have a friend or relative that has had collision repairs performed recently? Ask them if they were happy with the shop they chose. If they were, this is a good place to start. If not, at least you know which shop to avoid.

Ask Your Agent
Insurance agents are usually very familiar with the reputation of the auto body shops in their area. They will often times tell you where they or their clients have had their vehicles repaired in the past.

I-CAR Gold Class
The I-CAR foundation is the main training and certification organization in the collision repair industry. A shop that is rated "Gold Class" puts a lot of emphasis on education. More information about ICAR can be found at http://www.i-car.com.

Equipment
Specialized equipment is needed to repair today's damaged vehicles. Make sure you are only considering shops that have made the necessary investment in this area.

Better Business Bureau
Your local Better Business Bureau can tell you if the shop you have chosen has received any unresolved complaints.

Experience Counts
Choosing a repair facility that has been open under the same management for a number of years may be to your advantage. A lifetime warranty is worthless from a body shop that has gone out of business.

Facility Should Be Neat
From the waiting area to the back shop, the building should be neat. As a rule, a sloppy facility performs sloppy repairs.

Meet the Customer Service Representative
Your Customer Service Representative should answer your questions directly and honestly and be very knowledgeable about the entire repair process. This is where you will have to trust your instincts. Watch out for fast talking salesman types.

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