What to Expect From Your Auto Body Shop….
When people are involved in a collision and need their car repaired many don’t know the process of how an auto body shop works. It can be little intimidating when you don’t know what to expect after a collision.
Here are the steps involved in getting your car repaired:
- Contact your insurance company. They will ask you to get an estimate from a body shop for repairs. Remember: you have a choice to use the body shop of your choosing to get the repairs done. See if the body shop will provide insurance claim assistance.
- Get an estimate. It’s best to get at least two estimates. Here at Orlando Auto Body, you can get an estimate online. When getting an estimate, make sure the auto body shop uses OEM parts. These are parts made by the original manufacturer of your vehicle. Be weary of shops that use after-market or generic parts, as these many times don’t fit as well as OEM parts and may not be as safe as well.
- Check your insurance policy for a car rental provision.
If you don’t have this provision in your policy, sometimes your body shop will have a relationship with a car rental company and get a car rental for you at a discount. (We have this option here at Orlando Auto Body)
- The body shop will do a “blueprint” for repairs.
- This blueprint will outline the actual repairs needed and associated costs, including parts and labor.
5. Get insurance company approval.
Your insurance company must agree to the estimate. Sometimes an insurance company will push back on repair costs and parts used. Many companies will prefer you use after-market or generic parts, try to cut repair hours for the work needed, and cut corners on repairs in general (i.e. repair instead of replace parts). It’s important to read and know what your insurance policy covers so that you can avoid these problems in advance, if possible.
- Repair starts. After the above steps are taken care of your auto body shop should start repairs. Your vehicle should be restored to its pre-accident condition when the repairs are completed. You should make sure your body shop provides a warranty on parts and labor.
Checking your insurance policy for complete coverage of the above-mentioned costs prior to a collision is always a good idea. As the old saying goes, “an ounce of prevention, is worth a pound of cure.”
- Here at Orlando Auto Body we always strive to use genuine OEM parts and repair your vehicle to its pre-accident condition. We treat each vehicle that comes into our shop as if it were our own.
