When you're in a wreck make sure you go to an Appropriate/ Certified Repair Shop — and not to a Direct Repair Facility owned by the Insurance Company.
- Approved Shops or Direct Repair Facilities work for the insurance company not you
Insurance Companies with Repair Shops negotiate a pre-set rate to repair your vehicle. Many times repair shops will do the bare minimum to repair your vehicle to maintain their profitable relationship with the insurance companies. The strong arm tatics of some Insurance companies have caused a few legitimate Body Shops to refuse to do work for their clients because of the substandard repair request that the insurance companies make. - OEM Parts are best
Original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts are designed to fit your car perfectly. Insurance Companies prefer to use generic or salvage replacement parts because they're significantly cheaper. If the accident is your fault, you could be bound by wording in your policy that lets the insurance company use Non- OEM parts. But if accident is someone else's fault, tell the shop to use only OEM parts. We have also found OEM parts to be safer for you and your vehicle as well. - Cars are often done sooner or later than what was estimated
Always call the Body Shop to make sure the car is actually repaired before you go there. Many times the due date is fictional and only a guide line. We have found that many times clients will show up to pick up their car and the vehicle is still waiting to be painted. In General, Body Shops will take on more business then they can handle. - Rental Car Reimbursement
Many times an adjuster for an insurance company will ask the insured to put their rental car on their credit card with promises of reimbursing them once the car is repaired. This can be a problem because often the reimbursement does not always happen and rarely for the full amount that was owed or promised. Typically, Insurance Companies will have an account with certain rental car companies and they can facilitate the rental car without your out of pocket expense. - The insurer's warranty
Insurance Companies sometimes dangle an elusive warranty on the parts to entice you to go to their direct repair shops. But, what the insurance company fails to tell the consumer is that most body shops have a much better warranty which guarantees the repairs for as long as you own the vehicle.
