Does Your Car Need Auto Body Work? Here Are Some Tips To Picking An Auto Body Shop

Getting into a car accident is never a fun experience. More than six million car accidents happen every year in the U.S. Luckily, most of these car accidents involve only property damage — but damage to your vehicle is still stressful.

In most cases you will want to get the damage to your vehicle fixed. That means calling your insurance company, making a claim and then selecting an auto body repair shop to bring your car into to get repaired.

 

But what do you do if you don’t know a good, reputable body shop in your town? How do you choose which auto body repair shop to bring your car to? Here are some tips on how to choose a collision repair center to take your car to get it repaired and back on the road looking better than ever.

Word Of Mouth Recommendations

First, talk to people you know and see if others can recommend a good auto body repair shop. Check with family members, coworkers, friends, business acquaintances – anyone you may encounter. Ask them if they’ve gone to a local auto body repair shop, who they’ve been to and what their experience was like. Often the best choice for any type of service-based business is to get recommendations from people you already know.

Read Reviews

Thanks to the internet, you can look up online reviews for the repair shops you are thinking about bringing your car to. Simply do a search for the repair shop’s name and city and you will typically see the business’ Google My Business Profile:

In that profile you will see reviews that people have left for that business:

In those reviews, you can typically get a good idea of the quality of work – good and bad. In some cases, you will have to take the reviews with a grain of salt (everyone has good days and bad days.) But overall, online reviews will help you weed out the good shops versus the bad shops.

NOTE: As a courtesy to the business, after you’ve had your repair work done, do the body repair shop a favor and leave them an online review so they get feedback on the work that they’ve done for YOU. Not only will it give them valuable feedback on the work that they’ve done, but if you’ve had a great experience, it will help them get more work in the future. You will be helping your local community and local businesses that do great work!

Shops That Your Insurance Company Recommends

Most of the time when you call your auto insurance company to make a claim, they will give you a list of “preferred” repair shops that they like to work with. This usually does not mean that you must take your vehicle to one of these shops, but it often makes the insurance claim process more streamlined. (For instance, you might only need to pay your deductible to these preferred shops. Whereas if you take it to another shop you might have to pay more out-of-pocket costs and then get reimbursed later for those expenses from your insurance company.) Sometimes you will also get a guarantee on the work done if you take your vehicle to one of these insurance-recommended auto body repair shops.

If your insurance company gives you a list of repair shops they work with, you still should do your due diligence and check them out, ask the same questions and research each of them to ensure that you are taking your vehicle to one that is the best in your local area.

Certified Mechanics And Mechanic Team With Experience

You want to make sure that you bring your vehicle to a body shop that has a team experienced in auto body repair work. Are the mechanics certified to work on all types of vehicles? Can they provide you with a quote beforehand and do they offer any type of warranties on their work? Call the body shop and ask about the teams’ experience and qualifications.

Research The Auto Repair Shop

Car owners should take some time to research the auto body repair shop. For instance, how long have they been in business? Shops that have been in business for only a short period of time typically do not have an established staff and may not be as reliable as a shop that has been in business for years. Who is the owner of the business? How much experience does he have in the auto body industry and is he considered an industry expert? Also, find out if the team is active in any industry memberships or associations. If they are, that’s a good sign!

Ask Your Regular Mechanic

If you have a regular mechanic that you take your car to, chances are they know of a good collision center in town. They will probably even personally know some of the technicians at the various shops. Even if you get a recommendation from your mechanic, you will still want to do your own research, but getting a lead from your mechanic will give you a great place to start your search for a repair shop.

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Questions

Whenever you narrow down your search, you want to ask the repair shop of choice some important questions. Here are just a few:

• Does the shop deal with OEM part suppliers and manufacturers or with auto junkyards?
• Will they use OEM parts when they fix your vehicle or generic/refurbished parts? (NOTE: If you request that they use OEM parts, they will often have to get those OEM parts approved by your insurance company. Insurance companies often want to do things “on-the-cheap” and use off-brand parts.)
• Will the paint they use match the rest of your car? In most cases, cars have a paint code on a plate in a door jamb, under the hood, or in the trunk. This paint code gives the manufacturer’s paint color. Make sure the auto body repair shop will be using the exact color of paint as the rest of your car (the manufacturer’s paint) and not just a similar color.
• Do they offer any type of warranty on their work? If so, how long will it lasts and what does the warranty cover?
• What is the estimate? What happens if they go over the estimate once they get working on your vehicle?
• Do they have a loaner car for you to use while your car is being repaired, or will you have to rent a car?
• How long will the repairs take?
• Does the auto body repair shop carry fire and theft insurance? You want to make sure that your car is covered in case it is damaged, stolen, destroyed or burglarized while it’s at the body shop.

We Have A Solution For Your Auto Body Repair Needs

If your vehicle needs auto body repair work, Neil Huffman Collision Center does a variety of collision repairs:

• Collision Repairs
• Body Work
• Dent and Scratch Repairs
• Complete Painting and Refinishing
• Detailing

If you’re ready to talk to one of our collision experts, contact our auto body repair team today!

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