Accidents never give time before they come. But you do get some time to recover post a car accident. If your car is severely damaged and needs a serious repair work, you need to collect estimates from more than one auto repair shops who can simplify the entire process and help you get back your car at the earliest.
To narrow down your search and finalize on one collision repair center, here is a brief on the steps you need to follow:
- Dealing with Your Insurance Agency
Depending on the insurance policy you have, it may be required to keep certain documentation ready and provide them to your insurance agent while hiring an auto body shop for your car repair. While some of the insurance companies might suggest certain body shops to which they are associated. To avail the service from your insurance company, you need to discuss out the amount they would pay or if you need to shell out some amount from your pocket.
- Preparing a List of Auto Body Shops
To start with collecting the estimates from the auto body shops you need to search for the nearest shops and even a few that looks more credible. Though the price is not supposed to vary much from each other, the answer to a few valid questions might help you to select the right one, if your insurance allows you to choose one. By preparing the list of estimates the picture would become clear to you and you would be ready from every angle to undergo the process of post collision repair.
- Ask the right questions
To go ahead with your selection of the body shop, you need to frame a few questions and make sure not to shy away from asking them. The pieces of information that are key to your selection procedure should be ready at your fingertips before you ask for a quote.
- Ask for a general base price for the kind of repairs required for your car and that should include the labor cost as well. Though it might not be possible for the body shop to come up with an exact amount, they must have a range of packages that can roughly hold the maximum amount that can scale up.
- Get a turnaround time when you can expect your car to be delivered.
- Make sure if you could be asked to sign up for a payment agreement.
- Assess the Options While Choosing the Shop
Depending on how severe the damage is, you can yourself do an assessment on the priority areas and you can consult a few shops by searching the Google with “collision repair near me”. Start with the most important areas like the windshield, the number plate, the engine and bumper.
- Check Before You Accept the Car
Though you might be in a hurry to take back your car home, make sure to take a test drive with a mechanic around before you accept the repair work and pay for it.
