Body Shop Estimate Process

At this point you have probably narrowed the search down to one or two body shop repair facilities.  The task now comes of getting an estimate for the repairs.  Remember that you can take or have your vehicle towed, if not drivable, to the body shop of your choice.

This is your vehicle and you need to clearly communicate what you expect to be repaired.  Body shops want to get the job done right, the first time. With an insurance claim, damage unrelated to the specific accident will not be covered.  The body shop will be glad to repair any additional dings, dents and scrapes but those will need to be negotiated outside of the insurance claim.

In order to fully understand the estimate make sure the estimator goes over all the details with you.  Estimates are itemized and will contain labor hours and material costs.  Parts that need to be repaired will have an appropriate repair time.  Parts that need to be replaced will show the cost of the new part.  The estimate will have labor and material costs for painting which are separate from the repair or replacement of parts.

When getting more than one estimate, compare equally.  Ask yourself, is one shop repairing the hood and another replacing the hood and so on?

Even if the insurance company is paying for the repair this is YOUR vehicle and you need it fixed correctly to retain its value.

 

Tim Welch