Tips On Choosing Your Auto Body Repair Shop

By Samuel Slater

A lot of us depend on our cars for transportation. In fact, many of us have a hard time picturing how we would cope with life without having a car or truck - it is practically a requirement for many people. However, accidents can and do happen and when your vehicle has been damaged in an accident, you need to have it repaired at an auto body shop as soon as possible. If you do not already have a local body shop you go to for repairs, keep reading for some tips on how to choose the right garage.

Before deciding on an auto body shop to carry out your repairs, you should do some research on the repair shops in your area. Keep in mind that there are body shops which will work with insurance agencies; with the garage providing services at set rates in exchange for the insurer referring their customers to the body shop.

Should the auto body repair shop you bring your car to be one of these, remember that shops which have these kinds of partnerships with insurance companies will often use aftermarket parts or generic parts when doing repairs. Suppose a shop provides a certain repair for $450; they will often cut some corners in order to keep their costs low.

This is important because you do not want to bring the vehicle home and then discover that after a few weeks, things start to fall apart or you have other problems due to a repair that was not made in the best manner. Remember, not all parts are made equal.

The use of generic or salvage parts are sometimes preferred by insurers because of the cost savings. While this does save the insurance company some money, using original equipment manufacturer, or OEM, parts will guarantee a good repair. The OEM parts are made specifically for a particular type of vehicle and will fit better and will be a perfect match for the damaged one.

Body shops which have a track record of failing to perform work in a timely manner are ones which are best avoided. Many customers may be convinced by an explanation that parts are back ordered, the real reason could be that the auto body shop has taken on more customers than they are able to handle - look up the repair shop with the Better Business Bureau to find out if there have been any complaints filed against the business.

If you own a foreign vehicle, be sure that you take your car to a shop that is familiar with the makeup of your vehicle. If your vehicle is a European made vehicle the repair shop will need to know that these cares use aluminum and extremely hard steel in the bodies. This is different from repairing a standard vehicle. If they apply the incorrect type of product to your vehicle they may be causing more harm than good.

Before choosing a body shop to bring your car to, ensure that this garage is known for providing high quality repair work and can work on whatever type of vehicle you drive. You depend on your car; so make sure that the auto body shop you choose is one you can trust to do the job right. - 29952

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here