Some of the biggest questions people run into deal with the repairing their vehicles. Many times people are confused and don’t know how to go about picking the right auto body shop. What process should I run through in picking the right vehicle repair shop? What questions should I consider?
What value am I getting for my Auto Body Repair?
The most important question in determining what auto body repair shops is: What value am I getting in repairing my vehicle here? Many body shops out there are looking for unsuspecting customers and ways to pad their bottom dollar. A lot of times body shops will offer the lowest price because they know this will attract customers. Unfortunately, from a customer standpoint choosing the lowest price is not always the way to go.
Daniel T., Vice President of National Auto Parts, in Dallas, Texas, concurs that doing this will only create more car issues in the future. “Repairing your vehicle is always about what you get in return. These days, body shops continue to push the limits of their customers to see how much more they can get away with. At this point the body shop knows exactly what they’re doing. Is the customer to know the better?”
What can I do to protect myself?
A solution that’s been picking up a lot of traction recently is hiring a third party to assist you in this area. There are a few good car crash consultants out there that will help you figure out what’s being put on your vehicle and how the vehicle’s being repaired. When looking for a good car crash consultant selecting one that gives you a lot of insight on the repair and product being used is imperative. Using these specialists provides visibility in an area with many questions.
Another way is looking for a detailed report of the work being put into the vehicle and reviewing the warranty the shops offers. When you get into an accident, every insurance gives you an assessment of the damages, take a look at the sheets and read over to see what product they’ve listed for use. Auto Body Shops sporadically will attempt to use cheaper parts to make more money. Requesting the use of what’s listed on your insurance assessment is not unusual and will help protect against this. In regards to warranties, most legitimate body shops will have an extensive warranty and stand by their work.
Where should I look for the body shop?
Driving to the nice plush auto body repair shops off the highway might be convenient, but doing this often drives up the price of the job. “All businesses have costs and are in it to make money. With this assumption, you have to believe any cost a business incurs will be passed onto their consumer,” Daniel says. Hanging off the highway, and looking more in-city gives any prospective client a better chance to keep labor costs low. Prices per hour for labor can vary wildly from $30-$100 for the same type of work. Don’t misunderstand the shop may not look the best, but you can be guaranteed going this route will provide good value.
