Choosing A Local Auto Body Repair Company
Ah, you have been in accident! Not a favorite experience of many people.
Whats even worse than the actual fallout of the automobile accident itself is getting your vehicle repaired.
If you go through a reputable and ethical auto body repair shop you will end up with an automobile that drives and looks just like its was never wrecked.
If you go through a shady company you will have a substandard vehicle that will have a really low re-sell value in the future.
Here is what you can do to prevent the latter from happening.
Make Sure The Estimate Includes Factory Parts How can one body shop give you an estimate that is half the cost of another? The answer usually is that one will use aftermarket parts that cost half the price.
This is very important to know! Aftermarket parts are usually not high in quality and many times do not fit exactly like original ones made from the actual manufacturer.
Shops usually have to play and bend aftermarket parts to work and they do not usually last a long time.
They can also compromise a car's tolerance to withstand another wreck.
A bumper for instance made by the manufacturer is made to withstand a certain impact.
Its made to bend and crumple a certain way so that the people in the car absorb as little shock as possible.
An aftermarket part may look genuine but it is probably made out of inferior materials and its threshold is a lot lower.
Demand that original parts be used to rebuild your car.
Check the Better Business Bureau for Any Complaints Look up a company in the BBB and see if any complaints have been filed in the last year.
If so try to inquire why.
If a certain business has high stars and a high satisfaction rate then you have a good idea of what company you are dealing with.
Ask For A Couple References Ask them to supply you with the name of recent customers who they have serviced.
Call them up.
See if these individuals were happy with the work that was performed for them.
If an auto body shop is hesitant to supply with at least three names then I would go somewhere else.
Warranty Any service like this should stand behind their work and offer some type of guarantee.
They should back all their parts and labor with a warranty that lasts at least a year.
If something falls off or if the paint fades after only a month then you want to make sure that they are willing to fix their mistake.
Ask To See Pictures Ask a body shop to see some before and after photos.
Do they have experience in doing the work you need done? Have they ever worked on your type of car before? What is the worst wreck they have fixed? These things are good points to keep in mind.
Whats even worse than the actual fallout of the automobile accident itself is getting your vehicle repaired.
If you go through a reputable and ethical auto body repair shop you will end up with an automobile that drives and looks just like its was never wrecked.
If you go through a shady company you will have a substandard vehicle that will have a really low re-sell value in the future.
Here is what you can do to prevent the latter from happening.
Make Sure The Estimate Includes Factory Parts How can one body shop give you an estimate that is half the cost of another? The answer usually is that one will use aftermarket parts that cost half the price.
This is very important to know! Aftermarket parts are usually not high in quality and many times do not fit exactly like original ones made from the actual manufacturer.
Shops usually have to play and bend aftermarket parts to work and they do not usually last a long time.
They can also compromise a car's tolerance to withstand another wreck.
A bumper for instance made by the manufacturer is made to withstand a certain impact.
Its made to bend and crumple a certain way so that the people in the car absorb as little shock as possible.
An aftermarket part may look genuine but it is probably made out of inferior materials and its threshold is a lot lower.
Demand that original parts be used to rebuild your car.
Check the Better Business Bureau for Any Complaints Look up a company in the BBB and see if any complaints have been filed in the last year.
If so try to inquire why.
If a certain business has high stars and a high satisfaction rate then you have a good idea of what company you are dealing with.
Ask For A Couple References Ask them to supply you with the name of recent customers who they have serviced.
Call them up.
See if these individuals were happy with the work that was performed for them.
If an auto body shop is hesitant to supply with at least three names then I would go somewhere else.
Warranty Any service like this should stand behind their work and offer some type of guarantee.
They should back all their parts and labor with a warranty that lasts at least a year.
If something falls off or if the paint fades after only a month then you want to make sure that they are willing to fix their mistake.
Ask To See Pictures Ask a body shop to see some before and after photos.
Do they have experience in doing the work you need done? Have they ever worked on your type of car before? What is the worst wreck they have fixed? These things are good points to keep in mind.
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