REPAIR TIPS

According to statistics, the average motorist is involved in a traffic collision once every seven years. How your insurance company handles the claims process and the way that your vehicle is repaired has probably changed since the last time you were involved in an accident. With this in mind, J & D Auto Body has assembled a few helpful tips to help guide you through this unpleasant experience of having to deal with getting your vehicle repaired.

• You have the right to have your vehicle repaired at the shop of your choice. There is no law or insurance regulation that requires you to get more than one damage appraisal.
  

• Notify your insurance company as soon as possible that you have been involved in an accident regardless of whose fault it may be.

• Some insurance companies may want you to visit their drive-in claims center before having your car repaired. It is better to leave the vehicle at the shop of your choice and have the insurance company inspect the car with the help of the people who are going to repair it.
  

• Select the repair shop that you are most comfortable with. Look for a clean, friendly environment with a helpful staff. Other amenities like onsite rental cars and guaranteed delivery times are a plus.
  

• Your deductible is to be paid by you to the repair facility only when the repairs are completed. Be very cautious of any repair shop who is willing to waive or absorb your deductible. Whenever a shop does this, they have to shortcut the repairs to make up the difference.
  

• Some Insurance Companies will ask you to go to one of their approved or direct repair shops. These referrals sometimes benefit the insurance company more than the customer. Over the last 25 years, J&D Auto Body has taken great pride in the ability to work with all Insurance companies. When asked to take your vehicle to a facility that you are not familiar with, or a repair shop located in another town, politely inform your insurance company representative that you choose to have your vehicle repaired at the shop of your choice, J&D Auto Body

• If your insurance company says that they will guarantee the repairs to your vehicle if you use one of their referral shops, remember that only the shop performing the repairs can warranty those repairs.
  

• Selecting a repair facility that may not be an insurance referral shop will not affect the amount of your deductible, and it will not effect your insurance premiums. An insurance company cannot cancel your Insurance because you used a repair facility that was not on their preferred list.

•  Most insurance companies now specify the use of alternative parts to repair collision damaged vehicles. Be sure to ask the repair facility to explain to you what the differences may be if compared to Original Equipment parts.  

• A body repair estimate should be the road map of the repair process. It should be formatted in such a way that tells you how your car will be repaired.
  

• Any repair facility deserving of your business should be willing to explain the repair process.

At J & D Auto Body we welcome the opportunity to help our customers understand exactly how we are going to create the invisible repair. J & D Auto Body is committed to total customer satisfaction. Keeping our customers informed is only one of the many things we do to achieve that goal.