subject: Avoid Selecting The Wrong Body Shop [print this page] Suppose one has been involved in an accident - how does he go about picking a body shop? When a vehicle accident occurs, those involved will be contacting their agent, and usually the insurance agent will steer his customer to a body shop that he advocates. And the insurance agent is all too content to recommend a shop. But going with his recommendation is not always the best choice, and in a lot of cases, is a very POOR one. Let me explain:
When your insurance representative steers you toward a repair shop, it's going to be a repair shop within his company's "direct repair program." This is a contractual agreement between a vehicle insurer and a repair shop. The shop is under contract to repair cars of those the insurance company sends their way. The insurance company's part of the agreement is to point their clients toward that shop.
However, the body shop must present their repair estimates based on the usage of "aftermarket" car parts. However that's not all - should a lawsuit result on account of substandard car repairs, the auto body repair shop is under agreement to indemnify the insurer and bear liability.
Now you may be thinking "So the shops in the program must write estimates utilizing aftermarket parts?" "Why should I care?" What you are going to find out may come as a shock to you!
Parts are known as OEM (Original equipment manufacturer's) if made by the vehicle maker or his vendor, and those that aren't are known as aftermarket auto parts. Most of the time these latter types of parts are created in Taiwan, or at least someplace outside of North America.
They are much less pricey compared with the parts made by the auto maker (to the delight of your insurance carrier) and using them means you insurance company will have to pay out less in claims. But regrettably, this is a case of "you get what you pay for" as the aftermarket car parts are generally of lesser quality. They are more inclined to fail, resulting in even more repair work being required, and in a worst case scenario, can mean that the "repaired" vehicle is dangerous to operate!
Given that there are legal concerns involved if car repairs are made in a substandard way, for what possible reason might a body shop choose to enter into the insurer's direct repair program to begin with? Simple: they don't want to be forced out of business! Mainly because it's a matter of the success of their business. What happens if they refuse to sign, is that the insurance providers will direct their customers to other auto body shops.
But say you've been involved in an automobile accident but would rather take your car to a body shop other than that advised by your agent? You may be in store for some sneaky tricks on the part of your insurer. Perhaps they will balk at covering repairs - or they might delay sending their adjustor to examine your vehicle.
So does this make your life tougher? Undoubtedly! But it's worthwhile when the alternative is to go to their "preferred" body shop and have to suffer the potential results!
To conclude our discussion, if you have an automobile accident and require your vehicle fixed, do not neglect to do your homework. If the collision shop your representative proposes uses aftermarket auto parts, go to a different shop. And if your insurance agent says something to the effect of "They won't agree with our appraiser", "We're not able to work with that shop", or "We won't warranty the repair if you go there" be aware that these and other similar statements are misleading at best, and at worst, outright falsehoods!
