Accidents are often unfortunate, whether you were injured in the process or not. It is common that after being in a car accident, there will be a need for some smash repairs for your vehicle. Since the other party's insurance or yours will often cover such smash repairs, you may only be concerned about when exactly you will reclaim the use of your car. Nonetheless, here are other aspects you should consider as well when taking your car to be fixed.
Auto Mechanics
Your insurance company may refer you to auto mechanics whom they work with in repairing vehicles. Nonetheless, this does not mean that you're compelled to the choice of your insurance company. That is, you have the freedom to select an auto mechanic you prefer. Some of the auto repairs shops may just entice the insurance providers with low costs of repair, which may sometimes translate to poor quality in work. For this reason, if you would prefer your local auto mechanic to work on the smash repairs instead, then you should inform your insurance provider so that your car doesn't end up in a different shop.
Quotation
Comparing costs from various panel beaters or auto mechanics is also another thing you should know about smash repairs. Good and reputable ones will often give you detailed quotations before they start working on your vehicle. These quotations will have the painting, parts, and labour costs as well as any other repairs required on your crashed car. Get at least three quotations from three different auto mechanics to have comparable figures of the total costs required. Alternatively, you can have your vehicle taken to your insurance provider for assessment of the costs of repairing it.
Background Check
When comparing different auto shops, don't base your decision solely on costs. Consider the quality of work as well. For this reason, it is important to do some background check on the auto-repair providers, especially the one you plan to hire. For instance, if the auto shop you prefer has a website, you can find customer feedback or reviews that can help you gauge the rate of customer satisfaction as well as the quality of service.
Repair Parts
When you take your car for smash repairs, you need to get information from the auto shop concerning the replacement parts that will be used. They may have the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts or the aftermarket parts. Always go for the OEM parts because their aftermarket counterparts often have low-performance rates.
