How do most people select a. body shop? When an automobile accident takes place, those involved will be phoning their insurance agent, and more often than not the agent will steer his customer to a shop that he suggests.
Agents are quick to recommend a shop when a customer is in need of car vehicle repairs resulting from an accident. But although going to a recommended shop may seem like a great convenience to the client, it isn’t really a good idea! Let’s talk about why that is.
Insurance companies have a kind of network of auto body shops within something called a “direct repair program.” The company teams up with a body shop and has a contractual agreement with that body shop. The body shop agrees to provide auto repairs for the insurance company’s claimants. The insurer must, under the agreement, point their clients to the member repair shop.
Often the repair shop is required, under the agreement, to write all quotes utilizing aftermarket parts. And the shop will also be required to bear all liability for repairs and indemnify the insurance company from any lawsuit the client might bring.
But you might be thinking “So why would I care if the body shop fixes my car using aftermarket parts?” Just what does that mean to me?” The answer is “A LOT!”
Auto parts are called OEM (Original equipment manufacturer’s) if created by the car maker or his vendor, and those that aren’t are known as aftermarket auto parts. Aftermarket producers are generally located outside of North America, usually in Taiwan.
Since these parts cost less than factory made car parts, they are less costly and make it less costly to repair your car, meaning that the insurer pays less when settling your claim. But unfortunately for you, they are typically inferior to parts made by the manufacturer of your vehicle, or his chosen vendor. They may result in auto repairs the are hazardous or, at minimum, are prone to fail, leading to further repairs to become needed.
Knowing that they must use lesser car parts to save the insurance firm money, why would a body shop choose to enter into the insurer’s direct repair program to begin with? The answer is simple: they don’t want to be forced out of business! Because it’s a matter of the survival of their business. Since the majority of people in need of auto body work will follow their insurer’s suggestion, the repair shops not in the direct repair program aren’t likely to get much business.
But suppose you’ve been involved in a car accident but prefer to take your vehicle to a body shop outside the company’s “network”? Your insurer may well play “dirty tricks” to convince you that you made the wrong choice. One trick up their sleeve is to postpone sending out their adjustor for up to a couple of weeks or longer.
Does this result in a hassle for you? Undoubtedly! However the alternative is to choose their recommendation and end up getting a vehicle that’s just likely to fail sooner, or may even become a hazard to you among others on the highway.
In summary, when you’re searching for a auto body shop, know your legal rights! Find out if the body shop you’re taking you automobile to uses aftermarket or salvaged car parts, and if so, look elsewhere to get your auto restored. And if your insurance company representative states “You will have to pay more if you go to the shop of your choice”, “We can’t work with that shop”, or “If you go to our shop we will pay them directly and it will be faster” understand the these are not truthful statements, and are intended to steer you to a shop that may do substandard repairs – just so your insurer can save money.
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