It is important to remember that a lot of insurance companies will throw up all sorts of roadblocks during this process after an auto accidient. There may be tricks they try, such as intimidating the customer into believing the automobile has to be moved before they can adjust it. This is not true.
Also, you may be told you have to use the body shop recommended by your insurance company. That is again, untrue. While it’s been said that claims tend to move faster when you use the recommended body shop, it is not a requirement. Your personal mechanic and even your insurance agent should be able to offer you two or three different shops in your area that have had success with other clients. As long as it is a licensed body shop, you can use whomever you trust.
The insurance company may try to say they won’t cover the cost of repairs or warranty the repairs if you go to an outside body shop they don’t work with. If this happens, you should contact the auto body shop you plan to use and find out what their warranty coverage is for the work they will be doing. In the end, even if your insurance company warrants the repairs, it is still the responsibility of the auto body shop for those repairs. Most shops will offer warranties on their work, but calling to double check won’t hurt.
If you’re looking for an auto body shop, and your personal mechanic or insurance agent didn’t refer you anywhere, do some research online. You can use Google and Yahoo for customer reviews. You’ll find out where the best and worst places are.