Once again, the old battle of good vs. evil rears its ugly head, but this time it’s in the collision repair industry. When you get into a car accident, and you need to repair your vehicle, who do you go to? Do you use your own “guy,” or do you go to one of the shops suggested by your insurance company, which is called a direct repair shop. The reason this is such a hot topic is because the insurance companies have basically taken the freedom of choice away from the vehicle owner. If you use one of the direct repair shops recommended by the insurance company you will get perks that you will not receive from a non-contracted repair provider. One major bonus is that the parts and repair y Read entire post...

You’ve had an accident and now you need to get your vehicle repaired. What do you do? Whether you are a claimant or an insured, you need to report the accident to the insurance company.  When you speak to them, they will recommend one of their Direct Repair Shops. Do you have to use a Direct Repair Shop? No. In the end, the choice is yours. The insurance company may tell you that the shop of your choice is not on their “approved” list of shops and that they may not be able to efficiently handle your claim due to your selection of a certain shop, but do not be intimidated by this. It is your right to choose whatever shop you want to repair your vehicle. However, if by chan Read entire post...

One situation many insureds find themselves in today is when they’ve taken their vehicle to a repair center that does not get along with the insurance company that is footing the bill for repairs. Many shops feel that they should not be told how to repair a car or how much they can charge for those repairs. The result is that both sides will take a firm line. When you first choose a repair facility for your vehicle, the shop should tell you if they have problems working with a particular insurance company. However, what happens is, they start repairs and when they run into a problem with either a supplement, or overage on an estimate, they may tell you that the insurance company won Read entire post...

Getting unbiased opinions on how to get your vehicle repaired after an insurance claim is often hard work. Between the insurance company pulling you one way and the body shop telling you to go another way, you often feel like you are playing tug of war. AutoBodyFAQ.com hopes to dispel some of the uncertainties and give you some real world scenarios on dealing with the stressful experience of getting your vehicle repaired to pre-accident condition. Hopefully we can answer any questions you might have that we haven’t already covered in our extensive FAQ. Read entire post...