What Your Body Shop Needs From Your Insurance Company To Do Work
In order to have a car repaired after an accident, a car insurance client needs to take their car to a reputable body shop. This is one that has licensed technicians and is able to provide timely and complete estimates for the repair of a car. If possible, a client should seek out a reputable body shop before an accident occurs and use them for all regular maintenance. This will make it easier to use the shop when and if the need arises to have them fix accident-related damage. In any car insurance quote, insurance providers will state that they will not pay for repairs that are not done to certain, regulated standards and it is up to drivers and owners to make sure that their preferred body shop has the credentials needed in order to complete repairs and be paid by the insurance company. Before any body shop can start work, however, there are a number of things it will require from an insurance company.
The first is a call from an adjustor. After talking to the client, the adjustor will call the body shop where the car is located and ask about the basic damage to the vehicle. Based on the body shop's initial assessment, the provider will decide if they wish to attempt a fix or simply declare the car a total loss. If fixing is the option chosen, an adjustor will either come out in person to view the damage or will have the body shop take pictures for the adjustor to view. The choice made typically depends on the relationship of the body shop to the insurance company - if they are well-known, photos will suffice but if they are a new player, a visit will likely be required. Having a shop that insurance companies are comfortable with can often cut down on waiting times, especially during high-accident seasons.
After the adjustor has seen the car, the body shop will then be waiting on approval and will not start work on the car until the insurance provider has given their approval and determined exactly what is to be fixed and how. Even after the car is fixed, the company may ask to see it in order to verify that the work was done right and nothing extra was included in the charge.
Though multiple accidents can increase the price of a car insurance quote, having a reliable and friendly body shop can help keep repair and claims costs low, which in turn will help to limit the amount of premium increases that a client will see. Sourcing out a great body shop is essential to having piece of mind for any driver.
