Getting Collision Repair?
What You Don't Know Can Hurt You!
Did your insurance company tell you to use a recommended body shop?
Ask yourself why that is.
Answer: They're The Cheapest!
How are they the cheapest?
- By offering the insurance company cheap labor.
- By skipping important steps.
- By using junkyard parts.
- By using knock-off parts that have never been crash tested.
Who benefits from these cheap estimates?
- Hint: (it's not you)
- How do we know this?
- We were once an insurance company preferred shop too!
A tale of two estimates.
Your estimate tells the story of the repair you are about to receive.
Your safety is the price you pay for these low estimates.
The question is, do you trust your insurance company with your life?
Contact us, and we can make this worry go away.
Getting a second opinion is easy and free.
What's the worst that could happen?
The unsafe repair that almost killed two people.
The John Eagle case: This Texas couple nearly died in a car that was proven to have been repaired unsafely at a dealership body shop. Improper welds to the roof caused the car to deform, TRAPPING THEM INSIDE as they nearly burned to death.
At trial, the dealership shop General Manager admitted that they skipped these steps because the insurance company would not pay them to do the repairs.
This is the testimony that cost a body shop $30 Million.
“So … if you brought your car into my shop, the insurance company’s going to dictate … how we’re going to repair your car...by not paying the bill.”
-Boyce Willis, John Eagle Collision Manager under oath John Eagle Lawsuit
What is on their estimate
(or missing from it)?
Looking at your estimate, do you know what all those terms mean?
LKQ stands for “Like Kind and Quality.” These are parts sourced from a junkyard and are usually harvested from a vehicle that has been in an accident or maybe even on fire. Junkyard parts are cheaper than new “OEM” parts because they are used. Who do you think pockets the savings?
How do we know if these parts are any good? How do we know how the previous owner treated their vehicle?
A/M stands for After Market which are imitation parts shipped in from overseas.
The problem with A/M parts is that they are often poorly fitting and have never been crash-tested. There is not one automaker that stands behind aftermarket parts usage in the repair of their vehicles. So why should you?
Not only that, in some cases it can even void your warranty or cause you to pay out of pocket if the vehicle is a lease.
If you see A/M suspension parts you should run for the hills! Who benefits from putting aftermarket parts on your car?
Opt OEM stands for Optional OEM. OEM parts are the original parts made by and approved by the people who built your car.
Optional OEM parts are not the same as OEM parts. They are also a cheaper part and have never been proven to be certified factory parts.
Does your estimate list time for inspections of seat belts, airbag sensors, suspension components, and measuring of steering columns?
These are steps that are vital to your safety and are often neglected in high production insurance shops that are only focused on the damages you can see.
Often sensors and safety components “look” fine but need to be replaced once measured and inspected.
We want to make you aware that it is quite possible that the estimate you received from your insurance preferred shop could be missing important items.
Why not have a highly rated shop like ours at least give yours a free review?
Your Insurance Company Might Tell You:
(Common scare tactics they like to use that are NOT TRUE)
Truth: Your insurance company only wants you to use the shops they have a contract with who are willing to repair cars as cheap as possible. Cheap is the enemy of good when it comes to collision repair.
Truth: Your insurance company has to reimburse you for your repairs regardless of the shop you choose.
Truth: This is a scare tactic that insurance companies use to make people use their recommended shop. You have the right to choose who fixes your car, it’s the law.
Truth: This is another scare tactic that insurance companies use to make people use their recommended shop. If you have rental car coverage in your policy, they must cover it.
Three SHOCKING TRUTHS about the collision repair business:
There are no laws to protect you from unsafe repair.
Even restaurants have health inspectors to protect you from food poisoning but there are no such inspectors for the collision repair industry. Each auto manufacturer has specific instructions for body shops to repair their cars safely and properly. But there are no laws forcing a body shop to follow any set or approved OEM repair methods.
Body shops do not need a license or training to do collision repair.
Barbers and hairstylists need a license to cut hair, but shops don't need one to cut up and weld a car back together and send it off to an unsuspecting customer. Here, all you need is a business license, and there are no inspections. The body shop technician decides how he is going to fix the car, and nothing is forcing him to research the correct method and stick to that plan.
Safe repair and unsafe repair look identical on the outside.
It is easy to hide unsafe repair and junkyard parts under a coat of shiny paint. It is easy to cut corners and hide them from you. The insurance preferred shops are banking on the hope that you will sell the car before the problems are discovered (and it will no longer be their problem).
Don't Rush To Make This Decision:
Don’t assume that every body shop cares about your safety.
Don’t assume that all body shops are capable of safe repairs.
Don’t rush to “get this over with” by settling on the shop the insurance company recommended.
Want us to review an estimate from their recommended body shop?
Real Stories Of Bad Repairs
These people all thought their cars were repaired safely.
The horrific and unsafe repairs we find nearly every week at our shops are scary stuff.
We get cars in all the time that have been repaired at other shops.
Most people have no idea that they are driving in an unsafe car, but it happens more than you would think.
Ready to get started?
What you don't know about collision repair could cost you
With this collision repair, your safety and your pocketbook could be at stake. A lot has changed since your last collision repair. Now more than ever it is vital that you educate yourself before making any collision repair decisions. We want you to know what you need to know about collision repair. Select a topic to any repair questions you could ever have.