So you've been in a car accident and now you need to take your car to a collision repair shop. Accidents can cause a lot of stress not only on yourself but on your pocket book as well. It is important to choose the best auto body shop for your needs. Here are the top 5 things you should look for in a collision center:
- Ask Around - After an accident your insurance company will typically give you a list of collision shops that they work with. They work with these shops all the time and know which ones are trustworthy. From there you want to talk to friends and family and find out where they've had good and bad experiences.
- An Established Business - Collision Centers that have been around for a while are there for a reason. If they were cheating their customers or making poor-quality repairs word would get out and quick. The business would eventually lose too many customers and go out of business.
- Written Lifetime Guarantee - If a collision repair shop can provide you a written lifetime guarantee on all the work they do on you vehicle this is a really good sign. But make sure you see it in writing. It's hard to prove a verbal lifetime guarantee.
- How Will They Keep You Informed? - You don't want to run into a situation where you hand over your car and you don't hear from the shop. If you are going to have to call them frequently to find out what is going on, it might not be worth the aggravation and the added stress. Look for someone who promises to call or email you. Some auto shops are now updating your car's status on their website, so you can keep track when you have the time. Exclusive Auto Collision Center in Ramsey, NJ is one such shop that posts updates about your car to a secure part of their site. They include pictures and a description so you know exactly where your car is at.
- Qualified Technicians - Make sure that the technicians are trained and up to date on their qualifications. This will ensure that they are familiar with newer car technology and methods of repair. Some qualifications to look for are I-Car Gold and Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).
With checklist in hand you are now ready to go out and find a collision center that is right for you. So go ahead make phone calls and ask questions. If they get annoyed with you or refuse to answer your questions, time for a closer look or to move on to the next shop on the list. Hopefully, this will save you time, money and stress when it comes to collision repair.
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