Say No to Photo Estimates
If your insurance company tries to have you submit your own photos of the damage, simply say “No”. It is best to have your insurance company send an appraiser to assess the damage accurately. This could reduce the time your vehicle is in the shop, by providing the repair facility with an accurate estimate.
Often preliminary estimates are an assessment of surface damage to a vehicle. Most often the final bill will be larger than the preliminary balance due to additional labor & parts required to do a proper repair. Insurance companies will possibly send you the balance required to cover the preliminary estimate & work with the repair facility to pay for the additional required labor. In addition if you have a deductible you would typically be responsible for that amount.
A Few Things You Should Know:
YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED BY LAW TO OBTAIN MORE THAN ONE ESTIMATE OR APPRAISAL.
You have the right to go to the repair shop of your choice. Your insurance company cannot require you to go to a particular shop.
Differences in repair estimates are common. A lower estimate may not include all necessary work. If you’re not sure why one estimate is different from another you’ve received, please ask us.
Some insurance companies may want you to visit their drive-in claims center before having your car repaired. You can do this, or you may leave your car at our shop and ask that the insurance company inspect the car there.
Choose a shop that has uni-body repair equipment and certified technicians (by I-CAR or ASE, for example).
