You pay a lot of money for an automobile, and you want your insurer to take good care of it if it ever gets damaged in a crash.

Proper repairs and value depreciation have been drawing attention in the press lately. You can find some shocking videos showing how bad a vehicle has been fixed by insurance approved garages.

It is a terrible feeling that your car is never the same after an accident. Some companies like to go the extra mile and make sure an auto has been returned back to its owner as well as it was before.

And a few insurers would rather get the repairs done as cheaply as possible that they apply pressures on body shops to get the job done at a minimum cost.

What are you supposed to do when you are not satisfied with the work done on your automobile? You will probably be tossed around between the insurer and repair shop, and it will take a long time to find proper answers and remedies. Therefore, it is a smart solution to find a car insurance company that will take care of it nicely.

What Do You Need to Check in a Vehicle Insurance Policy?

First thing you should check is that your policy doesn’t allow the insurer to use aftermarket parts (more on Wiki about this) in repairs. Some policies may include this provision. Then, it will be harder to argue with your insurer that they should have used original parts. You can ask the agent if there is such stipulation in the policy or what are their auto repair and parts policies.

“Auto repairs carried out by insurance company approved body shops should be to the full satisfaction of the policyholder and not to an acceptable enough level” says Cheap Auto Insurance .net expert. This may look to be just a technical description, but there is a huge difference between “full satisfaction” and “good enough”. When the costs are more important than making sure the customer is happy with the outcome, companies would be seeking out cheaper parts and labor rather than fully qualified mechanics and original parts.

There are some auto insurers who guarantee the repairs done by their authorized body shops for the life of the vehicle. That is a commitment and confirmation that they care. The importance of how the automobile is repaired and which types of parts are used becomes clearer when you have an expensive and new car.

Choosing Car Body Repair Shop Yourself

Most policies would allow the policyholder to choose their own mechanic for the repairs. However, some companies and claims adjusters may make it harder for you if you go with your own garage. It can take longer for the repairs to be approved, and claims adjusters may argue about the costs. In some cases, they can go as far as determining the cost of repairs and asking you to pay the difference.

Of course, insurers are trying to make sure that they don’t pay more than they have to. Therefore, you may need to provide them with at least two repair estimates. If the estimates are a lot different from each other, and you want to go with the expensive garage, you may want to negotiate a settlement with your insurer. Once they pay you the agreed amount, you can choose whichever mechanic you want.

Advantages of Going with Insurance Approved Repairers

There is a high chance the vehicle would have been taken to an approved repair shop by your insurer if they arranged the towing. Wanting to take it to a garage you prefer will require extra expense and time. Also, the claims adjusters know these companies, and their prices are already approved by the insurer. So, it would just be the case of the claims’ adjuster seeing the car, having a little talk with the mechanics, and giving the go-ahead for the repairs.

If you have confidence in them, you wouldn’t need to worry about anything else. The company would receive the invoice directly and make the payments to the repairers. However, you can still get involved in the process, and talk to the mechanics and claims adjusters. Knowing how they operate and how they will take care of your automobile can set your mind at ease.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, a lot depends on how much you trust your insurance provider. If you are confident that they will do their best, you may be more comfortable about the whole process. If there are problems with the repairs, you can always go back to the company and ask them to get it fixed, since it should be considered as part of the claim.

So, it is important to ask these questions when you are buying a policy, especially when the provider is a less known company. You need to check what sorts of promises the insurer is making. Are they telling you that they will take care of you and your car all the way, or are they just saying that they are the cheapest in the market?

Cheap is only good when you are getting a similar level of service. If you have to give up on service, coverage, and reliability of repairs in order to get cheap car insurance quotes, you may need to question if you are really getting a good deal.

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