Auto body repair costs can be high if you're not careful. As
a vehicle owner, be aware that you can reduce auto body repairs costs in
numerous ways by educating yourself and putting your knowledge to use.
The following are six things you can do to bring down the
costs of auto body repairs.
1. Take Advantage of Dent Repair
Paintless dent removal is a fast and relatively easy way to
correct certain types of minor body damage. With paintless dent repair, dents
are pushed out or tapped down from within the metal so that completely new
parts don't need to be installed to replace the dented part.
You don't want to spend any more than you have to on
restoring the condition of your car’s body. Find out if paintless dent repair
is adequate for the job before you invest in more expensive body work involving
part replacements.
2. Get Numerous Estimates
You don't have to have body work done with the first shop
you go to. Different shops provide different estimate amounts. Shop will be
more than happy to provide you with estimates so that you can easily compare
prices between them.
Nevertheless, you shouldn't just go with the cheapest
estimate amount. Find the auto body repair deal that offers the most value by
considering the expertise and work quality of the body shop providing the
estimate along with the estimate amount.
3. Be Aware of Labor Rates
The parts themselves are not the only thing you have to pay
for as part of your body work. You also must pay for labor.
The longer body repair work takes the shop, the more
expensive the labor is because labor is typically billed as an hourly rate.
Unfortunately, a lot of shops won't be able to tell you exactly how many hours
of labor the job will take beforehand.
Make sure you're factoring in a shop's labor rate along with
the other expenses included in the estimate when you're evaluating estimates
from various shops.
4. Help to Track Down Your New Parts
A body shop is going to give you an estimate based on
sourcing parts from that shop's usual supplier. However, you might be able to
reduce repair expenses by finding the parts you need cheaper elsewhere.
Be on the lookout for a good deal on your needed auto body
parts. A lot of body shops are willing to work with the parts you have tracked
down yourself, so conduct a thorough search to get parts as inexpensively as
possible to save money.
5. Take Care of Repairs Right Away
Don't procrastinate your auto body repairs. Damage could
worsen if you ignore it. If your body damage consists of dents or scratches on
your auto body finish, these flaws damage the finish and thereby leave your
vehicle susceptible to rust growth.
Rust grows like a cancer all over a vehicle once it takes
root. In addition to detracting from aesthetics, rust also weakens auto body
materials and spreads to mechanical components over time.
Schedule auto body repairs as soon as possible so you don't
unwittingly drive up the costs and extent of needed repairs through
procrastination.
6. Consult Your Warranty for Coverage
Don’t assume that any warranty you have won't cover you for
auto body damage. Some warranties do offer coverage for auto body damage, so
you should read the fine print.
Any money you spend on your vehicle out of pocket that your
warranty should have covered is wasted money. Investigate your warranty with
your auto body shop to see if your warranty could contribute some coverage for
auto body repair work.
If you want to get an estimate on auto body repairs for your
vehicle, get in touch with us at Automotive Super
Sports. We'll be happy to help.
