After you have been in an accident and taken care of the health of yourself and your passengers, your next task is to take care of your vehicle and get it back in good working condition. You are going to need to contact your insurance company, find a collision repair shop and work with that shop to fix up your vehicle.
The first thing you need to do following a car accident is to contact your insurance company. Your insurance company will want to know about the events leading up to the accident, including the physical condition of everyone who was in the vehicle.
The insurance company is also going to want to know if your vehicle is drivable. If the vehicle is not drivable, they will arrange for it to be towed to a nearby collision repair shop or a destination of your choice.
From there, the insurance company is going to send out an adjustor. The job of the adjustor is to determine how much visual body damage your vehicle has sustained. Based on this evaluation, the adjustor will determine if your vehicle is totaled or if it is repairable.
Second, your insurance company can recommend different collision shops for you to work with. However, ultimately it is up to you whom you work with. Research collision shops in your area to find out which shops have a solid reputation and experience working on your type of vehicle.
Ask to see pictures of the work that they have completed on similar vehicles so you can see if you like the type of repair work the shop does. Also, be sure to find out what type of guarantees or warranties they provide with their work. You want to work with a shop that backs up the work that they perform on your vehicle.
Once you choose a collision shop, you need to work together with the collision shop to fix up your vehicle. The collision shop should prepare a detailed quote that shows everything they will fix on your vehicle as well as the precise labor hours it will take for the work to be complete. You should be able to see the price for each part as well as the type of part they plan on using for the repairs.
Parts
Discuss with the repair shop the difference between aftermarket and OEM parts. Aftermarket parts are made by manufacturers other than the one who originally made the vehicle, and OEM parts are made by the same companies that originally made your vehicle.
If you need to keep costs down, aftermarket parts may be the way to go. They are generally easier to find than OEM parts and are more affordable. However, the quality can vary and not all aftermarket parts come with a warranty, so make sure any aftermarket parts used on your vehicle are high quality and backed up by a warranty.
Paint
Another major choice you’ll have to make with the auto body shop is regarding paint. If large body panels on your vehicle need to be replaced, those areas of your vehicle will need to be painted.
It can be difficult to match the new paint color to the old paint color, even when using the same color and type of paint. That’s because the paint on your vehicle has faded and aged with time.
Talk with the auto body shop about the techniques they will use to paint over the damaged areas on your vehicle. If the damage covers a large area, you may also want to discuss completely repainting your vehicle to ensure that everything looks the same.
If you have been in an accident recently, the professionals at
Automotive Super Sports
are more than willing to work with you to get your vehicle in great shape and back on the road.
