Car Accident Repairs – 8 Tips You Should Know

In Canada, over 23% of car related accidents are caused by young drivers under 24 years of age. Although this age group represents a very small percentage of the population, it represents a staggering percent of auto related accidents. It is often a very stressful time so hopefully, this page will answer some vital questions and help you get a quick, high-quality accident repairs so you can be back on the road in no time.

Before we move forward with the best tips to know after you have been involved in a car accident, it is imperative to mention here that declaration of any harm/damage to your car would not boost your insurance rate if you had not caused the accident.

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1. Who Pays For The Car Accident Repairs?

The first question you might want to ask yourself after any such unfortunate event is, who would pay for the repairs? Well, the answer for this depends on who is solely liable for the mistake. We have broken it down into two parts to explain you better.

2. The Other Driver Was At Fault

• In case the other driver is at fault and they have an insurance cover on them, your auto repair is paid for by their insurance company. Therefore, you will not have to pay anything.

• If the other driver has an insurance policy but it is not adequate to meet costs of this accident, your policy will be used to pay the remaining cost by using up underinsured driver clause. Also, in some cases, you might have to chip-in to the repairs if your policy includes a clause for deductibles.

•  If you happen to get in an accident with an uninsured driver, the cost of all repairs will have to be deducted from your insurance cover. However; you might have to pay your contribution towards deductibles of the insurance policy.

3. You Caused the Accident

• Your collision coverage will pay for your vehicle repairs. If you do not have collision coverage, then auto body repair comes out of your pocket.

• This is a situation which no one would like to face, that is why it is always recommended to go for a comprehensive cover.

• If you hit another car, the other driver’s insurance will bill your insurance for the repairs to their vehicle, you will have to do paperwork, but likely not much else and this is all handled through the insurance company.

4. Do I need more than one estimate?

We believe it is always a good idea to go for multiple quotes and then compare. It is not always about the money. The quoted estimate also helps you to see and witness an auto body collision repair shop in action and judge them carefully to know how long it will take them to repair your car etc.

5. Does the shop guarantee the work? For how long?

This is critical. Only use an auto body repair shop that guarantees the work. It is common for some drivers to get their work done from an auto repair shop and find out remaining problems only after getting the vehicle back on the road.

Always prefer to go with an authorized collision repair shop which offers guarantees. The guarantee should always be in writing on your own paperwork that the shop gives you to keep.

6. The insurance company suggested I go to their auto body repair shop, can I trust them?

DRP or Direct Repair Program consists of auto repair workshops that have an understanding with the insurance companies.

They are pre-approved by your insurance company and are expected to bring back the vehicle to its factory condition. Working with this type of shop usually, means you have less paperwork and less stress.

However; this certainly does not mean that other auto repair shops which are not part of DRP might not be able to deliver the same quality of work.

In case you want to dispose of your car and use the cash from insurance company towards a new car or something else, you should know that a DRP auto repair partner will give you the lowest quote for value.

This is because they have a mutual understanding with the insurance company and both collaborate to control costs.

We highly recommend that if it is possible you should get more than one estimate on the repairs your vehicle is going to need.

Southern Auto Body works with some of the major insurance companies in Alberta. Please fill our form to book an appointment here.

7. Should you get your car repaired or keep the check?

There is no clause that bounds you to get your car repaired after receiving the insurance check. However; it solely depends on the value of your car.

New cars have better resale value, and thus getting them repaired would help you dispose-off them for a good deal. Whereas older or spare cars at home are usually not worth the repairs.

If your car is not worth much, except to you, then having a dent or scratch may not be such a big deal look at this website.

An important thing to note here is that bank leased cars will have to be repaired since they won’t be registered under your name until the lease matures. Thus, the bank could ask you to get it repaired.

8. The auto body repair shop wants to repair my car with non-factory parts. Can they do this?

Yes, as long as the repairs restore the vehicle to the value of the car before the accident. The parts used do not have to be original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts, but should be of like kind and quality as the parts being replaced.

What you need to know is: who guarantees the parts if they fail? If the part is a factory part, likely your insurance company will guarantee these parts as long as you own the car.

If the parts are after-market non-factory parts, then the parts may only be guaranteed by the manufacturer of the parts, which may mean you have no guarantee the parts have any warranty at all.

Also, it can affect the resale value of your car. The repair shop can only replace parts after your consent.