The best way to have your car repaired to your satisfaction is to chose your own shop wisely.

Many shops are in collaboration with the insurance companies and will accept the amount that the companies offer. This may or may not be enough to repair the car fully to pre loss condition.

The shop may be reluctant to ask for additional funds to repair it correctly for fear of not being recommend by the insurance companies.

The way that I recommend to have your car repaired after an accident is (in MA.) notify your insurance company. Select a repair facility that you or your friends know that does good work .

Bring your car to that shop (or have it towed to them) and request that they inspect the car for all damages, and compile a damage report or estimate of cost of repairs. In my opinion it is not a wise idea to allow the person/companies paying for the repairs to recommend a shop or the methods of repair as they have a conflict of interest in the repair cost.

Allow your insurance company to view the damages before the repairs are started. They may request that the car be partially dismantled for further inspection and determination of a possible total loss.

Authorize your shop to start repairs and dismantle to locate hidden damages and to inform the insurance company of any further damages found.

Keep in touch with the shop by stopping in to view the repairs and request a time frame of the repairs.

REQUEST any problems that the shop has with the insurance company paying for certain repairs and have a firm understanding of the results, reminding the shop that you want it fixed correctly.

After the repairs are complete, inspect it and accept the repairs.

It is NOT over yet!

If additional repairs are found to be needed while driving the car, bring it back to the shop and have them inspect it and notify your insurance company of hidden damages found that require repair. (even after accepting the "final payment". If it was part of the accident it is part of the loss.)

Any payments made by the insurance company are made assuming that all costs of the accident have been addressed. If not, more is owed especially if the payment is based upon the insurance estimate.

Note an "estimate" is just an estimate, nothing more.

The shop invoice is the actual cost of repair.

 

While doing an estimate any good body shop will specify (in the estimate) that if any hidden damage is found a supplement will be submitted to the insurance company
Sort of like "you can't tell a book by it's cover".
Until disssembly ( R & I, remove and inspect) is complete you can not estimate the total repairs to do a quality job.

 

Speaking of insurance appraisers,

File this one in the "He didn't actually say that dept. Did he?"

I once had a Ferrari in for repairs with a crease in the belly pan, and an insurance appraiser said to me ...

" But it's under the car, nobody will see it. Put a little undercoating on it"

 

Roger,
That's the way many insurance companies work.
Of course they also have an independent appraisal agency review the companies appraisal to try and beat it down.
I guess the independent gets paid by how much he can lower the appraisal.
Bruce B

 

When my '61 windshield got severely cracked I carried it to a top local shop, Burke's Corvette - they gave me an estimate ($2,700) and I sent it to my ins co. and they sent a check - no questions asked.

I put EVERYthing on new and used a correct, date-coded LOF windshield.....