What to Look for in a Body Shop
When circumstances play out for the best, trusting your collision-repair needs to a conscientious, dedicated Scottsdale body shop gets your car or truck safely back onto the road with few indications it was ever in a crack-up.
You know you’ve truly struck gold when the body shop you trust puts forth every effort to not only perform high-quality body repairs, but deliver in a cost-effective manner.
Sure, predicting a body shop’s finished product might appear to be a crapshoot when you hand over the keys. It’s all the more nerve-wracking if an insurance company refuses to cover any body shop’s work except the specific specialists they endorse exclusively.
Drivers pour so much time, money, and quite often personal sweat into their vehicles. Lives literally ride on their tires and their consistent ability to travel safely and soundly from Point A to Point B. Leave no repair to chance. Follow these simple commandments when trusting a body shop, and you’ll find yourself far less likely to drive away from your collision-repair experience disappointed and impoverished.
- Ringing Endorsements
Go a step further, though. Run body shops through an area Better Business Bureau representative or some equivalent county or state office of consumer affairs.
While you’re at it, find out which trade organizations have given these body shops their respective seals of approval. You can rest particularly assured with your vehicle in the hands of a body shop in the good grades of the Automotive Service Association (ASA) and its industry-standard code of ethics. Call (800) ASA-SHOP to vet a body shop directly. Similarly, America’s Collision Repair Association (ACRA) membership and Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification are both telltale signs of superior workmanship.
- Earmarks of Excellence
It’s an excellent sign if your insurer allows your body shop of choice to conduct its own adjusting. It’s more than a time-saver that spares you an insurance agent’s meticulous examination. You can expect the shop’s specialists to be motivated to perform the most thorough repairs possible to maximize the final bill.
To some extent, take the first impressions of a professional, clean appearance and newer cars awaiting work to heart. It’s also worth asking whether the body shop in question is familiar with your particular vehicle and whether its specialists with vehicle manufacturer-recommended equipment.
Should your insurer insist upon generic, potentially lighter-weight replacement parts, insist upon replacements tested and approved by the Certified Automotive Parts Association (CAPA). Refuse junkyard parts entirely, if you drive a reasonably new car or truck.
Finally, examine your vehicle carefully upon its return to you, making sure that every button, knob, dial, switch, and lock behaves precisely as intended. The paint should match up inconspicuously in bright sunlight.
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Tina Small has been part of the Airpark Collision Center team since 2006. Working directly with customers, her goal is to share frequent customer questions, and proper methods of collision repair.
