killerMikeD

{Can someone make this a sticky? (spottedmango?)}

Ok, now theres a thread specifically for this. So anyone in the automotive body Repair industry feel free to speak up, ask questions and answer them, I know a few people on here that work for the Insurance companys have something to say. (IF NOT, atleast READ it will help you out!)

So lets hear some stories about people who have been in accidents, and had to deal with there insurance. What insurance company do you have? Where did you take your car to get repaired? Did the Insurance company TELL you where to take your car, stating that they cannot guarantee the repair (how can they guarantee something that they did not fix?) or did you choose? What kind of parts did they pay for to put on your car? Did you get OEM (factory) parts, or did you get parts from a JUNK YARD also known as LKQ, or by chance were you lucky enough to get AFTERMARKET PARTS, the ones made in china, fit like crap, will rust out, and are NOT CRASH TESTED. Most insurance companies look for parts in this order in order to save them money! JunkYard parts, AFTERMARKET, and lastly OEM. This happens as soon as your car gets 10,000 miles on it or is a few years old.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not anti-insurance; members of my family work for insurance comanys. But we all buy and are required to buy insurance by law, so every month or 6 months we shell out thousands of dollars in insurance premiums, now when we are involved in an accident don't you think that the insurance companys should step up and pay for your car to be repaired and repaired properly?

ACCIDENT?
It is 100% your CHOICE where you take you car to get repaired, any shop you want! and the insurance companys can not tell you where to take it, Now they Sure try, for those that have filed a claim i'm sure you heard them say that you can take it to one of our "pro" "Preferred" "select" etc shops to have it repaired and they will guarantee it for as long as you own the car!(but how can an insurance company GUARANTEE something that it did not do?, ONLY SHOPS CAN TRUELY GUARANTEE THE WORK PREFORMED ON YOUR CAR) and they will try like hell to presuade you to take it there. WHY you might ask? because there GOOD shops? WELL actually what they don't tell you is that these are their DRP shops. DRP means Direct Repair Program, which intern means that they have pre negotiated rates with these shops, in order to get Your car sent there. Now these shops are part of the problem too! Be WARY of DRP shops. These shops make these concessions like lower labor rates, no storage charges, and agree to use aftermarket parts, and leave out little but IMPORTANT procedures that are needed to repair your car properly! Now these shops have to get cars done and done ASAP because in order to stay in these Programs they have high goals to meet and CYCLE TIMES to keep up, or else the shop will have to pay out of there bottom line for your rental if the car is not done! So this means that they have to cut corners, and take shortcuts, and try to make up the missed money on another car, this all equals a lower quality repair, with bad parts, and nothing but problems when you get your car back!

BODYSHOPS:
You need to be careful where you take your car when involved in an accident because all body shops are not created equal, if the shop you go to is a Heavy DRP shop you might want to reconsider, usually if your insurance company pretty much insists that you go to the shop they say; i would be wary because it is prolly a DRP shop. (see above)

Now you also want to consider the reputation of the shop, the equipment,Frame racks, tools, ELECTRONIC MEASUREMENT SYSTEM. IF YOUR CAR HAS SUSTAINED FRAME DAMAGE, ASK FOR A BEFORE AND AFTER PRINTOUT OF THE FRAME SPECS AND AN EXPLAINATION OF THEM, AS WELL AS A PRINTOUT OF THE ALIGNMENT SPECS, SINCE ALL CARS THAT HAVE FRAME OR SUSPENSION DAMAGE MUST HAVE A WHEEL ALIGNMENT. If they say no or cant do it, TAKE YOUR CAR ELSEWHERE! Look at some of the cars that have been repaired, i would even go as far as requesting information on who will be working on your car, how many and what certifications do they have?ask to see them! Are they a good quality tech that will make sure your car is repaired properly? or are they a drone that will do whatever the insurance company writes for and do a half assed repair. Believe it or not anyone can pick up a hammer and welder and get a job repairing cars, THERE IS NO STATE REGULATED LISCENSE REQUIRED TO REPAIR CARS.(EVEN FOR HIGH END LUXURY CARS) But there is a law for people that cut hair to have a licsense. Now your HAIR will grow back, but your ARM/LEG will not if your car is repaired IMPROPERLY and you get in another accident and your car does not react like it should! And what about if you have kids? or your mother and father, you don't want anything to happen to them, so please take an active roll when your car is being repaired it can and will save your life. I have unfortinuately seen HACKS repairing cars wrong, and not correctly and these were SERIOUS problems that were not caught and dealt with because the Shop/tech was not paid like they should, or there greedy and money hungry. And no one checks there work, as long as the outside looks good its good to go. No one double checks a techs work it is soley up to them to repair your car properly, now there are SPECIFIC procedures that need to be followed and alot of techs do not have the proper training/certifications to do so correctly! And you get a bad repair, that YOU expect to be perfect, it may even LOOK GOOD, but if the inner structure is not repaired correctly, you may be in real danger. So please be involved, and deal with your insurance company Directly, and stand up for what you pay for every month!

IMPORTANT:
Now to a body shop, you are their customer, NOT THE INSURANCE COMPANY, we DO NOT work for the insurance company, we work for you the customer who owns the vehicle being repaired at our facility. Now "QUALITY" Body Shops spend thousands and millions of dollars on equipment, and training for there techs, I-car, ASE, and specific vehicle manufacture training! All which enables them the ability and knowledge to repair your car correctly! That being said, a reputiable body shop has YOU and YOUR VEHICLE's BEST INTEREST IN MIND, as far as the repair procedures, parts, and Labor times, that will be needed to repair your car PROPERLY! So tell them that you want your car fixed right, with factory parts, not IMITATION GARBAGE! And they will work with you to repair it RIGHT! Just be aware that not all insurance companys agree with these words and will fight it, and say that they will not pay for this or that, or they ARE gonna put aftermarket parts on your car, all in order to save them money!

Now there are expections to everything, in re guards to insurance companys, and parts, and peoples intentions, But i work in this industry and I Repair cars, as a body Technician, and i have seen this from just about every insurance company out there (With EXCEPTIONS) i see 10 estimates from different insurance companys a day! and see HOW THEY WANT YOUR CAR REPAIRED! and there usually not correct.


AFTERMARKET PARTS:
Made in china, Tiawian, they do not fit, line up, have not been crash tested like OEM parts, have bad corrosion protection (will begin to rust sooner, and faster) are thinner and their structure is NOTHING LIKE OEM, and they will not preform the same in a collision as OEM WILL!

DRP:
Shops make concessions to be on these programs, and in turn have to take shortcuts to get the car done and done FAST, and to "make it up on the next one" and usually give a lower quality repair, than a NON DRP SHOP, or one with only a FEW DRPs.

FLAT RATE: TECHNICIANS THAT REPAIR YOUR CAR WORK ON COMMISSION!
For every Job there is an estimate written, with Labor hours on it, the technician that repairs your car gets a percentage of the Dollar rate for those hours. Ex. A shop charges 40.00 an hour, and you car has 20 hours on it, the techs makes say 15.00 dollars an hour, for every hour thats on that job which is 20. Now keep this in mind, the faster they are the more money they make!, and if there is not any hours on a job, or they do not agree with the times on the estimate, do you think they are going to do the QUALITY REPAIR THAT YOU DESERVE! only those with a conscience, and in my experience thats not many! Even so those that DO REPAIR CORRECTLY, SHOULDN'T THEY BE PAID FOR WHAT THEY DO? Now these CERTIFIED TECHS are the professionals, they are the ones that went to the classes and became certified, and practice these prodeures everyday, I believe that they should have an active say in how your car is repaired, NOT AN INSURANCE COMPANY, they SELL INSURANCE, they NEVER HAVE REPAIRED A CAR! Now this active roll in your cars repair is a SUPPLIMENT!

SUPPLIMENT:
When the tech gets your car, he takes it apart, and checks for more damage, and what all parts will be needed next, and turns it in to the office, where the office will call the insurance company and send someone out to look at your car, YOU SHOULD BE THERE TOO! AFTER ALL ITS YOUR CAR! This way the tech, shop, you and insurance can all agree on how to repair your car CORRECTLY, and you can protest any junk parts that were written to go on your car, and the labor times for Repairing panels/structure, this way The tech and shop are paid, and happy, and your car is repaired CORRECTLY and SAFELY!!!

My Name is Mike, I work at a QUALITY Auto body shop in Tampa, i have 21 I-CAR certification points, ASE MASTER Tech cert, and Going to Vehicle manufacture Specific Classes, and i have 6 years experience in the field.
Who are you?

LINKS:
Explains who they are, and what Certifications Offered.
I-CAR Collision Repair Training | worldwide
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Understanding what goes on behind the slick ads of insurance companies is important, but not only when buying premiums. If you ever have a claim, understanding why you need professionals that work for you, (body shops, lawyers, doctors, etc.), will insure proper claim recovery.

(CHECK THIS SITE OUT, ESP IF YOUR GOING THROUGH A CLAIM RIGHT NOW, WATCH THE VIDEOS, AND SEE WHAT I'M REALLY TAKING ABOUT, WHAT INSURANCE COMPANYS ARE DOING, AND HOW THEY INSIST THAT YOUR VEHICLE SHOULD BE REPAIRED, AND ALL THE RED TAPE THAT GOES WITH IT, THIS IS NOT MADE UP, THIS IS REAL, AND I FOR ONE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF IT.!

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