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You Don’t Have to Use the Body Shop Your Insurance Company Recommends

Here’s How Arizona Collision Center Handles Your Claim

If you’ve just been in an accident, the first call you’ll probably get is from your insurance company — and it will likely include a suggestion. ” We recommend one of our approved body shops.” It sounds helpful. It isn’t a requirement, and in most cases, it isn’t even in your best interest.

Being in an accident can be really overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to deal with your insurance company and figure out what to do with your car. At Arizona Collision Center, we’ve helped a lot of drivers in the Tempe area get through this tough spot. We know it’s a lot to take in, and you might feel like you’re not sure what’s going on or what your options are. That’s why we want to help you understand what’s happening and what you need to do next. If you choose to work with us, we’ll take care of the claims process for you, so you can focus on getting back on the road. We’ll guide you through everything, from start to finish, and make sure you’re taken care of.

You Have the Right to Choose Your Own Shop

Let’s start with the most important fact: in Arizona, you are not required to use the repair shop your insurance company recommends.

These recommended shops are typically linked to something known as a Direct Repair Program, which is basically a group of body shops that work with insurance companies. They have agreements in place to do repairs for lower prices that have been negotiated beforehand. The main goal of this setup isn’t to benefit your car, but rather to help the insurance company save money.

When you’re dealing with DRP contracts, one thing to keep in mind is that they usually have pretty strict rules about how much can be spent on labor and parts. This is where aftermarket parts come into play – they’re basically copies of the original parts made by someone other than the manufacturer.

Now, these aftermarket body parts can be significantly cheaper, around 60% less than what you’d pay for the real deal from the manufacturer, according to Edmunds. But here’s the thing, sometimes this can be a good trade-off, and sometimes it’s not so great. You might end up with parts that don’t fit quite right, or gaps between panels that are a bit off, or even a repair that quietly brings down the value of your car when you go to sell it. It’s a bit of a gamble, really. On one hand, you save some money upfront, but on the other hand, you might be sacrificing some quality and potentially affecting your car’s resale value down the line.

You don’t have to get multiple estimates if you don’t want to. Your insurance company can’t tell you how much you can spend to fix your car either. As a customer, you have the right to have your car fixed properly, with the right parts and the right way, no matter what it costs.

At Arizona Collision Center, we’re a shop that works for you, not the insurance companies. Since we don’t have any contracts with them, our main goal is to take care of you and your vehicle, without worrying about meeting some insurer’s budget expectations. This means we can focus on getting the job done right, without any pressure to cut corners or compromise on quality. You can trust that our priority is your satisfaction and the well-being of your vehicle, every step of the way.

What Claims Assistance Actually Looks Like at Our Shop

When you choose to go with an independent shop, you’re not left to deal with the insurance company by yourself. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. We take care of handling the relationship with the insurance company for you, and it’s a big part of the service we provide. This way, you don’t have to worry about navigating the whole process on your own.

Here’s what happens once you bring your vehicle to us:

We keep a record of everything, and we do it twice to be sure. When we first look at a vehicle, we make a map of it and mark any new damage in green and any old damage in red. We also take pictures of it before we start taking it apart. Then, when we’re fixing the vehicle and we find more damage that we couldn’t see from the outside – which happens a lot – we mark it in yellow, take more pictures, and add it to the file. This way, we have a complete record of what the vehicle looked like before and after the repairs, and we can see exactly what we did to fix it.

We take a closer look at the things you can’t see. Our scan tool checks to make sure all the onboard systems in your vehicle are working like they should. This is especially important for newer vehicles that have a lot of advanced technology built into them. A visual inspection just isn’t enough to catch everything, but our scan tool can help identify any potential problems that might be lurking beneath the surface.

We research your exact vehicle. Repair procedures aren’t one-size-fits-all. We look up what your specific manufacturer recommends for your specific make and model before we touch anything.

We create a thorough estimate and present it to your insurance company. Our team works closely with the adjuster, providing all necessary paperwork and pushing for the use of original equipment manufacturer parts whenever possible, so you don’t have to spend time going back and forth trying to get a proper repair approved.
We’ll keep you informed every step of the way. You can expect a phone call to discuss the damage and the repairs needed, and then we’ll provide you with regular updates as we work on your vehicle. This way, you’ll always know what’s going on and when you can expect your car to be ready – no more waiting in the dark until it’s time to pick it up.

We make sure to check our work as we go, not just at the end. Quality control is a part of every step of the repair process, with multiple checkpoints to ensure everything is done right. This way, we can catch any mistakes or issues early on and fix them before they become bigger problems. By building quality control into the process, we can be confident that the job is done to the highest standards.

We stand behind every repair we do, and we guarantee it for as long as you own your vehicle.

Don’t Forget About Diminished Value

Here’s something that insurance companies might not tell you: if your car has been in a big accident, its value can drop by 25% or more, even after it’s been fixed. This is known as diminished value. It’s like a permanent stain on your car’s history. But in Arizona, you can actually file a claim for this loss, as long as the accident wasn’t your fault and the other driver had insurance. It’s a little-known fact that can make a big difference when it comes to getting a fair deal for your car.

We can help connect you with a qualified auto appraiser to determine what that diminished value actually is, so you’re not leaving money on the table after your car is back on the road.

The Bottom Line

Dealing with an accident is already overwhelming, and on top of that, you don’t need the extra hassle of figuring out insurance details. There are two key things to keep in mind, though, and they’re pretty straightforward: first, you get to choose where you take your vehicle for repairs, not the insurance company; and second, a reputable repair shop should be taking care of the insurance paperwork and negotiations for you, not making the process more complicated.

If you’ve been in an accident, contact Arizona Collision Center at (480) 668-3105 or schedule a free estimate online. We’ll take it from there.