You Don't Need To Have An Insurance Claim To Have Auto Body Damage Repaired

If your car has body damage that needs to be repaired, and it's either older damage you never had fixed or damage where no one else was involved (think, you lost control of your bike in your driveway and collided with your car's door), you don't have to file a claim and hope the insurance company will pay after all these years. You can take the car to a body shop and have them fix it if you pay for the repairs in full. In fact, that may be best if you want to keep your car. Auto body shops will fix damage without worrying about "totaling."

Insurance May Pay for Some Repairs, But They Don't Have To

It's understandable if you thought you had to involve insurance any time you fixed damage to the body of your car. After all, that is likely the scenario you've been in every time you've dealt with auto body damage. But you can get auto body damage fixed at any time if you're paying for it yourself. The only reason to involve insurance is that your policy will cover at least part of the repair cost. If someone hit your car, their insurance may be the one to pay. You save money that way. But if you have old damage, like from an accident where you decided not to pursue repairs because the cost would have led to the insurance company totaling the car, you can get them fixed later on your own. The shop techs will evaluate the damage themselves and give you an estimate for both cost and time to repair, and then all you have to do is pay them when the work is done.

The Auto Body Shop Doesn't Deal With "Totaling" Cars

Remember what "totaling" really is: It's when the insurance company thinks the cost of the repairs is more than the cost of your car. You may think of a totaled car as a crumpled heap of metal that's got so much damage it's impossible to fix, but a totaled car can also be an older car with a little bumper damage. If the cost to repair that damage is more than the cost of the car, the insurance company will total the car even though it's still perfectly safe to drive. If your car were worth a few hundred more than the repair cost, the insurance company likely wouldn't total the car. It's all about numbers.

Auto body shops are not in the business of "totaling" cars. If you bring in your old car that's worth a few hundred dollars, and the body damage repair you want will cost a few hundred more than that, the shop will do the repairs if you're able to pay. Now, you do want to let your insurance company know about an accident, but you can tell them you're not filing a claim regarding the damage.

If you need to have body damage fixed on your car but aren't filing a claim, call the auto body repair shop of your choice and arrange to bring the car over for an estimate. Depending on the damage, the shop may need up to a couple of weeks, but they'll get the auto body fixed and repainted.

For more information, contact a local company, like Select Collision Group.


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