Where To Take Your Car And What To Expect After A Fender Bender
Accidents and minor collisions can happen in the parking lot of the local grocery store, at work, or while on the road. However, when they do occur, knowing what you need to do and where to go is vital. An auto body repair shop can fix the dents in your vehicle and ensure it is safe to drive.
Light Damage Repair
After a collision with a vehicle or object, the damage to your car needs to be assessed to determine how bad it is. A minor crash often leaves the vehicle with light damage that allows you to drive the car, but you should still take it to an auto body repair shop for a complete inspection.
Even a minor fender bender can cause things to shift and move under the car, and if the frame is bent even a little, the handling and drivability of the vehicle will show the issue. If there is no damage under the car, the shop will let you know that and then give you an estimate for the repair to the body panels, and you can decide if you will make repairs now or wait.
If you are still driving the vehicle after an accident, you may find the tire wear erratic, handling can become more difficult, and vibrations can appear. All of these changes are signs that there is more wrong than just a few bent panels and should indicate that the car needs to go to an auto body repair shop or collision center for service.
Insurance Repairs
A collision that is bad enough to cause damage that requires you to use your insurance to pay for the repairs can still be minor and not structural. Most modern cars use a uniframe system that ties the entire chassis and body together in one system. In the past, a dented fender may have been limited to just that, but now the same dent can cause movement in the chassis that bends other panels and causes the chassis to become damaged.
The insurance company may pay the auto body repair shop to straighten the chassis if the damage is not too severe. However, they may deny the claim and total the car if the damage is substantial. In some cases, the shop can still repair the vehicle, but you would have to pay for the repair yourself instead of using your insurance coverage.
If you are going to pay for the work out of pocket, talk with the auto body repair shop about it. Paying cash will sometimes earn you a discount on the job, but that can vary from shop to shop.
For more information, reach out to a local auto body repair shop.