I have been in this industry for over 25 years in the same area, I have worked in high quality auto body shops large and small, and have owned my own collision and custom shop in Portland Oregon for the last 8 years. In my area there are hundreds of auto body repair shops in a very small area, yet I only know a few I would trust with my vehicles. So for the most part you have to be as informed as you can, and ask alot of questions.

I am going to give you some information about the industry that will hopefully help to make that informed decision a little easier. First, do not let your insurance company tell you where to have your vehicle repaired, in most cases they have contracts with the shop to save them money in exchange for sending them your vehicle. in this case the insurance company saves money, the shop gets the work but has to cut corners to keep the cost down for the insurance company. And you, the one that pays the insurance company all those inflated premiums, and pays the body shop your deductible gets a substandard repair. The insurance company may say “if you don’t take the job to our repair shop we can’t guaranty the work”, the fact is any and all good auto body shops guaranty their work for as long as you own your car, if they don’t, go somewhere else.

Next thing to do is be sure to question the person who is estimating your damage, smaller shop owners will usually take care of you personally, and in most cases, actually be involved in the repair process. In most of the larger or chain shops the person writing the estimate on how to fix your vehicle is a salesperson, usually having absolutely no experience repairing cars, not to say that the techs working at that shop wont fix your car correctly, but they may just not feel like rewriting the estimate the way it should of been written to begin with. Just be aware and ask the questions. Also small shops may not have all the fancy lasers and computer operated equipment of a large shop, Then again lasers and computers don’t fix cars in most cases they are sales tools and rarely used. Even a frame rack although necessary is nothing more then a few well placed trees, they don’t fix cars, the tech is the most important part of the repair.

Ask if the body shop is on any insurance programs or DRP,(direct repair programs) if they are ask why? the only reason I know why a auto body shop would agree to be on a DRP would be to get work that they couldn’t get on their own. Again this does not mean just because they have a DRP they are not a great shop, but if they have 20 DRP’s then I would be a little concerned? Ask them to explain.

And by far the best resource for finding a good body shop is word of mouth, a friend that’s had work done and is happy to let you know about the auto body shop he had good luck with is a good sign they were treated well. If you have no friends or coworkers that have had resent repairs, you can try the local automotive paint supply stores in the area, they visit shops large and small every day and may be able to help you out.

I hope this gives you a starting point, there is so much more to information on this subject and I will try to keep writing more articles in the near future.

Summer is the time to get out and look good: Nothing looks better than a pristine, newly washed car underneath the summer sun, but those unsightly dents and dings that might not be as noticeable when the clouds are out tend to emerge full force in the bright lights. Poorly done auto body repair might also be more noticeable in the harsh summer lights, especially if the paint color isn’t perfectly matched. Getting paintless dent repair is the best way to restore your car’s finish to that perfect original shine without sacrificing any of its original integrity.

Summer means you spend more time on the go: It’s no secret that most people are more active in the summer months. From drives to the beach to road trips across the state, your car is spending more time on the road – and more time in the path of those dings and dents that tend to happen in direct proportion to the car’s amount of driving time. Mobile paintless dent removal is the ideal solution, since you can get the repairs you need while paying less money and spending less time undergoing the necessary repairs.

While every season is a great time to enjoy the benefits of paintless dent removal, summer offers increased motivation. Take advantage of the great weather by giving your car the dent repairs it needs to look great.

You have to be absolutely sure that their work is going to be professional otherwise; you’re going to be paying a lot of money for something that just isn’t going to look good. Most likely, your insurance company is going to want an estimate of at least one but some ask for two or three. At least this way you get a chance to take a look around and do a little better comparison amongst the shops. There are many things that are going to be required during your repair as there will be welding and perhaps electrical installations and most importantly body repairs, painting and finishing. Have a good look around the auto body shop when you are there to make sure that it’s clean and organized and determine how many people seem to be working there.

As we mentioned there are several different fields when it comes to auto body repair and if you’re only seeing one or two workers that there may be some concerns that these individuals are multi-tasking and perhaps maybe aren’t as experienced as one would like. See if there are any extra services being supplied such as car rentals for example. Find out how long they’ve been in business and see if there’s anybody that can speak highly of them or if they have some happy customers testimonials for example. If you have been in an accident and your car has received substantial damage more than likely it will need towing. You may want to assess the tow driver if he could recommend a Company that’s doing auto body repairs. Be careful in this situation though because they may be getting a kick back from some of the local auto, body repair shops and that doesn’t mean that their work is all that great.