My Insurance Quoted Me Less

In our business there’s a lot of moving factors. It’s not always possible to predict how long the parts will take to get to the shop, when your adjuster can make it out to look at the vehicle, or how much money your insurance company will feel justifies the cost of the repair. Sometimes, your insurance company will write an estimate that’s below the price of the estimate you receive from our shop, or whichever body shop quoted you for repair. This can be alarming, but there’s no reason to worry. 

If you came to our shop and received a quote that was more costly than what your insurance offered, this likely due to a couple of different items. The first, is that your insurance company writes for what they can see. All initial estimates are written without the assumption that there are any damages above and beyond what can be seen by the eye. This is often not a full estimate, as there is likely damage behind what you can see and will require supplements or further billing to your insurance.

The second reason you may have a low estimate, is the type of parts your insurance company wrote your estimate for. Often times insurance companies will write estimates with used or recycled parts to save money. This can be negotiated, within reason. We are lucky to reside in a state that allows you to request your preferred parts be installed on your vehicle, depending on the year. Check your insurance policy and state laws to be sure.

 Another reason your insurance estimate may be lower than you’ve been quoted, is due to the rates that they are hourly paying for repair. In the state of Minnesota, for repairs that are going through insurance we must start at their rates, but we will attempt to supplement your insurance to secure what we require hourly for the repairs. If this doesn’t work, there may be some out of pocket cost to you, but there will always be a conversation before we charge you for anything. 

Occasionally your insurance estimate is less costly than ours could be due to the operations on your estimate. We aim to replace only what needs to be replaced, and to repair parts that are not damaged beyond repair. Often times, your initial estimate is written without the knowledge that parts are damaged beyond possibility of repair. In those cases, to protect and preserve the integrity of your vehicle, we will opt to replace instead of repair.  

Our goal is to repair your vehicle to pre accident condition. This is something we do every day, we have the experience to work with your insurance and take an unwanted stressful experience and turn it into something easy. We aim to do so while also keeping repairs at a cost your insurance agrees to. If you’ve received an estimate that is different than ours in anyway, please bring the estimate into our shop so we can negotiate and find a way to accomplish your repair!

Help Us Help You

You know your car better than anybody else, you drive it each day, you know what weird kinks it has, and what new damage has occurred. Before you bring your car in for an estimate or repairs, look over each panel on your car and make sure everything you want fixed is being pointed out to your estimator. We will do our best to return your vehicle to its original pristine condition, but without your help, we can’t meet your expectations.

During the repair process, we aim to get everything accident related taken care of and approved by insurance, but there are times where damage can be overlooked and assumed to be unrelated prior damage. If you know that a dent was part of the accident, then bring it up during your initial drop off to make sure the damage is properly taken care of.

In some instances, there’s a scratch that you hate seeing every day. Let us know, and we can do our best to get it taken care of. If you’re looking for a more thorough fix, we can take care of the damage while your vehicle is in the shop. Getting everything sorted out prior to drop off will keep your time without your vehicle shorter, and will save you time in the long run. 

When you return to pick up your vehicle, make sure to do a thorough walk through with your estimator. If there’s damage that we missed, let us know so we can properly take care of you and your vehicle. There are many standards we have set for a repair, and want to make sure we’re doing the best we can for you. Let us know if anything was missed, or if you feel things were ignored.

Look over your car to make sure it’s been properly washed and vacuumed. We provide clean up to restore your vehicle to how it was dropped off, so make sure the panels are clear of salt or other road debris. Pay attention to any panel gaps, or non-matching painted panels, verify that your repair was properly completed and fits your expectations. Make sure to test that all your lights and electronics are working properly before leaving, so you can safely return home. If you make it home and find you’re unsatisfied with our repairs, give us a call so we can sort it out for you. Our goal is to return your vehicle to pre-

accident condition, and we plan to do the best we can for you.