2 seconds that can save your life – why wouldn’t you at least check?
Get your free second opinion now.
Getting Collision Repair?
What You Don't Know Can Hurt You!
Before you chose your body shop, consider these four SHOCKING SAFETY concerns of the collision repair industry!
Scroll down for a quick education.
Did your insurance company tell you to start at a specific body shop?
Ask your self this question:
Why is my insurance company asking me to use a particular shop?
Is it because they are the best in the area? Are they the only ones certified to fix my brand of car?
Or could it be some other reason?
The answer is:
These insurance recommended shops are contractually bound to be the cheapest shop in the area, and they offer cash back to the insurance companies for sending them the work. Where do you think the discount is coming from?
How do they perform the cheapest repairs?
By offering cheap labor, skipping necessary repair steps, and will often install junkyard or knock-off parts to keep the estimate low. How do we know this? Because we used to be a DRP shop too!
Who do you think benefits from this low estimate?
(Hint: It’s not you)
Shocker #1
You have the right to choose who fixes your car. (Choose wisely)
The law is on your side when it comes to selecting a repair facility (see Geico example below). You get the right to choose. Even if you already have an estimate in hand, pays to get a second opinion from us. A second opinion could just save your life!
Want us to give you a free review an estimate from a different body shop?
Don't Rush To Make This Decision:
Don’t assume that every body shop cares about your safety.
Don’t assume that all body shops are capable of safe repairs.
Don’t rush to “get this over with” by settling on the shop the Insurance company recommended.
Shocker #2
There are no laws to protect you from receiving unsafe collision repairs.
Even restaurants have health inspectors to protect you from food poisoning but there are no such inspectors for the collision repair industry. Each auto manufacturer has specific instructions for body shops to repair their cars safely and properly. But there are no laws forcing a body shop to follow any set or approved OEM repair methods.
Real Stories Of Bad Repairs
These People All thought their car was repaired safely.
We gets cars in all the time that have been repaired at other shops. The horrific and unsafe repairs we find nearly every week at our shops is scary stuff. Most people have no idea that they are driving in an unsafe car, but it happens more than you would think.
It matters now that your repair shops does its homework before attempting a repair. And it is up to you to do your homework and choose a shop that has your best interests at heart and not corporate greed, or simply unskilled employees.
Ready to get started?
Shocker #3
Body shops do not need a license or training to do collision repair.
Barbers and hairstylists need a license to cut hair, but shops don’t need one to cut up and weld a car back together and send it off to an unsuspecting customer. Here in New Jersey, all you need is a business license, and there are no inspections.
The body shop technician decides how he is going to fix the car, and nothing is forcing him to research the correct method and stick to that plan.
At Autotech, all of our technicians are I-car certified and we build repair plans based on OEM manufacturer documented procedures, not relying past experience or guesses.
You Have Every Right To Seek A Second Opinion.
Did your insurance company make you get an estimate from a different body shop?
Why do you think that is?
Want us to review it for accuracy and to make sure you are getting a complete repair?
Getting yours is quick and easy. Choose the option that works best for you.
Shocker #4
Safe repair
and unsafe repair
look identical
on the outside.
What is on thier estimate (or missing from it)?
Look at your estimate, what do you see? Do you know what all those terms mean?
Do you see the words “LKQ” on your estimate?
LKQ stands for “Like Kind and Quality”. These are parts sourced from a junkyard and usually harvested from a vehicle that has been in an accident or maybe even on fire. Junkyard parts are cheaper than new “OEM” parts because they are used. Who do you think pockets the savings?
How do we know if these parts are any good? How do we know how the previous owner treated their vehicle?
If you see A/M suspension parts you should run for the hills! Who benefits from putting junkyard parts on your car?
Do you see the words “A/M” on your estimate?
A/M stands for After Market which are imitation parts shipped in from overseas.
The problem with A/M parts is that they are often poorly fitting and have never been crash-tested. There is not one automaker that stands behind aftermarket parts usage in the repair of their vehicles. So why should you? Not only that, in some cases it can even void your warranty or cause you to pay out of pocket if the vehicle is a lease.
Do you see the words “Opt OEM” on their estimate?
Opt OEM stands for Optional OEM. OEM parts are the original parts made by and approved by the people who built your car.
Optional OEM parts are not the same as OEM parts. They are also a cheaper part and have never been proven to be certified factory parts.
Does it mention safety inspections?
Does your estimate list time for inspections of seat belts, air bag sensors, suspension components and measuring of steering columns? These are steps that are vital to your safety and are often neglected in high production insurance shops who are only focused on the damages you can see. Often sensors and safety components “look” fine but need to be replaced once measured and inspected.
What about the missing items?
We want to make you aware that it is quite possible that the estimate you received from your insurance preferred shop could be missing important items. Why not have a highly rated shop like Autotech at least give yours a free review?
Ready to get a second opinion?
What you don't know about collision repair could cost you
With this collision repair, your safety and your pocketbook could be at stake. A lot has changed since your last collision repair. Now more than ever it is vital that you educate yourself before making any collision repair decisions. We want you to know what you need to know about collision repair. Select a topic to any repair questions you could ever have.
I want to learn more about ►
It matters now (more than ever) who you choose to fix your car.
You car is a rolling computer and requires very precise procedures to repair it properly so that it will protect you if you get into another accident.
The problem is, not all body shops in New Jersey fix cars properly. We do, and that’s a promise.
You need to choose your repair shop wisely.
Getting a second opinion is easy, how would you like to get yours?
Three Questions you didn't know to ask:
Many customers feel that they must choose the cheapest estimate for fear that they will have to pay the difference or that their rates will go up to cover the overage. This is not true. Insurance rates are based on “risk tiers,” not on how much your repairs costs. Depending on your policy (some even have accident forgiveness), you may not see a rate increase at all, regardless of who fixes the car.
No. Even though your insurance company may direct you to a specific shop to get your estimate, you do not have to use that shop. Fix Auto works with all insurance companies and is also “in network” with most insurance companies. This means that our shops are also approved by your insurance company as an alternate shop in most cases.
Most owners have no idea that the cars they are driving were improperly repaired. Also, many of the large chain body shops have a vehicle buyback allowance set aside to buy back vehicles where they were “caught” with an unsafe repair. The condition for accepting the buyback is that you can’t sue, and you can’t tell people that your vehicle was purchased by the body shop. What is a buyback? Much like when a dealer has to buy back a lemon because of the lemon law, in this case, the body shop who performed the unsafe repairs offers to buy the car from the owner on the condition that the owner signs a confidentiality agreement and can’t publicize the fact that the car was bought back.
Real Stories Of Bad Repairs
What Does Unsafe Repair Look Like?
Most of the time you can’t see unsafe repair because all of the bad welds, inferior parts, and unrepaired panels are hidden behind paint or bumpers and fenders. Unsafe repair is easy to conceal and only begins to show up down the road when things begin to rust, crack, fade or bubble up. When insurance companies push their shops to repair cars for the lowest price possible, they often cut corners on the repairs to meet those demands and deadlines.
Ready to get started?
The unsafe repair that almost killed people.
The John Eagle case: A Texas couple driving a Honda were hit by a Toyota pickup. The Toyota’s occupants were uninjured, but the couple in the Honda was trapped in the vehicle, which began to catch fire, gravely injuring the couple. An after-accident investigation revealed that the Honda had prior collision repair that was performed incorrectly. As a result, the Honda collapsed upon impact trapping the occupants inside their burning vehicle.
The body shop was sued, and while under oath on the witness stand, the shop manager admitted to shortcutting the repair because the insurance company wouldn’t pay for the shop to weld the roof as Honda instructed. The court found the body shop criminally negligent and awarded the couple a $31.5 Million dollar settlement. Still, the amount of money will never fix the injuries suffered, but the couple who were unknowingly driving in a death trap.
“So … if you brought your car into my shop, the insurance company’s going to dictate … how we’re going to repair your car...by not paying the bill.”
-Boyce Willis, John Eagle Collision Manager under oath John Eagle Lawsuit
The unsafe repair that almost killed people.
The John Eagle case: A Texas couple driving a Honda were hit by a Toyota pickup. The Toyota’s occupants were uninjured, but the couple in the Honda was trapped in the vehicle, which began to catch fire, gravely injuring the couple. An after-accident investigation revealed that the Honda had prior collision repair that was performed incorrectly. As a result, the Honda collapsed upon impact trapping the occupants inside their burning vehicle.
The body shop was sued, and while under oath on the witness stand, the shop manager admitted to shortcutting the repair because the insurance company wouldn’t pay for the shop to weld the roof as Honda instructed. The court found the body shop criminally negligent and awarded the couple a $31.5 Million dollar settlement. Still, the amount of money will never fix the injuries suffered, but the couple who were unknowingly driving in a death trap.
“So … if you brought your car into my shop, the insurance company’s going to dictate … how we’re going to repair your car...by not paying the bill.”
-Boyce Willis, John Eagle Collision Manager under oath John Eagle Lawsuit
Your Insurance Company Might Tell You:
We can’t come to an agreement with that shop.
Truth: Your insurance company only wants you to use the shops they have a contract with who are willing to repair cars as cheap as possible. Cheap is the enemy good when it comes to collision repair.
We won’t pay for the repairs if you use that shop.
Truth: Your insurance company has to reimburse you for your repairs regardless of the shop you choose.
You will have to pay out of pocket if you use that shop.
Truth: This is a scare tactic that insurance companies use to make people use their recommended shop. You have the right to choose who fixes your car, it’s the law.
We can’t cover your rental if you use that shop.
Truth: This is another scare tactic that insurance companies use to make people use their recommended shop. If you have rental car coverage in your policy, they must cover it.
2 seconds that can save your life – why wouldn’t you at least check?
Get your free second opinion now.
We are OEM Certified!
Here is why that matters to you.
OEM certification means that our technicians are certified by the manufacturer to fix your vehicle. It also means that we have all the required tools and equipment to repair your vehicle exactly the way the manufacturer wants it repaired. But most importantly it means that rather than take a guess each time a technician repairs a car, OEM certification means that we research each repair, check with the manufacturer repair instructions and build our repair plans accordingly. Being OEM certified means that we will fix your car the right way.
