When you pass by a shop that is working on a car, it could be quite confusing at a quick glance to know if it is an Auto body shop, or a Collision Repair one. Saying that we indicate on the simple fact that both Collision repair shops and auto body shops are different because the former deals with both the cosmetic and mechanical repair works for cars, while the auto body shop will only do the cosmetic repair work that has nothing to do with the moving parts of the car. But irrespective of your requirement to take your car to a repair center, either for a collision repair, or to make it look refreshed, here are a few hidden facts on these shops that might enlighten you about the future dealings with any of these shops.

Reputation Factor

To repair your car, whether after a collision or to fill its dents, plenty of shops will be available around. But that doesn’t imply that all the shops are same in executing their services. While some of them look trendy and neat, some clumsy shops might be more reputed and have a longer list of satisfied customers through decades. So, while choosing a repair shop for your car, take a moment out to search for its history and feedback from customers.

Transparency Factor

Most technicians are trained from a school where they are taught to bring your damaged vehicle back to its original tip-top shape, but the shops who are already not in good shape barely can afford to deliver such service due to the cost factor. That is the reason why some shops would raise up the bill amount to render a service that might appear to be quite a commonplace one for you. From your end, you want a repair shop to quote you the right price and do not misuse your trust in them. So ask for a detailed invoice before you pay.

The Estimate Factor

It is a common question that makes round in the minds of car owners, why the price quotes differ so much from one repair shop to the other, as there can’t be any logical reason behind such a phenomenon.

To quench the thirst of your mind, let us make you aware of the fact that it is the auto insurance industry that sets up the rate chart for these shops. It is their liaison with the insurance companies to make a few more bucks on profit margin, that result in pumping up the price for any repair job done for the insured party who are paying out of their pocket, or else the work might suffer.

Mostly the profit they make is through the materials they use. Though we expect the shops to use only the OEM parts for any kind of replacement, many times they go for aftermarket parts and keep the profit to themselves, in which your car safety might be at stake. Hence, before leaving your car in a collision repair shop, make an agreement done where they should mention on the invoice the parts they are buying for replacement and stick to only OEM parts, especially when it is related to car safety.