Car Crash Aftermath
Automobile accidents are overwhelming. Between the sound of the crash, resulting damage to the vehicle and (possibly) your body, and the laundry list of things to do to get back to “normal” life, it’s little wonder a curse word is the first thing off many people’s lips immediately following a collision. So, despite the associated stress, resist the temptation to follow your insurance adjuster’s suggestion to use one of the “Preferred Auto Body Shops.”
Pain-Free Process
At C&L Auto Body, we hope you won’t be involved in a car crash. But if you are, we would like to help you by making the process as pain-free as possible. And since your insurance company’s customer service representative is unlikely to share everything you should know for your own benefit, we want to share what you need to know.
What Your Insurance Company Won’t Tell You 
The insurance company’s “preferred auto body shops” are NOT your only option.
Insurance companies work with auto body shops who will play ball with them. In other words, they give contracts to the shops that provide the deepest discounts. That means they work with discount parts to repair your car. It’s no skin off their noses because they save money. But using these shops means your vehicle will be repaired by the lowest bidder instead of the most qualified mechanic.
To contain costs, “preferred auto body shops” sometimes provide insufficient diagnoses of damage to the car, or offer inadequate repair work, with cosmetic fixes instead of comprehensive repair.If this happens with your car, internal damage could be left unaddressed, only to be discovered later, after you’ve settled the claim and have no recourse. Since many insurance companies
accept car owner photographs for initial claims, it’s more common than not for mechanics to find out that serious hidden problems threaten the integrity of your car. We recently worked with the owner of a Honda which had just 3,000 miles. The insurance company agreed to pay visible damages sustained when the insured drove over a curb. But, as our mechanics quickly discovered, the curb bent the car’s frame. We fought with the insurance company to get full coverage for our customer. “Preferred body shops” won’t do this since their loyalty is to the insurance company rather than the customer.
Replacement parts aren’t always up to industry standard.
This means that the quality and safety of the parts are unknown because they are not test like factory Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts are. In many cases, they will add the word “opt” in front of the OEM which is misleading to the consumer as this means a part from an outlet source rather than the manufacturer. This is what insurance companies won’t tell you. In many cases, using these imitation parts can lead to “repair related diminished value.” This means that the cheaper parts used in place of OEM parts could negatively impact your car’s value.
About C&L Auto Body
The “go-to” location for auto body repair and classic restoration in the San Gabriel Valley, since 1970, C&L Auto Body is known for our attention to detail, courteous service, and fair and affordable prices. If you select C&L to repair your car, our concierge service will help make your entire auto body repair process easy on you. We will even help you arrange for a rental car and deal directly with your insurance company. C&L Auto Body is owned and operated by the Buonsanti family, who strives to treat clients like family. Come by the shop 781 E San Bernardino Road in Covina, contact us via email today, call (626) 445-6630 or visit www.CandLAutoBody.com.