After you're in a collision, you should make sure that everyone involved is okay. Then you should call the police and your insurance company. Never admit fault and explain exactly what happened. The next big decision will be where to bring your vehicle for repair.

When it comes to auto collision repair facilities, you have two choices. Your insurance company’s preferred shop and an independent repair center.  

A direct repair facility has a partnership with an insurance company. If it’s recommended that you bring your vehicle there after an accident, they have a relationship with your insurance company. 

This also means that they are encouraged to do what is best for the insurance company, not for you.

An independent repair is not aligned with any insurance company. This means that they have their customers’ best interests at heart. 

Instead of trying to save an insurance company money, they can make the best possible recommendation and perform the highest quality repair.  

It can be easy to be persuaded by your insurance company to go to their preferred shop. However, it is your right to choose where your car is repaired. This is important to remember. Because it is in your or the other driver’s insurance’s best interest to have you go to their preferred facility, they’ll provide reasons for why you should go to them. Remember that an independent shop is motivated by providing the best service for you, not the insurance company. The decision on where to bring your vehicle is always yours.

The reason you should choose an independent collision center is because they want to provide the best possible repair for you. They are not motivated by a relationship with an insurance company. 

You can have the peace of mind that you are getting the best recommendation and repair possible. 

Once you decide which collision center to have your vehicle delivered to, the team there will assess the damage, recommend the appropriate repair and offer an estimate. 

Then, depending on the responsible insurance company’s obligation, either your insurance or the offending party’s insurance will send an adjuster to determine the damage. Based upon the collision center’s estimate and the adjuster’s findings, you’ll receive a decision about the repair.  

If your vehicle is “totaled” it is considered a total loss by the insurance company. 

This means that cost of repair exceeds the value, or a percentage of the value of the vehicle. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your car is completely destroyed or even undrivable. It simply doesn’t make financial sense to pay for such a significant repair in relation to the value of the vehicle. When this happens, the insurance company pays you for the value of your vehicle.

You do have a few options if your vehicle is declared a total loss. You can take it to a different shop for a second opinion. 

You can also “buy back” your vehicle from the insurance company. While this term may sound confusing, it’s fairly simple. When your car is totaled, the insurance company will pay you for its value. If you opt to buy it back, you can retain your vehicle, and the insurance company will typically pay you the difference between what it is worth and what they could receive at a salvage auction. So you will still receive a check and keep your car.

Trustworthy, reputable, quality collision centers will stand behind their work by offering a warranty. At Medine’s Collision Center, we offer a lifetime warranty on all bodywork, a written warranty on refinish work, and a written warranty on corrosion protection. 

Insurance companies will claim that if you do not use one of their recommended shops that they cannot guarantee the work or the parts. The fact is that it is the repair shop’s responsibility to guarantee their work. 

So rest assured that attaining peace of mind for your repair rests with the shop you choose, not the insurance company.