When your car is damaged in an accident, you want to get back on the road as quickly as you can. One of the important decisions you’ll make after a car accident is choosing a repair shop.
Choosing a repair shop
Unless you’ve got a repair shop that you know you can trust, finding a repair shop can be an intimidating process. How do you know that they’ll do the work quickly and well? How long will it take? How many estimates should you get before making a decision?
If you don’t have someone in mind, you can ask for recommendations from friends and family, especially if they have a car that’s similar to yours. Or you can remove the guesswork and use a shop in our Direct Repair Program.
Benefits of a direct repair program
One way to avoid all the headaches of finding a reputable repair shop is to use our Direct Repair Program (DRP). Our DRP is made up of a network of repair shops that can help you get the best service and make your claim process as stress-free as possible. Here’s what makes DRP shops a smart option for many people:
Quality: Our DRP includes a select group of local repair facilities that we prescreen to help ensure they do quality work. We work with professional, highly trained technicians that follow industry standards and offer the services needed to repair your vehicle from top to bottom.
Speed and Convenience: With a DRP shop, we’ll communicate directly with the repair shop to help move the repair work along faster, and they’ll send the bill (minus your deductible) directly to us.
Lifetime Workmanship Guarantee: Under the DRP, the repair shop’s work is guaranteed to be of the quality generally accepted by the vehicle repair industry, and we’ll work to resolve any departures from that workmanship standard. Ask your adjuster for details.
Find a DRP repair shop near you.
The parts used to repair your vehicle
When your damaged vehicle is getting fixed, the repair shop will order parts. Two types of auto parts are commonly used:
Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts: These parts are the ones used by the maker of your vehicle, so they’re closest to what was in the car originally. These parts are used mostly by car dealership repair shops, but independent repair shops can order them too. OEM parts may be expensive, and sometimes their availability is limited.
After-market parts: You may have heard that after-market parts come from the junkyard. Not true! After-market vehicle parts, sometimes called “generic” parts, are made by various parts manufacturers. Because there’s more competition, they may be less expensive than OEM parts and more widely available. In fact, many after-market parts are equal to or better than OEM parts in terms of quality, fit and finish.
Of course, your safety and peace of mind come first. We don’t use aftermarket parts to replace equipment used to protect a vehicle’s occupants in an accident, such as air bags, air bag components, seat belts and vehicle structural components.
You get to decide
You have the right to request that OEM parts be used to repair your vehicle after an accident. Just know that your estimate for insurance may be based on the cost for aftermarket parts, as noted in your policy’s provisions. If you choose to use OEM parts, you will need to pay any difference in the price between the estimate and the OEM part cost.
Your adjuster can help
Getting your vehicle repaired after a crash doesn’t have to be challenging. Your adjuster can help guide you through the repair process and answer any questions you have.
Sources
- “FAQs About Direct Repair Programs and Generic Auto Parts.” Insurance Information Institute. N.d., Web. 27 Sept. 2023. https://www.iii.org/article/faqs-about-direct-repair-programs-and-generic-auto-parts.
