Cincinnati is a major city in the State of Ohio, on the Ohio River with a population of approximately 1/3 million (1.6 million within the metropolitan area). Needless to say, there’s a large amount of car traffic commensurate with the massive population, with the unavoidable outcome that there will be car accidents in Cincinnati. Therefore, a portion of the population will be searching for a Cincinnati body shop. to make required auto repairs.
Now how do the majority of local people pick a Cincinnati body shop? Well, since those involved in a Cincinnati vehicle accident will be talking with their insurance representative, most frequently they’re going to patronize the shop recommended by their insurance agent.
When you submit a claim, your insurance company representative will recommend a body shop where you can take your car for auto repairs. But going with his recommendation is not always the best choice, and in a lot of cases, is a very POOR one. So let’s examine the reason:
The auto body shop advised by an insurance company representative is one within the company’s “direct repair program.” The program consists of a agreement between the insurance firm and the auto body repair shop. The shop is under agreement to make vehicle repairs to customers sent them by the company. The insurer must, under the agreement, steer their customers to the member shop.
Furthermore, the auto body repair shop will estimate the expense of repairs using aftermarket auto parts. And the auto body shop will also be required to bear all legal responsibility for auto repairs and indemnify the insurer from any lawsuit the customer might bring.
But you might be thinking “So why would I care if the body shop car repairs my car using aftermarket parts?” Just what does that mean to me?” The answer is “A GREAT DEAL!”
Aftermarket car parts, also called replacement crash, salvage, or rebuilt parts, are car auto parts that are made by a company other than the original maker or vendor. They are regularly produced in Taiwan.
Since these auto parts cost less than factory made parts, they are cheaper and make it less pricey to fix your vehicle, which means that the insurance provider pays less when settling your claim. But sadly for you, they are usually substandard to parts built by the manufacturer of your car, or his specified vendor. They are more inclined to fail, resulting in additional repair work being needed, and in a worst case scenario, can mean that the “restored” car is dangerous to operate!
Given that there are liability issues involved if vehicle repairs are made in a substandard way, for what possible reason would a Cincinnati body shop willingly sign an agreement to be in the direct repair program? Simple: because they want to stay in business! Because it’s a matter of the survival of their business. Since most people looking for auto body work will follow their insurer’s recommendation, the auto body shops not in the direct repair program aren’t likely to get a lot of business
But say you’ve been involved in a car accident but would rather take your vehicle to a Cincinnati body shop other than that recommended by your agent. Your insurance firm may well decide to make your life more difficult in the way of convincing you that you made an error. Possibly they will hesitate at paying for repairs – or even drag their feet about sending out an adjustor to look at your vehicle.
So does this make your life harder? You bet! But it’s worthwhile if your alternative is to go to their “preferred” auto body repair shop and have to suffer the potential consequences.
So the bottom line is, never just blindly agree to the (perhaps poor) guidance of your agent. Find out if the shop you’re taking you automobile to uses aftermarket or salvaged auto parts, and if so, look elsewhere to get your auto restored. And when you hear you insurance company representative making statements like “You’ll have to pay more if you patronize that repair shop”, “We can’t guarantee the vehicle repairs if you go there”, or “We can’t provide you with a rental if you use them” don’t believe it – these are intended to dissuade you from getting your car fixed in a manner that may be more costly (for the insurer) but will result in a better repair job, and possibly a safer car.
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