Be Smart With Cars

If you're ever involved in a car accident, hopefully you'll have a comprehensive collision insurance policy in place to protect you from having to pay for the repairs out-of-pocket. Collision insurance is designed to help you pay for both body damage and mechanical repairs caused by an accident, no matter which driver was at fault. Before you file a collision claim, however, there are some collision insurance myths that need to be debunked.

Myth 1: Your Insurance Company Chooses Your Repair Shop

First of all, don't let your auto insurance company trick you into thinking you have no choice as to where your vehicle repairs are done. All too often, insurance companies will try to find the auto repair shop with the cheapest possible bid for the work and insist you go there for your repairs. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for, so going to the cheapest repair shop will often result in substandard work. You have the right to have your car repaired at any shop you want, such as Mojave Paint and Body 2, even if your insurance company has a list of "preferred" local shops.

Myth 2: You're Responsible for Additional Charges

Another collision insurance myth that too many drivers believe to be true is that, once you receive a check from the insurance company, that's all the reimbursement you're going to get. In reality, this isn't usually the case. The initial check you receive from your insurance company should cover the original estimate for the repair work. However, as things move along, further damage may be discovered and that original estimate may need to be adjusted. You're not inherently responsible for these costs; the repair shop should forward the estimate changes to your insurance company and, if applicable, they should cut you another check to reflect the new costs.

Myth 3: Generic and OEM Parts Are Pretty Much the Same

Finally, be sure to check with your repair shop to see what kinds of parts the insurance company is requesting they use. Whenever possible, you want original manufacturer's (OEM) parts rather than generic ones, as these will be as similar as possible to the car's original parts and will thus help retain the vehicle's value. Unfortunately, some insurance companies will try to get repair shops to use generic parts as a way of reducing the total cost of the repairs, which is why reviewing the repair schedule before agreeing to anything is a must.