If you have been involved in an accident, you will bring your car to a shop for autobody repair. The shop will then provide you and/or the insurance company with an estimate for the cost of the repairs that need to be done. You may then agree to use a body shop, based upon that quote. However, when the repairs are done, you may find that the bill is higher than originally estimated. This is very common with auto body repair. Read on to learn the two most common reasons why an auto body repair may wind up being higher than originally estimated.
Damage May Not Be Visible Until Parts Are Removed
One of the top reasons why your auto body repair may cost more than originally estimated is because damage is not always visible. When an auto body repair shop is providing you with a quote, they are quoting you a price based on the damage that they can see. They may not see damage behind the panels of your car, including damage to your car’s frame or damage to the suspension, until they start to disassemble your vehicle. In most cases, there is no way to predict whether damage is present or not until this process begins. As such, the cost of an estimate often increases once the visibly damaged parts of a car get removed and an auto body repair shop can see what they are working with.
Different Repair Techniques Need to Be Utilized
The second common reason why an auto body repair may end up being higher than originally estimated is because different repair techniques may need to be utilized. When you bring your car in with a dent, a mechanic may think the dent can be pulled out. However, once they start trying to pull the dent out, the dent may not budge. They may then have to fill the dent, sand down the filling and then touch-up the paint so it matches. Filling a dent takes more time and costs more than pulling a dent out. In some cases, the technique that the repair shop had planned on using to repair your car may not work out. The new technique may cost more, which increases the costs compared to the original estimate.
It can be challenging for any autobody repair shop to perfectly estimate how much your auto body repairs will cost. Not all of the damage to your car is visible until they start to disassemble your car. The techniques that may be needed also change, based on how your car reacts to the techniques that are being used. If you were involved in an automobile accident and are in need of an autobody repair shop, turn to us at Certified Collision Center Auto Body. We try our best to provide you with the most accurate quote possible. Call us now to schedule an estimate appointment.