Answering Common Concerns About Repairing Auto Body Damages

Damage to your car's body is a problem that you will likely encounter at some point or another. Whether this damage stems from a hail storm or auto accident, body damage can impact the appearance of your car while setting the stage for problems in the future. Due to these issues, it is important for you to have any damage to your car's body repaired as quickly as possible. However, there are many car owners that have never used these services in the past, and if this applies to you, the following two questions and answers about auto body repair services should help you to address this damage. 

Is It Safe To Drive A Car With Body Damage?

If you were involved in an accident, getting your car to the repair shop can be a difficult challenge because it may not be in a driveable condition. However, there may also be instances where the car is operational, but you must be careful when driving it to the repair shop. Body damage can impact the balance and aerodynamics of a car, which may cause it to behave erratically. As a result, you should avoid driving it, but if this is not possible, proceed with caution and be prepared to react to strange behavior from the car. 

What If Additional Damage Is Discovered During The Repairs?

One of the first steps in the repair process is to prepare an estimate for your insurance company to review. This estimate will detail the damages and costs needed to repair the vehicle, and the insurance company will use this to determine how much of the repair work to cover. Unfortunately, it is possible for your repair technician (such as one from Chehalis Collision Center) to discover any additional damage that resulted from the accident but was missed during the original estimation. 

While this may sound like you will be liable for this added cost of repair, you may be relieved to learn this is not the case. Under this scenario, your repair contractor would alert the insurance company to the situation, and they insurance would have to adjust the compensation to account for this newly found damage. Luckily, your mechanic will have to handle this process for you, and outside of signing additional paperwork, there will likely be little that you need to do when this problem arises. 

Damage to your car's exterior can be a major source of stress for you, but if you understand the process of repairing this type of damage, you should find this experience less stress inducing. By understanding that seemingly minor body damage can make your car unsafe to drive and how your insurance handles inaccurate estimates, you can rest easier because you better understand what to expect.