regular maintenance checks for your car

If you need body repair on your vehicle, whether it's a minor ding or a major disaster, you just want to get the repair done as soon as possible. In many cases, your auto insurance company is involved in this process, since they may be the ones footing at least part of the repair bill. Typically, your auto insurance provider will recommend a short list of auto repair providers. Although choosing the auto repair shop your insurance company recommends may make the repair process a bit easier, you do have other choices. Here are the benefits and drawbacks of choosing the auto repair shop recommended by your insurance company.  

You Can Save Time

If you plan to find your own auto repair shop, it can take some time. It may be easy enough to find plenty of potential auto repair shops in your area, but choosing one that has a good reputation may take more time. Your insurance company has already done this vetting for you when they recommend an auto body shop. If your insurance company recommends them, the insurance company often has a good history with the auto body shop. This means they'll stand behind their work if you have problems with the repair.

You May Get Expedited Service

Your insurance company will often have a service agreement with certain local auto repair shops. This agreement may mean that the auto repair shops your insurance provider recommends will give you expedited service. If you have the power of your insurance company behind you, your vehicle may even go to the front of the line for repairs. Even if you have a rental car, being without your own wheels can be frustrating. Faster is usually better when it comes to auto repairs.

You Have Less Options

Your insurance company may give you anywhere from one recommendation to a small list of recommended body shops. The main problem with choosing one of these shops is that you are more limited than you would be if you chose an auto repair provider on your own. You may want to go with a small auto repair provider that hasn't made the insurance list, for example.

You May Pay More

Sometimes, you could end up paying more by choosing the auto repair provider that your insurance company recommends. Although you are usually only responsible for paying part of the cost of the repair when you have insurance, you could end up spending more than you would like if the auto body shop charges inflated rates for insurance customers. Keep in mind that this may really only be important if you pay a percentage of the repair rather than a deductible. A deductible will require you to pay the first part of a repair, for example a $500 deductible will require you to pay $500 of the repair, no matter how much the total repair is. However, if you have to pay 50 percent of the total repair bill, the total cost matters.

If you still don't know whether you should go with an auto body shop of your choosing or not, give yourself some time. Don't make a snap decision. Ultimately, the auto repair provider you use is your decision, not your insurance company's choice. Remind yourself of this and use this knowledge to your advantage!

Talk to a repair service like DR Will's And Kahuna's Auto Repair to learn more about choosing the right provider.