My Vehicle Wasn’t Repaired Properly. Now What?
Being involved in an auto accident is stressful. After a crash, the last thing a driver should have to worry about is whether or not their trusted auto collision repair shop is going to properly repair their vehicle. Unfortunately, we see it often. Customers come into our shop with improperly repaired vehicles from other less experienced shops. These mistakes by low-quality shops can cause major safety issues for vehicles in the long term, or even the short term. As a customer, it’s your right to expect that your vehicle is restored to its pre-existing condition.
Inspect Your Vehicle After Its Auto Collision Repair
When you pick your vehicle up from an auto body repair shop, make sure to check for these signs of hidden damage post-repair. The shop you chose likely offers post-repair inspections of their repaired vehicles.
Follow these steps to find hidden damage after the repair:- Check the paint job for any imperfections in the new paint
- Double check the car doors, trunk, and gas tank flap to ensure they close properly
- Check that the steering wheel isn’t wobbly, noisy, or gravitating towards one direction when driving
- Issues with your ADAS sensors like blind-spot detection, cruise control, and more
- Check for any leaking fluid while driving or parked
Request A Post-Repair Inspection and Discuss With The Manager
If you are not satisfied with the quality of the vehicle repair, make sure to ask the shop to take on a post-repair inspection provided examples of what you’re experiencing. A post-repair inspection typically includes verification of all accident damage, double-checking the quality of repairs by shop managers, and ensuring nothing in the repair process was missed. Make sure to point out any issues you’re having with the vehicle, or what you notice to the manager before paying the final bill. At Colorado Coach Auto Body, we offer a post-repair inspection for all vehicles we repair.
File A Dispute With Your Auto Insurance Provider
If you are unable to come to an agreement with your body shop, make sure to contact your auto insurance provider. At this point, the shop did not adhere to their commitments to properly fixing your vehicle, leaving you and others on the road unsafe. Your insurance provider will be able to handle the dispute, and many times will recommend you to another auto body shop after doing a post-repair inspection of the repaired vehicle.
Write A Review or File A Complaint
When you experience faulty auto body repair work, make sure to help other drivers by leaving a negative review on Google, Carwise, or Yelp for the specific shop, or contact your state’s Bureau of Auto Repair. Giving your feedback to the community in this experience can help others avoid working with a careless shop. Customers deserve a properly repaired vehicle that keeps them safe on the road. Shops who can’t abide by these standards shouldn’t be in business.
Choose A Trusted Auto Collision Repair Shop
Trustworthy shops will typically provide a lifetime warranty on auto collision repairs and replacement parts. You should also consider working with a repair shop who only uses OEM-certified auto parts in their repair process. At Colorado Coach Auto Body, we do offer a lifetime warranty on repairs, only use OEM-certified replacement parts, and hold several dealership certifications in auto collision repair. Give us a call today to get a free auto collision repair estimate!
