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One of the biggest issues facing someone who has been in a motor vehicle accident is the question of where and how to get their vehicle repaired.
Collision services are a collective body of services that assist motor vehicle owners in getting their vehicles back on the road after a collision. It includes the after crash repairs offered by auto repair services such as repairs to the body of the vehicle ie dent and frame repairs and paint work. Some auto repair shops work directly with insurance companies thereby reducing the need for the car owner to have to make too many decisions during what is often a very stressful time.
As with all these types of services, finding a quality, reputable company with qualified and experienced technicians to do the work is of paramount importance. Dodgy work done by dodgy repair shops will not only end up costing you far more down the track when you inevitably have to get their repair work repaired, it may also be potentially dangerous.
Top Tips For Finding A Good Collision Service
Right at the top of the list is ask a friend. Word of mouth and personal referrals have long been acknowledged as one of the most valuable, if not THE most valuable, forms of marketing in existence and theres good reason for that. Its the one more people trust more than any other form of marketing. So if you know someone who has been involved in a car accident and is happy with the repairs that were done on their vehicle and the customer service they received, ask them where they had the work done. You can also ask local businesses in the auto trade if they have any particular recommendations or know of any reasons why you should maybe avoid certain repair shops.
Tip number 2 is to take matters into your own hands and conduct some one on one research. Approach your local auto repairers and talk to them about the service they can offer and the guarantees they provide on their work. Ask if they have photos of some of the work theyve done that is similar to what you require and, most importantly, whether they have unsolicited customer feedback you can view.
And tip number 3 is that Google is often your best friend when it comes to research like this. Look up local repair shops online, check their websites for photos and videos of their work and their customer feedback. See if they have customer reviews on some of the big review sites like Yelp or, if they have social media pages ie Facebook, Google + etc, whether customers have left feedback there.
What You Need To Consider When Searching For An Auto Repairer
Not all makes of vehicles are created equal and not all auto repair shops can repair all makes of vehicles. Therefore ruling out any who dont deal with your make will narrow your search.
Which ones provide a warranty on their work, and how long is the warranty. A warranty not only provides you with peace of mind, its also a good way of telling whether or not a repair shop has faith in their workmanship. As a general rule, the longer the warranty period the more faith the repairer likely has in their work. If you can find one that offers a lifetime warranty so much the better.
How are you going to get your vehicle to the repair shop if its too badly damaged to get there under its own steam? If this is the case, you may want to find one that either has a towing service or can arrange for a towing service to get the vehicle to them. Unless you have motor insurance or a motor club membership that includes towing.
How long can you function without a vehicle? If you dont have alternative transport and you rely heavily on your vehicle then youll need to find out how long each repairer estimates it will take them to fix it. However, dont sacrifice quality of workmanship for speed because chances are youll end up spending more time without a vehicle down the track when you have to take it back to have those hastily done repairs repaired.
And last but not least, getting back to word of mouth and doing business by personal recommendation. Make a point of checking feedback provided by previous customers.
