So you’ve been in an accident…. Now what? Accidents happen and are an unpleasant part of life for the car owner. The fact that you are trying to figure out what to do, is a good thing, because it hasn’t happened too much in your life. For us, at Collision Pros, we deal with accidents every day. So, let me give you my best advice when choosing an auto body shop in Loomis CA or anywhere else. Here are 3 things to look for when choosing a body shop in Loomis, CA.

Don’t Make Cost Your Deciding Factor

Sure price matters, but it’s not even close to the most important piece. This is especially true if your insurance is involved. Your insurance company handles claims, like yours, every day and they know very well how to drive the best price.
I’m not saying, don’t pay attention to cost at all. But I am saying, don’t get hung up on the price. It’s more important that you get the car repaired in a safe manner that protects you, your family and the value of your car.
If you are paying out of pocket, read my blog on ways to save on auto body repair. It may help you drive a better bargain and still have a proper repair.

Don’t Start with an Estimate

The reason I say don’t start with an estimate, is because I could make an argument that the initial estimate is really a waste of everyone’s time. If I can’t disassemble the car to see all the damage and give you a cost for the entire job, what’s the point. I know that sometimes, all the damage is visible, but, in collision work, there is usually additional damage. Even using the estimate to preorder parts is arguably useless, because the missed damage and additional part is likely further inside and needs to be ordered and installed before the external parts that were more visible.

Understand the Complexity of Your Repair Needs

If you have a scuff or scrape on your bumper, a bad repair isn’t likely to be dangerous or devalue your car. However, if your car damage gets deeper than the external sheet metal, it’s now a different matter. Most cars now are unibody construction. That means there is no frame under your car. The structure is in the body structure that is underneath the sheet metal and plastic that is on the outside of your car.

The unibody car was brought about decades ago to reduce the weight of cars to improve gas mileage. It also has grown to be a far better way to engineer cars to absorb the inertia of an accident.

Cars have developed, over time, to absorb the inertia of an accident by the use of different strength metals, collapsing points, and thicknesses of material. The restoration of these safety features can literally mean the difference between life and death. I don’t want to scare you too much, but I hope to have your attention that a proper repair is more important than a cheap repair.

In order for a shop to be up to date on the proper repair of late model cars, there is a great deal of continued education, advanced tooling, computerization and having the access or even knowing you should have the access to factory specifications.

To sum up my point here on the 3 things to look for when choosing a body shop in Loomis, CA, I’d say, it really comes down to finding the place you feel the most comfortable in restoring your car to the level of safety you need.

If you’re in Northern California stop by any of the Collision Pros locations in Auburn, Chico, Red Bluff, Paradise, Woodland or Loomis CA.

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