Explaining The Insurance Claim Process

Detailed Information On The Auto Body Insurance Claims Process


Auto collision claims can be very frustrating and confusing at times. If you have never been in an accident, you probably have no idea how to begin the repair process. The first step is to contact the insurance company that will be paying for the repairs. If you were at fault in the accident, you would need to contact your insurance company and report the claim. If your car was damaged by another vehicle and that driver was at fault, then you would submit a claim to that driver's insurance company. Once a claim is submitted, they will give you a claim number.  

Auto Body Insurance Claims

There are a few different ways an insurance company will handle the claim form here. They could instruct you to bring your vehicle to a shop of your choice and have that shop send an estimate and photos to the adjuster's email. In this case, the adjuster would review the estimate and photos and give the shop authorization to start repairs. The second way it could be handled is the insurance company will send their own adjuster to meet you in person. They will do a visual inspection and give you a copy of their estimate. 

In this case, just bring the adjuster's estimate to the shop you would like to have the repairs done at. The final way they may handle the claim is to recommend that you bring your vehicle to their DRP (Direct Repair) shop or network shop. These are shops that have a contract with the insurance company and agree to charge lower rates in exchange for insurance referrals. It is a business relationship that saves the insurance company money.   
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You Choose Your Auto Body Repair Shop

At Performance Auto Body, we do not work for the insurance company, WE WORK FOR YOU! Don't settle for a DRP shop just to save your insurance company a few dollars. In Colorado, you have the legal right to choose which shop you want to have repair your vehicle. The insurance company will try to sell you on their DRP shop, but tell them you would prefer to have it fixed right at Performance Auto Body instead. We know all the local adjusters and have a very good working relationship with them. If we are not in their network or do not have a contract with them, we will work directly with the local adjusters. We do this to make sure they pay for everything that you are entitled to in order to repair your vehicle correctly. If we find additional damage once we get further into the repairs, we simply submit a supplement request. The adjuster will come back to the shop to inspect the damage which wasn't visible in the initial inspection. There will be a supplement on nearly every vehicle repair because you simply cannot see all the damage. Once the vehicle is torn apart it exposes hidden damage. We offer a lifetime guarantee on our workmanship and paint on every vehicle we repair, regardless of the insurance company
Please contact Performance Auto Body today at 970-249-1926 if you have any questions about the insurance claims process. Our knowledgeable staff is always happy to help!
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