Mar 19, 2013 in News Auto Insurance

Auto Insurance: Why you should consider a preferred auto shop

Where can you turn to when you are involved in a motor vehicle accident and need to have your car repaired? You have several options for repairing your vehicle:

1. The dealership where you purchased your vehicle.

2. Friends or family members who run an auto shop or may tinker with cars on the side. 3. A preferred auto shop.

But what is a preferred auto shop? These are shops that are included in an insurance company's list of approved shops to provide repairs to the policyholder's vehicle. The work is guaranteed by the insurance company.

The benefits of using a preferred shop include:

• A high level of customer satisfaction for service, quality, and workmanship of the repairs.
• The quality of the work performed is backed by the insurance company with a time-limited guarantee.
• The insurance company will step in and deal directly with the repair shop if any issues arise.
• Expedited repairs if necessary and intervention if you are not satisfied with the work done on your car.
• Most insurance companies will pay to have your vehicle towed to a preferred shop if it is not drivable.
• Some registered shops may not agree to do the work for the prevailing labor rate in Ontario. All preferred repair shops have agreed to do the work for the prevailing labor rate. This means no additional costs for the customer.
• If additional accident related damage is found during the repairs the preferred shop will contact the insurance company's appraiser directly for a supplemental appraisal.
• They will complete repairs according to the insurance company's appraisal and they will guarantee it.

That being said, the decision of where to have your vehicle fixed is up to you. Good luck with your repairs!