Actionable steps at the scene

If you were not in the car when the car was hit and it it was in a parking lot or on the street, this is what you should do.

1. 1. Contact the Police

This is not just a routine step that is a waste of time; instead, it is a necessity to notify the police every time. This is important if you want the incident to be documented appropriately. When you make a report, the official document that will be documented will be useful for your insurance claim. But if you don’t do it, it will be a lot of back and forth when you need to file for an insurance claim. When you make the report, remember to get the officer’s details so that it will be easy to go back for any further documentation.

Sometimes when you call the police, they might be unavailable to get to you at the moment. If that is the case, you should make sure you file the incident yourself and submit the physical or virtual report.

1. 2. Check for Security Cameras

You will be lucky to find a security camera that covers the crash of your car. So, you should check around for the security cameras if you can. But if you don’t find any immediately, ask shop owners around if there is a hidden camera that you can’t see quickly. Once you have the video footage, it will shed light on what happened with your car and the culprit involved.

1. 3. Document the Details

Even if you can’t find video footage, the next major thing you should do is to remember important details. You should be able to pen down the date and time of the accident or when you realize it. Also, you have to write the location, a time frame of the car parked and any other thing you think would be useful. If you note it down immediately, you can remember many things at that time than wait for weeks after the crash.

1. 4. Take Pictures

The best form of evidence is always pictures. Therefore, if there is an accident, take as many photos as possible. Once you have gotten first-hand pictures, you can support them when filing for an insurance claim. Also, the photos will help you remember some details if you forget them.

When taking pictures, take the most intricate places, hence be thorough. The type of pictures you should take should include:

• • The damage to the car
  • The vehicle position when it was hit (either on the street or parking space)
  • The major landmark of the incident
  • Other damages on other vehicles or objects
  • The condition of the weather

Also, remember to take pictures at different angles to view the damage better. When you take so many photos and videos, you can be able to have a good view of the car’s damage and the scene.

Will Insurance Cover Repairs?

If you ever get involved in an accident, whether you were in the car or not, you must call your insurance company as quickly as you can. No matter the type of accident or the location of the accident, your insurance company should be aware of the collision.

If you or your car were involved in a hit and run situation, it might be hard to put the bills on someone you cant identify. Therefore, you will need to trust your insurance coverage to foot the bill. But if you can locate the driver, your insurance might not have to raise a finger in that case.

Once your insurance includes collision coverage, they will help cover most of the cost when a collision occurs. But, sometimes, you might have to pay a deductible to cover part of the repairs. In some states, this is not so as you won’t have to pay anything once you have property damage coverage in your insurance plan.

Is there an expiration time to get your car fixed after an accident?

The simple answer is – No. More elaborately, different insurance companies have a specific time frame that they can cover for when there is damage. But it is best to take prompt action in calling your insurance company to find out from them whether you know the duration or not. This is vital because there might have been an adjustment that you weren’t pre-informed on that would only be addressed once you place the call. Also, calling them as soon as the accident occurs helps you bypass the many processing to get your car repaired sooner. Plus, fixing the vehicle timely will quickly remove the crash incident from your memory once the vehicle is back to normal.

Do I need to fix my car with the insurance money?

Most people ask this question, especially when the damage is not severe and the price for fixing is little. Nevertheless, fixing the vehicle depends on the lender if you aren’t the owner. If the owner wants it fixed immediately and the insurance cannot attend to it immediately, you might have to meet the owner’s demand. This means when the car was involved in an accident, a lender had a particular investment in it and would demand you fix it quickly. But if it is yours, you can choose the time you want it fixed as no one is hurrying you to get it done at that moment.

Can you keep insurance claim money?

Well, it depends on who owns the car. If you are the owner and have paid all the money in full, you can decide to keep the money from the insurance and not get the repairs done. It is not a crime to do so as it is totally legal. But if you got the car from a loan, making it not entirely yours, the lender will expect you to make the necessary repairs with the insurance money. In that case, you can’t keep the money for yourself as it is illegal.

Can I drive my car while it’s faulty?

Suppose after an accident your car can still move normally; you can drive it as it is legal and safe to do so. But in some cases, the effect of the accident is not just a tiny dent but a risky one that can be hazardous to you and other drivers, so it is not advisable. Some instances of damages you can’t overlook are:

• Faulty doors and trunks
• Windshield cracks that affect driver’s vision
• Missing bumpers
• Faulty engine or gas tank
• Dents with sharp or jagged edges

How long do I wait for my car to be repaired?

The time it takes for a car repair depends on certain factors. Some of them are the impact of the accident, the speed involved, the type of damage, the vehicle’s model, and the body shop that would repair it. Considering all these factors, it simply means you cannot put a general time frame for all car repairs. For instance, fixing a windshield shouldn’t take more than two days, but other damage to a car with a limited edition in circulation might take months. Hence, it would help determine the time it will take to fix your car once you visit a good body shop.

Can I repair my car after an accident?

Well, not every damage needs to go to the auto body shop for repairs. If the car damage is minimal and you have some basic tools that you can use perfectly well, you can do the repairs yourself. But if the car isn’t yours already, you won’t want to create more damage for the owner when you are doing it yourself, which means your safe bet is to take it to a professional. Still, if you attempt to do it yourself, make sure the repairs are something very minor that you can handle.

The primary reason why it is advised to take your car for repair in an auto body shop is to ensure all the damages are appropriately attended to. Sometimes, there are hidden damages you might not see because you aren’t used to such repairs. By taking it to the body shop, they would use their specialized tools to correct the damages and give you a car that is functioning well.

How long do you have to make repairs after an insurance claim?

If you have filed for your insurance claim, there is no available time frame for all insurance to make sure you repair your car after the claim. It depends on the insurance company as different companies have individual policies that govern such a timeline. Therefore, you need to contact the insurance company and make the necessary insurance claim as soon as you can once an accident happens. Once you are done filing, you still need to contact the claim adjuster to know when the repair deadline will be to prepare better.

When do you DIY, and when do you take it to a repair shop?

You will know if you can handle a dent by yourself and when it is beyond your expertise by first observing the tools you have at hand. Using some essential repair tools, you should handle minor dents that can be corrected without professional help.

However, you might have to extend that repair to a shop specializing in it when the dent is deep and extensive. You first have to be honest with your skillset when the dents are too much for you to get real help. If you can do that, you will be able to outsource the bigger tasks to the repair shop.

Dents like bumper dents are not to be done in the home as it requires high-tech materials to remove it and could be pretty tacky to achieve. The tools needed for such repairs are not common but special tools that only professionals use daily. Hence, it is best to leave those more complicated dents tasks to a company while taking on the more minor dents that need a DIY dent repair kit.

DIY Dent Removal

It is not impossible to fix the minor dents your car encounters, but before you can remove them, you need some tools. The standard repair kit comes with the right tools that can handle those dents and a guide that will help you use the tools well. Before starting, look through the instructions and be familiar with the devices, as they all have unique uses.

How do you remove a minor Dent in your Car Door

Do you intend to remove the dent in your car door, and you don’t know how to get started? Well, we have highlighted the significant steps you need to see if you will be using a repair kit.

• Clean the area that has been damaged with a wet cloth, then dry it.
• Check through the repair kit for a glue tab that has the size of the dent
• Heat the glue and put just a tiny portion on the dent.
• Then add the pulling tab to the core of the dent gently and allow to dry
• The next thing is to place the pull on the tab and allow it to settle with the panel.
• Use a hammer to smoothen the pull till you don’t see the dents any more.

How to Fix a Big Dent in your Car Door

If it is certain that the dent that needs to be fixed is a big one, you can follow the exact steps written above, but this time it will require a large glue to take care of the dent. When you follow the steps, you might have high spots eventually; that is why you should allow professionals to handle this large car dent removal. Yet, it is expedient that if you decide to do the removal yourself, either for a large dent or a small one, follow the instruction on the repair kit strictly.

Professional Dent Removal

Not everybody can handle dent removal themselves, especially if they have never done it before. If you are in this boat, your safest option is to allow professionals to take care of the removal. It doesn’t have to be large for you to give them the task as they are skilled to do it professionally without having paint breakage. If you attempt to fix a major dent with your regular home equipment, you might spend more trying to undo what became more damaged when you were fixing it.

Though the major challenge many people have with giving the dents out for a professional repair is the cost attached to it. But, the cost of removal depends on certain factors, including depth, size, location and the number of dents on the car. Also, the model of your vehicle determines the amount you will be paying. Generally, you shouldn’t be paying more than $120 for a dent that is as deep as 1 inch. But for a minor mark, as little as $10 to $30 can get the work done. But it all still depends on the other things already listed and the may other aesthetic work your car might need.

Start from Family and Friends Referrals

Because you have never needed the services of an auto body shop doesn’t mean you don’t know someone who has used their services. That means they have one or two contacts of people they can call for their repair duties. If you don’t want you or your vehicle to go through any stress in getting a good auto body shop, start by asking your friends and family for their best car shop that they would love to recommend. Even with that, still make your assessment before going for that particular shop endorsed.

Read Reviews

One of the best resources to also start with when looking for a quality auto body shop is the reviews. It is even one of the easiest way to get to know about a company and the services they render. Look through credible online sources for these reviews and see what customers say about the company. If you don’t like what you read on the website, you have the free will to look through another till you find what you believe will be perfect for you. You shouldn’t settle for just any shop until you are sure they can deliver.

Check With Your Mechanic

Another tip you should also consider if you want to get a good auto body shop is by asking your mechanic. Most mechanics deal with auto body shops and are experienced to know which one does a good job and the not-so-good ones. If you ask them, they will be able to sieve out the ones they can recommend, of which you can take a step further to do your research on them.

Look for Certified Technicians

If you want to get the right auto body shop for your repairs, make sure you check if they have certified technicians when doing your research. Most shops with these certifications are quick to put it boldly on their website, which means you can’t miss it if you check for it. Also, you need to check if they are licensed to operate as a company in your area. If you can check these two things, you will be on an excellent way to hiring a fantastic auto body repair shop.

Ask the Right Questions

Because you will be paying for the autobody services, you have the right to ask as many questions as you have in mind before deciding to work with any company. Some questions will help you spot the right shop for your repairs. Questions like:

• Do you offer warranties?
• What will the work be done?
• Does your company provide timely estimates?
• How best do you work with insurance companies?
• What are the security measures you have in place?
• What are your payment policies?
• Will my vehicle look like it was before the accident?
• How long does your estimate process take?

All these questions should be asked, and you could also add any other personal questions not already listed to ensure you have the answers you need to hire.

Trust Your Instinct

This is the final yet essential tip you shouldn’t leave out when checking for the perfect repair shop. Yes, you might have gone through a series of reviews or been assured by a family member about a particular shop. But if you don’t feel it in your gut that this shop can adequately take care of your car, it is wise you don’t leave it with them. If you want the best, don’t rush to pick but make sure you aren’t unsure of what to expect of any company you choose. Feeling confident about a shop is the first good PassMark you need to set to hire, and that might take time to get, but it will be worth it in the end.