Things to know before booking auto body repair service

May 7, 2025

What are the things you should know before booking auto body repair service?


Hamilton auto repair experts at Tip Top explain with these 5 top tips!

Black car parked in front of Tip Top Auto Body in Hamilton

It’s never a pleasant thing to have to schedule auto body repair service, but if you know these 5 things then it’ll at least be more pleasant than it ought to be. The 5 things you should know before booking your auto body repair service include detailed estimates from multiple companies and a deep understanding of your warranty and insurance policies. Now, let’s cover in detail all 5 things you should know before booking auto body service.


The first thing you should know before bringing your car to the auto body shop is the extent of the damage to your car. If you’re aware of the repairs that need to be made, you can save money by ordering the parts in yourself, so that the only thing you’ll be charged for at the shop is their hourly rate, which is on average around $150 per hour. Not everyone is educated when it comes to auto body parts, however, and so you might be hoping the guys at the shop can inform you of the extent of the damage. This is fine, so long as you trust your auto body shop, which brings us to the next thing you should know.


Read carefully the reviews and testimonials for the auto body shops you’re considering, even before you decide to get a quote from them. Getting a quote for auto body repair isn’t always free, and you may need to tow your car to several shops or send photos to multiple mechanics before you find a quote you like. Try to choose a shop that has better reviews, even if they’re more expensive, because they’ll likely do a better job and might even save you money if they need less time to complete the repairs.


The next thing you should know are the cost estimates themselves. It takes time, but by being diligent and getting estimates from multiple auto body shops you’ll probably find that you’ve learned a lot and are more confident when it comes time to say yes to the quote and schedule your appointment. You may even have a body shop you worked with in the past and already trust. If not, now’s your chance to create a relationship with a shop, so you have a mechanic you can trust in the future. Just be patient. If you search, you’ll find a mechanic who will repair your vehicle for a fair price.


Before we come to our final and most important thing to know before scheduling your auto body repair, there’s one more small thing to mention—availability. You may have found a mechanic who offers good prices and who has amazing reviews, but he won’t be able to fix your car until next Thursday! All it could take is picking up the phone and dialing one more number before you find another mechanic offering the same price but he’s available right now. That’s why one of the major things you should know is the availability of your options before you book that appointment.


Now we come to the most important thing: Before bringing your car in for repairs, you should have a full understanding of both your car’s warranty and your car insurance policy. Most auto body shops will work directly with your warranty or insurance company on your behalf, but I wouldn’t leave the difference of you paying out of your own pocket and getting the costs covered all in their hands. Call your insurance company yourself, and call your warranty supplier too if you have one. Get involved in the process, because even if your warranty would typically cover the repair there are situations in which this opportunity might be missed. For example, some auto body shops get impatient when waiting for a reply from warranty providers and would rather make you pay for it than wait any longer. Especially if you submit your claim on a Friday, the warranty company may not reply until the middle of next week, when your mechanic says it’s probably not covered. If you’re not involved, you won’t know that maybe you just needed to wait one more day before tapping your credit card on the machine.


By fully understanding your warranty policy, you’ll know when you’re in the right or in the wrong to insist on coverage. And by knowing all the other things we mentioned—extent of the damage, shop reviews, multiple estimates and times of availability—you’ll be able avoid unnecessary headaches, you’ll pay a fairer cost for the service , and you’ll get your repair done with timely, quality results.


If you live in the Hamilton area and have even more questions about auto repairs, the staff at our auto repair shop are always glad to help! Call Tip Top Auto Body at (647) 559-5120 to get your auto repair questions answered today!

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