Category: Accident

After you have been in an accident, the insurance company could decide to total your vehicle. While you may think you cannot get it repaired, you could be able to persuade the insurance company to “un-total” your vehicle. Otherwise, you cannot get the car fixed at your local auto body shop with that designation. Here are a few tips to get that vehicle un-totaled from the insurance company.

 

What Is Considered a Totaled Car?

When a vehicle has a high cost of repair that exceeds its value, it is considered a total loss. The insurance company often decides it is not feasible to repair the vehicle.

For example, if your car was worth $3,000 before the accident, and the estimate is over that amount, the insurance company could “total” your vehicle, meaning it is a complete loss.

If you want to repair your vehicle, you could run into issues. The insurance company is often required to register it as a loss. You might be issued a salvage title or certificate. With that, it cannot be registered, sold, or driven without repairs. Even then, finding an auto body shop that will fix these vehicles will be challenging since it could be a liability for them.

 

What Happens After a Vehicle Is Declared a Total Loss?

After the insurance company has deemed the car a total loss, you will be sent a check for the remaining value of your vehicle. While some people will purchase a used or new car, some owners are not ready to get rid of their vehicle. In some cases, you could dispute the claim. However, the burden of proof is on the owner, who must show evidence that the vehicle has a higher value or that the repairs are not too costly. What can the owner do to un-total a car? There are several ways to get the insurance company to change its mind.

First, the vehicle owner should talk to an auto body mechanic. In many cases, they will take a look at the car and provide an estimate for the damage. They will break down the hourly labor price and the time involved in fixing the damaged parts. Many auto body specialists will tell you whether you can repair the vehicle or if it is ready for the scrap yard.

Unfortunately, the auto body shop cannot repair some vehicles to working condition. Remember that you can get a second estimate for your vehicle, especially if you feel the decision to total the vehicle is incorrect. If you can prove the vehicle has more value over the cost of repair, then the insurance company may change its decision.

When you talk to a reputable auto body mechanic, they can give you an opinion on the vehicle. Some body damage looks unfixable, but the auto body shop can restore the vehicle back to its pre-accident condition with the right mechanic and tools. If you successfully overturn the “total” decision, you will get the repairs completed like a regular insurance claim. Take the estimate and send it to a trusted repair shop for the work.

 

Keeping a Damage Vehicle

You can keep the car if you do not challenge the insurance company’s decision to total the vehicle. The insurance company will pay for the vehicle’s remaining value, but they could subtract the deductible and salvage value.

Even if you want to un-total your vehicle, remember that safety should be your top concern. Any reputable auto body shop will repair a vehicle that is in safe working order. Sometimes, the damage is too severe, and the vehicle needs to be scrapped. However, some insurance companies are known to be overzealous, totaling a car for minor repairs. If the damage is just cosmetic, you can fix the vehicle for a small repair cost.

Yes, there are times when you can un-total your vehicle, fix the damage, and get back on the road. Once the insurance company agrees to un-total your vehicle, make sure to take it to a professional and reputable auto body shop to complete those repairs.

 

Untotal Your Vehicle

Getting the insurance company to change its decision about your vehicle can be challenging. If you want to un-total the vehicle, you need to determine the damage to the car, the severity of the issues, the location of the damage, and the condition of your vehicle. Some vehicles have extensive damage, and fixing the cars may not be feasible. However, there are other times when the insurance company does not want to pay for a minor repair. You can get them to reverse their decisions with documentation and a professional auto body technician’s estimate.

 

Find an Auto Body Shop Near Me

If you need help to un-total your vehicle, you must talk to a reputable auto body repair shop. At Elmer’s Auto Body, our technicians have the experience to inspect your vehicle and determine the costs of the repairs. We will work with you to give you an accurate estimate so you can reach out to your insurance company. In some cases, we can send the estimate right to the insurance company, helping reduce some of the frustration of the process. When it comes time to get those repairs completed, make sure to contact our shop. We are a family-owned auto body shop that has been serving the community for the past 70 years. Schedule a consultation by calling (856) 218-0202.

Honda owners know that these vehicles are some of the most reliable cars on the road. They are long-lasting vehicles made for everyday driving. In many cases, it is not uncommon to have a Honda performing for years without any major issues. When you need a repair, you will want to protect your vehicle by taking it to a Honda-certified collision repair shop.

 

What You Need To Know About Honda-Certified Collision Repairs

Honda has made a recommendation that all its vehicles are repaired by auto body shops and technicians certified to perform Honda repairs. If you have been involved in an accident, it is crucial to take it to a reputable and certified repair shop. These vehicles have their own advanced safety systems, parts, and technology that only a certified technician should handle. When you choose a Certified Honda collision repair shop, these professionals know how to best repair your vehicle.

Honda is committed to safety and wants to ensure that all repairs are made according to its specifications. With the Honda ProFirst Collision Repair program, you are assured that every technician has the right equipment, skills, training, and tools to repair your vehicle safely. Honda offers ongoing training so that your auto body repair team stays up to date on the latest changes that could affect the performance and safety of the vehicle.

Some of the areas that technicians receive specialized training include:

• On-board safety features
• Advanced body materials
• Collision avoidance systems

When you bring your Honda vehicle to a certified shop, you will have some peace of mind that they will only use Genuine Honda parts on your vehicle. With these qualified repairs, you can keep and maintain your original manufacturer’s warranty even after an accident.

There are many reasons why you should choose original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts. These parts are guaranteed to meet Honda’s standards for appearance, safety, and fitment, meaning these parts will maintain the structural integrity of your Honda vehicle as designed by the company’s engineers.

Additionally, a Honda-certified collision repair shop offers technicians unlimited access to repair guidelines and information exclusively from the manufacturer. They can use all the proper tools and equipment to match the specifications of these vehicles. Plus, the technicians and shops must be I-CAR Gold Certified to complete a repair on your vehicle.

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Requirements of Honda’s Collision Repair Certification Program

Most vehicle manufacturers have strict requirements for repairs. With the ProFirst program, all shops and technicians must meet stringent standards to be certified to handle collision repair. With these standards, Honda can ensure that the repairs are completed to their specifications. First, any shop that wants to be certified will need to be an I-CAR Gold Class, Medallion, or VeriFact VQ shop.

Along with that, the technicians will take specific training that is designed and administered through the I-CAR program. These details are specific to the Honda line of vehicles. This training is required for anyone who takes on the roles of a structural technician, nonstructural technician, or estimator. Every shop must have one technician who completes these hands-on training programs.

All certified auto body shops will need to maintain the proper tools, equipment, and technology from Honda. With that, these professionals have committed to repairing your Honda vehicle to factory specifications by following the manufacturer’s safety and security protocols. Also, all auto body shops must use genuine parts and maintain the facility standards to Honda’s specifications.

Honda also wants to ensure that all shops meet their standards for customer service. With that, Honda requires the shop to have a full inspection by an independent third-party auditor. These auto body shops also need to maintain a customer contact program so that their customers know their certifications.

 

Get a Repair from a Honda-Certified Shop

When you have been in an accident, you want to avoid taking a chance with an unauthorized shop, especially if you want to maintain the appearance and warranty of your vehicle. A certified collision repair team has the skills and training to deliver the highest level of service to your vehicle. As a result, these technicians will only use authorized parts and tools to repair the car according to Honda’s standards.

 

Reach Out To Elmer’s Auto Body

You don’t want to leave your vehicle at any repair shop. These collision repairs must be handled by professionals who understand all of Honda’s safety features and systems, using only OEM parts and equipment.

With our experienced technicians, we will restore the vehicle back to its original factory finish. We understand that repairing a car is more than a cosmetic fix. You want your Honda repaired back to the vehicle’s pre-accident condition.

We stand behind our work and uphold our reputation as a Honda-certified collision repair shop. You can guarantee to have the highest quality repair work completed on your vehicle. Our shop will even help with your insurance claim, making the collision repair process easier for you.

Whether you have major collision damage or a small fender bender, you will want to get it fixed right the first time. Our auto body shop ensures your complete satisfaction with any repair. Hondas are durable vehicles that will last for many years. When it comes time to get your vehicle fixed, take it to a Honda-certified collision shop. Do you need an “auto body shop near me?” You can schedule a free estimate or repair by calling Elmer’s Auto Body at (856) 218-0202.

Unfortunately, most of us will experience a vehicle accident at some point in our lives. Whether that accident is large or small, there will almost certainly be damage to repair. Not only do you have to worry about getting the damage repaired, but you also have to worry about whether the repairs will be done correctly. Of course, you can greatly reduce that risk by choosing a trusted and reputable repair shop. However, when expensive repairs are needed it can be very tempting to go with the cheapest possible option. So, what happens when you end up with a shoddy repair job?

 

1. Thoroughly Inspect The Work

When you go to the shop to pick up your vehicle, don’t just pick it up and drive away with no questions asked. You have every right to inspect the work that has been done and make sure that it’s up to your standards. Any shop that tries to keep you from doing this should be avoided in the future, as it’s a little bit of a red flag.

You might also consider doing some research before you make the pickup. You probably aren’t a mechanic, but anyone can do a quick self-education session using the internet. Since you should already know what is wrong with your vehicle, you can narrow down your research to a specific problem. Even a little bit of extra information can help you an awful lot.

 

2. Make Your Concerns Known

If you inspect your vehicle at the shop, and you find that it hasn’t been repaired correctly, ask to speak with a manager immediately. If you drive off without saying anything, it will be harder to make a complaint later. It’s kind of like those people who go into a restaurant and complain about the food when they’ve already eaten most or all of what they ordered. If you don’t raise those concerns right away, they are less likely to be taken seriously.

 

3. Ask About Post-Repair Inspections

Many shops will offer post-repair inspection services for a small fee. Since this is mainly a diagnostic procedure, it doesn’t tend to be that expensive. You can get it done by the same shop that did the work, but it’s better to take it somewhere else. Otherwise, there will be obvious issues with bias. Expecting any company to critically investigate itself is not realistic or smart. This inspection should come with a printed report detailing any problems that may have been found. This is important because it gives you a way to verify that the repair job wasn’t done correctly.

 

4. Contact Your Insurance Company If Necessary

There will be times when a substandard mechanic or shop will simply refuse to take responsibility for anything. If you have inspected the work and raised your issues with management, and if they simply refuse to address your concerns, it is time to call your insurance company. They can certainly exert a little more pressure than you and so it can be helpful to get them involved in the process.

 

5. File A Formal Complaint

Most states have some sort of regulating body that governs auto repair. For instance, California has a “Bureau of Automotive Repair.” Most other states have similar agencies, so do a quick search online and find the correct agency for your state. If you cannot find anything else, you can always file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Getting a bad score from the BBB will definitely hurt a shop’s business, so they will be a little more motivated to listen.

 

Avoiding Substandard Shops

As we said earlier, the best way to keep these sorts of issues from happening is to choose the right repair shop in the beginning. Most repair jobs don’t involve these kinds of hassles, and that’s because most shops aren’t shoddy enough for the whole complaint process to be necessary. An auto shop depends on its reputation, as that is the best way to stand out from the competition. Even if they don’t think your complaint is valid, most of them will try to make sure their customers leave happy.

The most common way to filter out the dregs is to seek a recommendation from friends or family. You can simply ask them: “do you know of a good auto body shop near me?” to find out which repair shop they prefer. You should also ask them about their experiences with that shop.

Online research is another helpful tool, as you can look up all sorts of reviews and testimonials to help guide your decision. Just be aware that people sometimes try to “review-bomb” their competitors while “astroturfing” support for themselves. So, we can see that both good and bad reviews have the possibility of being fake. Because of this, you should never trust a single review or even a handful of them. It’s much better to look at the total picture and see if the majority of this company’s customers are pleased with the service.

 

Conclusion

When your car is returned to you without being properly repaired, you do not have to simply walk away and deal with the problem. You have paid that auto body shop to do a job and you have every right to make sure they do it correctly. Of course, choosing a reputable auto shop will keep you from having to deal with all that hassle. If you are looking for some hassle-free accident damage repair, you can call Elmer’s Auto Body at (856) 218-0202.

Minor car accidents and scraps to your car are very common even though it is a driver’s worst nightmare. If you are ideally wanting to sell your car but have damaged it in an accident, this damage may affect and even reduce the value of your car. In this article, we will explore the different factors that could affect the value of your car after an accident.

 

Different Types Of Vehicle Damage

First of all, the biggest factor that may affect the value of your car after an accident is if the vehicle has undergone any damage and if it has, what extent of damage the vehicle has. Any kind of surface damage such as minor dents and scratches will have the least amount of effect on the value of your car as these are cosmetic flaws that can easily be repaired and restored. If your car has any structural damage or any damage affecting the engine, this could mean that your car has lost a lot of value.

When your vehicle is inspected, any structural or mechanical damages that have occurred to your vehicle will show up in the report and this will then mean you could be offered less for your car if you are trading it in or selling it privately. The insurance company may label your car as either salvaged or rebuilt. This means that the repairs to the car have cost more than the car was worth, making the car worth less. If the insurance company has labeled your car as either salvaged or rebuilt after an accident, you may find that the damage caused by the accident has been significant enough that your vehicle has lost its value.

 

Auto History

The history of your vehicle may also play a part when working out the value of your car. If you are planning on selling your car through a trader, the buyer will be able to view the car’s history on websites like AutoCheck or CarFax. The accident and damage will show up on the car’s repair history and this may turn off a potential buyer. Accidents will scare off potential buyers as buyers will doubt if the car will be reliable or will need more work in the future and how skilled the mechanic was when working on this particular repair.

 

Repairing Your Vehicle

The quality of the repairs after the accident will also determine if your car has lost any value. If your car has experienced a large amount of damage, it is worth your investment to take it to a reliable garage and make sure that the repairs that are done are correct. This is a sure way of holding on to as much of the car’s value as possible. If a new buyer wants to purchase the vehicle and look up the repair history, having an established garage linked to the repairs will help the buyer’s confidence in the vehicle’s safety and the work that was done.

It is also important that when you are having repair work done to your car that you use OEM parts where possible as this will help the repairs to remain undetectable and the value of your car to remain as high as possible.

If you have a large amount of damage to your car and your car has been labeled as salvaged, your car’s value will decrease. It is important to make sure that all repairs are done before attempting to sell your car as this will give you a higher chance of keeping as much of the car’s value as possible. A buyer will not want to purchase a car they will need to work on or deal with underlying issues and therefore it is best to get all repairs out of the way before selling.

 

What Kind Of Car Do You Own?

The other large factor that will determine how much your car is valued at after an accident is what kind of car you own. Even if your car has suffered some minor damage if your car is a good make and a popular model then the value of your car may not decrease by as much as you expected. If you are selling to a car dealer, the dealer may even pay you more than what you expected for your damaged vehicle as they will be able to complete the minor repairs and still sell it for a good price. A car can have minor damage from an accident but still have a lot of mileage left and be very sellable depending on the model.

Every vehicle’s beginning value is different depending on the year, make, model, color, and even features of the car. Therefore, after an accident, the value of the car will decrease depending on how popular the car is and how in demand the car is.

 

Aim To Recover The Value Of Your Car Before Selling

It is always best to aim to try and repair the damage to your vehicle after an accident in order to recover some of the lost value. There are several ways you can help recover the value of your vehicle. Using a reliable and trustworthy garage for your repairs will help a buyer trust that the car has been repaired safely and is fit for use. It is best to use original parts in order to keep the car as close to new as possible. If you need any repairs to your car after an accident call Elmer’s Auto Body today. Our teams at our auto body repair shops in South Jersey are ready to repair your vehicle back to its original form. Read more about our service here.

After an accident, people are often disoriented and confused. Even if you didn’t sustain any injury from the collision, the whole experience will probably leave you feeling a little bit stressed and rattled. In a situation like this, most of us just want to get the matter handled as quickly as possible so that things can go back to normal. However, it is essential to ask the right questions when taking your car to a shop after an accident.

 

1. A Repair Warranty

Although not all vehicle repairs require a warranty, body shop repairs should always have one. This is just a way to make sure that the shop is willing to guarantee their work to some extent. If they won’t do this, it signifies that they don’t have a lot of faith in their ability to fix your car correctly. Therefore, you should always ask about a repair warranty and find out the terms of that warranty.

 

2. Ask About An Estimate

No matter how much you need those repairs, it is important to get an estimate and make sure that you can afford them. It is best to figure this out before you have your car towed to a shop. Otherwise, if the estimate is too high, you will have to pay for another towing job.

 

3. Certifications

It is perfectly normal to ask about the certifications that a shop or mechanic might have. Bodywork is a big subject, and there is more than one relevant certification. Since most people do not have all of these certs, it is best to verify that your vehicle is being repaired by a qualified technician.

Don’t just take their word for it, either. Find out exactly which certifications they have, and then you can find out who issues those certs. Once you know that, you can look on that organization’s website or contact them directly. This is a good way to make sure that those certifications are both valid and current.

 

4. Range Of Services

Once again, bodywork is a big subject, and no one person can do everything. As such, not all body shops offer a full range of services. Some of them are highly specialized, which means they may not have the right people to do the job you need. Before bringing your vehicle to a body shop, you should definitely verify that they are willing and able to do the type of work that you need.

 

5. Completion Timeframe

If you are like most people, you need your car on an everyday basis. Being without a vehicle is a major inconvenience that can cause you to miss all sorts of commitments. For that reason, you should always ask for an approximate completion time. Bear in mind that it’s hard to predict that kind of thing, but they should be able to give you some kind of an estimate. If nothing else, this will give you an idea of how efficient this particular shop might be. You should also bear in mind that busy shops will usually take longer to get the job done.

 

6. Rental Cars Or Loaners

Once again, being without your vehicle for an extended period of time can be a massive inconvenience. If you have only one vehicle, that inconvenience becomes much bigger. For some people, this might simply be unacceptable. Unfortunately, employers are not always sympathetic to these kinds of problems, which can put you at risk of being disciplined or fired.

For that reason, it’s a good idea to see if the body shop offers rental or loaner vehicles. Even if such vehicles aren’t the best in the world, they can at least get you through until your vehicle is fixed. Most of the better body shops will have some kind of loan or rental plan. Even if they don’t offer loaner vehicles themselves, they may have a good business relationship with another company that does.

 

7. Dealing With The Insurance Company

Insurance companies are pretty much always involved with the process of collision repair. Not all vehicle repairs require that you deal with the insurance company, but collision repairs generally do. As such, you need to find out who will be dealing with the insurance company.

If the body shop in question has a good working relationship with your insurance company, they can probably handle most of those interactions. If not, then you will need to keep in contact with your insurance provider and make sure they are kept updated on the situation. They will probably also send an adjuster out to verify the damage and make their own estimate.

 

8. OEM Parts

OEM stands for “original engine manufacturer.” That’s just a fancy way of saying that these are original parts that come straight from the manufacturer. In most cases, OEM parts are the best option, so you should verify that your chosen body shop uses them.

 

Conclusion

Even if you are dealing with a credible and competent repair shop, it is very important to ask the right questions. If nothing else, it makes your expectations clear to all involved. You might be able to think of some other relevant questions before you head to any of the auto body shops in South Jersey. Of course, if you want the best NJ body shop, your best bet is to call Elmer’s Auto Body at (856) 218-0202.