Understanding Your Estimate

 ​After getting in an accident and reporting any damage to your insurance company, your next step is to get an estimate for repairing the damage to your vehicle.  This process can be very confusing and time consuming.  Here are a few tips to know before getting an estimate.

•  In the state of Minnesota, you are only required to get one estimate for your insurance company.  The second estimate given will be done by the insurance company that is paying for your repairs. 
• You can go to any auto body shop you prefer!  Just because an Insurance company has a preferred shop or a shop that they partner with, doesn’t mean it is any harder or easier to work with them.  Pick the shop that you feel most comfortable with.
• An estimate is the starting line for your repairs.  It maps out what parts will need to be ordered and approximately how many hours it will take to repair your vehicle giving you a time frame as to how long your vehicle will be in the shop. 
• There are several different programs that write estimates.  What this means to you is that when you go to two different shops and get two estimates, even if the repair methods and parts are the same, the total cost for repairs may be different.  This is because each estimating system has its own way of calculating how much time it takes to do each kind of repair.

 
Once you have received your estimate there is a lot of information to review. Here are a few things to look for and what they all mean.  Each item can affect the bottom line and the kind and quality of repair you are going to get. Also, because of all of the different types of parts there may be a huge price difference between estimates.

What kind of parts are on your estimate?  There are several different kinds of parts that can be used when repairing your vehicle. ​

• The first category is OEM or factory parts.  These parts are made by the manufacturer of your vehicle. 

• ​ The second type of parts are called OE Surplus parts.  Although these parts are new, they generally were rejected at one point in time for various reasons and are now being sold at a discounted price.  

• The third type of part that you may see is a recycled part.  These parts are typically purchased from a salvage yard and are usually a better option then aftermarket or OE Surplus parts.

• ​The fourth kind of part you could see are Reconditioned parts.  These parts were damaged at one time, repaired and then resold.

• ​Lastly, you may see aftermarket parts.  Often they will appear as PXN parts or Quality Replacement Parts.  These parts are made by someone other than your vehicles manufacturer.  Most often these parts are not as high of quality and do not have the same fit and finish as a factory part. 

​Check the labor rates.  Right above the total amount owed on the estimate will be different types of labor, usually they will be grouped into body, mechanical, frame and refinish.  Different shops do have different labor rates.  When looking over your insurance companies estimate, they will use what is called a prevailing rate.  This is the average rate charged per shop based on surveys that are conducted.  Most shops will work with what was written.  

At the bottom of most estimates there will be miscellaneous entries.  These are for the most part pretty standard practices that pertain to repairing a vehicle, but not necessarily a specific part of a vehicle.  Just a quick explanation of these items, flex additive is used for paint to adhere to plastic parts, corrosion protection is used when repairing a part to prevent rust, color tint is extra time set aside for getting a good color match to your vehicle’s existing paint color, a car cover will prevent paint from getting on areas of the car that it is not supposed to be on and hazardous waste is charged any time a body shop paints to dispose of any hazardous materials.

Finally, you may see the acronym R & I Assembly.  This stands for remove and install.  Some repairs are not able to be made unless the panel has nothing on it.  For example, when repairing a door, we will need to R&I the door handle, mirror and any nameplates or moldings before being able to repair and paint the door.

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An estimate is really a starting point for your repairs.  If items are missing or incomplete your repair may be delayed.  When working with the insurance company, regardless of how much the repairs end up totaling, you will be responsible for your deductible.  In other words, if you have a $500.00 deductible and you get two estimates with one estimate you get totaling $1,000.00 and a second estimate you get totaling $2,000.00, in both cases you will only be responsible for your $500.00 deductible. If you ever find yourself in a situation and you don’t understand what an estimate says stop by.  We are happy to compare estimates and explain what each line means!

​At Precision Collision Auto Body we understand the importance of convenient and quality service. If you have been in an accident and need a tow, give us a call at (320) 685-5310 and we will help get you back on the road. We offer free estimates and work with all insurances, and self-paying customers. Click here to schedule your estimate. 

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