What you should ask before repairs are made

Modern automobiles pack a lot of technology under the hood — and elsewhere. On one hand, drivers now have traction control, antilock brakes, parking assist, air bags for everyone; but on (or in) the other hand, drivers have cell phones. Or Whoppers. Or they simply get distracted. Bottom line: Stuff still happens out there on the road. And when it happens to you, you need a good auto body shop.

Bay Area Consumers’ Checkbook and Checkbook.org evaluated 126 Bay Area shops, and the good news is that lots of them were very highly rated by their customers. More than a quarter of the shops were rated superior for overall quality service quality by 95 percent of their surveyed customers. But be careful out there: A handful of shops received the superior rating from 65 percent or less of their surveyed customers. Auto bodywork is difficult to do well. Just patching rust spots and blending paint are tricky challenges. Below the surface, precision is equally critical — an error of less than one-sixteenth of an inch in the adjustment of a modern car body frame can affect performance.

Technicians also must understand the properties of metals and plastics; the mechanics of hightech suspension and steering systems; modern welding methods; the art of paint tinting and blending. And they need to be able to identify and repair mechanical, electrical, air-conditioning and other systems.

If an insurance company is paying for the repairs, as is the case with more than 80 percent of auto bodywork, you need a shop that won’t let the insurer cut corners. Does the shop provide a clear estimate? Can its representative explain and document the need for each element of the job? If so, chances are good that the shop will get your

insurance company to pay for all needed work. Overall, how well the shop communicates with you is a good indicator of how well it will advocate for you.

If your car suffers only minor damage, and you are certain there are no structural or other safetyrelated problems, you probably will be asked to use a drive-in claims center that will provide an authorized repair-cost figure and the names of body shops willing to make the repairs for that amount. Using a drive-in service is convenient and should be satisfactory when there is only cosmetic damage.

Some insurers offer another option: Take your car to a company-designated shop and have the repairs made with no estimate. This is an acceptable arrangement if you need only minor repairs.

If it’s possible that your car suffered more serious damage, take it (or have it towed) to a top-rated shop and have the insurer send its estimator there, rather than an insurance company’s drive-in appraisal center. The independent body shop will provide a better evaluation of the damage than an insurance company looking to keep down the costs of claims, and the best shops will serve as your advocate in dealings with the insurance company. Don’t

count on your insurance company to look out for your interests. Also, bringing your car to a body shop rather than an insurance company’s drive-in appraisal center allows the company’s adjuster to make a thorough inspection for hidden damage.

If an insurance company is paying for your repair work, make sure that the shop will use parts from the original manufacturer, since there is some concern over the quality of other parts.

If there’s a dispute with the insurer, especially over costs, and your claim is on your own policy, check the policy for an arbitration provision. Arbitration can be timeconsuming (meaning you’ll probably have to pay repair costs yourself while arbitration proceeds), but it gives you a good chance to get a fair shake.

Checkbook’s undercover shoppers called shops to ask for estimates on specific repairs and found drastically different prices, with some shops charging fees that were more than twice as much their competitors’ for the exact same jobs. For example, to replace the front bumper cover on a 2013 Honda Accord LX using new parts, prices ranged from $850 to $1,900. And Checkbook found no relationship between price and customer satisfaction. Shops that quoted the lowest prices actually scored better on its customer survey questions than shops that quoted high prices.

Ask about guarantees. Most offer a minimum of 30 days against defects in parts, materials and workmanship; some high-quality shops offer six months or longer (varying by type of job). Get any guarantee in writing.

Once the work is finished, take the time to check your car thoroughly before taking it home.

Look and feel whether repaired surfaces are smooth and paint has the proper gloss and color. Take a test drive if the damage was substantial. The car should function as it did before the accident.