What people ask after a wreck
The questions that come up on the phone in the first days after a collision, answered the way we would answer them out loud.
The choice of shop is yours
Florida law gives the vehicle owner the right to decide where the repair happens. Your carrier writes the estimate and pays the claim. The car goes where you say.
An adjuster may recommend a shop. That is a recommendation, not an instruction, and choosing somewhere else does not void your claim. You do not have to explain yourself.
The stage where the estimate usually changes. Once the cover and the lamps are off, whatever was hiding behind them goes on the file.
The questions that come up most
The same handful arrives on nearly every call. Estimates are free, whether or not a claim gets filed. Nothing is repaired before the adjuster approves it.
- Deductible
- You pay the deductible when you collect the car; the carrier pays us the approved balance.
- Supplements
- Damage nobody could see gets found once the panels come off, photographed, and sent to the adjuster as a supplement.
- Parts
- Policies differ on new manufacturer, aftermarket, or used original parts, and we will tell you which the estimate is written for.
- Rental car
- A rental comes out of your policy, usually capped per day and per claim, so ask your carrier what your limit is.
- Total loss
- If the repair gets close to what the vehicle is worth, the carrier can pay you the value instead of fixing it.
- Paying it yourself
- A small repair often costs less than the deductible, so ask us for the cash price before you open a claim.
Be careful with anyone who offers to make your deductible disappear. That money still comes from somewhere, and the paperwork carries your signature.
This is general information. Your policy, and what your carrier puts in writing, is the authority on what you are covered for.
What we need to start
Four things get a file moving. The first two come from your carrier, the rest from the car.
- Claim
- The carrier's name and the claim number, once one has been opened.
- Adjuster
- Name and direct number, if one has been assigned yet.
- Photographs
- One from far enough back to show the whole side, the rest up close.
- The vehicle
- Year, make, model, and the VIN from the base of the windshield.
- Where it is going
- Tell the adjuster the car is going to Auto Body & Frame on Dyer Blvd.
If the claim is a day old and none of that exists yet, send the photos anyway. We can write from those and add the claim number later.
We read the estimates inbox Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. We are closed Saturday and Sunday, so weekend mail is read Monday.
Bring us the claim number
If the car is drivable, come by during shop hours and we will write the estimate while you wait. Not drivable? Tell us where it is and we will arrange the tow.
Towing is billed to you or to your claim. Send photos first either way and we will start from those.