5 Tips for Choosing the Right Auto Body Shop

With rocks, shopping carts and various other typical hazards, it’s not extremely uncommon to see a scratch in your car, either in the paint or the windshield. Left untreated, any scrape can cause significant issues, from rust and corrosion as a result of paint scratch exposing the metal to a small windshield scratch that spreads out until an entire windshield replacement is needed. To lessen this sort of damage, it is important that whenever your get a scratch to repair it immediately at a shop like Jungerman CARSTAR in St. Peters, MO.

When you do get a paint scratch or windshield scratch in St. Charles, O'Fallon and Lake St. Louis, Missouri, the best thing to do in most cases is use a professional repair company.

To fix a deep paint scratch that goes all through the paint to the metal, a paint and body repair center such as Jungerman CARSTAR will do the best job in completely fixing the abrasion. To fix this type of scratch, the technician will need to strip the affected panel, prime it and paint it. Jungerman CARSTAR in St. Peters, MO has the ability to correctly match the color of your vehicle. Depending on your insurance plan, you may get your glass scratch repaired without paying anything out of pocket. No matter if you get a paint scratch or a glass scratch, repair it without delay. The harm your vehicle could sustain from not having a scratch fixed can be both severe and expensive.

But how do you know what auto body shop to visit? It isn't unheard of for estimates from assorted body shops to vary significantly. One shop might give you an estimate for $500 while another wants $2,000 for the work. What's the difference? And when is it fine to choose the cheaper shop?

Here are some ideas from Jungerman CARSTAR in St. Peters, MO for choosing the most appropriate shop in St. Charles, O'Fallon and Lake St. Louis, Missouri to work on your car — especially if you're the one paying the bills.

1) Pay Attention to Word-of-Mouth
Any business can advertise, but you will fare better with a shop that friends, family and acquaintances suggest. It's a business that has confirmed it can satisfy customers. And it might not be the largest or best-known shop in your community. In some instances, you may get a suggestion for a little shop where the owner works on the cars himself.

2) Consider the Operation's Location and Overhead
Labor hours is the deal-breaker for exactly how much a repair will set you back. Many shops charge $40 per hour for labor. But in ritzy parts of West Los Angeles, the per-hour labor charge is $60-$65. In wealthy Newport Beach, California, we have seen as much as $90-per-hour labor charges.

3) Get Several Estimates

Taking your car or truck to a few auto body shops in the St. Peters, MO area for repair quotes is the ideal way to avoid overcharges. And while you'll want to protect against being overcharged, you should never simply take the cheapest quote. You might get some kind of midnight guy who will say he can do it really cheap. Stay away from those guys, since there is something they're not doing. You may have major problems in the future.

4) Ask the Right Questions
When deciding on a body shop, don't go in with your wallet open. Ask some essential questions. Does the shop provide a written warranty? And if that's the case, for how long? Precisely what does the warranty cover?

Another key question is whether the shop carries fire and theft insurance. You need to be sure you're covered if your automobile is destroyed, stolen or burglarized. Remember to ask how long the shop has been doing business. Make sure it has a business license.

You will also want to know about the types of materials the shop wants to use. Are new, used or aftermarket body parts likely to be used? New parts are clearly the best and used parts are okay, though they won't offer the savings people imagine. Dependent on the damage to your car or truck, aftermarket parts can save a lot of money and can be every bit as good as the ones that come from the initial manufacturer. If paint work is involved, ask how many coats of paint and clear coat the shop intends to use.

5) Follow Your Intuition
Finally, it is important to trust your instinct about the shop you are considering. If a shop is not busy, maybe that's because customers in the St. Peters, MO area are keeping away from it as a result of shoddy repairs. If the place is really dirty, cluttered or disorganized, this may reflect the type of work you could expect the shop to do with your automobile. Is the shop owner or manager a grouch that seems to resent giving answers to your questions? You'll be happier with a shop where the owner communicates well and is straightforward with clients.

As you are out searching for an estimate, why not check in with Jungerman CARSTAR ? They would love to offer you a fair estimate backed by a lifetime warranty.