According to car insurance industry estimates, the average driver files a collision claim every 17.9 years. Most drivers will be involved in a car accident at some point in their lives. Most of the time these accidents are minor, but even minor accidents can lead to the need for collision repair. Getting a car repaired takes both time and money and often involves going through the claims process with an insurance company. Here are three things to know about collision repair.
Cost
The first thing that any driver should know is that there's a pretty good chance that they will end up having to pay some money to have their car repaired. The average cost of collision repair is $2,500. While auto insurance will pick up much of this cost, the driver is often responsible for the cost of the deductible. Auto insurance deductibles can range from a couple of hundred dollars to over a thousand dollars. There may also be a separate collision deductible. The driver is on the hook for the deductible. If it's a thousand dollars, they will end up paying that amount.
Collision Repair Can Take Time
Another thing that drivers should know about collision repair is that it can take time to be completed. This can mean being without a car for a few days or even weeks. Minor repairs usually take one to two days to be completed. It can take a couple of weeks to fix any internal components that were damaged. Extensive damage can have a car in the shop for over a month. Depending on the amount of damage, drivers may need to arrange alternate transportation.
The Driver Has Choices
While the driver's auto insurance may have a preferred collision repair service that they use, the driver is not required to go with that service in most cases. Drivers are able to choose who does their collision repair. Often the driver has a repair service that they prefer. Sometimes another repair service will be able to complete the repairs faster than the insurance preferred shop. Drivers have the ability to get multiple quotes from multiple services. At the end of the day, the driver gets to decide who does the collision repair on their car.
At some point, most drivers will need collision repair on their car. While auto insurance will likely pick up much of the cost, the driver is still responsible for their deductible. Collision repair can also take time. Minor repairs can be completed in a few days, but extensive repairs can take months. The driver is also able to choose which collision repair services they want to go with in most cases.
