4 Things to Look For | Olson’s Auto Body

• Sep 25, 2017

If you own a car, there’s a chance that you will be involved in an accident at some point in your life. Driving defensively can help you to avoid this eventuality, and it’s something to keep in mind whenever you're behind the wheel. Occasionally, however, mistakes made by other drivers can put you in a situation you simply can't avoid.

If you experience a collision, the odds are that you'll need to find a collision and auto body repair shop. Choosing a good shop for your collision repairs is important, and you may feel overwhelmed by your options. Here are four things to look for when deciding which shop to use.

1. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

Anyone with the right tools can take a door off your car. However, if they don't actually know what they're doing, they may damage your vehicle in the process. When you take your vehicle to a collision repair service, you want them to complete the repairs as quickly as possible without causing further damage to your vehicle or leaving it with any visible cosmetic issues.

Technical and professional certifications are a good metric to use when considering how well a shop will perform in this regard. You'll want to look for certificates stating that the shop is I-CAR Gold certified. Many shops also have additional third-party certifications. These professional certifications go a long way toward establishing the shop’s credibility.

2. LIFETIME LIMITED WARRANTY

Some people are surprised to learn that most credible auto body repair shops offer a warranty on their services. Many credible shops will provide a lifetime warranty on the services they rendered. A warranty is essentially the shop's way of saying that they have confidence in their own work.

Re-performing repairs would cost a repair shop a pretty penny. A warranty means that the shop has a history of doing things right the first time. This is a good indication that the work they perform will withstand the test of time.

3. FAIR PRICES

Of course, price is an important consideration when deciding who to use for any service. Auto body repair is no different. When shopping around, consumers should search out a few different estimates to be sure they are being offered a fair price for the repairs.

The price for labor in the auto repair industry can vary by location from as low as $40 an hour to as high as $90 per hour. With this in mind, if you feel that the estimates you're getting are too expensive you could consider looking a little farther from home. As always, remember that if a price seems too good to be true, it probably is. You should never make a decision based on price alone.

4. CUSTOMER REFERRALS

As you look for an auto repair shop, you may find that there are several options with comparable pricing and qualifications. When faced with a situation like this, your best option is to talk with other customers to see what their experience was like with a given shop. Online customer reviews and organizations like the Better Business Bureau are great resources when trying to learn more about a collision repair shop.

Looking for a reliable auto body shop? Consider using Olson's Auto Body for your collision and auto body repair needs. We're a full-service body shop for both domestic and foreign vehicles, we are I-CAR Gold certified, and we offer a lifetime limited warranty on all of our work. So if you’re ever in an accident, trust that our friendly and experienced technicians will have you back on the road in no time.

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