Tips For Buying A Quality Used Car

Why Have an Auto Shop Fix Your Car After an Accident?

13 June 2016 by Jessie Ruiz

Even if your insurance company will pay for repairs after an accident, you may still be facing a deductible or other costs that go along with having your car fixed. To reduce these costs as much as possible, you might be thinking of managing your own repairs. Before you assume this is a good way to avoid costs and to get the repairs done quickly, note a few reasons to have an auto shop repair your car after an accident, no matter the extent of the damage.

Legal guidelines

Do you know all the legal requirements for your car to be considered road worthy, and for avoiding tickets if the police should see you on the road? Chances are, you may know the basics, including having working brake lights and a windscreen in good repair, but you may not know all those requirements. As an example, in many areas it's illegal to have a bumper that isn't properly attached to the car. The same might be true for side mirrors and even the mirror inside your car. Rather than risk getting pulled over and getting a ticket for repairs that aren't considered road worthy, you would do well to have an auto shop handle them for you.

Additional testing and diagnostics

When you handle your own smash repairs, you might think that you can readily see all the damage that's been done; however, a repair shop can perform testing and diagnostics needed to note if there is damage you're overlooking. For example, wiring may have come loose after a collision, or a hose may have gotten split or cracked. If left unchecked, fluids could drain from the transmission, oil pan, and elsewhere, and your car could suffer unnecessary wear and tear. Those fluids could also drip on other parts and cause damage to them. Rather than assume you can assess all the damage done to your car on your own, have a good repairperson check it thoroughly.

Damaging your car

If you don't manage smash repairs properly, you could actually be doing damage to your car. As an example, if you sand or grind down the body where it has a dent, you might take off too much metal and, in turn, your filler material won't protect it properly. Your car then might be more prone to rust and corrosion. If you drill holes to reattach a bumper or to add protective metal plating over certain areas, these holes too much expose the car to potential rust formation. To avoid inadvertently causing more damage, it's good to leave these accident repairs to a professional.

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