FREQUENTLY  ASKED  QUESTIONS

Can an insurance company choose my repair shop?
No, the choice is yours and yours alone. While there are direct repair options presented by the insurance company when you make a claim, your right to choose will always be upheld. Hargrave's works with virtually every insurance carrier and has managed to maintain an unsurpassed reputation for quality service and integrity with our customers and insurance companies since 1945.

If the insurance company's estimate is lower than that of
my shop of choice, must I pay the difference?
No, your insurance carrier must negotiate in good faith with your choice of shop to arrive at an agreed price for repairs. It is the role of the professional collision repairer to be an advocate for his or her customer by working with an insurer to document and identify physical damage.

Once an insurance company issues a check, am I responsible for any additional charges?
Any estimate is just that - an estimate. An appraiser can only report that damage which is visible. When additional damage becomes evident as the repair progresses, a claim can be reopened and a supplemental payment issued. In fact, most large collision repairs require at least one supplement to the original estimate.

Will I be forced to use the repair shop with the lowest bid?
The repair facility which writes the lowest estimate is not necessarily the best place to have your car repaired. In fact, obtaining repairs from the low bidder is usually not in the best interest of the customer. When one considers the safety issues involved in collision repair, as well as the considerable investment one has in his or her vehicle, the value of quality repairs becomes clear. A modern, well equipped collision repair center represents an enormous investment in equipment, training and people. As is often the case with goods and services, one gets what one pays for. Remember, the choice of shops is entirely up to you!

Once my car's frame is bent, will it ever be right again?
The collision repair industry has come a long way with regard to structural repairs. Years ago, a car with a bent frame was often considered a total loss due to the lack of equipment and training in these types of repairs. And unfortunately, some vehicles with bent structural members were returned to their owners without the necessary corrections made. These cars wore out tires prematurely, tracked erratically, or were otherwise unsafe.

Today, however, the science of repairing collision damage has come a long way. Contemporary vehicles are held to much tighter tolerances than the ball park standards of the full frame vehicles of the 60's and 70's. For example, an average Toyota will vary in dimensions as little as 3 millimeters from car to car.

These new build standards demanded new repair technology and skills in collision repair. Today, there is repair equipment with the ability to perform more accurately and to closer tolerances than those of the original manufacturers.
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