Rated Dent & Hail Repair Specialist
Dent & Ding Surgeon is not affiliated with any insurance Direct Repair Program (DRP). These types of programs often seek price breaks and other concessions designed to save insurance companies money and often facilitate less than high-quality repair service for your vehicle.
We will not sacrifice quality to return money to insurance companies in the form of generous discounts with the expectation of future business. We believe that this activity only results in cutting corners that sacrifice quality. All our Hail Damage Repair work is performed to the highest standards and is 100% guaranteed!
As the policyholder, your obligation is the amount of your deductible and remains that way wherever you decide to have your vehicle repaired. Don’t become a victim of “illegal steering” to a preferred provider by your insurance company. Please do the research and take your vehicle to your top choice. You will be much happier with the results.
It is vital to protect yourself from “illegal steering.”
These practices are common, and at Dent & Ding Surgeon, we believe you should be fully aware in case you find yourself faced with such a situation. We are not trying to cast all insurance companies as criminals. Not all insurance companies follow these practices, but many do.
You, as the consumer, should know that insurance companies work for their bottom line, not for you as the policyholder. We are committed to making you aware of all your rights and options when dealing with your insurance company. We hope the following information is helpful as an educational service for you to make better choices about repairing your hail-damaged vehicle.
By law, you have the right to take your vehicle to the repair business of your choosing. Some insurance companies may attempt to steer you or intimidate you into believing that they will not guarantee the repairs if you have the vehicle repaired by someone other than one of their preferred repair shops.
This practice is not only illegal but incorrect. Each repair business carries their own guarantees and warranties for completed repairs. Insurance companies cannot and will not guarantee work done by a repair facility, and they will not warranty it! It is the individual repair business that provides these to you.
Hail Damage Repair Specialists in Northern Colorado
When you meet with the adjuster to assess the hail damage to your vehicle, make sure they view your vehicle indoors under fluorescent lighting or an LED light source. Estimating hail damage outside often leads to missed or overlooked damage due to variable lighting conditions that exist outdoors. This can lead to underestimates.
When repair costs are underestimated, the repair business will file a supplement on your behalf for your insurance company to approve.
Depending on the severity of hail damage, the insurance adjuster will write the estimate to repair by use of PDR exclusively, conventional auto body repair, or by a combination of both. Many body shops are familiar with PDR, but very few have trained technicians on staff as Dent & Ding Surgeon does.
Most body shops rely on subcontracted PDR businesses to complete these repairs.
After a hailstorm, PDR companies come to town from all over the country. Body shops use these companies to repair hail-damaged vehicles brought to their shops. The lower the body shop can contract with these companies to complete paintless dent repairs, the more they profit.
If panels become severely damaged, the body shop may need to remove the panel, straighten the dents, fill them with putty and paint or just replace the panel and paint. It’s not unusual to see a combination of methods utilized to complete repairs depending on the severity of damage caused by hail.
Dent & Ding Surgeon is Colorado’s Local PDR Specialist
Dent & Ding Surgeon is not a middleman company coming in from out of the area and performing subcontracted work. We are a local business performing paintless dent repair and are here to serve you directly.
Even if the insurance adjuster has estimated repairs by means of conventional auto body restoration, many times, PDR may still be feasible and successful. If there is any question as to the severity of damage, it is always advisable to consult with a PDR specialist first before making conventional body repairs. Only a PDR specialist will know what can and cannot be successfully repaired by means of paintless dent removal.
Another practice that can occur when you decide to take your vehicle to a repair facility of your choice is that they may notify you that you will be responsible for paying the difference in higher labor rates or repair costs. This is simply not true. Your insurer will pay what is “reasonable” and “customary” for repair charges completed at the repair facility of your choosing.
Your obligation is limited to your deductible amount. The insurance company will pay for the remainder of the final cost of repair.
If you own your vehicle free and clear, you have the right to keep your claim settlement or have the damage repaired. Do not inform them in any way that you may cash out on a claim. Many adjusters are experts in writing light estimates if you are cashing out.
Ultimately, you will typically never discover this since you are not repairing the vehicle. If you have received a settlement from your insurance company and your vehicle has sufficient value, it is always best to utilize the settlement to complete repairs for a number of reasons.
First, should future hail damage occur, you will need proof the former hail damage repair was completed. Second, if your vehicle sustains future collision damage, the insurance company may reduce the claim amount by the settlement amount plus deductible due to the present value of the vehicle (which still has hail damage).
Hail Damage Car Insurance Claim
Major hail damage could leave you with thousands of dollars of repairs and possibly no car to drive if you cannot complete the necessary repairs. Therefore, it is always advisable to complete the hail damage repairs in order to ensure a fair settlement and to be prepared if future claims become necessary.
Many times, adjusters set up at a body shop (a Direct Repair Program or DRP) to settle claims after a large hailstorm. This is where another form of steering can take place as the adjustor introduces you to the manager of the body shop once the claim has been completed. This can place direct pressure on you to schedule your vehicle for repair.
Take your time and ask around for recommendations from others. You may want to consult a PDR specialist. You do not need to make a decision on the spot! The choice of where you take your vehicle is yours.
This information and more are available on the National Alliance of Paintless Dent Repair Technicians’ (NAPDRT) website: (www.napdrt.org/hail_damage_honestinfo.htm).
