Many people ask us, “What is the danger with using an insurance company’s preferred repair shop for my vehicle repairs?”

The idea is this: you are making a large-scale financial decision that has a real and lasting impact on what may be one of your largest financial assets: your vehicle. Not all repairs are made equal, and many repairs performed everyday are even below necessary safety standards. If a repair is performed on your vehicle, there are lasting financial (or worse: safety) impacts to consider when choosing how and where your car is repaired. Generally, when we examine or diagnose vehicles that are repaired at “preferred shops,” we find astonishing lapses in quality and safety in how the vehicle is repaired.

If you think about it, this makes sense. The insurance company in question is liable for paying for repairs to your vehicle. They want to limit their financial liability as much as possible; so if they have a special relationship with the people doing the repairs on your car, what is to stop them from ordering the shop to “save money” here and there? This practice is, unfortunately, a very real and documented phenomenon. What’s worse

It is for these reasons that we are proudly free of ALL insurance contracts or “preferred” agreements. We work directly for our customers and refuse to allow anyone to compromise the quality that people deserve.

Below is a link to a report from a North Carolina ABC affiliate showing one couple’s horror story in dealing with a State Farm “preferred shop.” They even had issues with getting their car repaired correctly under their State Farm-endorsed warranty. Don’t let this happen to you! Choose an independent collision repair facility that will work directly for YOU without any other special interests.