5 Tips for Choosing the Right Auto Body Shop

With rocks, shopping carts along with other frequent hazards, it’s not extremely uncommon to identify a scratch in your motor vehicle, either in the paint or the windshield. Not dealt with, any scrape can cause significant problems, from rust and corrosion caused by a paint scratch exposing the metal to a small windshield scratch that stretches until a total windshield replacement is needed. To lessen this type of damage, it is vital that whenever your get a scratch to repair it straight away at a shop like Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair in Arnold, MO.

When you do get a paint scratch or windshield scratch in Arnold, Oakville, Imperial, and Jefferson County, MO, the best thing to do generally is use a professional repair company.

To fix a deep paint scratch that goes all through the paint to the metal, a paint and body repair center such as Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair will do the best job in entirely repairing the scratch. To fix this sort of scratch, the technician will need to strip the affected panel, prime it and paint it.

Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair in Arnold, MO has the ability to completely match the color of your motor vehicle. Depending on your insurance plan, you might get your glass scratch repaired without paying anything out of pocket. No matter if you get a paint scratch or a glass scratch, get it fixed promptly. The damage your car could sustain from not having a scratch fixed can be both serious and costly.

But how do you know what auto body shop to head to? It isn't uncommon for estimates from assorted body shops to differ wildly. One shop may give you an estimate for $500 while another wants $2,000 for the work. What's the difference? And when is it fine to select the cheaper shop?

Below are great tips from Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair in Arnold, MO for choosing the best shop in Arnold, Oakville, Imperial, and Jefferson County, MO to work on your vehicle — particularly when you're the one paying the bills.

1) Pay Attention to Word-of-Mouth
Any business can advertise, but you'll do better with a shop that friends, family or acquaintances endorse. It's a business that has confirmed it can satisfy customers. And it might not be the largest or best-known shop in the neighborhood. Occasionally, you may get a suggestion for a little shop where the owner works on the vehicles himself.

2) Consider the Operation's Location and Overhead
Labor hours is the deal-breaker for how much a repair will cost. Many shops charge $40 per hour for labor. However in the ritzy parts of West L. A., the per-hour labor charge is $60-$65. In wealthy Newport Beach, California, there's been up to $90-per-hour labor charges.

3) Get Several Estimates
Taking your car to a few auto body shops in the Arnold, MO area for repair quotes is the best way to avoid overcharges. And while you'll want to protect against being overcharged, you should not simply take the cheapest quote. You may get some type of midnight guy that will say he is able to do it really cheap. Stay away from those guys, since there is something they aren't doing. You might have major problems down the road.

4) Ask the Right Questions
When finding a body shop, don't go in with your pocketbook open. Ask some key questions. Does the shop offer a written warranty? And if that's the case, for how long? How much does the warranty cover?

Another key question is whether the shop carries fire and theft insurance. You need to be sure you're covered if your car is destroyed, stolen or burglarized. Don't forget to ask how long the shop has been in business. Make sure it has a business license.

You will also want to know about the types of materials the shop plans to use. Are new, used or aftermarket body parts likely to be used? New parts are obviously the best and used parts are fine, though they don't provide the savings people think. Dependent on the damage to your car or truck, aftermarket parts can avoid using too much money and may be every bit as good as the ones that come from the original manufacturer. If paint work is involved, ask how many coats of paint and clear coat the shop plans to use.

5) Follow Your Intuition
Ultimately, it is important to trust your intuition about the shop that you are thinking about. If a shop isn't really busy, maybe that's because customers in the Arnold, MO area are steering clear of it as a result of shoddy repairs. If the place is really dirty, cluttered or disorganized, this might reflect the kind of work you could expect the shop to do with your automobile. Is the shop owner or manager a grouch who seems to resent addressing the questions you have? You will be happier with a shop where the owner communicates well and is straightforward with customers.

When you're out looking for an estimate, why not check in with Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair ? They would love to give you a fair estimate supported by a lifetime warranty.