The pandemic is complicating the process of getting your banged-up car looking new again.
鈥淭he biggest complaints we get about body shops are delays and shoddy workmanship,鈥� said Kevin Brasler with , 鈥渁nd these days the delays are severe.鈥�
A major issue is parts shortages because of ongoing supply chain crunches.
Brasler says it鈥檚 important to get a cost estimate, as always.
鈥淏ut it鈥檚 almost equally important these days to get a time estimate, because some shops seem to be doing better than others at getting cars fixed quickly, as opposed to months upon months of delays.鈥�
He added, 鈥淭hese days a lot of shops, in order to cut down on the time because of these big delays, are either seeking aftermarket parts or seeking used parts.”
Those parts can be fine if the shop can reassure you that their quality is on par with factory originals, Brasler said.
Even aside from shortages and delays, drivers seeking out body repairs have their work cut out for them.
鈥淎 lot of shops, they do great work for their customers, but we found that many shops have high, high percentages of unsatisfied customers,鈥� Brasler said. He also said there are huge differences in quality and price from shop to shop in the D.C. area.
Additionally, if a claim is going through your insurance or through another person鈥檚, 鈥渕ake sure you take the car to a shop of your choosing, because you鈥檙e going to likely need that shop in your corner to argue to the insurer about getting the repairs made well,鈥� he advised.
And don鈥檛 think that a trip to the dealer is a silver bullet.
鈥淥verall, new car dealers rated considerably lower than independents,鈥� in addition to being considerably more expensive, he said.
