Being in a collision is something nobody wants to experience. Whether it is your first time or you’ve been unfortunate enough to have gone through it before, there will be an anxious period of time while you wait for the collision repair estimate. If you’re insured, you might not be overly concerned, other than how the claim might affect your future premiums. If you aren’t insured, you are quite concerned as you’ll need to pay for the collision repair yourself.
While every collision repair facility is going to have their own rates based on the typical prices in the area, their expertise, and other factors, there is a general way to look at what you can expect to affect your collision repair estimate.
- Part Replacement with No Painting Needed – This is going to be the lowest collision repair estimate, in most cases. The cost will depend on the part itself, but labor involves just replacement, rather than the expertise of an auto body painting professional.
- Body Work with No Underlying Damage – Replacing a bumper or fender is going to be more affordable than dealing with damage to several vehicle components. For example, if you run into something and only the bumper was affected, that estimate will be lower than if the radiator and hood were also damaged.
- Vehicle is Damaged to Point of Being Difficult to Drive – This is a sign that there are some major problems that need resolved, so you can expect your collision repair estimate to reflect the multitude of parts and labor involved.
- Extensive Damage, Undriveable – Unless the vehicle is a total loss, in which case a collision repair estimate would be unnecessary, you can expect this type of damage to be costly. It may not even be feasible to proceed if the car’s value doesn’t warrant the collision repairs.
Any collision repair estimate is based on the parts and materials needed, as well as the labor cost. The more time and expertise that is needed to make the repair, the higher the labor will be. You should always get a written estimate before letting the work be completed.
