It’s important to have a good time. Your car is an extremely important part of your life. Driving is an impossible option for most people. You need your car to get you to work and to take you to your appointments.
A large concern following an auto accident involves the time needed to do any mechanical or body repair work. We are often asked by our customers “How long does it take to fix my car?”. Collision repair is complex so there might not be an easy answer. If your insurance company estimates that you will need to wait 2-3 days for the work to be completed, this is probably unrealistic.
It’s better for you to ask them. We’ve created a guide to assist car owners in estimating how long a vehicle may need to remain at the collision shop.
7 Factors that Influence the Time Taken to Perform Collision Repairs
These are the seven largest variables that will impact the amount of time it takes to fix a car.
1. Damage extent
The extent of the damage is the first factor that will impact the amount of time required to complete auto body and mechanical repairs. For example, if the vehicle has a simple paintless ding repair, the turnaround time might be shorter. The shop will take longer if the car is badly dented or has multiple scratches and needs repainting.
2. Repair Claims Process
You can expect to wait between 6-14 days to get started on your vehicle’s repair when working with an insurance company. This includes:
2- 3 days to inspect the damage, estimate, and submit a claim.
The claim can be reviewed by the insurance company within four days. They may also request additional information or complete extra inspections.
It could take up to 7 working days for the insurance company approval to process the damage claim.
3. Hidden Surprises
If a car owner asks for an estimate from technicians, they will also provide an estimate of the amount of time needed to fix it. But, this is just an estimate. Repair techs cannot assess the extent and severity of the damage on the surface. The vehicle’s large panels prevent them from seeing behind it. This means that their estimate of the work required and the time it will take to complete the repair may change once they have started.
4. Insurance Supplements
According to our experience, repairs should be completed with a supplement in 85-95% percent of cases. This can slow down the repair process. The shop will determine if additional parts or labor are needed and submits the supplement request . then has to wait until the insurance agency gives the ‘OK. Sometimes, this requires that an insurance adjuster comes to the shop to inspect the car before the request is approved. Approval for supplementation from the car insurance company can take between two and seven days.
As you wait for a reply, your vehicle will be placed in the back of the car queue. Once the supplement is approved, it will be restored to the main line. We make it a practice to communicate with customers after a request has been sent to the estimator. This lets them know that the vehicle remains on hold while we wait to hear back. Once the insurance adjuster has agreed to the supplement, parts can be ordered.
5. Place an order for parts
This is an important factor in estimating repair costs and it can also lead to some frustrating delays. Here’s why:
It is rare for body shops to have auto parts on hand. Every part for a particular vehicle must be ordered custom-made, depending on the repair required.
The shop will need time to wait for the insurance company approval of the original claim as well as any additional requests before ordering the parts.
Sometimes, delays can occur in getting approved claims and supplements.
Parts usually arrive within a few working days. However, there are sometimes shipping delays.
Parts ordered to replace domestic vehicles may take longer to arrive.
Suppliers can sometimes make mistakes and send out the wrong part.
Many insurance policies require that you use re-conditioned aftermarket part. However, there are times when the part we receive doesn’t fit or meets our quality standards. The shop will need the order of another aftermarket part. The shop cannot order the correct OEM part, if the other component provided doesn’t fit.
6. Scheduling Repair Work
There are many collision repair shops. The staff will need time to assess the damage done and make an estimate. The staff can then enter the estimated work into the system and schedule it. It is likely that the shop has many customers at once. Therefore, work must be prioritized according the order they were received.
If additional information is submitted, the car will not be given priority until the insurance approves. The work can then resume according to the schedule.
7. Skills of Collision Repair Staff
You can also make a significant difference in the length of the wait time for your car to get fixed by the technicians at your preferred auto body shop. Technicians with experience and expertise can estimate the work more accurately, make quality repairs, speed up the process, and do it quicker.
