Was Your Final Bill More Than Estimated? Two Reasons Why Auto Body Repair May Cost More Than The Original Estimate
If you have been involved in an automobile accident, you may not want to file a claim with your insurance company. Some people want to pay out of pocket in an attempt to keep the accident off of their driving record and to prevent their auto insurance rates from increasing. If this is the route you are taking, you may be getting estimates from auto body repair shops for your automobile damage. However, the estimate is not always accurate when it comes to auto body repair. Here are two reasons why your final bill from an auto body repair shop can wind up being higher than the original estimate that you were given.
Damage Can Be Hidden Beneath Panels
One of the reasons why your final bill for auto body repair may be more than originally estimated is because an auto body repair shop only writes an estimate based on the damage that they can see. Once they get your car in for repairs, they start to remove panels and parts from your car. This allows them to see more damage that may be hidden, such as damage to the chassis of your vehicle or the drive train. In some cases, damage to these parts may be obvious based on the extent of the accident, but in many cases, it can be hard to predict if there is damage or not until other parts start to come off.
Not Every Auto Body Repair Technique Works All The Time
The other reason why your auto body repair may cost more than the original estimate is because the technique that the repair shop intended to use on your car may not work. For example, a repair company may think that they can pull or pound out a dent. But, if the dent is stubborn or will not budge, it may need to be filled in. Filled in dents then need to be painted to ensure the compound matches your car. They also require more labor, which increases the cost of your repair. Not every repair technique works every time, and this can end up altering the final costs for your repairs.
It can be hard to predict how much auto body damage will cost to repair until the process of doing the repairs begins. A professional may find more damage than they expected hidden behind panels or underneath the car, or the method that they had intended to use for your repairs may not work on your vehicle. If you are having repair work done to your automobile, it is important to understand that an estimate is just an educated guess as to what it will cost to repair your vehicle based on what can be observed. Your final price may come in higher than originally estimated.
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