When Mother Nature does her thing, and your vehicle is the recipient of dozens-to-hundreds of hail-induced dings and dents you are well-advised to know everything you can about the process of the repair.

If you decide to make a claim with your insurance company, you will be required to allow the insurance adjuster to write an initial estimate of repair.  In many cases, these initial estimates are intentionally (and illegally) written “light”.  That is to say, the estimate is not enough to cover the actual cost of a quality repair.

Why would insurance adjusters intentionally write an estimate in violation of Colorado State law CRS 10-4-120, (II) (3) (b)? It is estimated that 50-70% of all hail damage claims are not repaired.  They take advantage of this knowledge. In other words, the insurance companies know that more than half of their insured (you) will cash the claim check without actually repairing the damage, choosing to put up with the dents and pocketing the claim money.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you cash the insurance claim check and decide not to repair your car, you in essence “settle” for the amount of that check.  Keep in mind that most insurance estimates are written “light”, and the actual value of your vehicle’s damage was not represented.  This becomes very important if you ever decide to sell your vehicle, as the entire amount of the damage (including diminished value) will be deducted from the purchase price.

Another very common practice on the part of many insurance companies is to strongly “suggest” that you take your car to one of their “preferred” shops.  In fact, after a hail storm, many insurance companies will set up an estimate station on the property of one of their preferred (DRP) auto body shops.  Under the guise of “customer convenience”, they will write the estimate and introduce you to the body shop management who will gladly schedule your vehicle’s repair on the spot.  This subtle form of “steering” (illegal in many states) puts pressure on you to use that body shop.  Buyer beware: you have the right to choose any body shop you want to repair your vehicle, and the insurance company is required by law to pay to have your car repaired to it’s pre-loss condition.  What YOU pay (your deductible) does NOT change… and in most cases, hail damage is considered an act of God, so your future rates will NOT be affected.

TRADITIONAL vs PDR

If you decide to move forward with repairing your vehicle, the body shop you choose will also write an estimate.  Depending upon the amount and severity of the hail damage, they will advise one of two courses of action: PDR (Paintless Dent Repair) or Traditional body work (or a combination of the two).  In many cases, PDR is the best for hail damage.

Nylund’s General Manager, John Groome says that “in most cases, we write our estimates with the intent to PDR hail damage wherever possible – as it is preferred to save a panel rather than replace a panel”.  There are cases when replacing a component is necessary, but those repairs often increase the complexity, cost or timeline of the vehicle’s repair.

NOTE: If the insurance company writes the estimate to replace your vehicle’s roof, there are literally dozens of questions that you should ask the body shop before moving ahead.  A roof replacement is a very complex repair that affects the vehicle’s structural integrity as well as many of the safety features.  If you’d like to discuss these questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Once the body shop’s estimate is complete, they will submit it to the insurance company – and typically there will be a back and forth until both companies agree to the repair plan.  The good news is, you rarely have to engage in that process.  If you chose an insurance company’s “preferred” body shop, there will be no back and forth, as they are directed by the insurance company to proceed with the least expensive repair.  If you choose Nylund’s Collision Center, we handle all of the details of your repair for you, making sure that no corners are cut, and that your vehicle will be repaired to perfection.

CONSUMER ALERT: After a large hail event, you may notice an influx of storm-chasing hail repair centers popping up around your community.  There is a significant risk in taking your car to one of these makeshift temporary “shops”.  Many times the techs are from out of state or even out of the country, and will be difficult or impossible to find should you require them to fix something they repaired.  It is far better to find a trusted, well-respected body shop who will do the repair right, and be there to stand behind their work.

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Some would have you believe that one part (third party or aftermarket) is just as good as the other (original manufactured) part.  This is a fundamental point of disagreement that we have with many insurance companies.  Fact: original parts are designed, patented, tested and safety rated by the manufacturer to offer the very best, safest driving experience possible.  Aftermarket parts, by the very definition of being “replicas” – are not the same as OEM parts.  They are not safety rated or crash tested. And when it comes to the safety of our guests and their families, we simply will not cut corners.

We are the first to acknowledge that our fight on behalf of your safety usually takes more time than simply going with the cheapest parts as recommended by the insurance companies.  We often have to correct their estimates multiple times.  Each delay instituted by the insurance company’s desire to cut costs and compromise safety ends up delaying the overall repair.  But this much we know: this fight is worth it.  Your safety is on the line.

I’m Robert Grieve.  My wife Carol and I are the very proud owners of Nylund’s Collision Center.  We fight… because #YourLivesMatter.

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It is with great pride, and much gratitude that we say thank you to our many guests in Highlands Ranch, Colorado for voting Nylund’s Collision Center the Best of the Best Body Shop 2015 via the Colorado Community Media.

We absolutely love what we do, and are committed to our ongoing pursuit of excellence in service and delivery of the amazing vehicles we are blessed to work on every day.

Here at Nylund’s… if it isn’t perfect – it isn’t leaving!

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You pay them every month from the time you’re 16 years old.  They tell you that you’re in good hands.  They assure you that you saved 15% or more in 15 minutes – and that you’ve made a good choice to insure with them.

Then the rains come down, and the floods come up… and the hail… the hail… the hail.  So you do what you’ve been trained to do – you call your insurance company and make a claim.  The adjuster comes out, looks at your vehicle and writes an estimate.  They write for the least expensive, often 3rd party or re-manufactured, ill fitting replacement parts.

The auto body shop you choose has everything to do with the quality of your repair.  If they are in some sort of partnership with the insurance companies, then they will likely put substandard parts into the repair of your vehicle.  If they cut corners in an effort to speed up the repair, those shortcuts could put your safety at risk – and will absolutely affect the resale value of your car.

WHEN SHOULD I CLAIM DIMINISHED VALUE?

It is almost always a wise decision to have a post-repair inspection after a collision repair IF YOU FIT THESE CRITERIA.  These inspections are performed by independent technicians, and reveal the quality of the repair.  Often such an inspection comes along with an estimate of diminished value of your vehicle.  Diminished value is defined as that portion of a damaged vehicle’s pre-loss value that has NOT been restored through the repair process.  Insurance companies do not tell their claimants about diminished value, but they ARE responsible to cover the difference in value (which is almost always thousands of dollars).

Consider this compelling video from our friends Mark’s Body Shop in Baltimore, MD:

Where do you go for a post-repair inspection?  There are many places.  Nylund’s Collision Center has always offered a free visual inspection for anyone wanting to check the quality of repairs performed at other shops.  And who do we refer our own guests to? We recommend the services of Auto Damage Experts, and David Smith. Ultimately, your safety is of paramount importance.  Secondarily, you are entitled to know if your repair was properly executed, and whether you are owed more money than the insurance company originally offered you.

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The front range of Colorado is considered the “hail capital of the United States”, and when storms roll through, it can flood the local auto body shops for months. This was the case recently, and Nylund’s has appointments to repair hail damage up to six months out. And our story isn’t unique – many shops have been inundated with hail damage claims.

Here’s the clip of Channel 4’s piece on hail damage:

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This is where the Nylund’s difference (#NylundsDone) comes into the equation.  From the moment you become our guest, we begin to advocate on behalf of your best interest with your insurance company.  Many times, insurance will write estimates that favor the lowest-cost (read: cheapest) repair in order to save THEM money.  At Nylund’s we write our estimates for safety first, and quality always.  In many cases, that means replacing original Manufacturer’s parts with new Manufacturer’s parts.  Third-party and used parts are simply not the same thing, and often do not fit as well.

As our guest, you will experience the very best in service.  If you require a rental car, we’ll make the arrangements.  While your vehicle is at our shop, we’ll take care of speaking to your insurance company.  And when we’re done, you’ll understand why hundreds of people every year trust only Nylund’s to repair their cars.

Have questions? Run ‘em by us.  Call 303-761-9219, or go ahead and stop on by.  It’s our pleasure to serve you.

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