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First Time Getting Auto Body Work Done? 2 Tricks For Saving Money

21 September 2016

Leonard White

Getting auto body work done on your vehicle can be really expensive; here are three tricks to employ that will help you save a little money while you get the body of your vehicle fixed.

#1 Screen Auto Body Shops

Instead of calling a bunch of shops, describing what is wrong with your vehicle and waiting to get detailed quotes, screen multiple auto body shops by asking a few different questions. The first question you should ask is how much they charge per-hour for auto body work and for paint work. Auto body and paint work are often charged at different rates, so this will let you get a better idea of what the labor hours will cost you. This will help you easily determine if a shop's labor hours are inside or outside of your budget.

Next, ask what the typical turnaround time is right now. If the shop can't tell you that, ask how many vehicles they have waiting for repair and how long it would take them to get to your vehicle if you brought it in today. Auto body work often requires time to let things dry and settle, and can take a while to complete. You don't want to add onto the time you will not have your vehicle by taking it somewhere that can't even get to your vehicle for a couple of weeks. Your time is valuable as well.

Finally, if you don't have a back-up vehicle, find out if they have free or discount rental vehicles that you can drive while your vehicle is in the repair shop. Find out if they have a dedicated fleet, if you can reserve an auto, or if they are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Renting a vehicle while yours is getting repaired can really add onto the cost of having auto body work done, so this is an easy way to see what additional costs you'll face.

#2 Inquire About Your Different Repair Options

When you narrow it down to one or two shops that you want to use, take your vehicle there and see if you can get a quote. However, don't feel like you have to take their quote at face value. Be sure to ask about how they plan on fixing your vehicle, and if there is a more affordable way to fix it that is available to you.

The most expensive auto body repair will include having a paint job done along with the body work. This can add additional days onto your repair time, as they will have to sand down the area, apply primer, paint and a clear coat. Each step requires dry-time. To cut costs down, you can always see if they are willing to do the auto repair job and leave the area unpainted. Not all shops will agree to this. If they agree to this, you are going to need to purchase the supplies to repaint the area yourself, as bare exposed metal can easily become rusted. This option can save you some money if you are worried about exceeding your budget, but will cost you your time.

You can also ask if they can remove the dent without the need to repaint the area at all. Some body shops employ a technique called painless auto body repair where they are able to get rid of the dent without needing to paint. This is less expensive than a full body work and paint job, and probably a little more expensive than having them skip the painting step altogether.

When getting auto body work done to your vehicle (at shops like Precision Automotive), be sure that you look at the overall price: labor hours, time your vehicle will be out of commission and car rental prices when deciding who to go with. A shop that can get your vehicle in and out in a week, but costs $5 more per hour may save you more in the long run than a shop that has cheaper labor hours but needs to keep your vehicle for a longer period of time. Also, don't be afraid to ask about what different options for repairing the body of your vehicle are available to you. 

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