No matter how great of a driver you are, there is a chance that you will be in a car accident at some point within your life. Accidents happen, and regardless of whether they were your fault, someone else’s fault, or were an “Act of God” accident, you need to know how to protect yourself when filing a car insurance claim. They say that the average for someone to be involved in a collision of some kind is every 7 years.
Use this blog as your personal guide to filing a claim, what to use, and how to protect yourself from things like rising rates, being dropped by your insurance, or completely destroying your reputation with your company. Here at Collision Center of Andover, we offer Insurance Claim Assistance – various car insurance companies have partnered with us to fast track vehicle repairs. More information may be found here.
When should I file a car insurance claim?
It doesn’t matter if you were in an accident with another person, a tree, or a golf-ball sized piece of hail, you need to contact your car insurance company ASAP after a car collision. Do not wait a few days, especially if it makes your car inoperable or unsafe to drive.
Remember that you will also need to file a car insurance claim if your vehicle is vandalized, stolen, and damaged from a non-accident event.
If you are having trouble finding your insurance agent’s number, you should simply look at the front of your insurance card. If your card isn’t available (due to an accident or if it was ruined in a fire), you should also be able to look online.
What will I need when I file a car insurance claim?
According to DMV.org, you will need the following information when you are making a claim:
- Your full name and policy number (look on your insurance card or statement).
- The timeframe of your policy.
- Date, time, and location of the incident.
- Names, addresses, and phone numbers of all drivers, passengers, and witnesses.
- Driver’s license and license plate numbers for all drivers.
If you are having trouble locating your policy number on your card, here is where you may find them on the national insurance companies’ cards:
Depending on the accident and your insurance company, you might also have to fill out a sworn statement of the event. You should also take photos of the damages, the injuries, and the license plates.
How do I file a claim?
Once you have contact your insurance company, you will likely have to go through a few different steps to have your claim successfully completed. There are about five of them, which come from All State, though the number may vary depending on what happens in your particular claim:
- A professional at the car insurance company will look at your claim and discuss where to take the case from there.
- Often, the second step is to meet with the claims professional to talk about what happened, what your company covers, and where to go from here.
- The claims professional will come look at your car (usually at a collision center), examine any of the injury claims, and then make an initial payment.
- The company will then see that whatever plans they made in the first few steps are followed up and payments are dispense.
- The case is closed and you may have a hike in your coverage, or you may have a “get out of jail free accident.”
Property Damage Claims
If you are able to file a car insurance claim for vehicle repairs and the damages that you make, you should know that while many states require property damage coverage, that doesn’t cover your own car. It does, however, cover the other person’s car.
There are two types of coverage that can take care of damage to your car:
- Collision Coverage – pays for damages to your vehicle
- Comprehensive Coverage – covers damages to your car that aren’t related to an accident
You can get other type of insurances as well, depending on your car:
- Uninsured motorist damage – this type of insurance helps to pay for your car when the driver that you hit does not have insurance.
- Gap insurance – covers the difference if you have a leased or loaned car and it is totaled.
- Glass coverage – replaces the “glass” that can be ruined during an accident – windshields, mirrors, or windows.
Quick Call Do’s and Don’ts
These are the different things that you should and shouldn’t do when you are filing a car insurance claim:
DO read your car insurance policy when you first sign up for it.
DO NOT wait for an accident to know what your policy covers.
DO contact your insurance company as soon as possible.
DO NOT wait a few weeks or “feel out” how much it will cost you.
DO be honest with your insurance company about the state of the accident.
DO NOT try to hide any details, as that could forfeit your rights to a claim.
DO gather information about your accident. Including photos, contact information, and the insurance information of the other person.
DO NOT volunteer information to police officers. Answer the questions, but STICK TO THE FACTS.
DO keep records of every communication you have with anyone involved in the claim and the accident.
DO NOT sign waivers or releases without talking to your insurance company.
DO save receipts and bills for what you have paid for your claim. This includes repair work, medical treatments, and other losses.
DO NOT admit liability, even if you were at fault.
Contact Us
No matter what, if you are in an accident, Collision Center of Andover will be on your side and try to help get you back into your car as soon as possible. Whether the accident just resulted in a few dents or whether you will need major repairs, we can help you out.
With many years of experience, we will be able to work with you and your insurance company to get the best possible results. Simply contact us today or give us a call at 316-733-9310 to get started!
Walk to Defeat ALS
/0 Comments/in Blog /by joshALS takes a special spot in the hearts of everyone here at Collision Center of Andover. The wife of our owner and manager, Ben Lawrence, suffers from the disease, so we leapt at the opportunity to support The ALS Association’s search for treatment and hopefully – eventually – a cure.
More on ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s Disease as it’s better known, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects brain and spinal cord nerve cells. Those afflicted will eventually lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement. This often leads to total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis, and for some reason, veterans are twice as likely to develop the disease.
More on the Walk
September each year, the Walk to Defeat ALS occurs along the Wichita waterfront, hoping to raise money to help overcome the disease. Last year alone, the citizens of Wichita helped to raise over $150,000 dollars. The goal this year is $215,000, and with any lucky, we’ll be able to band together to reach it.
Anyone can volunteer for the walk, and there’s no fee for entry. Plus, the route is wheelchair accessible! And activities on Walk Day include something for people of any age! All you have to do is show up on September 22nd and support a great cause. If you do wish to walk, however, be sure to register.
So please consider getting a team together, or walking individually if you’re the lone wolf type. You can even join a preexisting team if your friends have already started one. Who knows, maybe you’ll be directly contributing to a cure for ALS.
Collision Center of Andover Celebrates 12
/0 Comments/in Blog /by joshWay back on March 14th, 2006, Collision Center of Andover first began offering Wichita and Andover, and the surrounding area, high quality collision repair.
It’s been a great decade or so, and we’re happy to have such an accomplished and skilled team, with technicians like Kyle, who’s been with us since 2008 and is quite possibly the best estimator in the area, and Kenny, who joined in 2007 and has been offering expert body repairs every day since.
A Business Would Be Nothing Without Customers
We’d like to send a special heartfelt thank you to all 12,000 of our customers (that’s right – we’ve had just over 12k customers in 12 years) for helping make Collision Center of Andover all that it is.
Now that we’re Gold Certified, you can rest assured that no matter what kind of repairs are required, from a light repaint to a true reconstruction, Collision Center of Andover is here to ensure that you get your car back from us looking as good as new.
Progress Never Stops
Though we have no immediately plans to open any new locations – it’s difficult enough maintaining excellence at one location, let alone two – we do have plans to make our location here in Andover a bit more spacious.
Expect to find the east part of the building opened up a bit, and we’ll be adding a brand-new paint shop so that we can service even more cars.
Let Us Help
If your vehicle is in desperate need of repair, Collision Center of Andover is here to help, just give us a call today at 316-733-9310, or contact us online.
Collision Center of Andover is Gold I-Car Certified!
/0 Comments/in Blog /by joshCollision Center of Andover is extremely happy and proud to announce that as of fall, 2017, we received our Gold I-Car Certification for all the extensive training that we do. This certification is considered the gold – pardon the pun – standard in the industry. It’s a demonstration to our staff, to Wichita, and the industry, that we’re committed to the highest standards of professionalism.
Gold What Now?
I-Car is an organization devoted to ensuring that those who conduct auto repair have the skills necessary to do their jobs, and do them well. I-Car offers extensive training programs to everyone involved in auto-repair.
As more – and more varied types of vehicles – are manufactured, training becomes increasingly important as more advanced safety systems not only make it safer for you, but more difficult for us to repair in the unfortunate event that you’re in collision.
A Cut Above
The I-Car organization states that currently only about 20% of all auto repair shops in the world, let alone our little corner of Wichita, currently meet the requirements for the gold standard. You know that by coming to Collision Center of Andover, you are – quite literally – coming to one of the top collision repair shops in the area.
This rigorous training keeps us up-to-date on any upcoming products or technologies that are in the works, so if you bring you new vehicle to us, we’ll have the knowledge and experience to fix it properly the first time with no mistakes.
The Rise of Aluminum
For instance, aluminum, will soon be a much more common component in many vehicles. Traditionally, vehicles were constructed with a lot of heavy, inefficient steel, but as time and progress has steamrolled ahead, aluminum has become increasingly popular in vehicles.
It was only in 2014 that the first vehicle built entirely out of aluminum was released, the Ford F-150 truck. The switch to aluminum made it almost 700 lbs. lighter. A vehicle that much lighter is far more fuel efficient and produces far less CO2.
Aluminum vehicles are also far safer. When they’re in a collision, the deformation is centralized to where the impact happens, leaving the rest of the vehicle retaining its original shape.
Aluminum Isn’t Perfect
If there’s any downside to aluminum-based vehicles, it’s that they’re more difficult to repair – hence all the training and this Gold I-Car Certificate. It takes hundreds of manhours to master repairing an aluminum vehicle, and it’s something that Collision Center of Andover is great at handling.
There aren’t many Gold classified collision centers out there, so by going with anyone else in Wichita who isn’t certified, then you have absolutely no way of knowing whether they have the training necessary to know how to properly square a frame, use the latest estimatic tools, are aware of the latest painting methods, or how to handle any possible hazardous materials. The list of what proper (and extensive) training can teach you goes on from there.
The bottom line is that Collision Center of Andover is absolutely committed to auto repair, and ensuring that we have the best possible training to do the best possible job. Give us a call today at 316-733-9310, or contact us directly, and we’ll be happy to tell you more about all that’s involved in proper collision auto repair.
Paintless Dent Repair 101
/0 Comments/in General /by Saw1972Whether you were in an accident, you were trying to teach your son or daughter how to parallel park, or you simply sat inside while hail ravaged your car, dents are a fact of life for almost all car owners. Dents and dings often don’t hinder the performance of your car (though they sometimes can), but they do ruin the aesthetic appeal of your car.
Many people are afraid to get dents fixed because they are worried that it will cost them an arm and a leg to have the dent removed, the paint fixed, plus some may worry about the time and labor involved in repairing dents. However, paintless dent repair (PDR) means that you don’t have to go through all of that struggle and all of that cash!
Paintless dent repair is designed to remove the dent, get your car back to its original shape, and look great – all without compromising the vehicle’s paint job.
At Collision Center of Andover, we have vast experience in repairing cars while still keeping that factory paint in pristine condition. We have been trained thoroughly on the complicated art of paintless dent repair, and would love to help you with your car.
Check out this picture that shows just how well paintless dent repair works:
Why get paintless dent repair?
Paintless dent repair is the best way to maintain your vehicle’s value, even after having a problem. Dents and dings, at least according to Auto Trader, will decrease your vehicle’s resale value, especially if you have to get them patched with paint that isn’t the factory paint finish.
Paintless dent repair also keeps the turnaround time to a minimum as we are able to get your car back to you in a few days, as opposed to a few weeks for conventional body work and paint.
Fixing the Dent:
While you might be able to find a ton of online tutorials on how to fix a dent by yourself – techniques that include anything from machines that you can rent from your local hardware store to plungers that you can find in your own bathroom, we at Collision Center of Andover have a word of advice: DON’T DO IT.
Those who specialize in paintless dent repair have gone through many hours of training and have practiced on countless cars so we know exactly what we are doing. Trying to remove the dent yourself could result in bigger problems, wasted time and worse, may hurt your paint to the point that we cannot save it.
Still, if you want an overview on how we will approach your car, or what happens during our Paintless Dent Repair service, keep reading!
Step 1: Free access to the dent.
When we first start to remove your dent, we have to access the dent. The removal is done from the underside of the panel, so we have to have that free access to get to the dent itself. To free up that access, we have to remove any of the trims that are in our way. For example, if the dent is on the roof of the car, we will have to remove the hood sound pad so that we can access it. However, there is one place where we might not have to remove trims. If your dent is in your door, there is a method we can use where the window opening is utilized.
Step 2: Setting Up the Area
We have to make sure that we have the proper lights that will allow us to see every single level of the dent. This includes setting up dent lights, but we also have to open all of the doors so that we can get light throughout the car. Failure to do this will mean that while the dent looks great from one level, as soon as you take a few steps to the left or right, you can still see the dent.
Step 3: Tool Selection
We have a variety of paintless dent repair tools at our shop to help fix your dent – tools that you won’t be able to rent at a local store.
Step 4: Understand how to Fix the Dent
There is really no easy way to explain how to fix a dent on your car. However, we will give you a basic overview:
When a dent occurs in your car, the metal is actually stretched back and transformed. This means that, unlike popular belief, the metal cannot just be pushed out or “popped” back into place. Instead, the metal itself needs to be shifted back to what it originally was.
Doesn’t really seem as easy as those tutorials led you to believe, right?
What paintless dent repair does is slowly push the metal back into itself to shrink it back to size. We do this by essentially putting a series of smaller dents that will eventually look corrugated, but will have the metal back to its original size.
Of course, we have to then make sure that the corrugated effect is gone by continuing to mold and mesh the metal back to its original size.
Step 5: Inspection
When we have finished molding and fixing the dent, we inspect the spot in many different lights and angles so that we can ensure that the dent is truly gone. While we are usually satisfied with these first results, we will go back and fix any imperfections that we see. We want your car to get back to you as good as new – literally.
Contact Us!
Collision Center of Andover strives to meet every single one of your car repair needs after a collision or situation that leaves your car in a less than desirable shape. Our team has years and years of vehicle repair under our belts, and we are continually trying to learn the latest and most effective techniques to get you back behind the wheel as soon as possible.
If you are interested in finding out more about our paintless dent removal service or any of the other services that we offer, contact us today and see just how we can help you!
Car Insurance Claim Do’s and Don’ts
/0 Comments/in General /by Saw1972No matter how great of a driver you are, there is a chance that you will be in a car accident at some point within your life. Accidents happen, and regardless of whether they were your fault, someone else’s fault, or were an “Act of God” accident, you need to know how to protect yourself when filing a car insurance claim. They say that the average for someone to be involved in a collision of some kind is every 7 years.
Use this blog as your personal guide to filing a claim, what to use, and how to protect yourself from things like rising rates, being dropped by your insurance, or completely destroying your reputation with your company. Here at Collision Center of Andover, we offer Insurance Claim Assistance – various car insurance companies have partnered with us to fast track vehicle repairs. More information may be found here.
When should I file a car insurance claim?
It doesn’t matter if you were in an accident with another person, a tree, or a golf-ball sized piece of hail, you need to contact your car insurance company ASAP after a car collision. Do not wait a few days, especially if it makes your car inoperable or unsafe to drive.
Remember that you will also need to file a car insurance claim if your vehicle is vandalized, stolen, and damaged from a non-accident event.
If you are having trouble finding your insurance agent’s number, you should simply look at the front of your insurance card. If your card isn’t available (due to an accident or if it was ruined in a fire), you should also be able to look online.
What will I need when I file a car insurance claim?
According to DMV.org, you will need the following information when you are making a claim:
If you are having trouble locating your policy number on your card, here is where you may find them on the national insurance companies’ cards:
Depending on the accident and your insurance company, you might also have to fill out a sworn statement of the event. You should also take photos of the damages, the injuries, and the license plates.
How do I file a claim?
Once you have contact your insurance company, you will likely have to go through a few different steps to have your claim successfully completed. There are about five of them, which come from All State, though the number may vary depending on what happens in your particular claim:
Property Damage Claims
If you are able to file a car insurance claim for vehicle repairs and the damages that you make, you should know that while many states require property damage coverage, that doesn’t cover your own car. It does, however, cover the other person’s car.
There are two types of coverage that can take care of damage to your car:
You can get other type of insurances as well, depending on your car:
Quick Call Do’s and Don’ts
These are the different things that you should and shouldn’t do when you are filing a car insurance claim:
DO read your car insurance policy when you first sign up for it.
DO NOT wait for an accident to know what your policy covers.
DO contact your insurance company as soon as possible.
DO NOT wait a few weeks or “feel out” how much it will cost you.
DO be honest with your insurance company about the state of the accident.
DO NOT try to hide any details, as that could forfeit your rights to a claim.
DO gather information about your accident. Including photos, contact information, and the insurance information of the other person.
DO NOT volunteer information to police officers. Answer the questions, but STICK TO THE FACTS.
DO keep records of every communication you have with anyone involved in the claim and the accident.
DO NOT sign waivers or releases without talking to your insurance company.
DO save receipts and bills for what you have paid for your claim. This includes repair work, medical treatments, and other losses.
DO NOT admit liability, even if you were at fault.
Contact Us
No matter what, if you are in an accident, Collision Center of Andover will be on your side and try to help get you back into your car as soon as possible. Whether the accident just resulted in a few dents or whether you will need major repairs, we can help you out.
With many years of experience, we will be able to work with you and your insurance company to get the best possible results. Simply contact us today or give us a call at 316-733-9310 to get started!