Straight answers, from the shop that does the work.
Most of what people need to know about a repair is decided before the car is ever opened up — by a policy, by a phone call, or by a question nobody thought to ask. These pages answer those.
Insurance and your claim
What your policy actually does, and who decides what.
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You pick the shop. Not your insurance company.
In Texas, your insurance company can recommend a body shop. It cannot make you use one. What that means for your claim, and what it actually costs you.
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What happens to your car during an insurance claim
The repair half of a claim, in order: the written damage report, the adjuster's review, the supplement, parts, paint, recalibration, and the deductible at pickup.
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Supplement, adjuster, deductible: the three words that decide your repair
A supplement is a second estimate, written when the shop finds damage the first one missed. What it means, who writes it, and why your deductible does not change.
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OEM or aftermarket: what your policy actually pays for
Your policy decides which parts get paid for, not your shop. What each part type is, when aftermarket is fine, and how to ask for OEM before parts are ordered.
Choosing a shop, and what to expect
What to ask before you leave the car, and what decides how long you wait.
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Eight questions to ask a body shop before you leave the car
Eight questions to ask a body shop before you hand over the keys, what a straight answer sounds like, and what a vague one tells you. We answer all eight ourselves.
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What decides how long your collision repair takes
A collision repair takes as long as its slowest step. The seven steps, what makes each one drag, and why no honest shop gives you a date before the damage is written down.
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Your car after a wreck in Lubbock: where it goes and who decides
Who decides where your car gets towed after a wreck in Lubbock, when it can be driven, how to get it out of a storage yard, and what the shop needs from you.
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When the paint is not broken, the original stays original
PDR pushes the metal back and leaves the factory paint alone. Body repair fills and repaints. What decides which one your dent gets, and what each one trades away.
Windshield and glass
Coverage in Texas, when to file, and what happens to the camera behind the glass.
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Texas has no free windshield law. Here is what that means for you.
Texas has no law that waives your glass deductible. What your policy actually covers, when a chip repair costs you nothing, and what to have ready.
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File the claim, or pay out of pocket?
Compare the cost of the glass to your deductible before you call anyone. When filing is worth it, when it is not, and how to get the number first.
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Quarter-sized or bigger? That is the whole rule.
Damage up to about the size of a quarter usually gets repaired. What the size rule leaves out, why waiting costs you money, and what to do this week.
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New windshield, blind camera.
If your windshield holds the camera, moving the glass moves the camera. Why recalibration exists, what skipping it costs you, and how to check your own car in a minute.
Protecting the paint
Film, coating, and what each one actually does in West Texas.
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One stops rocks. The other stops everything else.
Paint protection film takes the impact. Ceramic coating changes how the surface behaves. What each one does, which goes on first, and when you need both.
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West Texas sun, dust, and what a coating actually does about it
What a ceramic coating does about West Texas sun and dust, what it does not do, and how to decide before you put anything on your paint.
Still not sure? Bring the car by.
Text photos to (806) 808-0990 and we send back a free estimate in minutes. Walk in during shop hours at 4712 Englewood Ave, and the written report is yours to keep.