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Should You Call Your Insurance Company or a Body Shop First After an Accident?
Call your insurance company as soon as it’s safe, then call Estes Collision for your estimate. Neither call has to happen at the scene, and doing both promptly keeps your repair moving. Key Takeaways: What Happens When You Call Your Insurance Company First? Calling your insurer opens your claim. It ...
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What Is the Difference Between an Auto Body Shop and a Mechanic?
An auto body shop, like Estes Collision, repairs a vehicle’s structure, panels, and paint after a collision. A mechanic repairs the engine and other moving parts that make a car run. Key Takeaways: What Does an Auto Body Shop Repair? An auto body shop repairs the outer panels, frame, and ...
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What Happens During a Minor Auto Body Repair Appointment?
A minor auto body repair appointment moves through four steps: assessment, a written estimate, repair and refinishing, and a final quality check before pickup. At Estes Collision, we try to keep most minor jobs to a single visit, starting with a free estimate that takes 15 to 30 minutes. Key ...
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Should You Fix Cosmetic Car Damage Before Winter Arrives?
Fixing cosmetic damage before winter usually costs less than waiting. Minor auto body repair handles paint chips, scuffs, and small dents while they are still simple, single-panel fixes. At Estes Collision, a free estimate takes 15 to 30 minutes and shows exactly what the repair involves. Key Takeaways: What Counts ...
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What Happens When a Collision Repair Estimate Needs a Supplement?
At Estes Collision, a supplement happens during professional collision repair when a teardown finds damage the original insurance estimate did not cover. We document the added repairs with photos and measurements, send that documentation to your adjuster, and wait for approval before the extra work begins. Key Takeaways What Triggers ...
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Why Does My Insurance Estimate Differ From the Shop’s Estimate?
At Estes Collision, we see this question often: an insurance estimate and a collision repair shop’s estimate differ because they come from different inspections. The insurer’s number usually comes from photos or a brief review. The shop’s number reflects an in-person teardown that a photo cannot show, a step that’s ...
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How Are Multiple Hail Dents Counted and Priced for PDR Repair?
Multiple hail dents get priced panel by panel, not as one flat fee. Technicians count dents on each panel, sort them by size, and price each group separately, since a hood with forty small dents costs differently than one with ten large dents. At Estes Collision, we itemize this at ...
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Can Paintless Dent Repair Handle Summer Storm Damage in Oklahoma?
Paintless dent repair handles most Oklahoma storm damage, including large hail, as long as paint stays intact and metal hasn’t stretched too far. Wind-driven hail and dense dent clusters change that outcome more than hailstone size alone. At Estes Collision, we assess each panel before recommending either method. Key Takeaways: ...
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How Long Should Auto Body Frame Repair Actually Take?
Auto body frame repair takes more than a single visit when it’s done right, since it requires measuring, correcting, and re-measuring before paintwork begins. We run this process the same way for every vehicle at Estes Collision. Not every repair reaches this stage. If your vehicle only needs a minor ...
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