There are a lot of things in life that you look forward to spending your money on: a night out on the town, a vacation with your loved ones, splurging on a treat or toy you’ve been dreaming about. But when it comes to getting repairs for your vehicle, you’re likely wanting to find how you can get the quality you need without having to spend any extra money. Luckily, there are a few things you can try that will help you save money in this area. To show you how to not spend even more money after a car accident, here are three ways to save on auto body repairs.
Find The Right Shop
Before you can know what type of repairs you’re looking at or how much these repairs are going to cost you, you’ve got to find the right shop to work with. According to Philip Reed, a contributor to Edmunds.com, looking at things like online reviews and how much overhead an auto body shop is working with can help you find a shop that you treat you right and give you the service you need. Once you’ve found a few places you’re considering using, make sure to speak to the staff to ensure they appear reliable and knowledgeable about the work you’re needing to have done.
Fix Scratches Yourself
If you only have a few small areas that you need help with, you might want to consider just doing the work yourself. Even if you don’t have much experience working with cars and auto body repairs, small things like scratches can often be easily taken care of by an amateur. According to Tara Baukus Mello, a contributor to BankRate.com, all you need to fix small scratches is your car’s color code, ultra-fine grit sandpaper, and soapy water. By carefully buffing out the scratch and washing off that area of your car, you can then take a small amount of your car’s color match to fill in the scratch. Using a soft cloth and rubbing compound, you can then easily blend the color and have your car looking brand new in no time.
Shop Around For The Best Estimates
For bigger repairs, you’re going to want to use an auto body shop. However, just because you’ve used one shop for previous work doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily be the best for this current work. According to Alan Henry, a contributor to LifeHacker.com, you should shop around to different repair shops and get estimates for your work. If you’re feeling lucky, you can even try getting a certain shop to reduce their costs in competition with another estimate you’ve received.
If you need some auto body work done on your car, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you find a few ways to save some money.
