Does anyone know of a good Body Shop for my Mini in the Alexandria, VA area... Some inconsiderate jerk hit me in a parking lot and didnt even leave a note... (I hate stupid people). But the Mini Dealership in Sterling recommended some place in Reston... I was hoping for something more local.

Any recommendation from people here?

 

I think Royal Autobody is the preferred choice for Northern Virginia. I think somebody else asked the same question about something closer to Alexandria, but I don't recall any other options. You may do a search within the DCMM forum for 'auto body' and see if you can find the thread....

 

There's also a place on Rt 1, near Potomac Yard (just south of Crystal City). I belive it's called Wagonwerks (maybe it's Wagon Works?).

They have two shops there and one of them supposedly handles MINIs, among other brands.

I have no direct experience with them, but have kept them in mind for when/if I get around to painting my wheel arches.

 

Oh yes, I think VW guys had good things to say about this shop, but my info is prob over 5 years old...

 

I've driven past here a few times and noticed some pretty high end cars in their "yard".

 

My mini needs some work now too :-(

Mini of Sterling recommended Royal and then Ashburn. Anyone have good or bad experiences with either of these shops?

 

I've used Royal to get my Aero Kit Front Bumper painted, as well as my rear spoiler.

GREAT work, very friendly, and fast service!

Thought they were a bit pricey, but i'm willing to pay for good service.

 

Krut had a BAD experience with Ashburn's. I saw it myself. Being in the business, I know some really bad body work when I see it. Stay away.

 

1+ Wagonwerks.

I heard their turn around time is a bit slower than the others but their works are Guaranteed Goodness.

 

Wagon Works Collision does indeed do good work but be prepared to pay a lot out of pocket for this (above what the insurance covers, if they even cover work from this shop in the first place).

 

If you have an insurance company that tells you the shop is in their preferred network and then the shop charges you more money...

1) Tell the insurance company.

2) If they do nothing, change insurance companies.

Although, I can't see how this would happen. We (State Farm) let our preferred shops do the estimate. We never even see the car (only in photographs, that is). Whatever they say it costs, that's what we pay.

 

Okay but not every shop is part of each insurance company's preferred network and from my experience this place certainly wasn't.

Is Wagon Works part of State Farm's preferred network?

 

If it's not too bad, look into paintless dent repair. We have a guy here in WI that works wonders.

 

When you said, it sounded like you were talking about the insurance company's preferred shop. Otherwise, what affiliation would an insurance company have with a shop ?

Wagon Works ? I'm not sure. I handle claims in Maryland and DC. I do sometimes assign repair shops in VA, but rarely. I've not dealt with this shop. If I were at work today, I could tell you, of course.

 

I don't think we're talking door ding here.

 

Can't an insurance company pay a claim for body work that is not done by one of their "preferred shops"? From my personal experience the insurances I have worked with tried to steer me to one of their preferred shops, which as it was explained to me at the time a favored shop that would save me time cuz they could do the estimates, nothing more. I had my own body shops in mind though, which were outside of their preferred network but they still gladly paid my claim after sending someone out for an initial estimate.

Wagon Works has their reputation as being very thorough cuz they do the job right (like insisiting on only using factory new parts)...it will take more time and it will cost more than most other places (since insurance companys tend to be in the business of making money they don't like claims that are possibly several thousand dollars higher than what their estimators figured).

 

Here's how every major insurance company handles property damage claims.

You can go to one of the shops in their network. The shop does the estimate, fixes the car, get paid directly from the insurance company.

You go to a shop outside the network. The insurance company does the estimate. They pay YOU. You take your car wherever you want. That shop may or may not do the work for the same amt in the estimate. If they charge more, you pay, of course.

So, if Wagon Works is in the preferred program of the insurance company you're dealing with, no problem... they'll pay the whole thing (minus any applicable deductible). But: I assure you they cannot charge more than the acceptable rate in that area. If they did, the insurance company makes them lower their rates to a more acceptable amount.

If Wagon Works is not in the preferred program, yeah, they can charge you any amount they want. It's your problem, not the insurance company's. If they insist on using brand new parts on a 10 year old car, I'd be shocked. That's not economically smart. But if you want to do that on an insurance claim, you can. You just pay the difference in cost of a similar part to the one removed off your car and the cost of a brand new part. Everyone's happy.

And as far as your comment about insurance companies trying to save money, you should be thankful instead of saying with an attitude. If insurance companies weren't keeping repair costs down, everybody... and I mean EVERYbody would be paying more for their insurance.

 

Gee...thanks for the lecture!

The insurance industry is a business like any other, correct? Obviously they need to make a profit and aren't in it to lose money or give out hand-outs, correct? I'm not trying to say anything but that. I'm no dummy, thank you, and you're not the only one that is "in the business" or knows people in the business, so yes, I've seen the other side of them trying to not lose or waste money. I'm pretty sure they have their own business-savvy tactics, industry-secrets and policies to make sure they save money.

I think we've strayed off topic enough. OP asked for body-shop suggestions, not a lecture about how State Farm or the industry can do no wrong.

 

The driver's side window is completely smashed and gone. I wish it was simply a dent repair.

 

True. Insurance companies are not in it to LOSE money. But you can't tell me that comment wasn't typed with a bit of attitude. Read the context in which you made it again and ask yourself.

So... just curious, what are your ties to the auto insurance profession ? Always nice to meet another pro !

Well, maybe you're not. There are no secrets or anything like that to help companies save money. In fact, I was trained to err on the side of paying too much as opposed to not paying every penny we owe. I can give you some examples if you wish.

 

You can choose any shop you like. You don't have to use the insurance company's "preferred shop." If they try to force you to a preferred shop, it's called steering. It's illegal. Makeing your insurance agent aware of that usually goes a long way to you being in control of the repair process. That's how it should be after all. I've been fixing cars, working with customers and dealing with insurance companies for 20 years. Feel free to PM me if you need any advice.

 

True. Want to hear my speech I use when talking to customers about shop choice ??

 

I'm sure it's already posted here somewhere.

 

The search engine here sucks. So if you can't find it, just say the word.