One estimate.Your choice of shop.
We work directly with all major insurance companies and take the claim off your desk — the adjuster, the supplements, the rental car and the paperwork.
Know This First
Two things insurers
rarely volunteer
You do not need three estimates
By law you need one. If anyone tells you to go and collect competing quotes before your car can be repaired, that is a convenience for them, not a requirement for you.
You choose the repair shop
Your insurance company cannot force you to use a specific shop. A “preferred” or “direct repair” list is a commercial arrangement between the insurer and the shop — you are free to decline it.
Why it matters. A shop on an insurer’s list has agreed to that insurer’s pricing and cycle-time targets. A manufacturer-certified shop has agreed to the carmaker’s procedures. When those two pull in different directions, you want to know which one your repairer answers to.
The Claim
How it actually
goes, step by step.
Most people have done this once or twice in their life. We do it every day.
Report the accident
Call your insurer and open the claim. Get the claim number — that is the only piece of paperwork we need from you to begin.
Tell them where the car is going
Name CBS Auto Body. You do not need their permission and you do not need to visit their drive-in center first.
We write the estimate
Free, in writing, line by line. We send it directly to the adjuster with photographs.
Teardown and supplement
Once the car is apart we find what the first estimate could not see, document it and negotiate the supplement with your carrier.
Rental and repair
Your rental is arranged through your policy while the repair runs on the manufacturer’s procedure.
Delivery and billing
We bill the insurer directly. You pay your deductible, collect the car and take the warranty with you.
Carriers
Every major insurer,
and the awkward ones too.
We work with all major insurance companies and can help you through the claims process to make it as stress-free as possible. If your carrier is slow, we chase it. If a supplement is refused, we document why the operation is required and send it back.
Not going through insurance at all? Plenty of people do not — for a small repair the deductible and the premium increase can cost more than the job. Tell us and we will price it as a private repair.
- Direct billing to your carrier — you pay the deductible, nothing else.
- Supplement negotiation handled and documented on your behalf.
- Rental & towing arranged, usually the same day you call.
- Private-pay pricing if a claim is not worth filing.
Claim Questions
The ones we get asked most
No. Your insurance company cannot force you to use a specific repair shop. They may recommend one from their direct-repair network, and you are free to say no and name the shop you trust.
No. By law you only need one estimate. Collecting three is a habit, not a requirement.
We bill your insurer directly for the covered repair. You are responsible for your deductible, and for anything you choose to add that the claim does not cover — we will always tell you which is which before we do it.
The first estimate is written from the outside of a closed car. Once it is apart, hidden damage appears — that additional, documented work is a supplement, and it is completely normal on anything beyond a scuffed bumper.
Our preference is OEM or manufacturer-approved parts, and on a structural or safety component we will argue that case with your insurer. If a carrier insists on an alternative part, you will hear it from us before it is fitted, not afterwards.
Yes. We deal with the other party’s carrier as readily as your own, and we will tell you honestly when going through your own policy would get your car back faster.