05/08/2025
Next time your have an insurance claim and your insurance lists their "Preferred Shops" think about the following;
Preferred auto shops often contract with insurance companies to provide the cheapest repair possible to save the insurance company money in the long run. Essentially, they may cut corners as they fix your car. The shop may take risks because they are ensured more work by the insurance company in the future.
Preferred Auto Shops Have a Narrow Scope of Work
Your insurance company will dictate the scope of work that is done to your car with a preferred body shop. Instead of relying on an experienced Auto Tech to decide, preferred shops let the insurance company determine what needs to be fixed.They may decide not to fix everything that was damaged and instead just make it look good from the outside. An inexperienced car owner would never know the difference.
A Preferred Auto Shop Might Use Low-Quality Parts
Preferred auto shops are paid less by insurance companies than a typical auto shop, so they often cut corners to make up the profit. This can result in them using secondhand, salvaged, cheaper, or counterfeit parts. Generic replacement parts are not as safe as “original equipment manufacturer” parts. Generic parts have no guarantee. They may break or stop working soon after the car is returned to you.
Preferred Auto Shops Often Less Experienced Auto Techs
Preferred auto shops do everything they can to cut costs, including hiring less experienced or inadequately trained workers. They may even hire people without proper certifications. Their goal is to reduce labor costs. This can be detrimental if they work on your vehicle without knowing they need to fix it properly.
Preferred Auto Shops Spend the Minimum Time Possible on Repairs (fixing something that should have been replaced)
Since preferred auto shops are making less money contracted with insurance companies, they want to spend as little time as possible on your car, often resulting in shoddy repairs.
Low-Cost Repairs Can Result in an Unsafe Vehicle
Preferred auto shops do whatever is possible to cut costs, even if that means failing to “fix” all the damages on a car. They may even produce a product that is not “roadworthy.” You might be able to drive the car away from the shop, but issues that should have been prevented may pop up quickly after that.
This is why Bargers is NOT your insurance companies preferred shop. I work for you, not your insurance and you have a choice.
