You and the Shop
The shop works for you, not the insurer. It answers to you on parts, procedures, and the quality of the finished repair.
How It Works
Three Relationships Shape Every Repair
After an accident, three separate relationships decide how your vehicle gets evaluated and who covers the bill. In all of them, you’re the most important person in the room. The shop you choose is repairing your car, for you.
You and the Insurance Company
Whether it’s your policy or the other driver’s, the insurer’s job is to put you back where you were before the accident, through payment, repair, or both.
The Shop and the Insurer
They negotiate the cost of repair with each other, but nothing in that conversation takes away your right to decide where and how your car is repaired.
What’s at Stake
Why the Shop You Pick Matters
When you know who answers to whom, no one can rush you into a shop you didn’t pick. Four things ride on getting it right.
Your Safety
Crash protection depends on the repair matching the vehicle maker’s specifications, not coming close to them.
Your Airbags and Sensors
Airbags, sensors, and driver-assist features may require diagnostics, initialization, or calibration when affected by the collision or repair. Learn what determines calibration.
Your Vehicle’s Value
Part choices and repair quality follow the car into every appraisal, trade-in, and resale conversation.
Your Experience
A shop that explains the estimate and stands behind the work makes a stressful few weeks far easier.
Who’s Paying
Insured or Claimant? It Changes Your Leverage
The first thing to sort out after an accident is who is paying is paying, because it changes what you owe and what you can ask for.
You’re the Insured
Your own insurance covers the repair. That’s the case when you caused the accident, hit an object, or used your collision coverage regardless of fault.
What to know
- Your insurer may suggest you use one of its preferred shops
- Your policy may limit which part types it covers
- A deductible usually applies
- You still choose the shop. That right stays with you
You’re the Claimant
Someone else’s insurance covers the repair, like when you were rear-ended or the other driver was found at fault.
What to know
- You typically owe no deductible
- You have full freedom to pick your shop
- The other driver’s policy restrictions don’t bind you
- You can request OEM parts when reasonable and necessary
Claimants usually have more leverage than insureds. Most drivers never find that out.
Your Rights
The Choice of Shop Is Always Yours
You Choose the Shop
Every driver has the right to pick the shop and the parts used on the repair. An insurer can recommend one, and the recommendation might even be a good one, but the decision is yours.
No One Can Force a Preferred Shop
Preferred networks exist for the insurer’s convenience and cost control. Before accepting one, look at the shop’s training, certifications, equipment, part policies, and reviews the way you’d vet any other business.
You Can See the Parts List
Ask what part types are on your estimate before repairs begin. Many states require shops to disclose them in writing, and a good one will walk you through every line.
Parts 101
Four Part Types Can End Up on Your Car
Every estimate line lists a part type, and the differences matter more than the names suggest. Assurity recommends genuine OEM parts whenever possible: they’re the only ones tested as part of your car’s full safety system.
Genuine OEM Parts
Made by your vehicle's manufacturer or its authorized suppliers.
Pros
- Built to original specifications
- Best fit, finish, and structural integrity
- Tested as part of the full vehicle safety system
- Helps protect resale value
- Often required for lease returns
Cons
- May cost more
- Some policies don't cover them automatically
Aftermarket Parts
Copies produced by third-party manufacturers.
Pros
- May have lower costs
- Widely available
Cons
- Materials and tolerances may not match OEM
- Fit and finish vary
- Can affect how safety systems perform
- Typically not tested at all or as part of the full vehicle system
Salvage / Recycled Parts
Pulled from vehicles in salvage yards, typically OEM parts from the same make, model, and year.
Pros
- May have lower costs
- Keeps usable parts out of landfills
Cons
- Unknown history, wear, or damage
- May come from a previous accident
- No manufacturer warranty
Remanufactured Parts
Used parts that have been repaired or refurbished.
Pros
- May have lower costs
- Can be acceptable for some cosmetic components
Cons
- Quality varies widely
- Structural integrity may be compromised
- Not recommended for safety-related components
- Never recommended for wheels
Before You Sign
Questions Worth Asking
Ten minutes of questions can save you from a repair you’ll regret. Have the shop explain any acronym or line item on the estimate you don’t understand before you sign anything.
Ask Your Insurance Company
- What part types does my policy allow?
- Will I owe a deductible?
- Do I have rental coverage?
- Are there restrictions on which shops I can use?
Ask the Shop
- Are you certified as OEM repair capable for my vehicle?
- What part types are listed on my estimate?
- Will you follow OEM repair procedures?
- Which safety systems are affected, and how will you calibrate them?
- Can you explain anything on the estimate I don’t understand?
Quick Answers
Collision Repair Rights: Common Questions
Short answers to the questions drivers ask most after an accident.
Can I choose my own body shop after an accident?
Yes, in every state. Your insurer can recommend a shop, but the choice of collision repair shop, and the parts used to fix your vehicle, belongs to you.
Can my insurance company force me to use their preferred shop?
No. Insurers can recommend a shop, but they can't require one. Before agreeing to a preferred facility, check its training, certifications, equipment, part policies, and reviews the same way you would vet any other business.
What is the difference between being the insured and being a claimant?
You're the insured when your own policy pays for the repair, and a claimant when someone else's insurance pays. Claimants usually owe no deductible and aren't bound by the other driver's policy restrictions except potentially policy limits. You can also request OEM parts when they're reasonable and necessary.
Do no-fault laws change how my car is repaired?
Not usually. No-fault rules apply to injuries: each driver's insurer pays its own driver's medical costs regardless of who caused the accident. Vehicle damage still follows normal fault rules, and you still choose your shop.
Do I have the right to know which parts a shop will use?
Yes, and you should ask before repairs begin. Many states require shops to disclose part types in writing on the estimate.
Are OEM parts worth it after a collision?
Genuine OEM parts are built to your vehicle's original specifications and tested as part of the full vehicle safety system, which is why Assurity recommends them whenever possible. Aftermarket, salvage, and remanufactured parts cost less but carry trade-offs in fit, safety-system performance, and resale value.
The Assurity Promise
You Shouldn’t Have to Figure This Out Alone
Vehicles are more advanced than ever, and so are the repairs. Assurity independently verifies shops against OEM-aligned standards across the 4Ms: Man, Method, Materials, and Machines. So when you exercise your right to choose, you have somewhere solid to start.
Your Car. Your Choice.
You know your rights. The next step is picking a shop that can prove it repairs to the vehicle maker’s standard. Search certified collision repair shops near you and compare your options.