Get the names of the person(s) driving the other vehicle(s) involved along with thier phone number, driver's license, vehicle license, and insurance information. Also, try to obtain any witness' name and number. Note the location, time and date. And, if you have a camera, take pictures. IMPORTANT: If the person(s) driving the vehicle(s) involved is unwilling to provide this information or if they do not have a driver's license and insurance, then you should notify the police and your insurance agent immediately.

Contact the shop of your choice and have them set up a tow or appointment to get your vehicle in the shop. If you need alternative transportation and have rental coverage or the other party's insurance is paying the bill, ask us to set up the rental for you.

Contact the Insurance Company responsible and let them know where the vehicle is and/or where it is going and ask for a claim number. If the Insurance Company wants to examine your vehicle at your house or in their claims center, you have the choice of doing this, or you can inform the Insurance Company that you are dropping the vehicle at the shop of your choice and they can see the vehicle there. Remember, you're free to choose.

Call the shop and give them the claim number. From this point on, the shop will negotiate on your behalf to insure that your vehicle will be returned to pre-loss condition.

You should choose the place you are most comfortable and confident in. Given that, we feel we are the best around. Our technicians are all outstanding, well paid, rewarded, trained annually and our culture is one that places customer service as our highest priority. For years we have worked hard creating and improving our systems, processes and standards which is the basis for our consistent quality, on time performance and customer satisfaction. We have state of the art equipment and maintain it constantly. We offer written lifetime guarantees on our paint and body work. We have maintained a customer satisfaction index rating of over 97% completely satisfied, which gives you a very good idea of what to expect from us. Ultimately, our whole team believes in our motto and makes it happen every day: Express Autobody - Quality you can trust, Satisfaction Guaranteed!"

No. There is no law stating that 3 estimates have to be obtained. Often, when an Insurance company is asking this of you, they want to get a price range for the cost of repairs to make a check out to you for.

The initial check is usually written for visible damage only. It is our job to disassemble your vehicle and contact the paying insurance company to create a second appraisal for any hidden damage.

The deductible amount is determined by the policy holder at the time of the policy purchase. Most insurance deductibles are payable at time of service to the service provider. Vehicle collision deductibles are usually paid to the repair center when you pick up your vehicle. If you are unsure of your deductible amount for an auto claim you can contact your agent's office for any information about your policy. It is always a good idea to check your deductible amounts before you need them. Different types of claims have different deductibles.

You wouldn't ask your dentist to save you your deductible and shops that offer it usually use that money they save you as an excuse to perform low quality work. You agreed to the amount of your deductible when you signed your insurance policy. It's usually an indicator of a low-end shop when they need to promise saving your deductible to get your business.

No. You do not have to go to the preferred repair center. The vehicle owner has the option to choose the repair center they take their vehicle to. You simply need to state to the insurance claim adjuster that you have a repair center that you prefer to use. The process from there varies from insurance companies. With many companies they will send out an appraiser to inspect damage and start the process. Some companies will accept a copy of the estimate from the repair center along with photos for their review. In any case, the vehicle owner always has a choice. Here is a notice regarding your rights in the State of Texas.

A direct repair shop is an autobody shop which an insurance company has a pre-determined relationship with. Usually a shop offers concessions in cost in exchange for referred business. We, at Express Autobody, have a very limited number of insurance companies that we are on the DRP program with. We choose the insurance companies that we are in a relationship with because of their emphasis on customer satisfaction and quality over lowest possible costs.

We work with all major insurance providers. We are a direct repair facility for Farmers, State Farm, Met Life and Farm Bureau. Working with most insurance companies isn't a problem, but there are a few that we won't work with because of their refusal to make payments in the past. An example would be Fred Loya insurance.

It is very common for our customers to pay out of pocket for minor repairs that cost about as much or less than their deductible. But if a repair cost is a couple of hundred dollars or more over a deductible it is usually most economical to file a claim. Factors to consider also include how long it has been since the last time you have filed a claim. Speak with your insurance agent and find out if your rates really will be affected if you file a claim. We see people make the mistake of spending thousands to save hundreds so it is in your best interest to be as well informed about all options as possible. It is also fine to come to us before you go to your insurance to see what you need to expect. We will perform a CDR to get an exact price tag for repairs. We are also happy to talk about what can be done to save some money if you are paying out of pocket by doing things such as using salvage parts instead of new. To learn more about our different standards for repair, please visit here.

No, the insurance will cover all cost of repair except your deductible or any extra work you request to have done separate from the collision related damage. If the amount on the check is less than needed for repairs (and this is very common) we will be responsible for collecting the supplement amount.

No. We can schedule a claims adjuster to come out to our facilities when your vehicle is here to assess the damage. If you do go to their claims center, accept the estimate and the check that they give you. If the check is an insufficient amount for repairs we will handle getting a supplement paid to us from them.

If it is your insurance company handling repairs you need to check with your policy to find out if you had purchased rental coverage. If the other party is at fault and their insurance is paying for repairs they are obligated to pay for your rental needs.

An insurance adjuster can only write an estimate on the damage that he/she sees, so when the vehicle gets to the shop and teardown begins it is very common to find more damage at that point (such as damage underneath body panels and frame damage). The additional cost to repair the additional damage is the supplement. Most body shops will wait until you have dropped off your vehicle for repairs to tear it down. When they find that additional damage all repairs stop and your vehicle will sit and wait until an insurance adjuster can come out to approve the supplement. It is very common that this process of waiting can last 2-3 days! That's 2-3 days that your car isn't getting worked on! We prevent this with our CDR process that allows us to see all the damage before your vehicle is dropped off for repairs so that we can get any insurance supplements scheduled to fit your time frame, not theirs.

Reputable shops have the kind of facility, equipment, personnel and training to restore your vehicle to pre-loss condition within the industry standards. Experts can always find indications of a repair. This doesn't mean it was not repaired properly, but since shops do not have the same equipment available that the manufacturer's have, shops cannot replicate the manufacturer's work exactly. However, you vehicle will be esthetically and structurally equal to its pre-accident condition.

Not all dealers are bad, by any means, but some tend to emphasize numbers above quality. You can sometimes feel lost in the shuffle. Quality control and personal attention can sometimes be difficult for the big dealer shop, as 30 or 40 repairs are juggled simultaneously.

Rather than automatically returning to your dealer for collision repairs, we encourage you to be a careful shopper when selecting a repair facility. Ask your friends. neighbors, and relatives about the experiences they have had with collision repair, and select the shop you think will provide the highest quality result.

Of course, repair time is dependent on the extent of the damage. When we perform a CDR we will know exactly what your vehicle needs for repairs and with that knowledge we can get a very accurate expectation for a time line. We also remove all the variables in the repair process that can add time your car spends in the shop, such as waiting on parts or insurance. By taking care of these needs before your vehicle even gets to our shop we have eliminated all of those potential problems. Express Autobody is able to do a repair in one day that will take other body shops 3-4 days to do.

It is our preference to use original equipment manufacturers (OEM) parts. However, there are a few variables that prevent us from using them on every repair. These OEM parts are not always the most cost effective avenue of repair. Because of the cost variances, many insurance policies require the use of aftermarket (AM) replacement parts. Many times these parts will have variances related to fit, finish and overall performance. We suggest that you check with your insurance agent to see what your policy covers. In addition to AM parts there are reconditioned parts, recycled parts, and certified AM parts. Some insurance policies allow you to upgrade to OEM parts with just an inquiry while others will not cover the additional cost of OEM parts. We advise you to check your policy and with your agent. You can also refer to our tiered repair standards to determine what type of repair your vehicle will best need.

Most body shops are equipped with about 100 excuses as to why their paint doesn't match. They might say that the plastic reacts differently to the finish or that the original paint is sun faded. We aren't one of those shops. We use Waterborne Paint which allows for an unprecedented color match. We also work as a team and get input from several different technicians who are educated on color to agree to a color match on a tester card before it is applied to the vehicle.

PDR is an acronym for Paintless Dent Repair. This repair process has been made possible by softer sheet metal. The process involves getting to the back side of small dents and pushing them until they reach the original shape or position. Advances in technology and equipment have made this a very useful repair procedure. It is significantly faster that conventional repair methods and is priced at a fraction of the cost of conventional repair. The typical damage that can be repaired by PDR is hail damage or door dings.

It is important not to wax your vehicle for 90 days after new paint has been applied. The wax can compromise the integrity of the finish. Other than the wax you can do any regular washing to it. If you do a drive through car wash just don't choose the option that uses wax.

If your headlights or tail lights are not working, if you are not able to open your hood, and if any door on your vehicle will not open these are some of the concerns that are considered to be hazardous and unsafe for you and your family. You may either have your vehicle towed to our shop or when you come for an inspection we will suggest you leave your vehicle with us for the insurance company to inspect at our facility and, if requested, make rental car arrangements for you immediately. It is important not to put yourself at risk for another accident. Your safety is our first concern!

We encourage our customers to inspect their vehicle before payment to be sure that everything has been done to their satisfaction. Here is a list of what to look for:

Stand back from the car at several angles to see if the color match is correct.

Look at all of the gaps of the repaired or replaced panels. They should be level and even. Walk to the other side of the vehicle to compare.

Look at the panels. Are they straight and smooth?

Look inside the vehicle's truck and/or engine compartment for proper seam sealing that matches the factory seam sealing on the opposite side. Have the bolts been touched up? Are all the screws and bolts in each area that attaches a component to the vehicle the same color and style? These are telltale signs of attention to detail in a quality repair.

We have provided a night drop box for our customers. There is an information form and an authorization form next to the box that needs to be filled out. Without either of those forms we cannot perform any repairs to the vehicle, so if you choose to utilize the night drop box, please make sure to provide all of the information and signatures asked for on those forms.

Now would be an excellent time to have any additional body work done to your car. Your car is already in the body shop, having additional work done now eliminates the need to be without your car again in the future. Keep in mind that your insurance company probably won't pay for any work not directly related to your claim. We will provide you an estimate on any additional work you want done.

We offer full life time guarantees on the paint and body work for all tier 1 and tier 2 repairs. The tier 3-5 repairs sacrifice aesthetics and some quality (never safety) of the repairs to save on price. Because of this we are not able to offer guarantees on either body work or the paint work.

Yes! Although a Comprehensive Damage Report is significantly more in depth than an estimate we do not charge a fee to perform one.

Your deductible is due when you pick up your vehicle from repairs and you will pay it to us. If you have the insurance check in hand you also need to bring that when you pick up your vehicle.

We prefer personal, bank, or insurance check. We also accept cash and credit card (Discover, MasterCard and Visa)

The insurance company responsible for paying for your repairs is also responsible for paying the tow bill to the shop of your choice. If the insurance company selected a shop and you prefer to go elsewhere, they are still obligated to pay for the additional tow.

We will be happy to put you in a rental if you need one. If you don't need a rental we will happily drive you home or to work.

Yes, we will make all of the rental arrangements for you. If your insurance will allow direct billing with Hertz than we will have your car waiting up front and all of your information pre-filled out for a quick and easy transition into your replacement vehicle. If the insurance involved does not do direct billing then we will set up your rental with Enterprise. Their location is located 1/4 mile away and they will pick you up from our location when you drop off your vehicle with us.

Along with collision repair, Express Autobody can take care of these following services for your vehicle: PDR, wheel and tire alignment, glass replacement, tires, rental cars, pick-up and delivery, towing, pin stripping, and bed liner.

As a business, Express Autobody has achieved many successes and awards, including:

We are one of the only PPG Certified First businesses in the area

We have the seal of approval from the Good Housekeeping network

We are a trusted business with UL (Underwriters Laboratories)

We have the AutoCheck premier customer satisfaction award for 2009

We have achieved the title of an I-CAR Gold Class shop since 2008

We have a CSI Complete customer satisfaction rating of over 97% completely satisfied since 2007

As individuals within the team all of our technicians are I-CAR Platinum certified and we all have a variety of certifications from AMI (Automotive Management Institute), PPG's MVP (Most Valuable Partners) program, and I-CAR.

Express Autobody opened its doors in April 2006. The owner and manager of Express Autobody is Dave Hamby and he has been in the collision repair industry for over 25 years. As a team we have over 150 years of experience in the autobody repair industry.