When turning in a claim just let the insurance know where you are choosing to have your car repaired. They may try to lure you to a shop they have a contract with to save them money but in the end Washingon Washington law states you can take your vehicle to a repair shop of your choice. The insurance companies may also lead you to believe it will cost you more to do so and the work will not be warrantied. These are misleading statements intending to strong arm  pressure you towards the shop they choose. You will not be liable for anything above what the insurance company is paying, and Riverside Collision warranties the work they do for as long as you own your car.

The next step depends on if the vehicle is drivable or not. If it is, you can give us a call or just come by for an initial inspection.  We offer mobile estimating if our hours of 9-5 will not fit in your schedule. If your vehicle is not drivable call us right away- even from the accident scene- and we will have it towed to us ASAP.

The initial estimate is mainly a meet and greet for us, yourself, and the vehicle. This inspection is in no way an accurate analysis of the damage that has incurred on the vehicle. At this time, we get your insurance and claim number so we can communicate directly with the insurance company, discuss a drop off time, help with a rental vehicle if needed, etc. When the car or truck comes in for the actual repairs, we will then do a comprehensive disassembly and analysis of the damage. We will use our PPG computer-aided color match camera to analyze the paint and confirm which panels will need refinished to ensure perfect color match. Accident-related damage and non-accident related damage will be assessed, and complete bids compiled to present to insurance and the vehicle owner. 

At this time, the owner can decide if they would like to have the non-accident repairs completed during the time the vehicle is in the shop. The repair order for the accident-related damage being will be the initial estimate, and the supplement for repairs will be submitted to insurance for approval.  At this time, the vehicle will be on hold as we will be waiting to for the insurance company to review the supplement. They will need to approve the repairs, the repair methods, and the use of LKQ, OEM,or A/M parts. Due to this, we will not be able order the additional parts until the insurance company approves them. 

Once the supplement is negotiated with the insurance weill we will order the required parts, and once they arrive, the vehicle will go back into production. During this time, you will be notified as the vehicle changes process in our shop moves through our shop process. This includes: disassembly, including scanning the computer systems, initial wheel alignment (if needed), removal of glass (if necessary), then supplement supplement approval, parts acquisition, body/ structural repairs, priming/painting, final assembly, post-scan of the vehicles computers, and a test drive. At this time, you will be notified of approx. the approximate completion date and time, and we will begin the final detail. The last thing you will be notified of is when that your vehicle is ready to go!

Things To Remember for Vehicle Drop-Off:

We aren’t liable for objects left in the vehicle. 

Please don’t forget:

·         Garage door opener,

·         Sunglasses

·         Car seats

·         Weapons

·         ID or security badge 

·         Etc.

As a special request from Riverside, if you know we are working in a certain area of your car, such as the rear bumper area or maybe the QTR QTR panel, it would be very helpful of you would remove personal items from that the area so we can access the fasteners, clips, and trim to do the repairs. This may include removing personal items from the trunk, the bed of the pickup, back seat area, etc. We are capable of bagging or boxing items and returning them to the car, but we like to avoid moving personal items from place to place if it can be avoided.