FAQs

• We provide high quality auto repair and refinish services to make sure that your car looks like new
• We implement sophisticated quality control systems and standard operating procedures to prevent rework and reduce repair times
• We stay in contact and update you on the progress of the vehicle during the car repair process
• We use the best paint systems to ensure that you receive the highest quality refinishing and recapture the factory look of you vehicle.

Delivery

• Car is cleaned, vacuumed and quality checked
• We assure customer satisfaction with our work
• Meet and exceed your expectations
• We guarantee all of our work

Most insurers write a low estimate to begin with, and they will tell you once the car is under repair, your shop can request a supplement. That's our job, no need to worry. Once the car is in our shop for repairs, we will renegotiate with the adjuster to make sure the insurance company allows us to restore your car to pre-accident condition to the highest degree possible.

We work with you, not the insurance company

• Family owned and operated, we have been repairing vehicles in the Memphis for over 25 years.
• Our mission is simple- 'fixing it right' and restoring your vehicle to pre-accident condition, without cutting corners. Especially when it comes to your safety.
• We know collisions are traumatic enough, there is no need to relive the headache of being without your vehicle longer than you absolutely have to or enduring costly corrective repairs.

It means that it would not be cost effective to have the vehicle repaired due to the damages it sustained.

• What happens when my vehicle is deemed a total loss?

The insurance company has their Total Loss Specialist run a local market valuation specific to the year, make, model, condition and mileage of your vehicle. The Specialist will then contact you regarding the valuation. This should include the vehicle replacement cost and tax and license fees. Your insurance company will also pay for any charges to your vehicle at the shop and pick up your vehicle for sale at auction to a salvage yard.

If the other party is paying for the auto repairs, they will also reimburse you for reasonable transportation while your vehicle is in the repair facility. This should include the daily rate, daily license fee, plus tax.

Insurance on your personal vehicle may extend to your rental vehicle, so we recommend that you check with your insurance company.

(What is 'insurance steering'?)

No. This is called insurance steering. Insurer steering happens when your insurance company tries to persuade you to use a specific repair shop through their Direct Repair Program. This is a contract between a body shop and an insurer to provide reduced repair costs using aftermarket parts that are not genuine OEM parts. This can compromise your vehicle's safety and lead to costly corrective repairs after the fact. Some insurance companies even have a stake in ownership or have contractual agreements that include concessions that are not in your best interest as a driver.

Remember- Only you can approve who carries out your repairs. Memphis Auto Center goes to bat regularly for our clients to ensure your repairs are done right, and your vehicle is restored to safe driving conditions. We never cut corners with your safety.

Almost all insurance companies today have what are referred to as “DRP” or Direct Repair Programs. Auto body shops that are a part of these programs belong to referral networks created by insurance companies.

Unfortunately, this kind of referral relationship can often create a conflict of interest as the repair facility considers the insurance company to be their customer. The insurance company, therefore, becomes their top priority, at the expense of the vehicle owner.

At Memphis Auto Center, you, the vehicle owner, always come first.  We are not willing to compromise quality or our commitment to customer service for any referral program. While we accept and work with all insurance companies, we will also manage your claim in a way that protects your interests. We will make sure you receive a high quality repair that’s safe, and protects the resale value of your car.

Understanding Car Insurance Company “Steering”

As a consumer, it’s important for you to understand that it’s in the insurance company’s interests for you to have your car repaired at a DRP shop. They consider this to be in their best interests because they can often dictate the kinds of parts and the repair procedures that will be used. This is rarely in your best interests, and mainly serves the interests of the insurance company.

Memphis Auto Center will negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf, to make sure that your repair is complete. For this reason, they may try to steer you away from our shop, to a shop on their network that they can more easily control.

But isn’t steering illegal?

Your insurance company likely will recommend a repair shop. The question is, do you have to use their recommendation?

No. You don't have to use the repair shop that the insurance company recommended. The choice is yours — by law.

Will you get a quality repair? Most insurance companies have repair contracts with body shops in your area. Choosing the insurance company’s repair shop has benefits for the insurance company, which has negotiated lower labor and material rates, as well as parts discounts with those shops. The shop will have met the insurance company’s equipment and training requirements. Insurance companies will also require their shop to provide a lifetime warranty.

Insurance company claims representatives are given set goals. In general, companies would like to see at least 40 percent of their claims go to their direct repair shops. If you have chosen your own repair shop, claims representatives will frequently try to sway you away from your decision, telling you that your shop isn't on their list, thus they won't be able to handle your claim efficiently. They may explain that it will take up to a week before an adjuster will be available to write an estimate on your car. They could go further by stating that their company will not warranty the repairs if you don't have your car repaired at their shop.

Do not be intimidated by this. Reputable auto body repair shops provide a lifetime warranty no matter who is paying the bill. Shops are systematically interested in handling your claim and the repairs efficiently. Also, shop estimators are familiar with your insurance company’s claims process and know their local adjusters, making it easy to complete the estimate process and repairs quickly.

The choice is yours.

Insurance companies may still try to steer you to their facility by making misleading statements, such as the following:

“That shop isn’t on our preferred network.”

Insurance companies often describe DRP shops as “preferred” to lead you to believe that those shops provide a higher quality of service. The reality of the situation is that insurance companies prefer DRP shops because they are more willing to use imitation aftermarket parts in your repairs, and sometimes even skip necessary repair procedures. This keeps costs down for the insurance company, but when you go to trade in your car, these practices will cost you money in the form of significantly lower resale value.

“We can’t warranty the work performed at that shop.”

Memphis Auto Center provides a Lifetime Warranty on all of their workmanship and paint (as long as you own the vehicle).   When imitation aftermarket parts are used, as so often happens at DRP shops, manufacturer warranties are often voided.

“That shop charges for parts and procedures that aren’t necessary.” Or “The charges at that shop are higher.”

Memphis Auto Center is certified by major vehicle manufacturers for performing factory-correct collision repairs. We repair your vehicle according to their standards and specifications in order to restore your car to pre-accident condition.

In our experience, the initial insurance estimate is almost always a low ball estimate, inadequate to fully repair your vehicle. We then take over the handling of your claim, and our factory-certified technicians perform an in-depth damage analysis to document the full extent of the damage. We then write supplemental estimates proving the work that will be necessary to fully restore your vehicle to pre-accident condition, ensuring your vehicle is safe, that your manufacturer warranties are upheld, and that you get full resale value when you go to sell or trade in the car.

Some insurance companies may consider it unnecessary to perform work of this quality. However, it’s their obligation to you, the policyholder, to be restored to pre-accident condition. We help our customer through this process to make sure the insurance company delivers on this obligation.

“Claims take longer to settle at that shop.”

Insurance company shops are often built on a production model. In other words, they will often rush vehicles in and out of the facility as quickly as possible, which serves insurance company interests. In the process, necessary procedures get skipped, and sometimes dangerous shortcuts are taken.
At Memphis Auto Center, every repair undergoes a thorough damage analysis and rigorous Quality Check process. We do this to ensure customer satisfaction, and to deliver repairs that fully restore your vehicle.

Insurance companies will sometimes intentionally delay the repair process when the vehicle is at a customer-focused shop in a well-documented strategy known as “Delay, Deny, Defend.”  You can rest assured that we have become experts at helping our customers through situations like this.

Memphis Auto Center is dedicated to 100% customer satisfaction, which means that we will do everything in our power to
Protect your financial interests, including working to preserve your factory warranties and the resale value of your vehicle.
Make sure your car is safe to go back on the road after repairs have been completed, by fully restoring your vehicle’s safety system.

By law, our shop repairs your car for you (the consumer) and the insurance company is not involved in that contract. We make sure you know how the car is being repaired (and that the insurance company has agreed to pay for it) before the onset of the repair process.

When you are having your car repaired you are entitled to an itemized written estimate from your chosen shop for repairs that you must authorize in order to commence work. Once repairs are underway, you also have the right to authorize any additional repairs and costs before that work is started.

When using insurance you are entitled to having your car repaired back to pre-loss condition. If your insurance company is paying for repairs then some items may be limited to specific policy provisions. Even if you are not at fault, and the at fault insurance company is paying for repairs there still may be some limitations as to what is and isn't covered.