Why is the damage assessment price at the garage lower than that at the 4S store? Can we have a damage assessment at the 4S store and then go to the garage for repair?

When there is an accident with the car, the first thing that comes to mind is insurance. The cost of repairing the car should be covered by the insurance company. And the inspector will ask you on site where to repair the car, which 4S store or repair shop, and then go to the nearby loss assessment center to assess the loss. When assessing the loss, he will also ask you where to repair the car, and there may be a repair shop nearby that cooperates with an insurance company. However, there is a significant difference in the cost of fixing a car at a 4S dealership compared to a repair shop, especially when it comes to replacing parts. The price at a 4S dealership is much higher than that at a repair shop. So the loss assessor needs to ask where you are going for repairs, and determine a reasonable price when determining the loss. Going to a 4S store is more expensive than fixing the loss at a repair shop. That's also insurance, why does the amount of compensation for repairing cars vary in different places? Can it be said to go to the 4S store to repair the car, and then go to the repair shop to repair it after the damage is determined?
        
This is because the repair prices of 4S stores were originally higher than those of repair shops, and regardless of whether insurance is used or not, it is not because insurance is used that the price is higher. Because the 4S store uses all original parts, the prices are higher, and the labor cost is also higher than that of the repair shop. Of course, the maintenance technology and service are also better. However, repair shops do not have original parts, and most of them use secondary parts, which have lower prices and lower labor costs, so the cost of repairing cars is also low. The repair shop cannot increase the repair price just because the car owner has taken out insurance, and the insurance company will not agree.

        
 If the car is damaged, no matter where you go to repair it, the insurance company will compensate you for the money you spent repairing the car. As long as the price is reasonable, you should fully compensate. It is not allowed to require car owners to go to a designated place for repairs. It cannot be said that the repair shop is cheap. Going to a repair shop can compensate for all costs, while going to a 4S shop can still compensate for the price of the repair shop. The extra costs should be borne by the car owner, which is not acceptable. Although the prices at 4S stores are high, they are all clearly priced and reasonable fees. Whether you choose insurance or not is based on this price, and there is no intentional increase in prices to earn money from the insurance company. Therefore, high price insurance also requires compensation, which means that no matter where the car is repaired, as long as the car is repaired, there is no extra cost for the repair, and the repair cost is compensated as much as it costs.

        
Can we set the price of the 4S store to go to the repair shop for repair when determining the loss? In principle, it is not allowed. The insurance company will not allow car owners to make a difference in price by compensating for the repair cost. However, small scratches like that are actually acceptable, and even if the damage is determined and not repaired, no one cares. For example, if you simply scrape off some paint and do not need to replace accessories, the damage amount is several hundred yuan. For accidents with small amounts, insurance companies do not need to repair invoices, and the damage amount is quickly received. So, you can say to go to the 4S store for repair when determining the loss, and then go to another place for repair. However, for this type of small scratch paint, the repair fees between the 4S store and the repair shop are not much different, but there is a significant difference in the quality of the repair. It is better to go directly to the 4S store for repair, as the quality is more guaranteed.

        
For accidents with significant losses, especially when it comes to replacing parts, when determining the loss, it is necessary to go wherever the repair is required. Firstly, it may involve the dismantling and inspection process, and some accidents may not show any damage from the outside, requiring dismantling and inspection to determine. The dismantling and inspection must definitely go to the place where the car is repaired, and if it is dismantled here, it cannot be repaired here. After the repair is completed, the insurance company also needs the repair invoice here, which should be consistent with the loss assessment amount. The final replaced old parts also need to be recovered. Therefore, once the repair location is determined, it cannot be changed arbitrarily. If it is not repaired here, the 4S store will not agree unless it bears the cost of disassembly and inspection.

        
Will there be a situation where the fixed loss amount is not enough due to the high repair prices in 4S stores? For example, the loss assessment amount is 500, but the maintenance fee needs to be 800. Sometimes this situation occurs, but the price difference is not too large, usually caused by inaccurate estimation of the repair price by the loss assessor. At this point, the insurance specialist of the 4S store can contact the insurance company's loss assessor to modify the price, so that they can negotiate the repair and loss assessment prices.

From: WONDEE Autoparts 2023-8-15