The first thing you must do to initiate the accident claims process is contact your car insurance company:
- Some insurers will send you to a specific body shop for an estimate, or they'll send an appraiser to look at your car.
- Others will ask you to get an estimate by going to a body shop of your choosing.
- Still, others may ask you to email photos of the damage to your car.
We go into more detail about this process on our Collision Repair Services page. Once you have an estimate that’s been approved by your insurance company, you can begin scheduling repairs.
Yes! Under Florida law, you can choose which repair shop fixes your car following an accident. Your insurance company may have a preferred body shop, but the decision is ultimately up to you.
This is actually common. Our technicians and staff will always do what we can to properly assess the damage on your car and ensure all necessary repairs are made.
Once we begin working with your car, we’ll tear it down and review it for any hidden damage. If we find additional damage, we’ll submit those findings to your insurance company for approval.
Once you have your estimate, we'll ask you to schedule your repair and leave a deposit. We will also provide you with a date to drop off your car. Once we schedule you, we’ll begin ordering parts, even before the repair begins.
Repair time will depend on the car, and what needs to be fixed. Generally speaking, we calculate the repair time using this formula:
Total hours, divided by four.
So if it’s a 20-hour job, we’ll divide that by four. This gives you a repair time of five buisness days.
Yes, we do on a case-by-case basis. Just be aware that your insurance company will likely pay you a lesser amount than what they offered you for your totaled car.
A total-car paint job typically costs between $6,000 and $7,000. This, of course, is a general estimate. We welcome you to come in for a free estimate so that we can better assess the condition of your car.
Painting only the exterior of a car usually takes 2 to 3 weeks. Painting both the exterior and interior of a car usually takes 5 to 6 weeks. The interior of the car includes elements that you don’t see on the outside, such as under the hood, door jambs, under the trunk lid, etc.
As you can imagine, every paint job is different. We welcome you to come in for a free estimate so we can better assess the condition of your car.
A quality paint job requires a lot of preparation and attention to detail. Throughout this process, a lot of work is done to get the car ready to be painted:
- Dents and dings are fixed
- Scratches are feathered and primed
- Parts that won’t get painted, like mirrors and headlights, are removed
Once we are done with these steps, we move on to the paint:
- The car is primed and prepped
- The car is painted
- The car is reassembled
As you can imagine, all of this involves a lot of time and labor. Once we've gone through all of these steps, we will wash and return the car to the customer.
That depends on the quality of the paint job and the work. Some last one year, and some last 25 years. That’s why it’s important to pick a quality business like Victor’s Body Shop with experienced technicians who consistentliy deliver quality work with quality paint and tools.
This is done based on an industry calculation:
The number of paint hours x paint and material rate
Yes. Some examples of partial paint jobs include the fender, the bumper, the roof, or the hood.
In some cases, yes. Certain instances – like trash in the paint, orange peel, and runs – usually can be buffed out. We would want to see your car in person to give you a more accurate assessment.
No, this is not something we reccomend. Spraying clear paint on top of cracked, old, or damanged paint will only accentuate existing flaws. With the clear paint on top of those flaws, they will just become more shiny in appearance.
Whether one is cheaper than the other will depend on a lot of factors. Sometimes, the two cost the same. We are happy to provide a free estimate to see what a paint job would cost.
When you bring your car to Victor's Body Shop, we want you to be satisfied with the work done to your vehicle. As a result,
- Parts are covered under the manufacturer's warranty
- Our workmanship is covered under a lifetime warranty.
Please note that the following incidents are not covered by our warranty:
- Damage from environmental factors such as hail, windstorms, rain, sun or pollution
- Damage from tree sap, road salt, sand, rocks or pebbles
- Damage caused by chemicals
- Damage caused by road hazards or accidents subsequent to your repairs
