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Well, this evening while my car was parked in front of my friend's house in Morrisville, somebody in his neighborhood backed into the rear driver side of my car . They did some pretty good damage to the side panel in the rear. The person who struck my car, left a note indicating they already called their insurance agency and left me the claim # and phone number of their insurance carrier. I guess I will call my insurance co. in the morning to follow-up and perhaps they will direct me to an approved auto body shop in the N. Raleigh area to get an estimate for repairing the damage. I figured I would check here as well for recommendations of body shops. I am a little worried that I might be left out in the cold on this one since It may very well be that the repairs will exceed the current value of my car (it isn't worth much) . has this happened to anyone here before? What happens if that is the case?
So, does anybody know of some good Auto Body Repair Shops in N. Raleigh?
I've used Matthew's Body Shop several times, and have always been happy with the work provided. While technically in Durham, it is convenient to North Raleigh. It is located off Hwy 98 between Mineral Springs and US-70.
For other readers: If you know of any good shops in N. Raleigh or Morrisville, please post. Someone hit my car in the parking lot of Lowe's. Of course, didn't leave any trace. And now it cost me my deductible.
NRG,
I wish you luck. We moved in to our house the week of September 24. That Wednesday, September 26, the second of our two vehicles arrived (via the movers). On that next Saturday evening (September 29) my 17 YO daughter was on her way to Target when someone turned left in front of her. I thought the damage to our car was fairly minimal (front end damage on our car; passenger side damage on the other driver's car). Speeds at time of impact were slow enough that no airbags deployed.
Unfortunately, the other driver's insurance company (they were responsible) claimed the cost of repairs exceeded the value of our vehicle (a 1996 Dodge Caravan). If significant damage was done, chances are pretty good that the insurance carrier will declare it a total loss.
I ended up getting my body work done at a place called True 2 Form Collision Repair off of Capital Boulevard in N. Raleigh. The main reason I used them is because the insurance adjuster I had to go to was located at that shop on that particular day and it was convenient for me to leave the car there for repairs. The adjuster was from Erie Insurance and I believe he "floats" around to many area shops to give repair estimates and is not actually affiliated with any particular shop. I am happy that the person who hit my car had this insurance company because they were very easy to deal with. Since they hit my parked car I went through Erie and not my insurance company (Geico) and I did not have a deductible or any other out of pocket expense. They even paid for a rental car for up to 8 days... but I didn't need it for that long. They came extremely close to totalling my car but I made it just under the wire. It is amazing how just a little bit of damage can total to over $2K in body work!
I was happy with the work Tru 2 Form did, but I don't know if they are any better or worse than most any body repair shop in the area. The real key is getting a good adjuster that finds all the damage so everything is covered in the original estimate so there is nothing for the body shop to find as "hidden damage" that will be additional work that goes above and beyond the money the insurance company is giving you for the repairs. The adjuster I dealt with was very good at finding all the damage that needed repair and came up with a very fair estimate. He had a few places he recommended to do the work including True 2 Form, but all the otehrs were all located in Cary because that is where he was based out of. The only thing I remember him telling me to avoid was taking the car to places like Maaco.
Sorry I can't be of much help. My car is kind of old and the damage was not really severe so I was not overly concerned with who did the work. I would ask several coworkers and friends and neighbors if they can recommend somebody since my recommendation comes with very limited experience.
Thank you NRG for your detailed reply. And to the other posters who chipped in. Very much appreciated.
GEICO, my insurance firm requested me to take the car to their adjuster located at True2form (located near 70 and 540). The damage is not much <1000 (luckily). Will update this post as to who I go with.
guess I missed this thread earlier, but I have had good experiences with Prices Paint and Body in Raleigh. For future reference: Price's Paint & Body Shop, L.L.C.
I'll echo the sentiments of the post recommending Matthews in Durham -while they haven't completed the work yet (we're waiting for parts to arrive), I was very happy w/ their estimate and the way they've handled my situation. Not so much with Haddocks or Johnson's (both on Capital, near Wake Forest). I also got an estimate from Fosters, but it was waaaaayyyyy high.
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. They did some pretty good damage to the side panel in the rear. The person who struck my car, left a note indicating they already called their insurance agency and left me the claim # and phone number of their insurance carrier. I guess I will call my insurance co. in the morning to follow-up and perhaps they will direct me to an approved auto body shop in the N. Raleigh area to get an estimate for repairing the damage. I figured I would check here as well for recommendations of body shops. I am a little worried that I might be left out in the cold on this one since It may very well be that the repairs will exceed the current value of my car (it isn't worth much) 
. has this happened to anyone here before? What happens if that is the case?
Repairs may exceed value of car
Update!
