dealer vs other body shop

I'd probably recommend the dealer, or even better, a place where you trust the people that work on your car.

 

Personally, I would go with the dealer's bodyshop or one they recommend. There is a lot of electronics technology in the Prius, some in places that you wouldn't expect. A shop not familiar with the Prius may miss something important.

A few years back I had a 2001 New Beetle. It got rear ended, and I took it to a shop that a friend had used in the past. They had a hard time getting the new rear window installed in hatch (broke it once or twice during the process). Then they couldn't get the gas filler door release to work properly. Finally, I kept getting a "check engine" warning light because of some issue with the gasoline tank vapor recovery system.

This left a bad taste in my mouth. If I ever need to get body work done on my Prius, it will definitely have to be a shop skilled with working on the Prius.

 

First of all, most bodyshops guarantee the work they do for the life of the car, I would never use one that does not.

What you need to do is get referrals for a body shop from people you know who are fastidious about their cars and go out and see them. Look on Consumer's Checkbook etc. You're looking for a clean shop with computerized paint matching and plenty of high end cars around.

I would NOT use the dealer's shop. The reason being is simple, the dealer's shop has a built in source of business...the dealer. An independent shop that is not affiliated with a dealer needs the reputation they've earned over the years to stay alive, the dealer's shop doesn't. I've had bodywork done a few times over the years to different cars, work done at the dealer shops has always had issues, including work done at Lexus dealers.

As for the insurance's shops, I would start there and look at them but I wouldn't let that be a final decision maker for me.

People here have a predisposition to think the Prius is so special only a "Prius tech" or someone who is "Prius certified" can touch the car, this is absurd. These cars have been around for 5 years now and they are one of the most popular cars on the road, the powertrain type is now in several luxury and midmarket cars. Any shop that does a lot of work has worked on these cars before and it will be fine.

 

If you are sure that only body work needs to be done I agree that a body shops"reputation" is more important. It's a real "art ot be able to blend in paint and things like that so you can't tell a repair has been made. However if anything mechanical is involved then i would seriously look at a dealers body shop. If something mechanical or electrical is involved your car might wind up getting towed back and forth to a dealer anyway to get things ironed out that might involve test equipment on a dealer might have for instance.

 

It sounds like your front end damage is not bad so you probably will not need to have the radiator replaced. I've seen posts from owners who had extensive front end work done and the body shop was not able to properly purge air out of the engine coolant system or the inverter coolant system.

However, I've also seen posts from owners who complained that their Toyota dealer's tech could not do this correctly as well, so there are no guarantees here...

I would be inclined to use a body shop recommended by my insurance company but would also visit to satisfy myself regarding the quality of work performed by that shop. Look at repaired cars to see how well the paint matches in bright sunlight, see whether the paint was color sanded (to get rid of orange peel and other paint imperfections), see whether replaced body panels match the rest of the car with even gaps, ensure there's no paint overspray on rubber parts or the fender wells, etc.

With a cheap repair job, masking tape will be used to cover unpainted parts. A more complete and lasting job would require all trim to be removed before paint is applied.

 

In most states "steering" is illegal.
You have the right to choose your own body shop as opposed to the one your insurance company tries to steer you to.
Generally speaking, for a body shop to be on the preferred list they have to cut corners and save the insurance company money. That holds true if it is a windshield or major damage. They may be instructed by the insurance company to use after market parts instead of OEM replacement parts. Now as far as a Prius goes I doubt there are aftermarket body panels, though there might be. If it was a GM pickup though you bet they would be trying to use non OEM parts! Body shop makes money, insurance company saves money, and you end up with a vehicle that will rust out sooner and be worth less.

Now, be sure and check out for "diminished value" settlement.
Many insurance companies will tell you if their guy does the work your vehicle will have no diminished value. Some body shops will not get involved in this as it costs the insurance companies money. But the record of the damage to your vehicle will be able to be traced through car fax and when you go to trade it may cost you several thousand dollars in trade in allowance, now too late to recover.
Very often you have to hire a special appraiser to give you an estimate of your cars diminished value, then you file your claim..............and very often, they pay for that appraisal as well. And you have real grounds when it is not your fault.

 

Once your car has been in an accident.
It is worth less.
It does not matter how well it is repaired, it has been wrecked and repaired.
As the owner, you are entitled to be compensated for your loss of the vehicles value.
There are hundreds listed on the internet, here is one.

Diminished Value Appraisals - What is a diminished value appraisal?

do a search for diminished value appraisal and find one in your area if your collision shop or insurance company gives you a hard time.
Possible worse case?
You pay $300-400 and get a check for $1000-2000+

Worth looking into..............

 

Any mechanical issues they will have a dealer do anyways, in my experience the small hassle of having to deal with that isn't worth using a crappy body shop. I have a mechanic do all the service on my Prius...not the dealer. Its not a Ferrari its a Prius and I guarantee you if you choose a good shop they will have worked on the Prius before.

Thats not true. It actually is cheaper for the insurance company to have you be satisfied with the repair the first time, the costs of dealing with an unhappy customer are expensive. The shop I use for instance is extremely good and well regarded, as well as expensive, and they are on many insurance company's preferred lists.

I would also look into diminished value. It sounds pretty minor so there may not be any depreciated value, generally as long as its just bumpers its not a big deal, car lots for instance routinely repaint bumpers before they sell used cars.

 

Not all dealers have body shops. I've patronized two dealers that didn't--one of them sold a Prius. I have also used the body shop at another dealer that was preferred by my insurance company. At least that shop wouldn't use aftermarket parts on an insurance claim. They would use aftermarket or used parts upon request when out-of-pocket.

Billing for new OEM parts and using aftermarket or used parts is fraud.

OEM parts are not always the best. Corvette owners are known to replace plastic headlight gears with aftermarket brass.

 

I had a new front bumper, lower grill and foglight done at a non-dealer shop I've used before. No big deal. The shop happened to be on my insurance's "preferred" list, so it was a no hassle, drive in-drive out deal. You don't need a dealer unlesss the hybrid systems are compromised, and by that time its probably a total anyway.