Following any auto accident where the car appears to be repairable, there is a process that takes place. It begins with the insurance company’s estimate of the damages to the vehicle, and it concludes with the completion of the repairs to the vehicle owner’s satisfaction.

Initially, upon receiving a request for a claim, the insurance company will assign and adjuster to perform a thorough inspection of the vehicle and generate a repair estimate. Depending on the particular insurance carrier and the extent of the damages, generating a repair estimate may take anywhere from 2 to 5 days. Once this quote has been provided to the vehicle owner, it is then the vehicle owner’s responsibility to authorize the repairs.

For the most part, minor repairs can be completed in a matter of days. The repair shop will begin by ordering any body or mechanical parts that need to be replaced, and begin the repairs at the same time. Some minor damages have been completely repaired in less than one week, while others may take twice as long. If a vehicle has been involved in a minor accident, the entire repair process could be completed in 5 to 10 days. However, one could expect this process to take up to twice as long, since there are many variables that can affect any ideal scenario.

Major accident damages present another time-frame scenario entirely. To begin with, there are often unforeseen damages that can only be correctly evaluated when a vehicle is disassembled. An adjuster can offer an experienced assessment and provide preliminary costs for these repairs within the same 2 to 5 day time frame, however this cost will most likely differ from the actual repair bill.

For this reason, the vehicle owner is asked to secure several repair estimates and provide these to the adjuster. This part of the process can take anywhere from 5 to 10 days, depending on the effectiveness of the vehicle owner in obtaining the comparative estimates. Once the estimates are received by the adjuster, the actual place of repair can be selected and the car may need to be transported to that location.

Major vehicle repairs that result from an accident can take up to two months and longer to perform and complete. If an accident occurred on March 15, the vehicle owner should not expect the repairs to be complete before May 15, at the very earliest. Again, this would be the ideal scenario and there are any number of variables that can affect the time frame.