Select a body shop before you need one
Also know your insurance rights in case of a fender bender, or worse
By Jim Addison, President - Addison Auto Center

Just as most people find a doctor before they get sick, so should they select a body shop before an accident occurs.

Too often, the search for a body shop occurs after the accident. Car accidents, even small ones, are traumatic. Dealing with the health and welfare of the people involved, not worrying about where to take your car, should be top priority.
Three basic guidelines will help in the search for the right body shop:

Shopping for Safety in a Vehicle Crash Worthiness
By Jim Addison, President - Addison Auto Center

Safety in a vehicle comes from two areas. One is the safety of the vehicle’s construction known as crashworthiness. The other area comes from a vehicle’s safety features that include air bags, anti-lock brakes, seat belts, traction control, head restraints, daytime running lights and child passenger equipment.

What is a tune-up?
By Jim Addison, President - Addison Auto Center

We find there are many different answers to questions about the time-honored "tune-up." Answers depend on the car, the problem with the car and the expectation(s) of the customer.

The dictionary defines tune-up as: an adjustment to ensure efficient functioning (a motor). This original definition goes back to early days of motoring when the engine had a spark coil for each cylinder. The current to these coils had to be adjusted until they hummed “in tune.”

What to do after an accident :
STEPS TO TAKE AFTER BEING HIT

What you should do:
Always carry proof of insurance, registration and your driver’s license.
You are not required to get more than one estimate.
If you do get multiple estimates and one was significantly lower than the other(s), it is probably because some part of the repair was overlooked. Compare the estimates line by line. Remember, an estimate is only an estimate of repair, not a bid. Any unseen damage will be discovered upon disassembly and the estimate will be re-written to include the additional repairs.

For your convenience we have put together the following checklist of steps to take after being hit.