QUICK ANSWERS — STRAIGHT, SOURCED, TEXAS-SPECIFIC
One question per page, answered the way you’d want a knowledgeable friend to answer it: the verdict first, the Texas statute or published price that backs it, and the honest caveats — then links into the deep guides when you want the whole story. Every answer draws on the same sourced material as our guide library: real statutes cited by section, our own published price sheet, and thirty-plus years on one DFW shop floor. No teasers, no “call to find out.” Want the condensed tour instead? The 36-question FAQ hub covers the whole territory in one page. ¿Prefiere español? La biblioteca también vive en español.
The Library
EVERY QUESTION WE’VE ANSWERED SO FAR
Does a hail claim raise insurance rates in Texas?
Usually not by itself — 28 TAC §5.7016 protects your renewal. The real rate mechanics are sneakier, and worth two minutes.
Read the answer →Can a body shop pay your deductible in Texas?
Legally yes on auto claims — the “it’s a crime” law covers roofs. The who-pays test that separates legal from fraud.
Read the answer →Can’t pay your deductible? Your options
Four real paths — including the statute that can get a deductible refunded and the cases where no deductible applies at all.
Read the answer →How much does insurance pay for hail damage?
Honest repair cost minus your deductible, capped by the car’s value — with the published DFW numbers at every tier.
Read the answer →What does hail repair cost without insurance?
$75–$200 per dent at published cash rates — and the three situations where paying cash genuinely beats filing.
Read the answer →Do body shops guarantee their work in Texas?
No law requires it — so the written warranty is everything. The three kinds of “guarantee” and how to read each one.
Read the answer →What size hail damages a car?
Quarter size dents steel; penny can mark aluminum; tennis ball breaks glass. The full ladder, panel by panel.
Read the answer →How much does frame straightening cost?
$1,800 to $18,000+ on the published sheet — what moves the number, and why the measurement comes standard with structural work.
Read the answer →How long do you have to file a hail claim in Texas?
No statute sets the deadline — your policy does, and most carriers hold it to about a year. The honest clock, read out loud.
Read the answer →Does a not-at-fault accident raise insurance in Texas?
It shouldn’t — and §5.7016 backs that up. What the rule actually protects, and the filing move that protects the rest.
Read the answer →Can you drive a car with hail damage?
Dents are legal — and the safety inspection that would have cared is gone. Where glass and lights draw the real line.
Read the answer →Do I need a police report for a claim in Texas?
Usually optional, sometimes decisive — and for hit-and-run UM claims, effectively mandatory. When to insist on the CR-3.
Read the answer →How much does bumper repair cost?
$300–$800 to refinish, $1,000–$2,500 to replace and paint — and the second bumper behind the cover that decides which.
Read the answer →How much does it cost to fix a door ding?
$75–$200 per dent, cash, published — and the paint-intact question that decides whether that price applies.
Read the answer →Can hail damage be buffed out?
No — buffing polishes paint and hail bends metal. Why the internet cures fail, and what the real fix costs.
Read the answer →Do body shops give loaner cars?
Most don’t. DG keeps 50+ — free for the length of the repair, with the billing mechanics stated out loud.
Read the answer →How long can an insurance adjuster take in Texas?
Less than they’d like: §542’s clocks run 15 days, 15 business days, then 5 — and lateness costs them 18% a year.
Read the answer →Can I keep my totaled car in Texas?
Usually yes, minus the salvage value — and a hail total typically dodges the salvage brand entirely. The quirk explained.
Read the answer →Is hail damage worth fixing before selling?
Appraisers deduct more than the repair costs, almost every time — and the claim that would pay for it has a clock.
Read the answer →How long does hail damage repair take?
Most full-vehicle PDR runs 3–7 days — what stretches it, honestly told, and why the free loaner makes it academic.
Read the answer →Is mobile dent repair legit?
The trade is real; the format is where the con hides. The checks that separate a pro from a pitch, statutes included.
Read the answer →How do you tell if your car has frame damage?
Doors that catch, gaps that taper, a pull no alignment cures — the symptom clusters, and the measurement that settles it.
Read the answer →Is it illegal to drive without a bumper in Texas?
No statute requires one — the section the internet cites is about taillamps. What can still get you stopped anyway.
Read the answer →How long after an accident can you file a claim?
Two clocks: your policy’s prompt-notice duty and §16.003’s two years to sue. Which one your case actually runs on.
Read the answer →Do you pay the body shop, or does insurance?
The insurer’s money comes to the shop; yours is typically the deductible, once, at pickup. Checks and supplements, decoded.
Read the answer →Should I get multiple estimates?
On a claim, no — teardown finds the number, not clipboards. Paying cash? Compare away; our prices are already public.
Read the answer →Will new paint match the rest of my car?
Done right, yes — the match is made to your aged color, not the factory code, and the blend is what makes it vanish.
Read the answer →How much does car paint repair cost?
$200 small-part refinishes to $7,500 full resprays, published — and why the match, not the scratch, decides the lane.
Read the answer →Fix hail damage before lease turn-in?
Almost always — the lessor bills unrepaired damage at their rates, and the claim that would pay for it has a clock.
Read the answer →Do you have to give a recorded statement?
Not to the other driver’s insurer — ever. Your own carrier’s cooperation clause is the different case, explained.
Read the answer →Both drivers at fault — who pays?
Texas splits it by percentage, with a cliff at 51% — and adjusters negotiate those percentages like everything else.
Read the answer →Does insurance cover a keyed car?
Yes — vandalism rides comprehensive, and a key groove is refinish work, not buffing. Why the math favors filing.
Read the answer →Does insurance cover pothole damage?
Yes — but under collision, not comprehensive, and that changes the math. Plus the hidden-damage ladder to respect.
Read the answer →Is windshield replacement free in Texas?
No — that’s Florida, Kentucky and South Carolina. What Texas does instead, and the calibration step nobody quotes.
Read the answer →Insurance denied your hail claim?
Sort which “no” you got — a lowball and a coverage denial are different fights, and Texas just armed one of them.
Read the answer →Can you dispute a total-loss value?
Yes — the first ACV offer is an opening number. The valuation report, the comps, and the new binding appraisal right.
Read the answer →Does gap insurance cover a hail total?
Generally yes — gap keys off the total loss, not the cause. What it retires, and what stays yours.
Read the answer →Is ADAS calibration really necessary?
Yes, when the repair disturbs a sensor — a fraction of a degree misses by feet at distance, and it fails silently.
Read the answer →Does insurance replace car seats?
Usually yes, on the claim — and NHTSA’s five-point test decides whether the seat must go. Replace first, document always.
Read the answer →A truck threw a rock — who pays?
Usually your comprehensive — unless the load itself spilled it. The road-hazard split, §725.021, and the dashcam truth.
Read the answer →Car flooded? Do these things first
Do not start it — one crank can turn a repair into a total. The first hour, the claim, and the title truth.
Read the answer →Hit a curb in an EV?
Usually nothing — but the battery lives at scrape height and its case can’t be read from the driver’s seat.
Read the answer →Steering wheel crooked after a crash?
Three things move a wheel off-center — only one is cheap, and the measurement tells you which one you have.
Read the answer →Car pulls to one side after a crash?
From a leaking tire to a rear axle steering the car sideways — the ladder of causes, in the honest order.
Read the answer →Car vibrates after an accident?
Read it by when it happens: with speed, in the pedal, or at idle — each points at a different casualty.
Read the answer →Door won’t close after an accident?
Doors are precision-fit gauges — when the opening moves, the door reports it. Don’t let anyone bend the striker first.
Read the answer →Parking sensors dead after bumper work?
Four failure points — a connector, the sensor, the mount, or paint too thick over its face. One scan finds it.
Read the answer →Warning lights on after a crash?
Airbag, ABS, flashing — the triage order, plus why no lights doesn’t mean no damage. The scan reads both.
Read the answer →Uneven panel gaps after a collision?
Gaps are the factory’s straightness gauge — before a repair they map the hit, after one they grade the work.
Read the answer →Does an accident show up on Carfax?
Often, not automatically — who actually reports, who doesn’t, and what protects the car’s value when the record exists.
Read the answer →Body work with an ignition interlock?
Yes, routinely — the device R&I runs through your provider, nobody tampers, and one call keeps your program clean.
Read the answer →Totaled — can I still get it fixed?
Yes: buy it back, the payout funds the repair, out of pocket tops it up — safety work first, in writing, title fork explained.
Read the answer →Is mobile auto body repair worth it?
For paint and body — honestly, no: the booth and the blend are physics. Staying mobile is what the free loaner solves.
Read the answer →Bumper hanging off? Do this, in order
Dragging means stop; secured and clear earns a careful trip. The zip-tie triage, the hidden absorber, the honest money.
Read the answer →How much does scratch repair cost?
Depth decides: clear-coat scuffs often buff, small parts $200–$500, panels $500–$1,500 — and the fingernail test.
Read the answer →How much to repaint a hood?
$500–$1,500 as a single panel — and the honest blend question that moves metallics into the multi-panel lane.
Read the answer →Rear-end repair: what it costs
The four rungs, $300 to $7,000 at published rates — why the cover lies, and why their carrier usually pays it.
Read the answer →What does a car door cost to replace?
Door and fender work runs $1,500–$3,800 published — repair, re-skin or replace, and the blend that makes it disappear.
Read the answer →Hail repair cost on a truck?
Published tiers $750 to $15,000+ — why trucks count higher, and why aluminum panels are the storm-chaser filter.
Read the answer →What does a fender bender cost?
Three rungs at published rates, $300 to $3,800 — and the deductible arithmetic that decides claim versus cash.
Read the answer →Who’s the best body shop in Lewisville?
Judge every shop by five measures nobody can fake — and here’s our scorecard on each, checkable without our word.
Read the answer →Do I need an appointment for an estimate?
No — walk-ins welcome, written estimate on the spot, zero obligation. What to bring, and the photo shortcut.
Read the answer →Are body shops open on Saturday?
Many aren’t — we are, 10–1: estimates, drop-offs, pickups, loaners, and the 24/7 tow line for everything after hours.
Read the answer →How much does fender replacement cost?
The lower half of the $1,500–$3,800 lane — a bolt-on skin, no door hardware, blended into the hood and door.
Read the answer →What does a windshield cost?
About $400 aftermarket to $1,500 OEM, calibration $350–$450 — and the aftermarket-glass risk, told up front.
Read the answer →Scraped the side of your car?
Priced by panels, not inches — from transfer that buffs off to full side-swipes at $5,000+, the honest ladder.
Read the answer →A body shop that works with insurance?
Nearly all do — the real test: direct billing, documented supplements, and your shop choice kept yours (§1952.301).
Read the answer →The cheapest body shop in Lewisville?
An honest answer about cheap: where real savings live, and how the lowest quote usually prices a smaller repair.
Read the answer →What does a headlight cost to replace?
Quoted per vehicle — halogen and sealed LED are different worlds; aimed right, not calibrated, and the condensation claim line.
Read the answer →Hail just hit — what do I do first?
Your claim doesn’t expire in 48 hours — the evidence window and the tent trap are the real clock. The first-two-days checklist.
Read the answer →Can I get an estimate from photos?
Yes for a fast honest read — text them in. No for a final number: our claim files show photo estimates start far short.
Read the answer →How much does towing cost?
On covered claims it’s billed to your carrier — free to you. The real bill is the yard’s daily meter; know the TDLR caps.
Read the answer →Will a body shop pick up my car?
Ours will — free pickup and dropoff of drivable cars within 75 miles, a loaner in the same visit, honest flatbed math for the rest.
Read the answer →I have a claim number — now what?
It’s portable — the shop choice is yours (§1952.301). Text it with photos and the paperwork becomes our job, not yours.
Read the answer →¿Se habla español?
Sí — llamadas, textos y todo el reclamo en español, más la biblioteca completa en dgcollision.com/es/.
Read the answer →The best hail repair company in DFW?
Five hail-specific measures no tent can fake — the count under lights, aluminum technique, and a fixed address in March.
Read the answer →What does a side mirror cost?
Quoted per vehicle — manual glass to camera-loaded assemblies; the glass-only and cap-refinish saves nobody mentions.
Read the answer →What does tailgate repair cost?
Hail dents $75–$200 each with PDR; replacement quoted per vehicle — aluminum skins and multifunction gates decide.
Read the answer →Is roof hail damage serious?
The densest-hit panel on the car — and the one you can’t see. Headliner R&I, cracked-paint rules, the tier it drives.
Read the answer →Should the adjuster inspect at the shop?
Yes when you can arrange it — teardown-level damage in plain view beats a driveway squint, and the supplement fight shrinks.
Read the answer →Can I switch body shops mid-repair?
Yes — §1952.301 doesn’t expire at drop-off. What a switch costs, what to collect, and how a takeover is done right.
Read the answer →Do body shops want payment up front?
Not here — claims start with zero down, the deductible comes at pickup, cards accepted, and payment plans are real.
Read the answer →Insurance sent a check — now what?
It’s the estimate minus your deductible, not a shortage — and it’s an opening payment. Two-name checks decoded too.
Read the answer →Can their insurance pay the shop direct?
Yes — and with no deductible at all on their liability. Direction to pay, the speed trade-off, and the two-door choice.
Read the answer →Can I pay cash at a body shop?
Yes — a first-class lane: same booth, same lifetime warranty, published prices to shop from, and payment plans that are real.
Read the answer →How long is the hail repair wait?
Two clocks get confused after a storm: the line and the repair. What reserves your spot, and why the tents sell speed as bait.
Read the answer →Is there a 24-hour body shop?
Honestly, no — but the tow line is. The first-hour midnight playbook, and what safely waits for 8:30.
Read the answer →How long does bumper repair take?
Three clocks — parts, paint, calibration — and with parts in hand it’s days, not weeks. What stretches it, honestly.
Read the answer →Where should I take my car after a wreck?
Home defers it, the dealership may sublet it — a shop you chose starts the claim’s real work day one. Three doors, costed.
Read the answer →Is $0 out of pocket hail repair real?
Sometimes genuinely yes — the three-part math that reaches zero, and the §35.02 scam version wearing the same slogan.
Read the answer →Why is my insurance check so small?
Three honest subtractions: the deductible comes out first, betterment bills wear to you, and first estimates start short.
Read the answer →Is the damage under my deductible?
Don’t take the carrier’s first number for it — initial hail estimates in our files have run 15–20% of the real damage.
Read the answer →How many times do I pay the deductible?
Once per claim — panels, glass and calibration from one storm ride one subtraction. When it genuinely doubles, explained.
Read the answer →Comp vs. collision — which deductible?
Hail, deer, theft and flood ride comprehensive — often your cheaper number; crashes and potholes ride collision.
Read the answer →Repair costs more than the estimate?
The carrier pays — documented supplements are insurance money, and the deductible counts once. The two real exceptions.
Read the answer →Change my deductible after the storm?
Honestly, no — the date of loss locks the terms. What actually helps now, and the renewal move for next spring.
Read the answer →Pay more at an out-of-network shop?
Usually no — the warning is a forecast, not a bill. The legal ceiling it lives under, and the paper trail that closes the gap.
Read the answer →“We won’t guarantee repairs there”
True — and it means less than it sounds. The carrier never repairs anything; whose promise actually protects the work.
Read the answer →Rental cut off at my own shop?
No — rental coverage rides your policy, not their roster. And the free 50+ loaner fleet makes the whole threat academic.
Read the answer →Slower claim outside the network?
Not here — published files show two-day Progressive and five-day State Farm approvals from this independent floor.
Read the answer →The “approved shop” list, decoded
Every carrier keeps one — Select Service, ARX, Good Hands, STARS. A recommendation roster, never a fence. How to read it.
Read the answer →“$500 deductible with full glass”?
A $0 deductible for glass-only claims riding next to your regular one — windshields for nothing out of pocket. The dec-page read.
Read the answer →Deductible if the wreck was my fault?
For your car yes, for theirs never — liability has no deductible. The sorting, plus the refund clock when you’re innocent.
Read the answer →Who gets my deductible — shop or insurer?
The shop, at pickup, once — the carrier already subtracted it from their share. The money flow, and the timing honesty test.
Read the answer →I hit my own garage. Covered?
Yes — collision pays even when the wall was yours. One bad second, two policies, and the math on filing either.
Read the answer →Hit a pole in a parking garage
The stripe looks worse than it is — transfer polishes off, damage hides under it. The panel-by-panel claim math.
Read the answer →Accident on I-35 in Lewisville
Out of the lanes, then one exit to honest — why a 70-mph tap hides structural damage, and the tow-truck decision.
Read the answer →Accident on 121, the Sam Rayburn
Dial #999 — NTTA’s free roadside crews and traffic protection — then the tollway claim playbook, decoded.
Read the answer →Accident on Business 121
Our home strip — light-change rear-enders and driveway pullouts, where “minor” hides sensor money. Minutes away.
Read the answer →Second opinion on their estimate?
Free, written, any time — the carrier’s number is an opening position. We read it line by line against the car.
Read the answer →Start repairs before the check?
Yes — the check is the caboose, not the permission slip. A claim number and a signature start the clock here.
Read the answer →Fix hail before trading it in?
Usually — the appraiser prices dents at their cut, not your cost. The window gate, the cash lane, the factory-paint math.
Read the answer →Parking lot wreck = automatic 50/50?
Myth — backing yields to the lane, evidence assigns the rest. The five-minute window that keeps your percentage honest.
Read the answer →A shopping cart hit my car
The cart has no insurance — and the cash PDR lane usually beats a claim anyway. The honest math, dent by dent.
Read the answer →Hit a curb hard — what to check
The rim is the disguise; the hit lives in the tire, alignment, and suspension. The ten-minute triage, honestly routed.
Read the answer →Hit a mailbox or fence — who pays?
Their property = your liability, no deductible; your car = collision. The note duty, the two ledgers, the brick truth.
Read the answer →Most expensive cars to repair
Not the badge — the build. Carbon fiber, aluminum, structural-battery EVs and ADAS density, ranked by what drives the bill.
Read the answer →Do I need a certified body shop?
Usually no — I-CAR Gold Class and following OEM procedures beat a brand logo. The three “certifieds,” and when one matters.
Read the answer →Another shop won’t work on my car
Almost never because it can’t be fixed — it’s their model. We document the prior damage, walk it with you, and take it on.
Read the answer →Buff the scratch, or paint it?
The fingernail test decides: glides over = buff it, catches = paint. And a lot of “scratches” are transfer that polishes off.
Read the answer →Can you tell if a car was repainted?
Yes — a paint gauge and six tells reveal body work fast. How to catch it buying a used car, and why quality holds resale.
Read the answer →Cracked bumper — repair or replace?
Often repairable — plastic welds and resprays. Replace for shattered covers, broken tabs, or crushed structure behind.
Read the answer →Keyed car — cost & will it buff?
Depth decides: clear-coat marks buff out, through the color is a panel repaint. And one keyed panel is often a cash job.
Read the answer →Windshield chip — repair or replace?
Repair if you move fast — a small chip is a resin fix, often free. Replace for long, edge, or in-your-view cracks.
Read the answer →Worth fixing, or sell it as-is?
The two-number math a buyer hopes you skip — they deduct more than the repair costs. When fixing wins, and when it totals.
Read the answer →Was my repair done right?
Judge the evidence, not the panel: the scan, the calibration report, the paint in three lights, the gaps, the written warranty.
Read the answer →The cheapest cars to repair?
The build decides, not the badge — steel panels, bolt-on parts, common supply, no dense sensors. Why your real number still varies.
Read the answer →Someone backed into me in a lot
Their liability pays, no deductible to you — and backing yields to the lane, so it’s rarely 50/50. The steps, in order.
Read the answer →State Farm: pay more out of network?
No, as a rule — it’s a steering line, not a bill. The law, their own “choose any shop,” and our State Farm receipts.
Read the answer →GEICO: pay more out of network?
No — Auto Repair Xpress is convenient and optional, not a toll. The law, the ARX guarantee question, and why speed doesn’t cost your choice.
Read the answer →Progressive: pay more out of network?
No — they’re the mildest of the majors, and their own words say any shop you trust. The real lever is the guarantee, answered honestly.
Read the answer →Allstate: pay more out of network?
No — “Good Hands” is a recommendation, not a fence. Their own “happy to work with your shop,” the law, and whose guarantee protects your car.
Read the answer →Will filing a claim raise my rates?
Depends on fault: weather and not-at-fault claims are protected (§5.7016); an at-fault claim can surcharge. The honest math, and when cash wins.
Read the answer →Why This Exists
SHORT ANSWERS, LONG RECEIPTS
Search has changed: more and more of these questions get answered in an AI summary or a voice reply before anyone clicks. We’d rather the answer being read out loud be a correct one — sourced to real Texas statutes, our own published prices, and the claims canon we hold ourselves to in writing — than folklore scraped from a content mill. Each page here states its answer plainly enough to quote and cites well enough to check; the full guides carry the complete analysis when you need depth, and the estimator turns the pricing pages into your number. More questions join this library as real people ask them.