# Body Shops & Ignition Interlocks: What to Know | DG > Yes — at DG it's routine: the device R&I is coordinated directly with your provider, nobody tampers with it, and one phone call keeps your program clean. - Canonical page: https://dgcollision.com/answers/body-shop-ignition-interlock/ - This file: Markdown twin of the page above (clean text for AI assistants and crawlers) - Business: DG Collision Center, 693 Metro Park Cir #20, Lewisville, TX 75057 — (972) 219-0864 (text: 817-907-2822) — since 1978 - Hours: Mon–Fri 8:30am–5:30pm, Sat 10am–1pm, closed Sunday · 24/7 towing · 4.9/5 on 500+ Google reviews - Full site index for assistants: https://dgcollision.com/llms.txt - Last generated: 2026-08-14 --- # CAN A BODY SHOP WORK ON A CAR WITH AN IGNITION INTERLOCK? Quick Answer Yes — and at DG it’s routine: we take interlock-equipped vehicles and coordinate the device’s removal and reinstall (R&I) directly with your provider. We’ve done it numerous times. The ground rules that make it smooth: the interlock belongs to your provider, not you or us, so nobody at a body shop should ever disconnect, bypass, or “work around” one — tampering is a program violation with real consequences for you. The right sequence is one phone call: you notify your provider that the car needs collision repair, the provider handles or authorizes the device work on their procedures, and we schedule the repair around it. Providers deal with this constantly — the biggest one, Smart Start, is headquartered in Grapevine, fifteen minutes from our shop. Get a Free Written Estimate By [Shah Jiwani](https://dgcollision.com/about/shah-jiwani/) · Owner, DG Collision Center Updated October 1, 2026 4 min read I-CAR Gold Class · PPG Certified The Longer Answer ## THE DEVICE, THE PROGRAM, AND HOW A REPAIR FITS BETWEEN THEM An ignition interlock is leased equipment wired into your car’s starting circuit, installed under a court or licensing requirement, and monitored by the provider — which means a collision repair touches three parties, not two. The part that protects you is understanding whose rules govern: the device is the provider’s property and your program’s responsibility. A shop that unplugs it to “make the repair easier,” a tech who cranks the car around it, or a well-meaning battery disconnect done without notice can all read as events on a device that logs everything — and program violations land on the driver, not the shop. That’s why our first question on an interlock car isn’t about the dent; it’s whether your provider knows the car is coming in. The process, as we actually run it: you make one call to your provider to tell them the vehicle needs collision repair; the provider either schedules the de-install/reinstall at their service location or authorizes the handling per their procedures — every major provider has a repair-shop protocol because crashed cars are a daily reality for them. We coordinate the R&I directly with the provider, schedule the body work around the device windows, and document the device’s condition at intake like everything else on the car. Repairs that never touch the ignition circuit or front interior often don’t need removal at all; electrical work, dash work, and battery disconnects are where coordination earns its keep — power interruptions can log events, and a provider who knows in advance treats them as the routine service notes they are. DFW convenience fact: Smart Start — among the largest interlock providers anywhere — is headquartered in Grapevine, and the metro is thick with service locations for every major brand, so device scheduling rarely adds real time to a repair. Two honest boundaries. First, the crash side: if the collision damaged the device itself, it’s the provider who assesses and replaces their equipment — document the damage with the rest of the claim, since crash-damaged equipment belongs on the claim like any other part of the loss. Second, the program side is not our lane: what your order requires, whether you may drive a non-equipped vehicle while yours is in the shop, how your provider bills device R&I — those answers come from your provider and, where it matters, your attorney. We handle the car, the claim documentation, and the coordination; general information here, not legal advice. Related Questions ## ASKED ALONGSIDE THIS ONE Can I drive one of your loaners while my interlock car is being repaired? + A: That’s a program question before it’s a loaner question — many interlock orders restrict what you may drive, and the answer lives with your provider, your order, and if needed your attorney. Ask them first; if your program permits an unequipped vehicle, the loaner conversation at our counter is the easy part. We won’t pretend to rule on your program, and you should be wary of any shop that does. The crash damaged the interlock itself. Who pays for that? + A: The device is the provider’s leased equipment, so the provider assesses and replaces it under your agreement — and crash damage to equipment in the vehicle belongs in the claim documentation like every other part of the loss. Photograph it, tell the provider, and we’ll include it in the file the adjuster sees. Will the repair set off violations on my device log? + A: This is exactly what coordination prevents. Power interruptions and service events can log on a device that records everything — which is why your provider gets notified before work begins, device R&I runs on their procedures, and anything that touches power gets scheduled with them in the loop. A provider who knows the car is at a body shop treats those entries as routine service notes. Do I have to tell you the car has an interlock? + A: Please do — at drop-off or earlier. It changes nothing about how welcome the work is and everything about how we plan it: what gets disconnected and when, how the car is moved and started in the shop, and which steps wait for the provider. The awkward conversation you might be dreading is, on our side, a scheduling detail we’ve handled numerous times. Go Deeper [Collision repair in Lewisville](https://dgcollision.com/services/collision-repair/) · [The after-an-accident playbook](https://dgcollision.com/after-an-accident-texas/) · [The loaner fleet](https://dgcollision.com/free-loaner-cars/) · [All quick answers](https://dgcollision.com/answers/)