DO YOU HAVE TO USE YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY’S BODY SHOP IN ARIZONA?
No. Arizona law, A.R.S. § 20-468, says a person in Arizona has the right to choose any repair facility for a motor vehicle loss. If your insurer recommends a shop or sends you a list, it also has to tell you that you can choose any shop. A network shop can be convenient, but taking your car somewhere else is your call. Your insurer still owes what the policy covers for the damage. After the October 20–21, 2026 hail, that includes taking your car to DG Collision Center at 649 W Hatcher Rd in Phoenix.
The Longer Answer
WHAT § 20-468 SAYS, AND WHAT IT DOESN’T
The statute has two parts. Subsection A is the one most drivers need: you have the right to choose any repair facility, and an insurer that recommends a shop or gives you information about one must tell you so. Subsection B covers shops an insurer partly owns. If you choose one, the adjuster handling your car can’t be employed by that shop or directly control its repair decisions.
Here’s what the statute doesn’t do. It doesn’t create a private right to sue, and it doesn’t set what your insurer has to pay. If you believe an insurer pressured you or misstated your rights, the place to take it is the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions, which takes consumer complaints at azdfi.gov.
What changes when you pick your own shop. Usually less than the phone call makes it sound. Expect the insurer to write or review an estimate, sometimes from photos and sometimes with an adjuster at the shop. When a teardown finds damage the first estimate missed, the shop sends a supplement with photos, and the insurer reviews it. Network programs often come with the insurer’s own repair guarantee, which applies at its network shops. If you go elsewhere, the guarantee comes from the shop you choose. Ours is a written lifetime warranty on everything except mechanical.
What you’re likely to hear. “Our shop can get you in faster.” “We guarantee the work at our shops.” “It’s easier if you use our program.” Those may all be true, and none of them is a requirement. A polite answer works fine: “Thanks, I’ve chosen a shop,” then give the shop’s name and number.
After a hailstorm, choosing matters more than usual, because out-of-town crews move in fast. Pick a shop with a real address, published prices and a warranty someone will still honor next year. Our hail scam guide lists the questions to ask. And if you choose us, for qualifying claims from the October 20–21 storms we cover your deductible up to $2,000, depending on the damage.
Already Have A Claim Number?
Tell your insurer you’ve chosen DG Collision Center, then text us your claim number and a few photos at (602) 935-6008. We handle the estimate and the adjuster correspondence from there.
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