SHOULD YOU GET AN ESTIMATE BEFORE FILING A CLAIM?
Usually yes, when only your car is involved. A free written estimate tells you whether the repair is clearly more than your deductible. If it isn’t, the insurer pays nothing and a cash repair is often simpler; if it is, you file knowing what’s actually damaged. The exception: if another driver, property owner or anyone injured is involved, notify your insurer promptly anyway, because policies require prompt notice and telling your insurer about an incident isn’t the same as filing a damage claim on your own car. An estimate also doesn’t lock you into a shop: Texas Insurance Code §1952.301 lets you choose any shop.
The Longer Answer
WHY THE ESTIMATE COMES FIRST
The deductible math. Insurers pay the covered repair minus your deductible. A few dings or a scuffed bumper can land under it, and filing those gains you nothing. Our published cash rates help you guess before anyone looks: paintless dent repair runs $75–$200 per dent for dents up to about half-dollar size, with larger ones priced after inspection. The full ladder is in file a claim or pay out of pocket.
Knowing what you’re claiming. Hail and minor collisions are easy to misjudge from the driveway. A written estimate lists the real damage, including what sits behind a bumper cover or under a headliner, so the claim starts from the right picture.
When not to wait. If someone else was involved, report it to your insurer promptly, even before an estimate; policies require prompt notice, and the other side may file first. For hail, don’t let the estimate become an excuse to stall: many policies hold hail claims to about a year from the date of loss, sometimes less.
What a useful estimate includes. Parts and labor line by line, dent counts by panel for hail, any remove-and-install work, paint and blend lines, and whether parts are factory (OEM). That’s the document an adjuster can work from, and it’s just as useful if you decide to pay cash.
Your claims history. Insurers share claims through databases such as CLUE, and many offer claims-free discounts. That’s part of why a claim that pays little or nothing can still cost you, and why the estimate comes first.
How we handle it. Estimates are free, by photo or in person, and written line by line. If you file, you open the claim and we send your adjuster the estimate, photos and any supplement. On qualifying hail claims we cover the first $1,000 of your deductible; above that, it’s case by case. See also damage less than your deductible. General information, not legal advice.
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