Choose Your Own Body Shop in Fontana, CA

What Does Choosing Your Own Body Shop Mean?

Choosing your own body shop means you, not your insurance company, decide where your car is repaired after an accident. Many insurers run programs of shops they work with and suggest them to drivers. Some drivers come away thinking they have no choice.

In California, they do. The state's Insurance Code limits what an insurer can do to steer you to a shop. At Royal Collision Center we repair cars for drivers who choose us and work directly with their insurers.

Why the Right to Choose Matters in Fontana, CA

California Insurance Code section 758.5(a) says no insurer shall require that an automobile be repaired at a specific automotive repair dealer. Under section 758.5(b), an insurer may suggest a specific shop only when you ask for a referral or after it has told you in writing that you have the right to choose. Once you have chosen a shop, the law limits the insurer from suggesting that you switch.

That matters because the shop decides how your car is repaired: which parts, which procedures, how much care. You live with the result, and so does the car's safety and value. A Fontana driver can pick a local shop they trust, close to home on Foothill Blvd, rather than one picked for them.

When to Use Your Right to Choose in Fontana, CA

Use it at the start of the claim, when the adjuster first talks about where the car will go. Tell them which shop you want. It is simplest before the car is towed anywhere.

You can also use it later. If your car is at a shop you did not choose, you can ask for it to be moved. Ask your insurer how they handle the transfer.

Signs Your Insurer Is Steering You

These lines from an insurer are worth a second look:

How to Choose Royal Collision Center for Your Repair

Choosing our shop takes four steps:

• Step 1: Tell your insurer you want your car repaired at Royal Collision Center, and call (909) 347-6911.
• Step 2: Bring the car in, or let us arrange a tow, for a free estimate.
• Step 3: We contact your adjuster and work out the estimate before any repair begins.
• Step 4: Once it is approved, we repair the car and get you back on the road.

What the Law Says, in Plain Words

Your insurer cannot require you to use a specific shop. It may recommend one only if you ask for a referral, or after telling you in writing that the choice is yours. Insurers' own notices often say they are prohibited by law from requiring repairs at a specific shop.

The rule applies to claims on your own policy and to claims against the other driver's insurer. It does not tell your insurer how much to pay; your policy and the estimate do that. Our Insurance Claims page explains how we work through the estimate with the adjuster.

Why Your Shop Choice Matters

The shop you choose decides the parts, the methods and the care that go into your car. We repair with original equipment parts, as our OEM vs Aftermarket Parts page explains. We measure structural damage and follow the maker's repair procedures.

A program shop works under the insurer's agreement. Ours works for you. Both may do good work, but you are the one who decides which one gets your car.

Program Shops and Your Warranty

Insurers sometimes point out that their program shops come with a repair guarantee. That is worth comparing. Our collision and body repair workmanship is backed by a Lifetime Warranty.

Ask any shop what its warranty covers and for how long. Then choose with the full picture. It is your car and your decision.

Why Fontana Customers Choose Royal Collision Center

We have repaired accident-damaged vehicles in Fontana since 1993, in an I-CAR and ASE certified facility. We work with all insurance companies and coordinate directly with your adjuster. Every collision and body repair is backed by our Lifetime Warranty.

We offer free estimates, towing, on-site car rentals and customer and car drop-offs and pick-ups. Our customer lounge has free Wi-Fi while you wait. Hablamos Español, so we can help with the claim in Spanish or English.