What to do if you are involved in an accident:
1. Stop. Stay calm. Do not
leave the scene.
2. Call law enforcement authorities
immediately.
3. Do not discuss the accident
with anyone except the police
or your insurance company. Do
not pay the other party.
4. Secure the names and addresses
of involved parties and witnesses.
5. Have your vehicle towed to
TOTA Auto Body if not driveable.
If your vehicle is driveable,
see us as soon as possible.
6. Notify your insurance company
of the accident and that we
are doing your repairs
Facts you should know:
1. You are not required to
get more than one estimate.
2. You may have the shop of
your choice make the repairs.
You are not required to use
a shop selected by a claims
adjuster. However, you are required
by your policy to allow your
insurance company a reasonable
amount of time to inspect the
damages prior to repairing them.
3. Only you, the vehicle owner,
can authorize repairs on your
vehicle.
4. Repair estimates will vary.
A lower estimate may not include
necessary things. It's your
vehicle, make sure it's repaired
to your satisfaction.
5. Your insurance company wants
your vehicle properly repaired
and you to be completely satisfied
with their claims service. You
have specific rights and obligations.
Review your policy. Understand
your rights.
6. The vehicle is being repaired
for you the owner. You will
be required to pay for the repairs
upon completion. To avoid delays,
it will be up to you to secure
payment from your insurance
company, along with any necessary
endorsements from lien holders.
7. Our shop stands ready to
assist you in any of these matters.
We will work closely with you
to minimize your inconvenience
and maximize your satisfaction.
This is our pledge to you.
How to protect your vehicle finish:
1. Avoid car washes that use
rotating brushes and harsh cleaners.
Use soft cloths when washing
your vehicle.
2. Avoid waxing for three months.
It is recommended that you wax
at least twice a year.
3. Wash off any gas, oil, or
fluid spills of any kind immediately
with soap and water. Do not
just wipe off.
4. Always wash off any bird
droppings, tree sap, or other
signs of contamination immediately.
"This is very important."
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Beware
Flood Vehicles !!!
With the hurricanes and flooding
that has hit in the south
recently there are hundreds
of thousands of vehicles that
have moderate to severe flood
damage.
Some of these vehicles that
have not been completely submerged
will be cleaned up, freshener
sprayed into carpets and vents
and shipped North, East and
West.
The people who deal in these
vehicles get them dirt cheap
and do some clean up and then
ship them out to the unsuspecting
public. These vehicles will
look normal but after buying
one of them you will most
likely develope serious problems
down the road.
These vehicles will have mold
started that you won't be able to detect for some time
and the odor will be covered
up with some strong sprays
that will hide the problem
for several weeks/months.
But then one warm day sfter
being closed up in the sun
you will open the door to
a musty odor that will start
to become worse each day until
after a while it will be unbearable.
The odor may be the least
of your problems for after
a vehicle is submerged in
water for any length of time
the water and grit is in the
engine, transmission, differential
all the wheel bearings and
working parts. So after driving
the vehicle a few hundred
miles you will start to develope
major failures to these components.
Also the water will get into
the electrical system of the
vehicle and cause shorts in
the wiring that may cause
fires or serious damage to
the computer system of the
vehicle that will result in
very high repair bills.
To avoid buying any of these
vehicles you will need to
do a complete inspection of
the vehicle to check it out
for any tell tale signs of
water damage. If you can't
do this youself hire a good
mechanic to check it for you,
or use a vehicle inspection
service and Carfax to determine if it has been in a flood
or any type of accident or
had major repairs.
Check title for previous owners and if it trails back to recent
sales in the Hurricane/flood states pass up the sale even
it seems to be a good deal as you may have some high
repair bills later or worse,
not even be able to salvage
vehicle.
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