How to Go Through Your Auto Insurer to Get Repairs Done

Last Updated on September 26, 2026 by James Shaffer

After a car accident, insurance may help pay to repair your vehicle, but coverage is not automatic in every situation. Whether repairs are covered depends on who was at fault, which coverages apply, your deductible, the insurer’s estimate and the terms of the policy.

If you are making a claim under your own collision or comprehensive coverage in New York, there are also specific rules governing inspections, repair estimates and your right to choose a repair shop. Following the claims process carefully can help prevent delays and disagreements over the repair bill.

File the Insurance Claim

The first step is to file a claim with the appropriate insurance company. Depending on the circumstances, that could mean filing under your own collision coverage or making a property-damage claim against the other driver’s insurer.

Notify the insurer as soon as reasonably possible. Your policy may contain notice requirements, and reporting the accident promptly also makes it easier to preserve evidence and begin the inspection process.

When reporting the accident, provide accurate information about what happened without guessing about facts you do not know. You may be asked for information such as:

• Your policy number and contact information
• The date, time and location of the accident
• Names, contact information and insurance information for the drivers involved
• Photos or video of the vehicles and accident scene
• Witness information, if available
• A description of the vehicle damage
• The police report number, if police responded

If a police report was created, obtain a copy when it becomes available. Our guide to filing a police report after an accident in New York explains the process in more detail.

Also remember that notifying your insurer does not necessarily satisfy New York’s separate accident-reporting requirement. The New York DMV requires drivers to submit an MV-104 crash report within 10 days when an accident in New York causes an injury or death, or more than $1,000 in damage to the property of any one person. The New York DMV explains the reporting requirement here.

Give the Insurer a Chance to Inspect the Damage

Do not rush into permanent repairs before finding out whether the insurance company wants to inspect the vehicle. An adjuster may inspect the car in person, at a repair facility or through a photo-based estimating process.

For claims under your own collision or comprehensive coverage, New York Department of Financial Services guidance says that if the insurer exercises its right to inspect the damage, it generally has six business days after receiving notice of the claim to inspect a vehicle that is available for inspection. The insurer must also begin negotiations and make a good-faith settlement offer during that period.

You should still take reasonable steps to prevent additional damage. For example, a broken window may need to be temporarily covered to keep rain out, or a badly damaged vehicle may need to be towed to a secure location. Keep receipts for reasonable expenses and ask the insurer whether they are covered.

Choose Your Repair Shop

New York gives drivers an important protection when choosing where their vehicle will be repaired.

Under New York Insurance Law Section 2610, an insurer providing collision or comprehensive coverage cannot require you to repair your vehicle at a particular shop. You have the right to select the repair facility you want.

Your insurer may have a direct-repair or preferred-shop program, but participation is not mandatory. Choosing an insurer-affiliated shop can sometimes simplify estimates, payments and repair guarantees, but you can choose another qualified repair facility.

If the repair shop is in New York, look for a facility registered with the New York DMV. The DMV recommends dealing only with registered repair shops and keeping copies of estimates, work orders, invoices, guarantees and other repair records. You can review your New York auto repair rights through the DMV.

What to Look for in a Repair Shop

• Valid New York DMV repair-shop registration
• Experience repairing your make and model
• A detailed written estimate
• Clear information about parts and labor
• A written explanation of any repair warranty
• A willingness to communicate with the insurance adjuster when supplemental damage is discovered

You do not necessarily need to collect estimates from several shops before choosing one. In an insurance claim, the more important issue is whether your selected repair facility and the insurer can agree on a reasonable repair cost.

Compare the Repair Shop’s Estimate With the Insurer’s Estimate

The insurer’s initial estimate and the repair shop’s estimate may not match. This is common, particularly when additional damage becomes visible after damaged parts are removed.

New York’s physical-damage claim rules require good-faith negotiations aimed at reaching an agreed repair price. Your repair shop can often communicate directly with the adjuster about labor, parts and additional damage.

If the shop finds additional accident-related damage after work begins, it will typically prepare a supplemental estimate and request approval from the insurer. Avoid simply authorizing substantial additional work and assuming the insurer will reimburse the full amount afterward.

If your insurer and repair shop cannot agree on the cost, ask the insurer to explain the disputed items in writing. A disagreement about the shop’s price does not necessarily mean the entire claim has been denied.

Understand Your Deductible

If you use your own collision or comprehensive coverage, your deductible generally applies to the covered repair bill. For example, if covered repairs are $4,000 and your collision deductible is $500, the insurer’s portion would generally be based on $3,500, subject to the policy terms and the insurer’s approved repair amount.

A deductible generally does not apply when another driver’s liability insurer pays your property-damage claim, although responsibility for the accident and the amount of damages must first be resolved.

If you initially use your own collision coverage because fault is disputed, your insurer may later attempt to recover its payment from the responsible party or insurer through subrogation. Depending on the recovery, you may also receive some or all of your deductible back.

Keep Your Repair Documentation

Keep a complete record of the claim and repairs. Useful documents include:

• The insurer’s estimate
• The repair shop’s written estimate
• Any supplemental estimates
• Photos of the damage
• Emails or messages with the adjuster
• Authorization forms
• The final repair invoice
• Towing and storage receipts
• Any repair warranty or guarantee

New York repair shops must provide a detailed invoice when repairs are completed. The invoice should identify the repairs performed, parts replaced and labor charges.

How Does the Insurance Company Pay for Repairs?

The payment method varies. An insurer may pay the repair shop directly, issue payment to you, or issue a check that includes another party such as a lender or lienholder. Ask the adjuster how payment will work before the repair is completed.

If you finance or lease the vehicle, your lender or leasing company has a financial interest in it and may impose requirements on how insurance proceeds are handled and whether the damage must be repaired. Review your financing or lease agreement before deciding what to do with a claim payment.

If the claims process appears stalled, contact the adjuster and ask specifically what remains outstanding. Keep a record of the date, time and substance of those conversations.

What if the Insurer’s Estimate Is Lower Than the Repair Shop’s?

You do not automatically have to accept the first estimate as the final repair cost. If your shop believes additional work, labor or parts are necessary to restore the vehicle to its pre-loss condition, the shop can document the difference and discuss it with the adjuster.

Under New York Regulation 64, negotiations over a first-party physical-damage claim must be conducted in good faith with the goal of reaching an agreed price. If an agreement cannot be reached, the insurer has additional notice obligations explaining your rights.

At the same time, choosing a particular repair shop does not necessarily mean the insurer must pay every amount that shop charges. Disputes can arise over labor rates, repair procedures, replacement parts, unrelated prior damage or whether particular damage resulted from the covered accident.

Do You Have to Repair Your Car After an Insurance Claim?

Not necessarily. Whether you must actually repair the vehicle depends partly on who owns it and how the claim payment is issued.

If you own the vehicle outright, you may have more flexibility about whether to complete repairs after receiving a settlement. However, leaving accident damage unrepaired can complicate later claims because an insurer will not normally pay a second time for the same existing damage.

If the vehicle is financed or leased, the lender or leasing company may require repairs and may be included on the insurance payment. Check the terms of your loan or lease before deciding not to repair the vehicle.

You should also think carefully before driving a damaged vehicle. Damage that looks cosmetic can sometimes affect lights, sensors, suspension components or other safety systems.

Whether your own insurer will pay for vehicle damage also depends on the coverage you purchased. Collision coverage generally applies to covered collision damage to your vehicle, while comprehensive coverage generally covers certain non-collision losses such as theft, vandalism, falling objects and weather-related damage.

Should You File a Claim for Minor Damage?

For minor damage, compare the likely covered repair cost with your deductible before deciding whether filing under your own physical-damage coverage makes financial sense.

For example, a $900 covered repair with a $500 deductible would leave a relatively small potential insurance payment. On the other hand, damage can be more extensive than it initially appears, so consider getting a professional estimate before assuming a repair is inexpensive.

You should not assume that every claim will automatically increase your premium. The effect depends on factors including the circumstances of the accident, fault, claim history, insurer and applicable New York rating rules. Read more about how an accident can affect car insurance rates.

What to Do if You Have a Problem With the Repair Claim

Start by asking the adjuster for a clear explanation of the disputed issue and what documentation is still needed. If the disagreement concerns the repair amount, your repair shop may be able to provide photographs, measurements, parts information or a supplemental estimate supporting the additional work.

If you believe a New York insurer is not complying with applicable claim-handling requirements, you can review the New York Department of Financial Services guidance on physical-damage claims and contact DFS if necessary.

If the dispute is instead about the repair shop’s work, billing or business practices, the New York DMV handles complaints involving registered motor vehicle repair shops.

Final Word on Getting Car Repairs Through Insurance

Getting your vehicle repaired after an accident is easier when you involve the insurer early, document the damage and allow any required inspection before major repairs begin.

New York drivers also have the right to choose their own repair shop. Once you select a shop, make sure the repair facility and insurer communicate about the estimate and any supplemental damage before additional work is completed.

Keep copies of the estimates, invoices and claim correspondence until the repair and insurance claim are fully resolved.

FAQs on Insurance-Paid Car Repairs in New York