What is an Auto Body or Auto Hail Repair Supplement?

Understanding the insurance supplement process can be very confusing. After your insurance claim is filed and your car is in the body shop for repairs there is a possibility that hidden damages will be found by the repair shop. In fact, processing a supplement is highly common with all auto body and hail repair claims. About 99.9% of the time hidden damages are found. Keep in mind that the first estimate written is just preliminary assessment, it is essentially a high-level overview of obvious damages that the adjuster noticed. The insurance adjuster can not see damages behind parts that are still mounted on your vehicle, which they cannot add repairs or parts without proper evidence. This is why the repair shop will perform a tear down on your vehicle. The tear down will expose any hidden damage and parts that will need to be supplemented to the insurance company. Upon reassembling a vehicle, additional parts may be needed which will result in an additional supplement.

The following list will explain how the insurance supplement process works.

1. The repair shop submits the supplement to the insurance company documenting any additional parts or repairs needed. At this point the repair shop CAN NOT continue with repairs until it is approved.
2. The insurance company receives the supplement and it is reviewed. The review time can be between 2-7 business days.
3. The repair shop notifies the customer that a supplement was submitted and waiting on approval.
4. The insurance company may send an adjuster to the shop to reinspect the vehicle for the supplement or ask the shop for additional photos to support the supplement.
5. The insurance company approves the supplement and notifies both the customer and the repair facility to proceed.
6. If parts are needed, the repair shop will order them. Keep in mind that dealerships do not stock all parts. Some parts may take a few days to come in because they have to be shipped from other cities or states.
7. When all the parts have been delivered to the repair shop, the repairs can continue.
8. The customer will notified once the repairs have been completed and the vehicle is ready for delivery.

In conclusion we hope these steps help explain the insurance supplement process. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact VIVID Auto Body Shop.