Auto body repair estimate
Brooklyn NY
written, itemized, explained.
You want to know what this is going to cost before you hand anybody the keys. Fair enough. An estimate is the written breakdown of the parts, the labor hours and the refinish work your car needs, priced line by line. Ours is free. We walk the car with you at 28 Marginal St W, and nothing comes off it until you've read the document and told us to go ahead.
What happens when you bring the car in for an estimate?
The four steps run the same whether you clipped a column in a parking garage or somebody put your quarter panel into a guardrail. You leave with a document you can read and the phone number of the shop that wrote it.
01We look past the dent
Damage travels further than it looks. A hit on a bumper cover can bend the reinforcement bar behind it, crack the absorber or snap a sensor mount, so we go over the panels either side of the impact and the structure underneath before anything gets written down.
02Photos before paperwork
We photograph the damage first, then every panel, part and paint operation goes on the document with the reason sitting next to it, so you can see why one bumper cover gets repaired and the next one gets replaced.
03Parts and labor kept apart
Parts, labor hours, paint materials and any calibration your car needs each get their own line. We use OEM parts, and the estimate names the ones going on your car.
04Nothing starts until you say so
Read it, ask us whatever you want about it, and nothing comes off the car until you approve it. If you're going through insurance, your approval is where the claim paperwork starts moving.
A harder hit starts the same way and then keeps going, because the structure gets measured before any panel work. That's collision repair in Brooklyn, and it gets written up differently from a cosmetic job.
You should be able to read every line of your estimate
and know why it's on there.
Why two dents the same size cost different money
Size is the smallest part of the answer. Where the damage landed and what's sitting behind it move the number a lot more, and each one of those shows up on your estimate as its own line.
Which panel took the hit
A bumper cover unbolts and comes off in one piece. A quarter panel is welded to the body and carries the roof line through it, so the same dent is a different job depending on where it landed.
Whether the finish broke
If the paint's still intact, the work stays on the metal side. Cut through to primer or bare steel and the panel has to be sealed and refinished, then we blend the fresh color into the panels either side so the match holds up in daylight.
What sits behind the panel
Brackets, absorbers, radiator supports, wiring and parking sensors all live behind the panels. A bumper that looks like a scuff from ten feet away can be hiding a snapped mounting tab and a cracked absorber.
OEM parts
We use OEM parts, the ones the manufacturer builds for your car. They hold the panel gaps the car left the factory with, and they carry the manufacturer's price, which is what you'll see on the parts lines.
ADAS calibration
Cameras and radar sensors sit in windshields, grilles, bumpers and mirrors, and once the panel they're mounted in gets repaired or replaced they have to be recalibrated. We do that here, and it lands on the estimate as its own line.
Structure underneath
A hard impact can push the unibody out of factory spec while the outside still looks straight. Measuring that and pulling it back is automotive frame repair, and it gets its own lines ahead of any body work.
The estimate is the write-up stage of auto body repair in Brooklyn, and it's where the whole job gets decided. Damage that stopped at the finish is the small end of it. A door ding, a light scuff, a keyed line: we write those up as dent repair in Brooklyn. Refinishing that runs across several panels goes through our car painting booth.
Insurance claim, or paying it yourself?
Hold the estimate up against your deductible and the answer usually picks itself. When the repair lands close to what you'd pay out of pocket anyway, plenty of drivers settle it directly and skip the claim. Once the number clears your deductible by a real margin, the claim earns its keep.
Either route starts from the same written estimate. What changes is who reads it after you do and how long the paperwork takes.
Your right to pick the shop
You pick the shop. New York law says so, whoever you're insured with, and an insurer's suggestion carries no weight beyond being a suggestion. Where the car gets fixed doesn't touch your premium either.
How the claim side works here
We take all insurance. Every insurer accepts a direction to pay, which is the legal document that sends the repair money straight to the shop, and you can sign yours online on the direction to pay form. GEICO is our one direct repair program; with every other carrier we work the claim the same way, off the same estimate. If the adjuster comes back under what the car needs, we document the gap and go back to them with it, so you're not the one arguing on the phone. There's more on that side of it on our auto body shop that works with insurance in Brooklyn page.
Can you write an estimate from photos?
Yes, for damage that stays on the surface. Text us what you've got and you'll get a starting number and a plain description of what the repair involves, without driving anywhere first. The photos we need are easy enough to take standing at the curb.
- The whole car from about ten feet back, so we can see where the damage sits on it
- The damage straight on, close enough to see whether the finish is cut through
- The same spot from a low angle, because depth never reads head-on
- Year, make, model and trim, so we price the right parts
- The paint code sticker in the driver door jamb
- One sentence on what happened, because a curb and a car leave different damage
A photo estimate is a starting point, and it says so on the document. Anything that pushed one panel into another, set off an airbag, or left the car pulling to one side needs to come to 28 Marginal St W first, because the parts worth pricing on that repair are the ones a photo can't show. If the car won't drive, our towing service in Brooklyn brings it in, typically 15 minutes to an hour from the call.
A supplement is not bad news.
It's the estimate catching up with the car.
What if you find more damage after the estimate?
Cars open up. When the teardown shows something the first write-up couldn't see, we photograph it, price it as a supplement, and send that to your insurer before anybody touches it.
Before 
After A bumper cover hides a reinforcement bar, an absorber, wiring and sensor mounts, and while it's still bolted on it hides all of that from the first estimate too. That's the ordinary reason a number grows, and it's why the supplement is a documented step with your adjuster's name on it. Whatever we end up doing carries a lifetime warranty on parts, labor and paint for as long as you own the car. The auto body repair before and after photos are there if you want to judge the work yourself.
Drivers who came in for an estimate
“Charlie is very professional and helpful with an excellent team, we went to get wheelchair access removed, we were very happy with the results and the price as well . Charlie also mentioned their specialized in insurance! I would highly recommend the service this business has to offer , very honest service.”
“By far one of the best services in New York!!! They made the whole process so smooth from beginning to end. As a first time customer, I never had to deal with insurance claims. The business helped me get my claim and helped me throughout the process. Not many places work alongside their customer. Exclusive body and repair is the real deal and they work with you. They go above and beyond to ensure when you get your car back, you get it better than ever! Thank you again for all your help! Appreciate you Charlie!”
“Amazing staff! Charlie was very communicative and helped me through the entire process from start to finish. Not only did he fight the insurance for me when they didn’t want to pay, he also got them to put original OEM parts on the vehicle. Back to new like it never happened. Got my car back in a timely fashion with everything completely back to factory. Thanks again Charlie”
“Charlie, the owner was very friendly and honest. Gave me a quote on a paint job on my 2020 Honda Civic, which was honestly unbelievable (he hooked us up). The paint job was done professionally (color had to be specially made for my car), and it looks like nothing ever happened. I was so impressed with the job that I would definitely recommend anyone who needs auto body done to go to this shop. Shout out to his secretary for the great communication as well. Thank you from a very Happy customer! - Wonder Woman”
“Great experience with this car repair shop. The staff was professional, honest, and explained everything clearly before doing the work. The repairs were done quickly and at a fair price. My car looks amazing And I will definitely return for future service. Highly recommended.”
“This is one of the best auto body repair shops in New York City, hands-down, fast and reliable! They are always fair about the pricing and give you top-of-the-line exclusive service! I will definitely be back and will tell everyone I know about this place!”
Estimates for drivers across Brooklyn
We're at 28 Marginal St W in Cypress Hills, one block off the Jackie Robinson Parkway, so getting the damage looked at is a short detour from most of the borough.
A scraped cover is the everyday case for bumper repair, and the question on it is always whether the reinforcement bar behind the plastic moved. Coming from outside the borough? Drivers reach us from Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island too, and the estimate works the same for all of them. We're open Mon-Fri 8AM-9PM and Sat 8AM-6PM. Email gets a reply within about two hours during business hours, and a call or text at (929) 267-9940 is quicker.
Auto body repair estimate Brooklyn NY: FAQs
The questions we get most before the car's even off the street.
Do body shops charge you for an estimate?
Is a $2000 car repair worth it?
Where is the best auto body repair shop in Brooklyn?
Can I get an auto body repair estimate from photos?
Is a body shop estimate binding, or can the number change?
What happens if you find more damage once the car is apart?
Should I put the repair through insurance or pay out of pocket?
How long does an auto body repair estimate take?
Do I have to use the auto body shop my insurance company recommends?
Want the number in writing?
Send us the damage.
Tell us the vehicle, the panel and what happened. The estimate's free, you'll know what the repair involves before you commit to anything, and if you want to take the document somewhere else and compare, that's fine by us.
Brooklyn, NY 11207
Sun Closed