Insurance company call centers love to deter customers from going with non-DRP shops with a single statement: ‘We cannot guarantee the repairs if you go with a shop that is not on our approved or preferred vendor list.’ And just like that, a customer can be lost. Yes, there are laws that say insurance companies cannot lead or dictate where a customer gets their vehicle fixed, but the laws leave a lot of gray areas for interpretation.  

If you’re a non-DRP shop, what does the insurance company actually warranty? Let me preface this with this statement: If your shop screws up or does a bad job, then you need to warranty your own repair. Bad body work, missed repairs, inaccurate repairs and a blotchy paint job are all your responsibility. 

Generally, the two main things we hold the insurance company accountable for regarding warranties are aftermarket parts failing and aftermarket fitment issues. There are other things that you can hold the insurance company accountable for, but these are the two most common things I see come up. I feel the best way to delve into it is to give you some scenarios.  

Issue: The aftermarket part does not fit as well as it should, and the part has already been installed or installed and painted.  

Insurance Response: You should have pre-fit the part and made sure it looked correct. We will pay for a replacement OEM part, but we will not pay for labor or paint time because you should have double-checked your parts before you painted it or used the part. 

Resolution: On every repair when you submit your first supplement, request R&I time for all aftermarket parts. You don’t have to do it by line item, you can do a single line that says, ‘Pre-fitment of all aftermarket