Frequently Asked Questions


I need a body repair shop. Is DINGIT for Me?
If your car has body damage and you value your time and money then DINGIT is for you.
Dingit.com saves you the effort of driving around to one or more bodyshops to get estimates for fixing your car.

What if I'm using my insurance for my auto body repair?
DINGIT is for you whether you intend to use your insurance or pay out of pocket. There are certain things that you should know about your insurance:

  • First, you, and only you, can determine which body shop you want to repair your car. As a matter of fact, most states have strict 'Anti-Steering' laws. These laws strictly prohibit your insurance company from sending you to their approved shop, and the legislators had a good reason for doing so, since there might be a conflict of interst between the insurance company's needs and yours.
  • Second, your insurance will have to pay the bill (which will be approved by their adjustor), less your insurance's deductible, with any body shop that you choose.
  • Third, many body shops, including those in the DINGIT network, are approved by one or more insurance companies or other large firms such as car rentals. What this means is that even if the shop is not on your insurance company's list, it is on some other company's list, thus it meets high standards.
  • Lastly, while all the shops in the DINGIT network are pre-screened, DINGIT does not recommend any specific shop. It simply lets them compete over your job and saving you the hassle of driving there. And in order to help you make the right decision, DINGIT also generates an online credential report for each body shop that sends you an estimate.


Should I get my Insurance company to pay for fixing the damage or should I pay out of pocket?
This depends on the cost of repairing the damage, your deductible, and the rate increase you will incur on your premiums due to using your insurance.
For example, if your deductible is $500 and your yearly rate increase will be $100 for three years, you'd need the cost of fixing the car to be lower than $800 to justify paying out of pocket. In this example, if the cost is higher than $800 you should involve your insurance.

DINGIT is not an auto body reapir shop, so what is DINGIT?
DINGIT is not a body shop, neither is it affiliated with any particular body shop. It is a free independent online service that saves time and money to car owners who need auto bodywork by allowing them to receive preliminary estimates from qualified body shops over the Internet. But saving time and money is just the beginning...

Why is DINGIT the best service to find a body repair shop?
A simple search in Google or Yahoo will bring a long list of websites and online services for people who look for a body shop. So why DINGIT? A short visit to these services will show you that they are nothing but a simple referral service. After asking you for some (or a lot of) information they will simply give you a name of a body shop that you can go to. Well, what's new about this? You could open any yellow pages and find a name of a shop yourself. Furthermore, you will also see that they have only a handful number of shops in cities as large as Los Angeles. DINGIT works with thousands of bodyshops nationwide and provider a full service, which includes getting several estimates whithout having to make a single phone call or wasting time and gas driving around to body shops.

Once I start using DINGIT, is there any commitment from my part to fix my car through DINGIT?
There is no commitment whatsoever. If you like one of the estimates you get, you are completely free to decide which bodyshop to contact and when.

Should I use my insurance or pay out of pocket?
The answer to this commonly asked question depends on the circumstances. The factors that you should consider before your decision are the cost of the repair, and your deductible. In addition, you have to remember that a claim to your insurance typically results in an increased rate for the upcoming years. Therefore, even if the cost of the repair is higher than your deductible, due to the increased premium in the upcoming year makes, it is still typically much cheaper to pay out of pocket than to use your insurance. For example, if your deductible is $750, and the cost of the repair is $1100, having the insurance pay for the repair seems to save $350. But, if your premium will be increased by $200 for the next 3 years, then you end up paying $600 whereas you saved only $350. In this case, you might be better off paying out of pocket.

What is the difference between OEM and After Market parts?
When you receive a quote from an auto body shop, and the work requires replacement of parts, you should be aware of the difference between OEM parts (Original Equipment Manufacturer), which are typically a lot more expensive, versus After Market parts which are not original, and therefore can cost significanly less. You may always ask the body shop to quote you OEM parts, but at the same time you really have to ask yourself if original parts are really a must?

What is PDR?
PDR stands for Paint-less Dent removal, and refers to a technique to repair small dents. PDR is typically much faster and cheaper than a conventional repair but remember that only superficial dents without any paint damage can be repaired with this technique. If your car has a small and superficial dent you might want to consider this option prior to going to a traditional body shop.

What is the catch?
There is none. DINGIT is a great service for you as a customer, and for the bodyshop owners, which get an opportunity to reach more customers.

DINGIT assures you that you select the best body shop. Why? Since all the body shops that work with DINGIT are thoroughly evaluated and pre-screened. We have visited each facility to ensure that it adheres to our standards. We also check and make available to you each body shop's background with the Better Business Bureau and with the Department of Consumers Affairs. In addition, you will get to see:

Any other questions? Feel free to drop us a note on our contact page.