The questions we hear every day.

No — California law protects your right to choose. Under California Insurance Code §758.5, you have the absolute right to select any licensed body shop, regardless of what your insurance company recommends or "prefers." Their preferred shops are called Direct Repair Program (DRP) shops, and while they exist to speed up the insurer's claim process, they don't necessarily result in a better repair for you.

Here's why choosing your own shop (like International Auto Collision Center) is often the better call:

• No incentive to cut corners. DRP shops sign contracts with insurers that put pressure on labor times and parts costs. Independent shops answer to you, not the insurance company.
• OEM parts, not aftermarket. Many DRP contracts require aftermarket or salvage parts to save the insurance company money. We use OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts whenever they're available.
• You control the pace. DRP shops are prioritized by claim volume — you might be one of dozens. We treat every repair the same.
• Warranty stays with you. Our lifetime workmanship warranty travels with the vehicle. If a DRP shop cuts corners, the warranty may be limited to that specific shop.

Your insurance company still has to pay for the repair regardless of which licensed shop you choose, as long as the estimate is reasonable. If they push back or steer you, that's actually a violation of California law — and we can help you document it.

It depends on who was at fault and your specific policy. If the other driver was at fault, your rates usually shouldn't increase because their insurance is paying, not yours (though some carriers still consider you a "higher-risk" driver in their formulas — worth confirming with your agent). If you were at fault, most carriers raise your rates at your next renewal, typically 20-40% for three years before phasing out.

Two important nuances most people miss:

• Not-at-fault claims can still show on your CLUE report. CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) tracks every claim, at-fault or not. When you shop for a new policy, other carriers can see it. It doesn't necessarily raise your rate but it can affect quotes.
• Diminished value claims don't affect YOUR rates. Because you're claiming against the at-fault driver's insurance (not your own), a diminished-value claim doesn't touch your CLUE report or your carrier. Most customers don't know this money is available. See our diminished-value question below.

If you're on the fence, ask your carrier for a "quote impact" estimate before filing. Damage under $1,000 with a $500 deductible often isn't worth filing. Damage over $2,500 almost always is.

No — your deductible is due when you pick up the car, not when you drop it off. That's how it works at IACC and every legitimate California body shop. Your insurance pays their portion (the repair cost minus your deductible) directly to us, and you cover the deductible at pickup.

If cash flow is tight at pickup time, we have options:

• Three-payment plan. Split the deductible into three equal installments over 90 days via Stripe. No interest.
• Sunbit financing. For repairs over $500, Sunbit typically approves you in 30 seconds with a low fixed monthly payment. Widely used, no hard credit pull to check pre-qualification.
• Not-at-fault claims. If the other driver was at fault, we can often bill their insurance directly with no deductible at all from you.

Important warning: under California Insurance Code §1871.4, it is illegal for a body shop to advertise that they will absorb, waive, rebate, or pay any portion of your deductible. Any shop that offers this is committing insurance fraud, and California suspends licenses over it. If a shop dangles "we'll cover your deductible" at you, walk away — cutting the paperwork is the least of what they're cutting.

This is one of the most common issues and it's fixable. Insurance adjusters write initial estimates based on visible damage, often in a parking lot with a 15-minute visual inspection. Once we open the car up in the shop, hidden damage almost always turns up — bent brackets, cracked mounts, damaged sensors, frame stress. When we find it, we file a supplement request with your insurance and document everything with photos.

Insurance supplements are approved by most carriers in 2-4 business days. Here's what usually gets approved:

• Additional labor time for hidden damage (frame, structural, wiring)
• OEM parts when the adjuster wrote for aftermarket
• ADAS calibration (mandatory on modern vehicles after any body/glass work)
• Paint blending to adjacent panels for color match
• Rental car extension while the supplement is being reviewed

If the carrier denies the supplement, we don't give up — we appeal with photo evidence, OEM repair procedures, and, when needed, an independent appraiser. Most disputes resolve in your favor because the documentation is on our side.

You're never on the hook for the difference. Either the insurance pays the actual cost of a proper repair, or we go to appraisal (a right written into most policies). We handle all of it so you don't have to.

Only if you have rental reimbursement coverage on your policy — it's an add-on, not standard. Check your declarations page for "Rental Reimbursement" or "Transportation Expense." Typical coverage: $30-50/day for 15-30 days, so a mid-sized rental is usually fully covered.

If the accident wasn't your fault, the at-fault driver's Liability coverage should cover your rental regardless of whether you have rental reimbursement on your own policy. This is called "loss of use," and California law requires the at-fault insurer to pay for reasonable transportation costs while your car is being repaired.

We coordinate rentals directly with:

• Enterprise Rent-A-Car — direct-bill setup with most insurers, no upfront payment from you
• Hertz and Avis when Enterprise doesn't have your vehicle class available
• Delivery to our shop so you can swap keys and go

If your insurance won't cover a rental (or your rental days run out before the repair is done because of a supplement or parts delay), we can extend rental coverage as part of the supplement claim. Most carriers approve extensions when we document the delay reason.

Bonus tip: if you're a IACC customer with an active repair, we offer a loaner car courtesy service for select repairs. Ask us about it at drop-off.

Diminished value is money most Californians leave on the table. When your car gets repaired after an accident, its resale value drops — even if the repair is perfect — because the CarFax report now shows an accident history. That drop in value is called "diminished value" (DV), and if the other driver was at fault, their insurance owes you the difference.

California recognizes three types of diminished value:

• Inherent DV. The automatic value drop from having any accident on record. Typical range: $1,500-$5,000 depending on vehicle value and severity.
• Repair-related DV. Additional loss if the repair itself isn't quite invisible (imperfect paint match, mismatched panel gaps). This is why choosing a shop that does OEM-quality work matters even for the resale value.
• Immediate DV. The gap between what the car was worth right before the accident and what it's worth right after (before repair). Usually only relevant for total-loss appeals.

The legal basis in California is Ray v. Farmers Insurance Exchange (1988), which established that repaired vehicles are worth less than un-accidented ones and the at-fault insurer owes the difference.

How to claim it:

1. The other driver must have been at fault (or you were partially at fault — you can still claim the percentage they owe).
2. Get a diminished-value appraisal (~$100-300 from an independent appraiser).
3. Submit a demand letter to the at-fault insurance company with the appraisal.
4. Negotiate. Typical settlement is 60-100% of the appraised DV.

Important: the statute of limitations for property damage claims in California is 3 years from the date of the accident. Don't wait.

We help our customers with DV claims when the accident wasn't their fault — contact us if you'd like help.

Yes, and you often should. Insurance companies declare a car a total loss when the estimated repair cost exceeds a certain percentage of the pre-loss value — usually 65-80% in California. If they lowball your car's value or overestimate the repair, they can push a total-loss decision that costs you money.

Grounds to appeal a total-loss determination:

• Vehicle valuation too low. Adjusters often use "average" comparables that ignore your car's specific trim, options, or condition. Pull independent comparable listings from AutoTrader, Cars.com, and CarGurus in your ZIP code to show your car is worth more than they claimed.
• Repair estimate too high. Sometimes insurers use conservative estimates that inflate repair cost. A second opinion from an independent shop (like us) can show the real repair cost is lower — potentially flipping the total-loss decision.
• Salvage value credit. If you buy back the salvage (keep the car), the insurance still pays you the difference between the appraised value and salvage value. Sometimes it's more than repairing at your own cost would be.

What to do if you're facing a total loss:

1. Request the insurer's valuation report and the comparables they used.
2. Get a repair estimate from an independent shop.
3. Pull 5-10 independent comparable listings in your area.
4. Submit a formal appeal with the documentation.
5. If they still won't budge, invoke the appraisal clause in your policy — a binding independent appraisal.

If your car is signed over as a total loss, remember you still have separate rights to diminished value from the at-fault driver's insurance for the difference between the actual cash value and what the insurer paid you.

Yes — we handle the paperwork for you. Insurance claims can be intimidating, especially right after an accident when you're already stressed. We've done thousands of them and we know the tricks to keep the process fast and painless.

Here's what we do for you:

• File the claim with your carrier. If you haven't already, we help you call your insurance company and file. We know the questions each adjuster will ask and the answers that keep your claim moving.
• Coordinate the adjuster inspection. Most insurers send an adjuster to inspect the damage. We host them at our shop instead of having them come to your home — faster and easier for you.
• Direct billing. Once approved, insurance pays us directly. You never see a check to endorse or a bill to worry about.
• File supplements. When we find hidden damage, we file supplement requests with the carrier. Approvals typically come in 2-4 days.
• Handle rental coordination. If you have rental reimbursement, we set up direct-bill rentals with Enterprise so you don't pay out of pocket.
• Escalate when they push back. If your carrier lowballs the estimate or denies a supplement, we appeal with photo evidence, OEM procedures, and independent appraisers when needed.

What we won't do (because California law prohibits it):

• Waive, absorb, or "cover" your deductible
• Falsify the cause of damage on the claim
• Bill for work that wasn't done

Any shop that offers these is committing insurance fraud. We stay clean and we stay honest — it keeps us in business, and it protects you from being pulled into a fraud investigation.

Ready to start? Send us your claim info and we'll take it from there.

You typically have three options in California, each with trade-offs:

• Option 1: File through the other driver's insurance (their liability coverage).
  • Pros: No deductible for you. Their insurance pays for everything including rental.
  • Cons: Slower — their carrier may investigate liability before accepting, and the "fault" determination can take days or weeks.
• Option 2: File through your own insurance (collision coverage), then let them go after the other driver.
  • Pros: Fastest. Your carrier starts the repair right away and pursues the other driver's insurance for reimbursement later.
  • Cons: You pay your deductible upfront (though it's refunded once your insurer recovers from the other driver's carrier — this can take 3-6 months).
• Option 3: Pay cash and pursue the other driver directly.
  • Pros: No claim on your record. Preserves your rate history.
  • Cons: Most people don't have thousands of dollars available, and going after the other driver personally is slow and unpredictable.

Our recommendation for most people is Option 2 (your collision) unless the fault is extremely clear (rear-ended at a stoplight) and the other driver's insurance is a major carrier that will accept liability quickly. We can talk through the specifics with you at intake.

Additional rights when you're not at fault:

• Diminished value. Only claimable from the at-fault driver's insurance. See our diminished-value question.
• Loss of use. Rental cost while your car is being repaired, paid by the at-fault carrier.
• Deductible waiver under some insurance policies for not-at-fault claims. Check your declarations.

Whatever route you take, we file the claim for you and manage the paperwork — you shouldn't have to think about it.

Yes, always. Every estimate at IACC is free, no obligation, no hidden fees. You have two ways to get one:

• Instant online estimate. Upload photos of your damage through our online estimator. We'll get you a cost range and expected timeline within a few hours, usually same-day. Great for figuring out whether to file a claim.
• In-person inspection. Come by the shop at 7049 Valjean Ave in Van Nuys — no appointment needed. A technician does a walk-around, photographs everything, and hands you a written estimate. Usually done in 15-20 minutes.

The written estimate you get from us is insurance-ready. Adjusters recognize the format and it speeds up their side of the claim. If your carrier asked you for three estimates, our estimate counts as one — and if it comes in reasonable, they typically approve without demanding two more.

A key thing to know: estimates are ranges, not promises. Every collision hides some damage that only shows up once panels come off. We're always upfront about that — the online estimate lists an expected range, and the in-person inspection notes anything we think might turn up later. If it does, we file a supplement with your insurance. You never pay more than the deductible on an insurance job.

Yes — three options depending on your situation:

• Three-payment split (interest-free). For insurance deductibles or out-of-pocket repairs under $2,500, we can split the total into three equal payments over 90 days via Stripe. No interest, no credit check, no application. You just check a box at pickup.
• Sunbit financing. For repairs $500 - $20,000, Sunbit offers 3, 6, 12, or 24-month payment plans with fixed monthly payments. Approval takes 30 seconds via a soft credit pull that doesn't affect your credit score. Most customers get approved with FICO 500+. Interest rates are competitive with typical credit cards.
• Klarna / Affirm. Available for some transactions through our Stripe checkout. Similar terms to Sunbit.

If the accident was covered by insurance, financing is only for your deductible portion — the rest is billed to the insurance company and you never see a bill for it.

What you'll need to apply:

• Driver's license
• Debit or credit card
• Working phone number (for verification code)

A reminder: under California Insurance Code §1871.4, no California body shop can legally waive or absorb any portion of your deductible. Financing lets you spread the cost, but you always pay the deductible in full over time.

We accept virtually every payment method:

• All major credit cards — Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover
• Debit cards (PIN not required for most)
• Cash
• Personal check (with driver's license verification for amounts over $500)
• Business check
• Insurance company check — either two-party (endorsed by you) or made out directly to us
• ACH bank transfer (Stripe-processed, best for larger amounts)
• Apple Pay / Google Pay — at the counter or through our online invoice

For insurance claims, the most common flow is:

1. Your insurance carrier sends the payment directly to us via check or ACH.
2. You pay your deductible at pickup with any of the methods above (or use financing).
3. Any supplement approved during the repair is also paid directly to us by the insurer.

For not-at-fault claims where the at-fault driver's insurance is paying, the check often comes to you first. We can help you endorse it and deposit it correctly so the money flows without issue.

Whichever way you pay, you'll get a detailed itemized invoice for your records (and for tax purposes if the repair is business-related).

Ranges most Van Nuys drivers see for typical bumper work:

• Scuff or minor scratch (single panel): $250-$600
• Dent or crack, no replacement needed: $500-$1,200
• Full bumper replacement, standard vehicle: $900-$2,000
• Bumper replacement with sensors / ADAS calibration: $1,500-$3,500
• Luxury or exotic (Tesla, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche): $2,500-$6,000+

What drives the cost:

• Paint match complexity. Silver, white, and black are cheaper to match than tri-coat pearls, candy colors, or metallics that require multi-coat blending into adjacent panels.
• Parts sourcing. OEM bumper covers cost 2-4x aftermarket. We always quote OEM by default because the fit, sensor mounting, and paint hold-up are noticeably better.
• Sensors and cameras. Any bumper with parking sensors, blind-spot monitors, or forward cameras needs post-repair calibration. That adds $200-$500 and 1-2 hours.
• Hidden damage. A bumper that looks like a simple scratch sometimes hides cracked brackets, damaged crash bars, or airbag sensor issues. Once found, these get filed as an insurance supplement — you don't pay extra on an insurance job.

These are Van Nuys 2026 ranges — they will differ from a shop in Beverly Hills (higher) or Bakersfield (lower). For your exact number, upload a few photos and we'll get you a detailed range same-day.

Most repairs take 3-10 business days. The exact timeline depends on damage severity and parts availability:

• Minor (bumper scratches, single dent): 2-3 business days
• Moderate (bumper + fender + headlight): 4-7 business days
• Major (frame damage, multiple panels, airbags deployed): 10-20 business days
• Total-loss decision pending: depends entirely on how fast your insurer responds

What can delay a repair (and how we work around it):

• Part backorders. OEM parts for newer models sometimes take 3-5 extra days. We track every part order and pull from multiple suppliers to avoid single-source delays.
• Insurance supplements. When we open the car and find hidden damage, we submit a supplement for insurance approval. Most approve in 2-4 business days but some carriers are slower. We escalate when they drag.
• ADAS calibration. Modern vehicles with lane-keeping, adaptive cruise, or blind-spot systems need computerized recalibration after any body/glass work. Adds 1 day.
• Paint booth queue. On our busiest weeks, paint might wait a day for booth time. We always try to schedule around this.

You'll get an SMS at every stage — dropped off, estimating, parts ordered, in paint, quality control, ready for pickup. No need to call and ask "any update?" — we push updates automatically.

Yes — automated SMS updates at every stage. Here's what you'll get without ever having to call and ask:

• Drop-off confirmed. Immediate. Includes your tracking link — a private page that shows your car's current status.
• Estimate finalized. After teardown. If a supplement is needed, we tell you before submitting it to insurance.
• Parts ordered. Confirms ETA.
• In body work / in paint / in reassembly. Stage-by-stage.
• Ready for pickup. Includes final invoice preview so you know exactly what to bring.

Your private tracking page also shows:

• Photos of the work being done (before, during, after)
• Which technician is assigned
• Any messages from us (if we need input on a color option, a parts decision, etc.)
• Your insurance claim number and adjuster contact

You can text back to any of our SMS updates directly — the message goes to our shop line and is answered same-day (usually within an hour during business hours).

If you'd rather email or call instead of SMS, just tell us at drop-off. We accommodate whatever channel you prefer.

This is normal and expected — and you're protected either way. Adjusters and initial estimates work from what's visible on the surface. Once we remove panels, bumper covers, or fenders, we often find additional damage: bent brackets, cracked mounts, damaged wiring harnesses, deployed sensor issues, corrosion under paint, and so on.

When we find it, here's what happens:

• On an insurance repair: we file a supplement request with your carrier that itemizes the additional labor and parts, backed by photos and OEM repair procedures. Most supplements are approved in 2-4 business days. You do NOT pay more than your deductible.
• On a cash-pay repair: we call or SMS you before doing any work beyond the original scope. You approve or decline the additional work. If you decline, we button up what was authorized and no more.

We never do work that wasn't authorized, and we never surprise you with a bigger bill at pickup. Every additional dollar goes through you or your insurer first.

If your insurance denies the supplement (rare, but happens), we don't give up. We appeal with:

• Photographic evidence of the additional damage
• OEM repair procedures showing the work is required
• An independent appraiser if the dispute escalates (a right written into your policy)

For cases where the insurer refuses everything, we can escalate to the California Department of Insurance — but 95% of supplement disputes resolve in the customer's favor before it gets that far.

Yes — please empty out anything you can't afford to lose. While we lock the cars and monitor the shop, we're not responsible for personal items during the repair, and it's simply better for both of us if the interior is clear.

What to take out before drop-off:

• Registration and insurance cards from the glove compartment (you'll need these anyway for the rental)
• Garage door remote, HOA gate remote, toll transponder (FasTrak, EZ-Pass — bring it home)
• Sunglasses, prescription medications, work bags
• Child seats if you need them daily
• Anything of monetary value — jewelry, electronics, cash, tools

What you can leave:

• Owner's manual and roadside kit
• Anything bolted or wired to the car (mounts, aftermarket audio, dash cam)
• Trunk emergency gear that isn't valuable

A note on dash cams: if you have a dash cam, you can either take it home or leave it — some customers actually prefer to leave it because the footage of every work session becomes a record of exactly what happened to their car in the shop. Your call.

We do a walk-around inspection at drop-off and photograph the car's condition (interior and exterior). If we notice anything valuable left inside, we point it out and ask what you'd like to do.

OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer. The exact part made by (or licensed by) your car's manufacturer. If it's a 2023 Tesla Model 3 bumper, OEM means Tesla-made or Tesla-approved. Aftermarket = a third-party company's version of that same part.

Key differences that actually matter:

• Fit. OEM parts drop into place with factory-perfect gaps and mounting alignment. Aftermarket parts often need trimming, filing, or reshaping to fit right — which shows in the finished panel gaps.
• Paint match. OEM parts use the same paint substrate the factory used, which means the paint from our booth adheres and matches the same way as the rest of your car. Aftermarket parts sometimes take paint differently, showing a subtle color shift after a year of sun exposure.
• Sensor and camera mounting. Modern bumpers, mirrors, and grilles have precisely-placed sensor mounts. Aftermarket parts often miss these tolerances by 1-2mm, which is enough to throw off ADAS calibration or cause dashboard warnings.
• Longevity. OEM plastics and metal have documented endurance ratings. Aftermarket parts are all over the map — some are excellent, some fail in 2 years.
• Cost. Aftermarket parts are 30-60% cheaper. That's why insurance companies push them.

Our default: OEM parts on every repair where available. If your insurance policy requires aftermarket, we quote both — OEM with what you'd pay out of pocket for the difference, aftermarket with a note about the trade-offs. We'll never install aftermarket parts without telling you first.

For safety-critical parts (airbags, sensors, structural components), we install OEM even if it means we take a smaller margin. Some things aren't worth cutting corners on.

Our lifetime workmanship warranty covers every repair we perform, for as long as you own the vehicle. Specifically:

• Paint work. No fading, peeling, or cracking. If it happens, we redo it. Guaranteed color match to adjacent panels.
• Body work. Panel alignment, gap uniformity, weld integrity. If something we did comes loose or doesn't hold, we fix it.
• Structural work. Frame straightening, chassis integrity, weld quality.
• Refinish work. Clear coat integrity, texture match, trim installation.

What's covered by parts manufacturer warranties (not our workmanship warranty):

• The OEM parts themselves — Tesla, Ford, Honda, etc., each cover their own parts for defined periods.
• Aftermarket parts — warranty depends on the manufacturer, typically 1-3 years.
• Aftermarket accessories we install on request.

What the warranty doesn't cover:

• New damage from a subsequent accident (that's a new repair)
• Normal wear from environmental exposure over 5+ years (tree sap, bird droppings, hard water spots)
• Damage from improper maintenance (e.g., automatic car wash within 30 days of paint)

How to make a warranty claim: call the shop or use the message form in your customer portal. We'll schedule an inspection within 5 business days. If it's covered, we redo the work at no cost to you.

Warranty is tied to the vehicle — if you sell the car, we honor the warranty for the new owner too. Include it as a selling point.

Yes — and if it doesn't, we redo it under warranty. Paint matching is the single hardest part of a good body repair. Two identical-model cars from the same production week can have subtly different paint colors due to environmental variables in the factory. We match to your specific car, not to the generic color code.

Our process for a perfect match:

1. Read the paint code from your car's build plate (usually inside the door jamb or on the firewall).
2. Spectrophotometer scan of an adjacent panel that hasn't been repainted. This device reads the actual color, including all three axes: hue, saturation, and value — accounting for factory variance and 5-10 years of sun aging.
3. Spray-out card comparison. We mix the paint and test it on a card before touching your car. Two techs compare in different lighting (fluorescent shop lights, natural sunlight outside, LED daylight-balanced light).
4. Blending into adjacent panels for tri-coat pearls, candy colors, and any color where a hard edge would be visible. This is where amateur shops go wrong.
5. Clear coat texture matching so the finished surface looks identical to the surrounding panels.

Colors that are hardest to match (and why the choice of shop matters):

• Tri-coat pearls (many white and silver Toyotas, Lexuses, Mercedes) — three-layer paint requires precise coat thickness to catch light correctly
• Metallics with mica flake (silvers, blues) — flake orientation matters
• Candy paints and custom colors

If you see any color mismatch when you pick the car up, tell us — we'll redo the panel under warranty. Same if it develops a mismatch over 6 months from paint curing differently. We take it seriously because a bad paint match is what damages a car's diminished value most.

Yes — we're one of the few Van Nuys shops equipped for EV collision work. Teslas, Rivians, Lucids, Polestars, and other EVs require specific training, tools, and safety procedures that most conventional body shops aren't set up for.

What's different about EV body work:

• Aluminum structural repair. Most EVs have aluminum-intensive bodies for weight reduction. Aluminum requires different welding equipment (pulsed MIG for aluminum), different tools (isolated from steel work to prevent galvanic corrosion), and specialized technician training. We have the equipment and training.
• High-voltage safety. EVs have 400-800V battery packs. Working near them requires specific certifications and isolation procedures. Our team is trained on Tesla, GM, and Ford EV service protocols.
• Battery pack inspection. After any impact, the battery pack needs to be inspected for damage that could cause a fire days or weeks later. We follow OEM procedures for each manufacturer.
• ADAS recalibration. Tesla's Autopilot, GM's Super Cruise, and similar systems all require post-repair recalibration. We have the calibration equipment for major brands.

Common EV repairs we handle:

• Tesla Model 3, Model Y, Model S, Model X, Cybertruck
• Rivian R1T, R1S
• Ford Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning
• Chevy Bolt, Blazer EV, Silverado EV
• Hyundai Ioniq 5/6, Kia EV6
• Lucid Air, Polestar 2
• Mercedes EQS, BMW iX, Audi e-tron

Tesla warranty note: some Tesla repairs must go through a Tesla-approved shop to keep certain warranties valid. We are Tesla-approved and can confirm this for your specific vehicle before we start. Send us photos for a free EV estimate.

Yes — luxury and exotic collision repair is a specialty of ours. Van Nuys has one of Los Angeles's largest concentrations of premium vehicles, and we've built specific expertise for each major luxury brand.

Brands we regularly work on:

• Mercedes-Benz — including AMG and Maybach
• BMW — including M-series
• Porsche — 911, Cayenne, Panamera, Taycan
• Audi — including RS-line and e-tron EVs
• Lexus, Acura, Infiniti
• Range Rover, Land Rover
• Jaguar, Volvo, Genesis
• Maserati, Bentley, Rolls-Royce (on request)

What makes luxury repair different:

• OEM-only parts requirement. Many luxury manufacturers void portions of the vehicle warranty if aftermarket parts are used. We source OEM directly.
• Advanced materials. Aluminum, carbon fiber, high-strength steel, boron alloys. Each requires specific tools and welding equipment.
• Manufacturer-approved repair procedures. BMW and Mercedes both publish detailed repair procedures we follow line by line.
• Advanced paint systems. Water-based paints, ceramic-embedded clear coats, tri-coat metallics. All require specific booth conditions and application techniques.
• Interior and trim. Luxury interiors (leather, wood, carbon fiber, headliner) often need specialized subcontractors for stitching and finishing. We have vetted long-term partners.

For collector cars, classic exotics, and total-restoration projects, we take those as consultation-first — call the shop to discuss before dropping off. Send photos for an initial quote on any luxury vehicle repair.

Yes — free 24/7 towing throughout the San Fernando Valley and surrounding areas for any customer bringing us a repair job. Call any time, day or night — we dispatch a truck within 30-60 minutes.

Coverage area for free towing:

• Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Studio City
• North Hollywood, Burbank, Glendale
• Reseda, Tarzana, Woodland Hills, Northridge
• Pasadena, Beverly Hills (subject to availability)
• Mission Hills, Calabasas

For accidents outside these areas, we still coordinate towing — you may have to pay for the tow to a tow yard, and we'll bring your car from there to the shop for free.

What to do if you're in an accident and need a tow:

1. Get to safety and, if injured, call 911.
2. Take photos of the scene (damage, other vehicle, license plates, road conditions).
3. Exchange info with the other driver (name, insurance, license plate).
4. Call police for a report if damage is over ~$1,000, if anyone is injured, or if the other driver is uncooperative.
5. Call us at +1 (707) 777-7747. We'll dispatch a tow to your location.

If your insurance policy has towing coverage, we can also bill them directly — you don't pay out of pocket even for one-off tows outside our free coverage area.

International Auto Collision Center
7049 Valjean Ave
Van Nuys, CA 91406
+1 (707) 777-7747

Regular hours:

• Monday – Friday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• Saturday: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
• Sunday: Closed (emergency towing only)

Holiday schedule: we close on major federal holidays. Special hours around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year are posted on our home page banner two weeks before.

After-hours situations:

• Emergency towing: call 24/7. Someone answers or calls back within 15 minutes.
• Vehicle drop-off outside business hours: we have a secure lot with camera coverage. Call ahead to arrange.
• Non-urgent questions: message us through the contact form or SMS your existing repair tracking link.

How to find us: we're on Valjean Ave just south of Sherman Way. There's easy street parking and a large customer lot. Enter through the main door on Valjean.

What to bring for drop-off:

• Driver's license
• Insurance card (if you've already filed a claim)
• Claim number if you have it
• Vehicle registration

Walk-ins are welcome — no appointment needed for estimates. If you're bringing your car by for a written estimate, just show up during business hours (Mon-Fri 9-5, Sat 9-12). A technician will do a walk-around and hand you a written estimate, typically in 15-30 minutes depending on shop volume.

When you might want to book ahead:

• Repair drop-off. Once you've decided to go ahead with the repair, we schedule the drop-off so we can start work immediately (not park your car for two days). Call or use the contact form to book.
• Complex vehicles (Tesla, high-end luxury, restoration). Estimates take longer and we want a senior tech to look at it. Call ahead if you can.
• Group commitments — insurance fleet vehicles, multi-car estimates, dealership trade-ins. Schedule so we have capacity.
• Time-sensitive tow arrival. If a tow truck is bringing your car after hours or during a busy stretch, coordinate so we can receive it properly.

Faster alternative: skip the trip entirely.

1. Take 5-8 photos of the damage (wide shot + close-ups + license plate and VIN if visible).
2. Upload to our online estimator.
3. Get a written cost range within a few hours, usually same-day.

The online estimate is enough for most insurance claims and gives you a solid number to plan around. Come in for a formal in-person inspection only if you'd like a second look or if the online estimator flagged that photos alone aren't enough.

We serve the entire San Fernando Valley and much of the greater Los Angeles area, with free towing to our Van Nuys shop from these locations:

• Van Nuys
• Sherman Oaks
• Encino
• Studio City
• North Hollywood
• Burbank
• Glendale
• Pasadena
• Reseda
• Tarzana
• Woodland Hills
• Northridge
• Calabasas
• Mission Hills
• Beverly Hills

We regularly serve customers who drive in from further parts of LA — including Downtown, West LA, Culver City, Santa Monica, and the South Bay — because they want a specific specialty (Tesla, luxury, exotics, restoration).

Concierge pickup and delivery: for insurance claims and higher-value repairs, we can arrange for our team to pick up your vehicle at your home or workplace and return it there when the repair is done. Ask us when you get your estimate — this is offered case-by-case based on distance and repair type.

See our full service-area map.