How does a body shop waive a $1,000 deductible?
It is simpler than it sounds, and the honest version has nothing to do with your insurance company.
The money on an insurance repair
Say the repair is $6,000 and your deductible is $1,000. Your insurer pays $5,000. The remaining $1,000 is yours to pay the shop. That split is fixed by your policy; no shop can change it.
What a shop can change is what it chooses to collect. We write the $1,000 as a discount on our invoice. Your insurer still pays $5,000. You pay $0. Our margin on the job is smaller, and we're fine with that.
The wrong way (and why we don't)
Some shops 'waive' the deductible by writing the estimate at $7,000 so the insurer unknowingly covers your $1,000. That is insurance fraud. It gets shops shut down, and it can land on the customer too. Our estimate is the real estimate; the discount is visible on paper.
What it looks like on your paperwork
Line one: repair total. Line two: insurance payment. Line three: deductible. Line four: Best Deal deductible assistance, up to $1,000. Line five: what you owe. On most insurance repairs line five says $0.
What would you pay?
- We waive
- $1,000
- You pay toward your deductible
- $0
On qualifying insurance repairs. The exact amount is written on your estimate before work starts.
Real numbers, no fine print
| Your deductible | We waive | You pay |
|---|---|---|
| $500Most common collision deductible | $500 | $0 |
| $1,000The one that stops people from fixing the car | $1,000 | $0 |
| $1,500Higher deductible, lower premium | $1,000 | $500 |
| $2,000High-deductible policy | $1,000 | $1,000 |
Qualifying insurance repairs. If your repair is under $1,000, we cannot waive more than the repair costs.
Common questions
Does my insurer have to approve the waiver?
No. It is a discount on our charges, not a change to the claim.
Can any shop do this?
Any shop can choose to. Most don't, because it costs them money. We treat it as the price of earning your repair.
Is it the same as 'deductible assistance'?
Yes. Waived, absorbed, covered, assistance: same thing. Up to $1,000 off your side.
Deductible help
More on deductibles
Common questions
- $500 vs $1,000 deductible: what you actually pay
- The accident wasn't my fault. Do I pay a deductible?
- Is waiving a deductible legal in Arizona?
- Comprehensive vs collision deductible: which one applies?
- Can't afford your deductible? Here's how the car gets fixed anyway.
- $0 out of pocket. Here's how the math works.
- Hit-and-run: who pays the deductible?
By insurance company
Send a few photos. We'll take it from there.
Upload pictures of the damage for a preliminary price range, or call and talk to someone at the shop.
Visit the shop
5511 N 51st Ave, Suites 108 & 109
Glendale, AZ 85301
Open every day, 7 AM – 6 PM
Get directions