Having your car sidelined by an accident can be a stressful affair, so it’s important to hire a body shop that can provide a quick return to the road, but it’s equally important that the quality of the work isn’t compromised for rapid service. Ideally, your post-accident car should come back looking like its pre-accident self–what Nelson Coelho, Jr., owner of Coelho’s Body Repair and Auto Sales, Inc., calls “the art of invisible repair.”

“Our goal is to restore cars to their pre-crash conditions; to make it look like there was never a problem in the first place,” he explains. “We’re very meticulous.” This steadfast commitment to excellent, seamless repair directly relates to Coelho’s Body Repair’s focus on customer relationships–a family-type approach made easier by the presence of Mr. Coelho’s actual family, who are involved with day-to-day operations.

“We’re a small, family shop,” he says. “Most of my customers are referrals–some have been coming to us for 30 years–and we like to give them personal attention, so it really feels like a family.” Thinking of his customers as kin makes it impossible for Mr. Coelho to accept substandard work, and since his shop is small and independent, he can afford to pay close, personal attention to each job.

“If you’re in a ‘cattle herd’ shop–a really big shop where they’re doing 10 jobs a day and pushing you out as soon as possible–it’s possible you’re going to receive substandard work,” he says. “Here, we have a lower car count, so we can really focus on individual cases. And even though I’m the owner, I also write the estimates, do the paperwork and check every aspect of a car’s repair.”

Coelho’s Body Repair specializes in collision repair with an emphasis on paint matching, which can be an overlooked aspect of auto bodywork. Good paint jobs go unnoticed, but bad ones can draw unwanted attention and compromise otherwise decent repair work. “Our aim is to do showroom-quality paint jobs,” says Mr. Coelho. “A lot of times, we have to try and match the texture of the original car, which isn’t easy. If you paint a door that’s flatter than it was pre-collision, it has less texture and gives off an almost perfect reflection, which doesn’t look natural. During repairs, we have to leave some type of factory texture to match the original, which can be more of a challenge than people realize.”

Ultimately, Coelho’s Body Repair exists to serve its customers above all others, including insurance companies. “If a shop has a contract with an insurance company, at some point, I feel like they’re not working for the customer anymore,” says Mr. Coelho.

Getting more than one estimate on your collision damage can save you from needlessly spending money. “You should definitely get more than one estimate, just to gauge different costs,” says Nelson Coelho, Jr., owner of Coelho’s Body Repair and Auto Sales. “Many times, I’ll write an estimate for a partial repair—maybe the front portion of a door is torn—and I’ll say, ‘Go get another couple of estimates, but watch what they say about the paint on this door.’ If you go to another shop and they want to spend a lot of time fully refinishing that door, it’ll end up costing you more.” By comparing the prices and repair suggestions of different shops, you’re guaranteed a more complete perspective than simply bringing it to the first shop you see.

Another thing to watch out for, says Mr. Coelho, is a shop overestimating the amount of damage to a car after it’s been brought in for repairs. “Sometimes a shop will write a really short estimate to get you in, but once they start the job, they’ll call back and say there’s additional damage,” he explains. Make sure a shop tells you right away if an overestimation is even slightly possible. Ask if the damage could warrant further work before you leave your car with them. If they say yes, ask about the specifics: What kind of ancillary damage could there possibly be? What’s the price range for further repairs?

Remember, estimates are based on visual damage only, so be wary of one that’s too simple or low-priced. “An estimate should be as honest as possible,” says Mr. Coelho. “It’s the right thing to do, and body shops should hold themselves to high standards when it comes to estimation.”

In the event of body damage to your vehicle, Mr. Coelho also recommends getting a full, detailed policy explanation from your insurance company: What exactly does your policy cover? Will you have to pay for certain services but not others? What are your options? “A lot of times, insurance companies don’t explain enough,” he says. “People will come to a shop with estimates that make no sense whatsoever to them. There’s no reason for that.”

Q: How many coats of paint will you put on my car?

A: Most late-model cars are two-stage painted, which means they have a base coat and a clear-coat finish. The base is the color, and the clear is what makes it shine. Generally, we do five coats of color and three coats of clear. Back when we were using lacquer, it wasn’t uncommon for a car to need 30 to 40 coats of paint. But now, our paints are so high-quality that one clear coat equals seven to 10 lacquer coats.

Q: Are you going to put aftermarket parts on my car?

A: I always use Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts unless somebody asks for an alternative. If someone is paying out of pocket and trying to save money, I’ll go with an aftermarket part, but that’s often harder on me because they take longer to fit. Sometimes, a customer’s insurance company will authorize only aftermarket parts, so our hands are tied in those cases.

Q: What’s your warranty on paint jobs?

A: As long as you own the car, if the paint ever cracks, peels or otherwise malfunctions, we’ll redo it for free.

Q: How long will it take you to repair my car?

A: It depends on the damage, but generally I stay pretty much on track. If it means staying at the shop until 1 a.m. to finish a job, I’ll do it…and I’ve done that many, many times. That’s something you won’t get from a big shop—they’ll just call and tell you the job’s been delayed.

Q: Will I be charged more if your estimate is more than my insurance company’s?

A: I always negotiate labor and material rates with my customers’ insurance companies. It seems that, especially these days, most insurance companies’ rates vary across the board. I’ve never told a customer, ‘Your insurance company is only paying $67 an hour, and on the 77th hour you’ll have to pay the difference.’