Getting into an auto accident is never a fun thing to be involved in, especially if there are bodily injuries and the like, however, sometimes, the accident really comes down to damage just to the car and not to the body of any individuals within the cars. The biggest surprise people will get for just about any accident, especially those accidents which appear to be "minor", such as a dented door and broken window, is that the cost of repairs of a vehicle are almost always considerably higher than you expect.
Although there are lots of recommended procedures in taking care of a claim for an accident, in one form or another, you are most likely going to have to contact your insurance carrier. When doing so, you might find that nowadays there are apps available which allows you to take pictures of your car and the damages, so that a repair estimate can be formulated, or at least started, just from those photos. Another thing, is that your insurance company often has a depot to which if you drive your car in, they will write up the paperwork, give you a general idea of the repair work involved and then they will drive your vehicle over to their authorized collision repair center for a comprehensive repair analysis and cost which they will email to you, all typically accomplished within 24 hours. If you, as the insured, accept this quotation, your insurance company will take care of the repairs, logistics, and whatnot and your vehicle will be repaired. This means that as a consumer, you don't have to run around town getting two or three quotes, that if you so desire, you can simply let your insurance company handle everything.
As might be expected, there is a price to be paid for convenience. On the good side, you save time, further since you aren't responsible for monies paid for your repair above your premium, the overall cost of the repair is pretty much immaterial for you. In addition, most repairs come with guarantees, even lifetime warranties, which may be of value, or of questionable value, once you look underneath the surface of what a lifetime guarantee actually covers. Additionally, this cozy relationship between the repair shop and your insurance company exists for a reason, and the primary reason it exists is because insurance companies can drive in a lot of business to a given collision center, in return to which, they expect the collision center to use parts that may be refurbished, recycled, after-market, and non-OEM in order to effect the repairs, all of which are typically buried deep within the terms and conditions of the repair. Also, if you as a consumer desire to go outside their "pre-approved" repair facilities, which is your prerogative, you may find the whole insurance process in regards to time, approvals, reimbursement, timely payments, and whatnot, are all working against you, not to mention the fact that with the possible exception of "gear heads" most people don't have a preferred body shop to effect car repairs to go to in the first place.
While it is true that auto insurance companies do want to see that the repairs made to your vehicle are competent, they are at the same time, bottom-line conscious companies, so that their overarching goal is to see that your vehicle returns to its "pre-loss" condition, a term which allows them to save money on parts and possibly labor, while you on the other hand, are paying for the full freight on your car insurance policy, regardless.