Collision repair is putting a damaged car back to the way the factory built it: the structure, the body panels, the paint, and the safety systems behind the bumpers and glass. We do all of it in our shop in New Rochelle, from a scraped bumper to a car that needs to go on the frame bench.
We work mostly on BMW and above, and we accept all cars. We are a certified collision repair center for Rivian, Jaguar Land Rover, Genesis, Infiniti, Nissan, Kia and Stellantis, and we regularly repair Porsche, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Tesla and Lucid.
This page explains what a proper repair includes, how the insurance claim works when you bring the car to us, and what we do differently on parts.
What a proper repair includes
Most of the work is invisible when the car is done. This is what is on the list for a typical repair, and why it matters.
| Step | What we do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Teardown and blueprint | Remove the damaged parts, photograph everything, pull the repair procedure for your VIN and write the estimate from that | Hidden damage shows up before the insurer approves the repair, not after |
| Structural repair | Frame or unibody work on the bench, following the manufacturer procedure for sectioning, welding, riveting or bonding | This is what protects you in the next accident |
| Body panels | New OEM panels from the dealer, fitted and aligned to factory gaps | Panel fit is the first thing you see and the hardest thing to fake |
| Refinish | Color match with a spectrophotometer and spray-out card, blend into adjacent panels, bake in the booth | So the repair disappears in daylight, not just under shop lights |
| ADAS calibration | Recalibrate cameras, radar and sensors in-house whenever a repair touches them | Lane keeping, emergency braking and blind-spot systems only work if they are aimed correctly |
| Final check | Scan, road test and inspection under proper light before we call you | You should not find anything we missed |
Brands we are certified for
A manufacturer certification means the brand has checked our training, equipment and facility, and that we repair its cars to its published procedures with its parts. We hold collision certifications from these seven makers.
About our certifications
We also repair Porsche, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Tesla and Lucid, and much of what comes through the door is one of those. We are not certified by those manufacturers. The same technicians, the same equipment and the same new-OEM-parts rule apply to every car we repair. See our luxury car accident repair guide for what to expect.
Collision and film under one roof
We are the only facility in NY, NJ and CT that can perform a certified repair and an XPEL install on your vehicle under one roof. If you want paint protection film on the new panels, we schedule it after the paint has cured.
How the insurance claim works
In New York you choose the shop. Your insurer cannot require you to use one of its own, under NY Insurance Law § 2610. Once the car is here, our job is to keep you off the phone.
Call us first, if you can
Towing is free on insurance claims. Getting the car here directly keeps it out of a storage yard that bills your claim by the day.
Sign three forms at drop-off
A direction of pay, an authorization to repair, and a representation form that lets us talk to your insurer for you. After that, the calls come to us.
We write the estimate and the supplements
We tear the car down, document the damage and send the insurer the estimate. Hidden damage goes in as a supplement with photos.
We settle the parts question up front
We tell the insurer from the start that the repair uses new OEM parts. If a part is denied, we look for a way to make it work without you paying out of pocket. If that fails, we call you and decide together.
You get updates, not surprises
We give you a realistic timeline after teardown and tell you when it changes.
Insurers we work with
We are a preferred repair shop for Berkley One, which helps streamline the whole process. We have a direct representative we deal with, and that lets us get to work on your car right away. We also work with Chubb, PURE, AIG Private Client, Hagerty, Erie and Cincinnati, and GEICO claims are welcome. If your carrier is not on this list, we still handle the claim.
Total loss and diminished value
If the car is a total loss, we handle the claim start to finish, on any car. If the car is repairable and the claim qualifies, we can set you up with a diminished value representative. See total loss claims in New York and diminished value.
Parts: new OEM only, from the dealer
Every part we install is new and comes from the manufacturer through the dealer. We do not use aftermarket, reconditioned or salvage parts, and we do not offer them as an option to lower the bill.
Insurers sometimes write an estimate with other parts on it. We tell them up front that the repair will use OEM parts, and in most cases that is the end of it. When it is not, we look for a way to make it work without you paying the difference, and if we cannot, we call you before anything is ordered. More on how that plays out: OEM vs. aftermarket parts and your insurer.
Inside the shop
Real photos from our shop in New Rochelle.
How the repair runs
How long it takes depends on the damage and on parts availability. The steps are the same on every car.
Drop-off or tow
Bring the car in, or we send the truck. You sign the three forms and we photograph the car.
Teardown and damage analysis
We disassemble the damaged area, document everything and pull the manufacturer repair procedure for your VIN before writing a number.
Estimate and insurer approval
We send the estimate and supplements to your insurer and handle the back and forth.
Structural, body and paint
Bench work first, then panels, then refinish in the booth with a proper cure.
Calibration and quality control
ADAS calibration in-house, a scan, a road test and a final inspection under proper light.
Hand over
We walk you through what was done. Pickup and delivery is available, free locally out to about Greenwich, CT.
Why people bring their cars here
- Certified for Rivian, Jaguar Land Rover, Genesis, Infiniti, Nissan, Kia and Stellantis, and an XPEL Certified Installer.
- New OEM parts on every repair. No exceptions.
- ADAS calibration in-house, so the car does not leave for a second shop.
- We work with luxury car dealers in Westchester and Greenwich on their higher-end models.
- Collision and XPEL paint protection film under one roof. See collision repair for cars with PPF if your car already has film.
- Pickup and delivery locally, out to about Greenwich, CT. Farther out may cost extra.
Tell us about the damage
Send a few photos and the year, make and model. We will come back with next steps, and we can arrange the tow if the car is not drivable.
Request an Estimate
Tell us about the car and what happened. We call back the same day. On a busy day, by the next morning at the latest.
Common questions
No. In New York you choose the shop. Insurance Law section 2610 bars an insurer from requiring you to use a particular shop. Tell them the car is going to Enthusiast Auto Works and we handle the rest.
Yes. We are a preferred repair shop for Berkley One and we work with Chubb, PURE, AIG Private Client, Hagerty, Erie and Cincinnati. GEICO claims are welcome. We handle the claim with any carrier.
No. Every part is new OEM from the dealer. If an insurer denies an OEM part, we look for a way to make it work without you paying out of pocket, and if that fails we call you and decide together.
Towing is free on all insurance claims. Call us before the car is towed if you can, so it comes straight to the shop.
It depends on the damage and on parts availability. Anyone who gives you a firm number before teardown is guessing. You get a realistic timeline after the damage analysis and an update whenever it changes.
Yes. Much of what we repair is Porsche, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and other brands that do not certify us. The process and the parts rule are the same. We only say certified for the seven brands that have certified us.
ADAS is the set of cameras, radar and sensors behind your driver assistance features. Replacing a bumper, windshield, mirror or grille, or changing alignment, usually means they have to be recalibrated. We do that in-house as part of the repair.
We handle total loss claims start to finish, on all cars. If the car is repairable and the claim qualifies, we can also set you up with a diminished value representative.
Yes. We are an XPEL Certified Installer and we schedule the film after the new paint has cured, so it goes on at the right time.
Where we work
Our shop is in New Rochelle. Collision customers come to us from:
Enthusiast Auto Works
55B Plain Ave, New Rochelle, NY 10801
Open Monday to Friday
(914) 630-1668 · Contact us
Marques we repair every week
Certified for Jaguar, Land Rover and Rivian, and equipped for the rest. Structural aluminum, carbon repair, factory finishes and ADAS calibration.
BMW · Porsche · Mercedes-Benz · Bentley · Jaguar and Land Rover · Rivian · Exotics and supercars
Auto Body & Collision Repair Service Areas
We serve customers across Westchester County NY, Fairfield County CT and Manhattan.
We repair with OEM parts. Only.
Enthusiast Auto Works fits new original parts from the manufacturer’s dealer network. Not “like kind and quality”, not aftermarket copies, not a used panel off a donor car. Barring genuinely exceptional circumstances, that is what goes on your vehicle.
We also tell your insurer this before the estimate is written, rather than arguing about it afterwards. That one step is the reason it is rare for the question to become a fight at all.
Why it matters more than it sounds:
- Structural parts are engineered, not shaped. Reinforcement bars, crush cans, rails and radiator supports are designed to deform in a particular sequence at a particular load. A part that looks identical and deforms differently changes how the car protects you in the next collision, and nothing about the finished repair would reveal it.
- Sensors are measured in millimeters. Radar sits behind bumper covers and grilles, cameras sit in windshields and mirrors. If the mounting geometry is slightly off, calibration either fails or succeeds against the wrong reference. The second outcome is the dangerous one.
- Fit, coating and corrosion. Panel gaps, steel thickness and factory corrosion protection differ on copies. You see the gap immediately; you see the corrosion in three winters.
- Resale. A documented aftermarket panel is something a serious buyer’s inspector finds and prices in. On a premium car that is real money.
If your insurer pushes back. Most estimates arrive with aftermarket substitutions already written in. We write the supplement from the manufacturer’s published repair procedure with the relevant pages attached and make the case for the original part. Documented procedure moves adjusters in a way that opinion does not. If a carrier still will not pay, our first move is to find a way to make the repair work without you going out of pocket. If we cannot, we call you, explain exactly where the claim stands, and you make the decision. What does not happen is an aftermarket part going quietly onto your car while you find out later.
Collision repair by marque
We repair every premium marque on the road in Westchester. Pick yours for what is specific to it:
BMWMercedes-BenzPorscheAudiLand RoverJaguarBentleyRolls-RoyceFerrariLamborghiniMcLarenMaseratiTeslaRivianLucidLexusGenesisInfinitiVolvo
Luxury collision repair in Westchester County: how we approach premium vehicles, and which marques we are certified for.
Where we work in lower Westchester
We are at 55B Plain Ave in New Rochelle, minutes from I-95 exit 16 and the Hutchinson River Parkway. Pick your town for what is specific to it:
New RochelleLarchmontMamaroneckPelhamScarsdaleBronxvilleEastchesterTuckahoeMount VernonYonkersWhite PlainsHarrisonRyePort ChesterGreenwich CTOld GreenwichRiversideCos CobStamford
Protecting paint rather than repairing it? We are an XPEL Certified Installer as well as a collision shop. See paint protection film across Westchester and Fairfield County.
If your vehicle has paint protection film on it
Most collision shops cannot finish the job. They can repair and repaint the panel, but they cannot put the film back, because that is a separate trade. The car goes to a second facility afterward: a second drop-off, a second wait, and nobody answerable if the result does not match.
We do both in the same building. Enthusiast Auto Works is the only facility in NY, NJ and CT that can perform a certified repair and an XPEL install on your vehicle under one roof. A filmed vehicle is stripped, repaired, refinished, cured and re-filmed here without moving.
Other certified shops in the area send us their customers’ cars for the film work once their paint is done. If the film has to come back to us anyway, you can simply start here.
How collision repair works on a car with paint protection film