Auto Insurance Claims: insurance claim payment, reprocussions, insurance claim

Question
Hi, I was rear ended the other day, I have already had a adjusted look at the vehicle, she said that the would send me a check. The vehicle is paid off, My question is do I have to get the work done by a body shop or can I do it myself. I was planning on changing the bed of the pickup over to a flat bed in the spring anyway. It seems like a waste to have a shop do all of this work, only to have me take it all off to do what I want. The check is going to be in my name, I just don't know what if any reprocussions could arise. Thank you.

Answer
If the payment is from the other driver's insurance company, you can do whatever you want with it and it is fine to do the work yourself.  The only potential problem would be if you find that you need additional repairs missed on the estimate - it might be a little more challenging to get them to pay for it - but you should still be able to do so.

If the check is from your insurance company, you would need to discus this with them before doing the work, since it might affect you coverage.