The quality of the repair depends entirely on what shop you use and the blanket statement of, "it just won't be right afterwards" does not hold water. Do your research and take your car to a high end body shop and not Bubba's "years ago" garage. Call around to the car dealers that sell MB's, BMW's and other high priced vehicles and ask what shops they recommend. It won't be Bubba's garage.

Assuming you are going to get the car fixed using your insurance, you do not have to get three estimates like you had to did years ago and go with the lowest bidder. Find a shop you feel comfortable with and let them deal with the insurance company. Don't even think about taking your car to a shop recommended by the insurance company, they are usually a lower end shop that cuts corners saving the insurance company money.

My experience: after an accident I went to a high end body shop recommended by friends. They presented me with what I thought was an outrageous estimate. The reason for the high cost? OEM parts, and when it came to repainting, they did not just tape off everything and shoot on the paint. They removed the windshield, trim and other items instead of painting around them. The result was a paint job that looked like it just came off the show room floor.

Afterwards, I asked the repair shop how it gets away with getting the insurance companies to pay such high rates. They said they spend time justifying their estimates but the bottom line is, they do the job right the first time and give a quality service and that is what you are entitled to.

Also, by taking your car to a high end shop, the chances of getting a seriously damaged vehicle "totaled" is much better because of the high cost of repair.

You get what you pay for...

Just my opinion, good luck and sorry to hear of your experience.