My son drove my car across a ditch and 40 feet into the woods, late at night on a dark country road. Thankfully, he was fine with no injuries. The T- intersection had two blind corners, and it was a foggy night with wet pavement from all the recent rains. I instructed him to get the wheels straight and hook up the tow strap to the car, while I hooked it to the truck and got the truck into 4-wheel drive. In my haste to get the car pulled out and clear of the dangerous intersection, I didn't check to make sure the driver's door was closed. (Yes, I know, right?) As soon as I heard the sound of crunching metal, I knew what happened to the door. Well...to add to the stress of all that, we needed to get the car ready for a 2000 mile trip to Utah within 2 weeks, because my son was moving there. The next day, I called around to a few repair shops but they couldn't even get me in for an estimate for a few days. I called Royal Auto Works and spoke with Jen, and she said to just come by for an estimate. I told her we were kinda pressed for time with my son's move and really just needed to get the door to close so I didn't have to hold it closed with a ratchet strap and enter/exit "Dukes of Hazard" style - we didn't even need to paint the car at this time, just get it road worthy. She said no worries, just come by whenever it was convenient. Later that afternoon, my son and I drove up to Front Royal, with the door securely closed with a ratchet strap - a camo one at that - very stylish on the ol' Honda Accord. When we arrived, I spoke with Jessica and she came out to look at the car. I told her the same thing I told Jen on the phone - that we just needed to get it fixed enough to drive out to Utah in a few weeks, didn't need paint, was going "out of pocket" since it wasn't covered under insurance, etc. She took a few pictures, told us we could wait in the waiting room, then she drove it around to the shop. About 30 minutes later the car was parked out front again, and she brought us out to look at it. The ratchet strap was gone from the door (it was in the back seat), and the door was closed and latched properly. She showed us where the A-pillar was slightly damaged and the hinges were very slightly tweaked, but the door was completely secured when closed. She asked me if that would work for us to get out to Utah, and I said yes. She said we were good to go. I asked how much it was and reached for my wallet. She just smiled and said it's okay, you don't owe anything, just have a safe trip out to Utah. Earlier in the office, I overheard her and Jen talking about going for ice cream, so I offered to bring some ice cream back to the office. Again, she smiled and said not to worry about it. With that, we thanked her again and left for home. My hat is off to the fine folks at Royal Auto Works, and I am eternally grateful for their kindness and repair skills. If you ever need an autobody repair shop, THIS is where you should take your car - don't bother calling anyone else. read more
