Understanding Collision Repair and what it means can help you understand what procedure your car would go through if it ever needed one. Auto Collision Repair, or Car Collision Repair is the process of repairing a vehicle that has been damaged in an accident, by weather or other incidents.
The primary goal of collision repair is to get the vehicle to its pre-collision state. This process entails replacing damaged parts, repairing safety features, auto detailing, and so on. The cost and time required to repair your car are determined by the extent of the damage. If you file a claim, your insurance company will usually cover the costs.
We are here to help you in selecting a reputable body shop and repairman, as well as guide you through every stage of the collision repair process. Now that you have complete knowledge of what collision repair means, let us get into the details.
What is Collision Repair?
Imagine you just suffered a head-on collision with another vehicle or object. You get out of your vehicle and see that the front of your car is all messed up now. This is when your car needs a Collision Repair. Collision repair service is available for both head-on and lethal crashes, as well as smaller issues like little dents or scratches.
Auto body shops offer collision repair services and Car technicians are in charge of vehicle maintenance and restoration. First, they will analyze the damage to your car in order to identify which parts need to be fixed and which require replacement. Depending on the extent of the damage, they may ask you to leave the vehicle at the body shop for a few days.
Types of Collision Damage
Collision damages can vary from minor dents and scratches to cracked chassis and misaligned frames. Some of these damages may not be apparent to the naked eye and require an in-depth inspection of the vehicle to be discovered.
There are five main types of Collision damage:
- Scratches or paint damage: Surface paint damage is usually easiest to fix and takes a short time to be buffed out by repainting. Deep scratches or chipped paint may need sanding or priming before repainting.
- Dents or dings: Depending on the width and depth of the dent, collision repair may vary from paintless dent repair (PDR) to reshaping the area and then repainting it.
- Damaged bumpers or panels: Bumpers are designed to absorb collision force. So, it’s necessary to replace torn-off or damaged bumpers or panels.
- Misaligned or bent frame: This type of damage would require structural repairs that may take a few days to be done.
- Damaged chassis: The chassis is the spine of your vehicle. A cracked or damaged chassis will prevent your car from operating correctly. Car technicians usually repair a cracked chassis by welding it.
Some of the minor damage can be overlooked, but others may cause other serious and dangerous issues such as steering misalignment or decreased braking efficiency if left ignored. So, we recommend visiting a body shop if your car has been involved in a recent collision.
Process of Collision Repair
Collision repair is a series of actions that a car specialist performs to analyze, fix, and test the integrity of the repaired vehicle. The steps are as follows:
- Assessment of the damage: Upon arrival at the body shop, a car technician will greet you. They will inspect your car with professional tools to determine the extent of the damage done to your car.
- Providing an estimate of the repair costs: The technician will provide you with an estimate of the repair and labor costs. If you want to file a claim with your insurance company, the technician is required to provide the final cost to the insurance company.
- Filing a claim: Filing an insurance claim can only be done if you have car insurance. This process may be long since the company will need to review the costs and investigate the incident that caused the damage. If it is covered, the company will pay for the repair costs in full.
- Disassembly: After the cost of the repair has been confirmed by the insurance company or the owner, the technician will proceed to disassemble the damaged parts to get a good look at the internal parts of the car.
- Realignment: Any misalignments or structural damage done to the car will be straightened and repaired at this stage.
- Replacement: The damaged parts will be replaced with brand-new parts by the technician.
- Painting: This part includes fixing dents and any damages done to the exterior of the car. New doors, panels, or bumpers also may need to be painted to match the color of the car. Fixing the damaged cosmetics is also included in this stage.
- Reassembly: Technicians will reassemble any removed parts as the final stage of the collision repair.
- Test Drive: After the repair process is done, the technician will take the car for a spin. If there are any problems still, the car will be back for another round of inspections and repairs. But if it functions well, the shop will call you to pick the car up.
The car technician will provide you with an estimated repair time after the assessment stage, although you can minimize this time by finding a well-experienced technician. To help you find a good body shop, we have listed all the factors you should look for when searching for a collision repair center.
How to find the perfect body shop
The first thing you should look out for is quality. The market is saturated with low-cost car parts usually made by unprofessional companies and some body shops use these parts to bring down the total cost of a repair to make their service more appealing. These parts may seem legit at first sight and tempting due to their cheap prices but will cause everlasting problems for your car and may threaten your safety.
Make sure that the repair shop orders replacement parts from OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). Don’t hesitate to pay extra when it comes to your car as your safety depends on the quality of its parts.
Verify that the repair center has the required certificates or is certified by official and reliable industry organizations. This will assist you in determining whether the technician is capable of identifying and properly resolving the problem with your vehicle.
Remember, you can always ask your friends or family for recommendations on where to find a professional repairman. Online reviews are also another way of receiving helpful insight on where to find a good body shop.
Final Thoughts
Understanding the collision repair process and its stages is crucial for every car owner. In case of an unfortunate event, this will help you find the best local body shop and get your car repaired in no time. Just remember to value quality above all and select a reputable collision repair technician to bring your car back to its former glory.
