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Auto Body 101May 28 '00 Write an essay on this topic.My family is full of notoriously bad drivers. Of course, we prefer to think that we are just unlucky...whatever the case may be, we have had plenty of experience with automotive body shops. From major repairs to small dents, I have had to go through it all. I hope the following stories will entertain and enlighten on the subject of selecting a body shop. Picture this scene: three high school students are out for a Christmas night drive in the car that one of them has just received as a gift. The generous recipient hands the keys to one of her friends so that he might try out the car, and they head off down the interstate. As they exit the freeway, the friend (unfamiliar with the car's handling) hits the brakes, locks them, and the car plummets off the exit ramp through a row of roadway markers. The driver in this case was me...and that was the first time I had ever put a car in the body shop. Nervous that her parents would be upset, my friend and I hoped to conceal the damage until it was repaired. The following morning, we rushed the car to the dealer whose shop foreman assured us that the minor repairs could be made in one day for less than $200. The following Monday, it entered the shop. Thankfully, my friend had confessed to her parents....because the car was returned until the end of the week. Lesson One: it will almost always take longer than you are told. This can be for a variety of reasons, not all the fault of the shop. Perhaps more damage is uncovered once parts are removed...some parts may be on backorder...and maybe the shop is just running behind schedule. Whatever the reason, be prepared to wait awhile to have your car back. My first car had been a hand-me down from my parents, and bore four years worth of battle scars inflicted by another unlucky driver--my stepmother. In a previous accident she had been involved in, she found a shop to repair the passenger side for less than the insurance companies appraisal--allowing her to save most of the deductible she would have paid at a "preferred" shop. I have known many people who have tried a similar route--but before you send your car off to a second-rate repair shop, remember Lesson Two: you often get what you pay for. The car was returned with obvious differences in paint color, texture, and shine...plus the aftermarket doorskin began to rust within a few months. That's how I got the car--with a rusting passenger door and two shades of blue paint. Within a few weeks, I decided to have the whole car repainted. The shop I chose did the work for a very reasonable price, got the car back to me within the time frame they specified, and did an acceptable, though not showroom-quality job. When I scraped the car a few months later, I returned to the same shop--figuring they would be able to better match the paint. The return visit involved repairing and repainting the driver's door and front fender...and the shop did the work for eighty dollars. Lesson Three: and this applies to dealings with all sorts of service people--repeat customers often get preferred treatment. Hopefully, auto body work is not something you have done often, but when you have every little ding repaired like I do, finding a good shop is as important as having a trusted mechanic. About a year after I started driving, I slammed into a concrete barrier in a parking lot. The front end of my car received moderate damage, and the insurance company asked for three estimates. The estimates were surprisingly varied. The most expensive one was more than one third what the lowest one was. One shop felt that a panel should be replaced, while another thought repair was the better option. In the end, I went with the lowest estimate...afterall, my car had over 120,000 miles on it, and it mattered little if there were some minor imperfections. Lesson Four: and this is the most important one. Get several estimates and look over them carefully. Note what parts each shop wants to replace. Did one shop note frame damage that another one missed? Does the estimate include notes about corrosion protection? Other Questions and Considerations: Warranties: Does the shop offer one? How long is it? Some will guarantee their work for as long as you own the car, others only for a year or less. Computerized Color Matching Earlier this year, I had to have minor repairs done to my ten-year old Honda. Luckily, the shop I chose used a computer to match the paint on the car. This takes into account fading and assures a consistent finish. Find out if the shop that will repair your car uses this technology. Storage How will your car be stored while in the care of the shop? A friend of mine drove past the place that was repairing his car last weekend to discover it sitting outside, several pieces of glass removed, totally exposed to the elements. While indoor storage is a luxury many shops do not have, at least make sure that they will do their best to keep the car dry and secure. Look at the Shop's Work Perhaps you know someone who has used its services, or the shop has a few finished cars awaiting pick up. Be aware of any differences in the texture of the paint, look for overspray on window moldings and trim, notice any body panels that dont seem to align properly. Closely inspect your car before repairs begin While you may not even know what a core support is, let alone whether it needs replaced, there may be many things you notice that even the most competent repairman won't. For example, in my run-in with the concrete barrier, my head cracked the sunvisor on the driver's side. The shop would never have discovered the problem if I hadn't pointed it out. Keep the Estimate, Receipts, and Other Paperwork If problems arise later, these become very important.  |
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