After you have been in an accident, having your car repaired can be very stressful, and you may not know what you need to do next.  Your car is the second largest investment you’re likely to make and preserving its value and your safety is extremely important.  The first thing you should do is get an estimate, our estimator will inspect your vehicle and begin to document the damage caused by the collision.  Once you decide to have your vehicle repaired by us, we will schedule a date for you to bring in your vehicle and at that time we will have you sign a repair authorization form allowing us to repair your vehicle.  The insurance company that is involved must also approve the repair estimate before we can begin work.  Upon receiving the approvals we will begin the process of locating and ordering the parts necessary to repair your vehicle.  Once we receive your vehicle in our shop we will begin the disassembly process.  When the outer panels are removed and the physical structure of the vehicle is revealed, often hidden damage is revealed which is difficult to see and cannot be predicted until we perform a through inspection.  If any hidden damage is found we will write a supplemental report at that time and submit it to your insurance company for approval.  Should we find additional damage, we will need to order additional parts to complete the repair.  At this time we will contact you and update you on the progress of your vehicle, and if anything has affected the completion date we originally gave you, we will let you know now and tell you why.  Your vehicle was manufactured in compliance with tight structural standards.  Exact location and fit of integral parts are critical to the operation and appearance of your vehicle.  If your vehicle needs structural repairs or needs to have panels replaced we will measure your vehicle against published factory specifications and return your vehicle to within the manufacturer’s prescribed tolerance to ensure proper operation.  We will also reapply corrosion protection to your vehicle to meet manufacturer’s standards.  Once all the metal work is completed at this time we will perform a quality control and once again we will contact you with an update on your vehicle.  The next step is to paint your vehicle if needed.  Our technicians will begin the refinish process by applying a primer.  Surface filler is sprayed on to ensure a quality, uniform and smooth surface.  The vehicle is then masked, taped and placed in the paint booth.  We carefully mask your vehicle to protect if from overspray during the refinish process, only the area that needs to be refinished is left uncovered.  We then place your vehicle in our paint booth where paint material is applied.  Your vehicle is then chemically cleaned and tacked, this process removes all outside contaminates that may have been deposited on your vehicle during the repair process.  After this process has been done we apply the basecoat/clearcoat refinish.  Once your vehicle has gone through the refinish process we reassemble your vehicle and schedule a wheel alignment at this time if needed.  Your car will undergo a cleaning, test drive and quality inspection prior to being returned to you.  At this time we will contact you and make arrangements to get you back in your vehicle at your earliest and most convenient time.

Well you’ve just had an accident and now you need to get a visual damage report also known as an estimate on what it will cost to repair your vehicle.  Here are some tips to help you get started on your repair process.  Before you go and get a visual damage report, wash your car and visually inspect your vehicle, you would be surprised at how many people don’t actually take the time to inspect the condition of their vehicle from time to time.  Is there new door dents?  Is the bottom of the car rusting, new scrapes or scratches that have nothing to do with the actual accident?  Are any parts broken or missing?  Once you have accessed the condition of your vehicle you are ready to get a visual damage report.

Sometimes there can be a communication problem when dealing with an auto body shop, or any other service industry business.  Every vehicle situation is different, so when getting a visual damage report on your vehicle make sure you ask lots of questions, a good estimator won’t mind answering your questions and going over everything until you understand your visual damage report in full.  Most visual damage reports today are done on a computer, and when getting a visual damage report from different shops you may end up with different repair cost.  Some of the reasons why this happens may be because one shop is using new manufacture parts while the other shop may be using aftermarket parts; one shop may be repairing the panel while the other shop is replacing the panel; paint techniques may be different, where one shop is using base clear paint and the other shop using single stage paint; or it may be that some part that needs repaired on your vehicle is missed altogether on one visual damage report but not missed on the other visual damage report.  One thing to remember is that when an estimator is assessing the damage to your vehicle, some of the damage may be hidden and not visible until the vehicle is actually disassembled, which can change the price of the visual damage report and may lengthen the repair time.  Another question you should ask when getting a visual damage report is what is your warranty or guarantee on the body repair and paint.  Be sure you read and understand the warranty as these can vary from shop to shop, one may offer only a 1 year warranty while another shop may offer a lifetime warranty.

Having all the information you need and understanding the process will help ease the stress of getting your vehicle repaired.  Here at A & J Collision Repair we want to make this process as painless as possible, we are more than happy to answer any questions you may have, and we don’t mind you calling us if you think of a question you forgot to ask while getting your visual damage report.  Remember you are the one who has the final decision on where your vehicle will be repaired.

This is the article that 501 Life Mag had put together on the van give away. 

Thanks to everyone involved in making it happen. Thank you

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Jody