Auto body repair is a service designed to fix problems that occur to the bodies of vehicles. Damage can occur to a car because of an accident with another car or for other reasons. If the damage is not too severe, it can be fixed by a collision center. These centers are a type of auto repair shop, but they specialize only in fixing damage to the bodies of cars and trucks.
Source: FlickrThe damages might be scratches or small dents and dings. These could be caused from hail or from a collision. In some cases, the damages are very severe. When a person brings a car for repair, a series of car body repair procedures to get the problems fixed is implemented.
Step One: The first step is an estimate. To estimate the costs to repair damages on a car, a person must know how to do this. This is something that takes time to learn, and it is often conducted by a collision repair technician. The estimate will list all of the types of damage to the car and the method that will be used to fix it.
It will include everything from fixing small scratches to repainting the car after replacing large parts. It will include the costs of the parts and the labor. This quote is given to the customer and it may also be given to the appropriate insurance company. During this initial step, the auto body repair shop will handle the negotiations with the insurance company. They will try to work everything out so that they can begin the repairs on the car. As soon as they receive approval from the customer and the insurance company, the work will begin.
Step Two: Locating parts is the next step, if parts are needed. Finding the right auto parts takes time, but this step can often be eliminated if the parts do not need to be replaced. Minor dents, dings and scratches may not require changing the parts. They may be as simple as sanding them down and applying filler into them. They may also be able to be pushed out. It will all depend on the dent, the size and the location.
All of these things are figured into the quote, so the shop will already know how they will be repairing these parts. To find the parts needed for the repairs, the shop will look at junk yards first. This is often the first step if the parts needed are very large and expensive. If they cannot locate used parts, they will have to order new parts from a parts distributor.
Step Three: The final step is when the actual work is conducted. An auto body repair shop will begin the work by replacing any parts with new or used ones. Many of the parts can be found online. They will then work on filling in minor dents and scrapes or by pushing them out. They will often use a body filler during this process. This is a type of material that is ideal for this purpose. Body filler works great for all types of major dents or scratches.
After this is done, it will need to be sanded and then primed. Repainting the car is generally the final step in the process. They may have to paint the entire car or just parts of it. Auto body shops are great at matching paint colors and finishing cars with paint. When the customer receives the car back, it should look as good as new and the customer should not be able to tell that work was done on it.