"People do what you inspect, not what you expect."
Keep that quote in mind when dealing with a car body repair. It emphasizes that you are responsible for ensuring that the car body repair shop delivers results that are consistent with your expectations.
When you pick up your car from the car body shop, do you ever wonder if they did a good job, or if they pulled a fast one on you? It could be that you're being overly cautious, but ignoring your intuition isn’t a good idea.
In this post, you'll learn how to “inspect what you expect.” Interested? Let's get to it!
What Are the Most Common Auto Body Works?
If you’re considering auto body repair work, you need to know about the different options available to you. Here’s a quick run-through of the most common types.
1. Paintless Dent Repair
When a car body is dented, but the paintwork is not affected, this type of repair is the best type to be done. Your mechanic uses expert tools to fix the dent. You can expect your car to attain its old, clean look after the paintless dent repair is done.
2. Car Collision Repair
If your vehicle gets involved in a collision, you must have a car body shop assess and repair the damage. Often, a car body replacement is what's necessary to restore the functionality of your car. Other times, you may only need to replace a few car body parts.
3. Bumper Replacements
This point is a sequel to the preceding point. It deserves special mention because rear and front bumpers are two of the car parts likely to get damaged during accidents. A reputable car body shop helps replace the bumper with the right fit so that it looks like nothing ever went wrong with your car.
4. Car Detailing
Car detailing service involves systematic methods to deep-clean your car and restore it to its best possible aesthetic condition. This could mean retouching the paint or polishing the headlights and taillights, and whatnots. Car detailing does not improve the mechanical or engineering functions of your car but significantly upgrades your car’s resale price.
5. Car Body Painting
The apparent benefit to repainting a car is the enhanced cosmetic appeal, but that's not all. Paint also helps prevent the outer part of the vehicle from weathering.
6. Body Filler
Severe car body issues may require a body filler application. Body fillers are semisolid materials that harden when they dry and are popularly used to fill pores and cracks in the wood. Your mechanic will apply a body filler to cover the dented surface. When the body filler has completely dried up, the area can be painted over to look like the rest of the car.
7. Window Repair and Replacement
Damage to your windows is another car problem you might face. The damage may be severe or minor. This type of auto body repair involves the repair or replacement of the window, depending on the extent of the damage.
What Should I Look for After an Auto Body Repair Work?
1. Have a Clear Understanding Upfront
If you don’t know what you want, anything could look like it (forgive me for going all philosophical on you in this post).
That’s why you should make sure you’re very clear about what the shop will fix. Get everything in writing. While you’re at it, enquire about the warranty on the work.
2. Do a Close-up Inspection
Take a close look at the area that was fixed. Below are some suggestions on what to inspect.
- Look for gaps between car body panels. If the gaps are uneven, that’s a revealing sign that the panels were aligned incorrectly.
- Look at the distance between the tyre and fender. If it is narrow on one side and wide on the other side, something wasn’t fixed well.
- Turn on the headlights to ensure that the light beams are aligned.
Needless to say, your inspection should be based on the repair that you agreed on, that’s why item #1 up there is vital.
3. Paint Jobs: Matching Colors and Consistency
I advise that you pick up a car from the car body shop during the day. That way, you can be sure that the new paint matches the car’s initial shade and finish. Also, if the shop repainted several panels, look for color consistency along the vehicle's side.
4. Clean Car Is a Must
A car body shop that is worth its salt should never ever hand you a dirty car. Your car should have been washed, cleaned, and vacuumed when you go pick it up.
What to Do If the Car Body Repair Was Less Than Perfect
Sadly, not all auto bodywork projects go well. Here are some helpful tips to help you turn around the situation if you ever receive inferior auto bodywork or something goes wrong with the repair.
1. Create a Record of the Problem
If you get your car back and suspect that the completed work was not done right, start documenting what you think could be wrong with the repair. Make sure you take enough pictures or videos of the problematic section.
2. Report the Problem to the Body Shop
Most body shops guarantee their work. So ask them if they’re willing to fix the fault.
3. Ask for a Refund or Assurance of Delivery
If they don't give guarantees on their work, ask for some form of refund because of their shoddy job. If required, show them the proof of the damage.
4. Speak to an Attorney
If the auto body shop is unwilling to help, contact a local attorney to seek legal advice. They can inform you if you have a possible case and can help you seek compensation for the auto body repair poor quality.
Get the Correct Info about Car Ownership Issues Here!
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By Damilare Olasinde