The Top 5 Mistakes Body Shops Make and How to Spot Them

Being in a collision is already hard and stressful enough on its own. If you were lucky enough to not get injured in the collision, you will still have to find a body shop to take care of your car. It is understood that not every body shop is created equal, but essential you trust the experts at your body shop of choice to do the job right. And oftentimes, the job is done right, but the question remains: Would you be able to spot a shoddy repair job by your body shop if you saw it? Here are the top 5 mistakes your local collision center might get past you.

The Paint Doesn’t Match

Even though there is a myriad of different car paint colors available in today’s market and matching paint is not as easy as one might think, a experienced Gilbert collision repair tech will have no difficulty in matching the new paint to the one on your vehicle. If the paint does not match 100% there are still effective techniques to blend the paint so that it won’t come off as shoddy workmanship.

Oftentimes, the paint seems to match inside the shop. Take your car into sunlight (of which Arizona has its fair share) and examine closely the area that was repaired. Another surefire way to ensure the paint matches is by checking it out under fluorescent lighting.

Poor Paint Jobs

Your certified auto body shop repairs you car, finds the matching paint for your car, but also has to demonstrate a flawless application of the paint. And your car probably has taken quite a beating driving in the desert sun and over sandy dirt roads. Therefore it is essential that your car is prepped properly for the paint job application. This includes cleaning any area that is to be painting and which is easily accessible and taping off important parts such as the muffler, wiring and other important parts that otherwise would get painted over. When you pick up your car, check over the repaired area. If you find lumps, bumps and areas that are either duller or more shiny than others, you might be dealing with a poor paint job. Having your car services by a certified Arizona collision repair shop, will greatly improve the odds that the job is done right.

Non-Matching/Misaligned Body Panels

Car Paint Matching without Mistakes Automobiles today are precision engines, and everything has its place, including the panels. Panel gaps have gotten smaller over years and it takes patience and thoroughness to properly reinstall panels after a collision repair shop. Some people may consider this to be a minor cosmetic problem, but in fact, it is just bad workmanship.

To make sure that your panels have found their proper place on your car, after the job is done, inspect your car carefully. Compare the repaired area to other areas of your car. Do all the panels have the same gaps? Are the gaps uniform all around the panel? Do your door and trunk open and close as smoothly as they should? If the answer is yes, then your body shop did a good job.

Misaligned Wheels

When your car is in a collision, everything falls out of alignment. Not just the actual body parts of the car, but the tires as well. Even though it is a rare occurrence that a repair shop neglects or forgets to align the tires, it does happen. This however is nothing you will be able to spot when you pick up your car. It will take a few weeks for wear patterns to show if the tires are properly aligned. If there are problems, take the car back to your body shop. And if there are still problems, contact your insurance for assistance.

Equipment That is Reinstalled Wrong

The collision repair world can be cut throat and oftentimes repair techs are offered premiums when they finish a car on or before schedule. This can lead to rushed and shoddy repair work or maybe the tech who puts your car together is not the same who took it apart. Be it as it may, sometimes parts get installed improperly or poorly.

Check your car for rattling noises, or other uncharacteristic noises as well as error codes for airbag and other important components such as headlights, windshield wipers and more.

Luckily most body repair shops are trustworthy and while mistakes happen, most are truly unintentional. To ensure the best possible service for your car opt for a certified Gilbert collision repair center. Here at Excel Collision and Glass Centers, we are proud of our continued training programs and quality components. Contact us today to get your collision repair done right.

Published By:

Excel Collision and Glass Centers – Tim Stone