Don’t worry we are here to take care of you. All we need is a few minutes of your time and we can handle the rest for you. The amount of damage done to your vehicle determines how long it will take to complete the repairs. If there is one thing we know it is how important your car is to you and your family and we promise to keep you informed all along the way and to return your vehicle to you as quickly as possible.
Step 1: Consultation
First we will meet with you to find out what you want us to do, who your insurance company is, whether or not you have rental insurance and to go over your process.
Step 2: Preparing your Estimate. Your estimator will inspect your vehicle and begin to document the damage caused by collision in the form of an estimate. In some cases you may already have a preliminary estimate of this damage prepared by your insurance company. In any event, this step must be accomplished prior to beginning the repair process.
Step 3: Your authorization. Before any work can begin, you must first sign a repair authorization allowing us to repair your vehicle.
Step 4: Insurance Authorization. The insurance company that is involved must also approve any repair estimate before any work begins.
Step 5: Parts Ordered. Once all the authorizations have been received we will order the parts we know we need to repair your vehicle.
Step 6: Vehicle scheduled for repairs once your parts are received and accounted for. We will now contact you to schedule a convenient time for your vehicle to be repaired. In some cases your vehicle may already be at our repair center, in which case it will be available for immediate repairs.
Step 7: Vehicle disassembly and re-inspection. As your vehicle’s outer panels are removed and the physical structure of the vehicle is revealed, often additional or “hidden damage” is discovered. This additional damage is difficult to diagnose at the time of the original estimate as it cannot be seen or predicted until we perform this thorough inspection. Please note that any additional damage could alter your vehicles completion date.
Step 8: Supplement approval. If hidden damage is identified during their inspection process a supplemental estimate is prepared for you and your insurance companies’ approval. Once the additional authorization have been received we will continue the repair process
Step 9: Additional parts ordered if necessary. If the supplemental insurance included additional parts they will be ordered based on your written authorization from step 8. Usually we can continue with repairs while the parts are being shipped, but sometimes there is a chance that this can alter your vehicles completion date.
Step 10: Vehicle set on uni-body repair equipment if needed. Your vehicle was manufactured in compliance with tight structural standards. Exact location and fit of interregnal parts are critical to the operation and appearance of your vehicle. In this process we measure your vehicle against published factory specifications and return your vehicle to within the manufacturers prescribed tolerances to ensure proper operation, location and fit of body and structural parts.
Step 11: Structural body repair and part replacement. All collision related repair requires some degree of cosmetic repair and often require replacement of factory panels. We will check for proper fit here and ensure your vehicles parts look, fit, and align the way they should.
Step 12: Corrosion protection reapplied to repair areas. Most of today’s vehicles incorporate some form of corrosion protection applies by the original manufacturer. We will reapply this protection to ensure that your vehicle conforms to original manufacturer standards.
Step 13: All metal work done and initial tests done. It is at this point in the repair that we begin to check systems for proper functioning and perform quality control of the repair work. An example of a systems check would be the resetting of your safety systems, involving your passive restraint or air bag system.
Step 14: Our technicians will begin the refinish process by applying a primer. Surface filler is sprayed on to ensure a quality, uniform and smooth surface. Block sanding is the method of further preparing the surface of your vehicle for paint.
Step 15: Vehicle is masked, taped and place in paint booth. To ensure that the highest quality standards are met, we carefully mask your vehicle to protect it from overspray during the refinish process. Only the area that needs to be refinished is left uncovered. We then place your vehicle in a controlled atmosphere called a paint booth, where paint material is applied.
Step 16: Vehicle is chemically cleaned and tacked. This process removes all outside contaminates that may have been deposited on your vehicle during the repair process. Tacking the vehicle then removes any dust particles that may remain.
Step 17: Most of today’s vehicles are coated with what is known as a basecoat/clear coat refinish system. Sometimes a single stage system is used. In any event, all systems involve several application steps to ensure a quality finish. We will only us refinish products that meet or exceed the original manufactures specifications and are backed by lifetime paint performance guarantee.
Step 18: Reassembly, wheel alignment, air conditioning, detailing, final inspection, and test drive. Once your vehicle has gone through the refinish process we then reattach the outer parts such as mirrors, moldings, and other hardware. Should your repair require a wheel alignment or services such as air conditioning repair, we will perform them at this time. Your car will undergo a thorough cleaning, test drive and quality inspection prior to being returned to you.
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